The Nation Newspaper

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  • Our children’s unanswered questions

    I recall a recent event in which some children did not only thrill us but asked questions that left many parents bewildered. With songs, drama and speeches, they held an audience spellbound as they took everyone down the memory lane of the nation’s journey since independence. They drew our attention to the maladministration of the nation’s different sectors. They demanded the whereabouts of the over 200 girls abducted from Chibok, Borno State and asked if they would ever return home. Then they came hard on insurgents and demanded to know their sponsors.

    The occasion took place in Abuja about a year ago during the launch of the Federal Government’s Victims Support Fund, chaired by Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (rtd). Present at the occasion meant to raise funds for the rehabilitation and upkeep of the victims of insurgency were President Goodluck Jonathan, state governors, service chiefs, captains of industry, members of the diplomatic corps and who is who in the country. The performance of the children, who were drawn from various tribes, provoked and prodded sane minds. To men of conscience, the children could just not be ignored. And from the look of things, some of the questions the children asked are receiving attention even though some others may go unanswered.

    Of all the questions the children asked, the one that has continued to agitate the mind is the one that formed the basis for this article, namely: “Are there no sponsors of Boko Haram?” Or, put differently: “Where are the sponsors of this heinous crime?” When Al-Shabab, the militant Islamist group attacked a shopping mall in Kenya, the Kenyan President, Uhuru Kenyatta responded with the speed of a meteor. One of the immediate steps was to locate the possible sponsors of the dastardly act living within Kenya. In the process, about 80 people or sources were identified and their accounts were immediately frozen. In the process, it was discovered that some government functionaries were suspects.

    Similarly, when the Al-Shabab assaulted Garissa University and left 148 people dead, Kenyan fighter jets went into immediate action, bombing the two camps of the group in the Gedo region. Investigation further revealed that the son of a Kenyan government official was one of the masked Al-Shabab gunmen who stormed Garissa University College. Kenyan Interior Ministry said Abdirahim Abdullahi, who was the son of the government official in question, was among the four attackers killed during the attack.

    News from Niger Republic revealed that 643 people have been detained and charged to court for acts of terrorism and criminal conspiracy since February 2015. This was announced to the Niger Parliament by Hassoumi Massaoudoy, the Niger Security Minister. According to the Minister, Niger has deployed 3,000 soldiers to a joint regional force formed with Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria in order to quash the Boko Haram insurgency. Hassoumi further told the parliament that several Boko Haram networks and sleeper cells had been dismantled in Niger’s Southern Diffa region, which is on the border with Nigeria, and troops deployed there. In the words of the minister, “If this measure had not been taken, we could have had an uprising in the very interior of Diffa.”

    In Nigeria, it was recently announced that about 300 of the over 500 suspects of terror attacks would be charged to court for terrorism and conspiracy.

    Militarily, the war against insurgency has been intensified. The tail end of the erstwhile administration of President Goodluck Jonathan saw more heat on the insurgents with the liberation of more local government areas from the hitherto strongholds of the Boko Haram sect. Today, vigorous military action by the Buhari administration aimed at total liberation of the entire North East from the shackles of Boko Haram is ongoing, ironically provoking the intensification of attacks by the insurgents, especially on soft targets, which include churches, mosques, markets and defenseless civil populace mostly in the rural areas as well as in the cities through suicide bombing and outright gun attacks.

    In this renewed intensification of attacks by the insurgents, hundreds have been killed while many were injured with incalculable damage to property. All these unprovoked attacks by the insurgents, apart from being self-seeking, is to further create fear and intimidation in the minds of the people who would in the ultimate be made to feel that the government of the day is incapable of protecting the citizens. This perception of the insurgents, who by all intents and purposes are war mongers and demons of division, must not be given credence or approval.

    From the present severe heat and intensity of air and ground attacks on the insurgents, it is predictable that sooner than later, the Nigerian military will heave a sigh. Yes, militarily, the battle would be won, but the war is still on. And one of the ways to end the war is to locate and bring to book the local sponsors of this man inhumanity to man. It is obvious that without local sponsors and conspirators, the overbearing strength and orgy of destruction perpetuated by the Boko Haram sect would not have manifested. The local sponsors serve as the window or link for the external collaborators or sponsors to get into Nigeria. Identifying the local sponsors and block their sources of funds locally and externally will no doubt have positive effect on the war against insurgency.

    It is no longer a secret that local sponsors of insurgency are in our midst. What is surprising is that up till now, the Nigerian public is still in darkness with regards to the identity of the concerned individuals or groups who through outright sponsorship, aiding and abetting, continually desecrate Nigeria, especially North-East, with the blood of innocent citizens. Even as President of the nation, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan publicly declared that there are Boko Haram members in his administration. These so called members of the sect might not just be members but sponsors. Who are these and where are they now?

    The war against insurgency must not only be won but must be seen to have been won. The Nigerian Army has been forthcoming in this regard. It has demonstrated of recent the capacity and capability to defend the sovereignty of the Nigerian state. Besides, the military is purging itself of various ills or afflictions through court marshalling suspects for various offences, including aiding, abetting the enemies and abandoning the war front.

    Our security agencies, especially the intelligent units, must brace up and be pro-active to counter all moves by the insurgents to mar the peace and destabilise the nation. Above all, they will have to think ahead and set in motion pre-emptive moves or forces to counter the plans and forces of the enemy. They have to reach out to concerned groups, stakeholders and individuals, low or high.

     

    • Victor Izekor, a journalist and public affairs analyst writes at victorizekor@gmail.com

  • Oil Sector: Whither the way forward?

    With the identified shortfalls in the oil and gas industry over the years, it has become so obvious that the virtual appointment of people that lack necessary technical know-how to oversee the nation’s oil and gas industry is largely responsible for the abysmal performance recorded in the sector.

    Over the years, the oil and gas sector has performed below average, impacting negatively on the economy. According to available statistics, taking a 10-year reading, the sector grew at the rate of 3.3 per cent in 2004; 0.5 per cent in 2005, and then a downturn of -4.5 per cent for 2006 and 2007; -6.2 per cent for 2008 and -1.3 per cent in 2009. The years 2010 through to 2014 did not fair better, either. Over these same years, comparatively, the growth rate in the non-oil sector is generally and consistently more stable than that of  the oil and gas industry.

    Furthermore, due to the lack of proper supervision and coordination, foreign trade has continued to play a significant role in the Nigerian economy. The argument that Nigeria is the 10th largest oil producer in the world with proven oil reserve of about 36 billion barrels; and gas reserve of about 185 Trillion Cubit Feet (TCF) among others, is given prominence more on paper and abject environmental degradation than inidentifiable dividends. This is a far cry from what is obtainable in other nations of the worldwith even lesser oil deposits. The reality on ground does not in any way correspond with the nation’s over 50 years of oil exploration vis-à-vis its attendant turnover.

    This, no doubt, raises a lot of questions about the competence of those who have at one time or the other called the shots over the sector. Nigeria has witnessed managers of the industry become so powerful with so much over-bearing influence within a short period of appointment, whereas the related institutions are pathetically weak, practically rendered inactive and ineffective. The sector’s statutory obligations are conducted in utmost secrecy akin to what obtains in privately-owned entities.

    This development is contrary to the letter and spirit of transparency and accountability as espoused by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Act 2007 also known as The NEITI Act, which (provides for the establishment of NEITI, and is charged (among other things) with the responsibility for the development of a framework for transparency and accountability in the reporting and disclosure by all extractive industry companies of revenue due to or paid to the Federal Government.

    From the forgoing, it is imperative that the need to secure the services of experts and technocrats who know their onions, and the nitty-gritty of a highly competitive oil and gas industry is more than justifiable. This is especially so at this crucial moment when dictates from the international market is affecting (negatively) the Nigerian economy. Similarly, the decision by the United States to cut further purchase of Nigerian crude oil is not in any way a good omen for the country. These historic and emerging trends, coupled with the present fall in the international prices of crude oil (albeit heart-breaking and detrimental to development) constitute a blessing somewhat. Nigeria has an opportunity to take decisive steps by looking inward with a view to being pro-active, re-strategize, and proffer lasting solutions to the myriads of problems that have stunted the growth of the Nigerian oil industry since inception.

    The nation, at this crucial stage, needs independent-minded technocrats (either as an individual or as a team) who need not to be spoon-fed on how best to marry the well-laid out reforms, supported with proper enabling laws and legislations, backed with the right attitude and the willingness to serve the nation meritoriously – being a complete departure from the self- aggrandizements, a major hallmark of past administrations in the country. In line with the proposition to reposition the sector for better performance, the following points should be considered.

    Firstly, the pursuit of the local content expansion should be embraced as an important national agenda. Government can achieve over 70 percent total contribution of the oil and gas industry to the GDP in the medium term if square pegs are put in square holes.

    There is the need to implement the report of the Oil and Gas Industry Committee (OGIC) on new institutional structures for the sector. This has culminated in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which was passed by only the House of Representatives of the 7th National Assembly without a concurrent passage by the Senate. Hopefully, the 8th National Assembly would do well to pass the bill with gusto and alacrity. When passed, it will repeal previous oil and gas statutes and related legislations, which certain elements (both locally and internationally) have exploited to deprive the nation huge earnings. The bill appropriately delineates roles among the various institutions in the industry and is comprehensively crafted to engender the much touted overall reforms of the oil and gas sector. It also aims at creating operational autonomy and transparency.

    There is the need to create a vibrant industry where the private sector plays pivotal roles. It is pertinent to note that, without independent-minded technocrat(s) being saddled with the responsibilities of conducting bidding processes for prospective firms, the very idea a performance-driven industry would be lost on the altar of sentimental profligacy. Unnecessary bureaucratic bottlenecks should be eliminated, and undue government interference minimized to guarantee effectiveness and result-oriented performance. The would-be regulators sector must first try to regulate the sector through standardization of all the players and new entrants. It cannot be business as usual. There must be a period of tutelage and cognate experience acquisition.  Human capacity training and development should be encouraged, with stipulated transition period for expatriates to hand over to locals, especially in the low and middle cadres.

    There is the need to unleash the full potential of the Gas Master Plan on the development of the economy. There is need for appropriate assets, policy framework for optimum utilization and value for the vast gas resources. This needs to be done to cater adequately for domestic and international markets. The development of the gas sub-sector in a comprehensive and integrated manner along with its entire value chain can be used as a launch pad to jump-start the economy.

    As a way of curbing the prevalent corruption in the sector, there remains no alternative to outright deregulation of the downstream sector. This, however, unlike the approach of the immediate past administration, should be done systematically in such a way that the resultant impact would not be transferred to the members of the public unnecessarily. Adequate measures should be put in place (before and not after the full-blown deregulation as was done by the out-gone administration) to cushion whatever effect that may arise thereafter. This is one major error committed by the President Jonathan-led administration.

    Efforts should be aimed at ensuring that the established high standards are maintained and sustained in NEITI’s interface with oil and solid mineral sectors, particularly in the discharge of its mandates under the NEITI Acts. This, once more, needs experts’ input. Other statutory regulatory bodies should be prodded to be much more responsive and accountable.

    There is need for a policy framework to address (aggressively) the infrastructural deficit of the Niger-Delta region; and producing companies should be encouraged to be more socially responsible. More importantly, regulatory bodies and management companies should be domiciled in the area where the golden egg is laid. NNPC, like the regulatory and management companies should not be working out of Abuja. Environmental protection should be highlighted, and defaulters must be punished with recourse to relevant legislation.

    The Nigerian Local Content legislationshould be promoted and implemented to the letter. The estimated cumulative worth of the total businesses in the oil and gas sector is about $18 billion US Dollars (N2.7 Trillion). The government wanted to achieve 45 per cent success in 2009 and 70 per cent in 2010, in respect of its local content drive in the oil and gas sector but recorded a paltry 39 per cent success in 2009 and almost the same in 2010. This lack of success was largely due to absence of technocrats at the helm of affairs in the industry to provide quality direction; the lack of enabling legislation and inadequate monitoring/supervision by the NNPC.

    This new dawn of change should herald change in attitude and the thought-process, by first seeing the oil and gas sector as a business that must be cultivated and nurtured to grow. It is not an assignment that any serious government would commit to the hands of career politicians or political jobbers. The new administration must be painstaking in appointing a capable team to oversee the oil and gas industry.

  • The lies against Ikpeazu

    Writing recently in The Guardian newspaper, some insufferable critic, going by the name of Nnana Ezeocha, futilely struggled to besmirch, the character, person, vision, reputation, capacity and public service pedigree of Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Abia State. In a sickening stunt, to impress his paymasters, Ezeocha booby trapped himself into a veritable swirl of contradictions formatted in the said piece. His analogy between military coupists and felons, would have been appropriate, if his client-Dr Alex Otti, had not been roundly trounced at the polls. The sophisticated people of Ndi Abia saw through the hocus pocus, of the untested and grapevine-peddled, self-serving achievements of a money market operator and rightly dumped him in preference for Ikpeazu. In Nigeria, every politics is local. Juxtaposing the Abia 2015 dynamics with the shenanigan of Anambra 2003 which are mutually exclusive, is patent chicanery and cannot fly.

    What constitutes the core essence of a credible politician is the sum total of his functional public service track records. Unfortunately for Dr Alex Otti of APGA, his quest was bereft of credibility as the critical mass of the electorate, who massively voted PDP, were not swayed by the mumbo-jumbo of ’financial engineering’ in some bank which did not impact on the economic fortunes of the average ‘Aria Aria’ market trader. People never ceased to ask, what was the quantum of loans, overdraft, working capital, if any did Diamond Bank under his watch made available to Igbo nay Abia customers? What money market instruments, did his bank package to facilitate enterprises in the state during the period under review?

    Just like the pre election campaign hustings, when Dr Alex Otti through his spin doctors made so much heavy weather about his bogus World bank/IMF assisted development template for Aba, Ezeocha regurgitated the same Alex Otti vomit of ‘a man with a burning desire to reinvent their state’ 

    But those lies collapsed like a pack of cards, when the same World Bank publicly denied it had granted him a $100 billion (One hundred billion dollars) loan to develop Aba. That lie presaged Otti’s loss at the polls. His debacle had nothing to do with the then governor, now Senator Theodore Orji, nor with Independent National Electoral Commission. Now that the matter is now being adjudicated in the tribunal, we leave the matter there for now. However we quicken to add that, Alex Otti’s pages with the Abia people had always been blank. Therefore the issue of nostalgia does not exist even in the realm of imagination.

    Some people are miffed at the dazzling speed Governor Okezie  Ikpeazu deployed men, materials and resources to commence the fixing of Aba. What economic rookies, bandy about as knee-jerk and hasty initiatives is a product of clear sighted thinking, perspective long-term planning by Ikpeazu who hit the ground running. They e0  asily forgot that long before the April elections, he had been in the trenches, on the drawing board, solely driven by the Abia agenda. His antecedents can be tracked. His background check is in the public domain.

    For upward of two decades, he had been a key player in the corridors of politics as a home baked politician who understood the nuances of the average Abian. During this period, his activism and services had been domiciled in the trenches with our people, fighting and battling with the various administrations for the elevation of Abia State.

    A spin-off of this hands-on experience is his blueprint for development- a clear headed, well-defined manifesto that derived its motive force from a bottoms-up all-inclusive community based approach with Aba as the centre-piece and hub of enterprise and production. For a proactive and process driven “Aba boy” imbued with a clinical mind, designing and working roads in the middle of the rainy season, and sourcing for funds is a franchise and endowment that belongs to the eclectic few like Ikpeazu.

    Fundamental to this is the enactment of policies for planning and housing to facilitate access to land, service and investment codes, realistic, flexible and compatible with local conditions. In the informal sector, Ikpeazu long before the mandate was delivered to him, articulated these clearly in his OKEZUO 2015 website. Professional grumblers and cash and carry analysts could do themselves a favour by gleaning through the intellectual rigor, intelligence, strategies and competencies that were imputed into the Ikpeazu Doctrine.

    It is to his credit, that Ikpeazu has countermanded all the practices, processes of his predecessor. How do you characterize such a person to be a stooge? The first essential element of a blogger, critic, columnist, writer commentator who must show an ultimate allegiance to citizens is an obligation to truth. He or she must strive to put the public interest and the truth above their own self-interest or assumptions. Deploying such uncouth utterances, like “419”, pirate, stolen, on a sitting governor without evidence is mere gossip and evidence of bad breeding.

    In the immortal words of Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel, of The American Press Institute: This journalistic truth is a process that begins with the professional discipline of assembling and verifying facts. Then journalists try to convey a fair and reliable account of their meaning, subject to further investigation. Journalists nay bloggers should be as transparent as possible about sources and methods so audiences can make their own assessment of the information. Even in a world of expanding voices, “getting it right” is the foundation upon which everything else is built – context, interpretation, comment, criticism, analysis and debate. The larger truth, over time, emerges from this forum. Journalists have an obligation to protect this watchdog freedom by not demeaning it in frivolous use or exploiting it for commercial gain.

    At the risk of repetition, Ikpeazu had affirmed at several public fora that there is no governor in Nigeria that is anybody’s stooge. Even if you played a role in canvassing for votes or helped an aspirant to mount the saddle, you do not expect him to be your puppet. Yes you can articulate ideas that are brilliant on the drawing board and if it dovetails into the main frame of a focused administration. The critical mass of Abia people are perceptive, that Ikpeazu, is the only person that is self-effacing, to entertain all shades of opinion, gumption and suggestions. He espouses the view that if your reasoning is superior, we will go and test it but if the reverse is the case, you go with me. To be sure, Ikpeazu is not embarking on a voyage laden with excess baggage of arrogance but is humble enough to realize that the support of the citizenry is a sine qua non.

     

    • Torti is a public policy analyst and management consultant.

  • Why Kanu’s Biafra radio must be stopped

    Ever since former President Jonathan lost the presidential elections on March 28, which some of us knew he will never win based on the facts that we all know and the statistics available, majority of Igbo have been unhappy and angry. They have been cursing and abusing the President and APC leaders wishing that President Buhari never existed and APC never formed. Many of them have been so frustrated after the elections that they are now looking for a way to get back to the APC controlled federal government.

    Now, one Nnamdi Kanu who has been dreaming about the State of Biafra has provided a space for them to vent their anger. Some of them have joined him to wish for the State of Biafra. Suddenly the so-called Radio Biafra has created a momentum for them. On facebook I have watched with a keen interest what these guys dish out on daily basis in the name of fighting for Biafra. They tell blatant lies, create havoc, make terrible noise, abuse other Nigerians, and preach unimaginable propaganda and hate that at once put Igbo land in potential danger. I have been waiting for the South-east governors to speak up but they have maintained a deafening silence that suggests complicity. I have also waited for our elders to call him to order but nothing has happened. With the so-called Radio Biafra, he has unleashed an unimaginable trailer-load of lies and potentially dangerous propaganda that has put Igbo nation in danger. It is now 45years after the Nigeria-Biafra Civil War and I think that the Igbo must rise up to stop this man who never saw the 1967-1970 Civil War and who may not know the implications of what he is doing. He has never consulted anybody to seek his opinion. He has been speaking to the gullible and not too educated people in Igboland, and very soon these uneducated people will take a dangerous decision that may decimate and destroy Igboland. Soon our people will start complaining that they were not consulted. To be fore-warned is to be fore-armed.

    Woe betides a nation whose leaders are children. If we elders do not talk about this evil, posterity will never forgive us. Let us speak out and if these children do not hear us, then it should be on record that we spoke. About a month ago the barrage of lies and uncontrolled propaganda Radio Biafra dished out everyday drew the attention of NBC which asked Nigerians to stop listening to this useless radio station.

    Now here are compelling reasons why Igbo must remain in Nigeria in their own interest. The Igbo fought a civil war of self determination between 1967 and 1970 and lost about one million people. This should be taken as a huge price for the unity of this country. Having paid this monumental supreme price I think Igbo should work for the unity of this country based on social justice, equity and fair play.

    Moreover, Nigeria has three major ethnic groups: Hausa/Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo. The Hausa/Fulani has Hausa people stretching all through the Sahel to the Sudan. They are mostly Muslims and they have contact with the Arab world. The Yoruba nation has Togo, Benin Republic, Sierra Leone and even up to Brazil and Cuba to run to where their kinsmen are. Igbo nation has no outlet anywhere in the world where the language is spoken. Therefore they must see Nigeria as where they belong and work for its survival.

    Nigeria provided a big space for Igbo to spread their tentacles, explore, excel and blossom. South East is too small for this highly mobile and dynamic people to thrive. The world pays attention to Nigeria today because of our size and population. If Nigeria splits into smaller countries the world will pack their bag and baggage and leave. Population and size make a nation a destination.

    Assuming we manage to get a State of Biafra, which state in the South-east will produce the first President? When Enugu State was created, the late Governor C.C Onoh sacked all the civil servants and teachers from Anambra State. Recently former governor T. A. Orji of Abia State sacked workers from Imo, Anambra, Ebonyi and Enugu States. Now how can we manage Biafra with this attitude?

    The Igbo control 60-70% of all the imports in Nigeria and other Nigerians, Yoruba, Hausa/Fulani, Ijaw, Efik, Birom, Tiv, Idoma etc provides huge market for Igbo mobile and big time traders.

    Monumental inter marriages between Igbo and Yoruba and other ethnic groups have thrived for close to 70years now that we cannot just dismiss all these with a wave of hand.

    Igbo own huge and massive investments in property in Lagos and Abuja, and other state capitals in Nigeria. Now are you going to wish all this away?

    Other Nigerian cities have provided safe haven for Igbo as places to run to cool off whenever self inflicted crisis arise or other problems. When kidnapping became a way of life in the South-east, our people moved to other parts of Nigeria to settle. Now where will Igbo go when confronted with these problems in Biafra?

    How can Igbo thrive without their Lagos and Abuja or Port-Harcourt? What happens to all their connections and relationships in these places?

    Can someone tell Nnamdi Kanu that wars may be fought for 50 years and people will die to achieve Biafra? The war may even consume Nnamdi and all the members of his family and millions of others without achieving the purpose.

    We have been so inter-married, interwoven, intertwined, inter-related that the idea of separation may not be encouraged. I do not want to lose my friends from the other parts of Nigeria for anything.

    I can go on but there is no need to continue to do so. We must be strong enough to stop this  old problem of looking down on people who are different from us. This is the problem of Nigeria. Nigeria’s diversity is a big plus for all of us to excel. United we stand, divided we fall. I confess that Igbo have not played better politics in Nigeria since 1970 and that has been our bane. Anytime we want to change bad leadership in the country, Igbo as a block will resist it. It happened in 1993 and we lost everything. In 2015, Igbo were at it again but forces of history prevailed. Igbo can do better than this.

    However, I want Nigerian leaders to show leadership by carrying all Nigerians along in distributing power and resources. If there is no justice, there will be no peace. If there is no peace there will be no progress. Let justice prevail. Let us be fair to all concerned. If the truth must prevail and it must prevail, Nigeria has not been fair to Igbo since the end of civil war. They tell us that there is no victor and no vanquished but in actions and deeds, the victors are still celebrating and enjoying the spoils of the war while the defeated are still languishing in abject neglect. For instance, of all the six zones in Nigeria, only the South-east has five states. We have found solace in all these because we have found out that those who are still oppressing the Igbo in Nigeria are not better. We also take solace in the findings of the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council that all acts of indignity against human persons, against human society debase the perpetrators more than the victims.  It is not that the offended cannot forgive but have the offenders repented? This injustice must stop now for the sake of unity of this country.

    • Igbokwe writes from Lagos

  •  Still on National Assembly perfidy

    The gangsterism involved in the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President amongst other things is vividly illustrated by his own admission of hiding in the car park of the National Assembly before dawn on the day of the election. He reportedly said: “I sat inside a small car parked in front of the assembly from 6am until 10am”.

    A chronological replay of the subsequent acts and scenes of the day will reveal further unethical, immoral but seemingly legal decisions to ensure his emergence as the number three man in the country. When did Nigeria descend to this abyss of immorality? When did we exchange gangsters for political leaders?

    The conspiracy involved in the planning of the inauguration of the eighth National Assembly on June 9 is an issue that should be properly and painstakingly investigated by the Inspector General of Police (IG) for several reasons. The Police Act, (Police Act CAP 359 Laws of the Federation 2010) apart from vesting the IG with the duty and powers to enforce the laws also place on him vicariously the responsibility to maintain a national ethical standard that will portray the nation in good light in the comity of nations, (see Part II section 4).

    A few years ago, Colin Powell, the American Secretary of State and earlier, the chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff of the American Armed Forces, described Nigeria as a nation of scammers. The whole nation rose in one voice to defend Nigeria reputation from such verbal assault. Recent development has come to justify Powell’s assertions which was based on this summation of the country’s profile in the American records.

    The handling of the rules of the Senate in the present dispensation has revealed some underhand conspiracy, tinkering and brazen impunity even in dealing with distinguished senators in hallowed chambers that is expected to be the uterus of our laws. The amendments to the rules of the Senate cannot be attributed to any sitting of the Senate and as it was seen, it was used to outflank other senators. A request on the floor of the Senate by Senator Kabiru Marafa to clarify its  origin was treated with impunity and ruled out of order.

    When the foundations are faulty, what can the righteous do? The foundation of the eighth Assembly is erected on falsehood and this must be corrected. The origin of the amendments foisted surreptitiously on the assembly must be investigated and prosecuted. Rules of the senate were amended to achieve certain predetermined agenda of the conspirators. The voting procedure traditionally in the standing rules of the National Assembly had been by voice acclamation and or division. The rules were amended prior to the inauguration without disclosure to or to the knowledge of all the elected members. The amendments were given physical expression by the provision of ballot boxes and papers, and probably electronic devices for electronic voting to make secret balloting a fait accompli. They will create a situation in which political parties cannot measure or ascertain the fidelity of its elected members.

    With the amendment in place, the conspirators executed with military precision the inauguration operation with the principal actor cum beneficiary hiding in the National Assembly car park and the critical mass electors (PDP senators and associated APC conspirators) admitted into the chambers with the proceeding flagged off on the dot of 10am. The Clerk of the National Assembly and all the other officials and elected members present cannot in good conscience deny that they were executing a self-serving proceeding to the disadvantage of other members at the time, legal but unethical and immoral.

    I  ask, can we build a nation on such a foundation? President Muhammadu Buhari owes it a duty to the vast silent moral majority of this country to cause and direct the Inspector General of Police (see Police Act Part II section 10) to investigate and prosecute all the conspirators in this legislative coup against the will of the people of Nigeria.

    For the war against corruption, to be effective, it must be applied starting from high places. It is popular opinion that Nigerian jails are not for the political and economic elites but for the common people. This erroneous belief must be destroyed by the actions and disposition of the President in confronting corruption, impunity and criminals in high places. A situation where the assets of a thoroughly corrupt governor are only seized without a jail term, and over 10 former governors have cases to answer in courts for more than five years without a conviction or otherwise encourages distrust to government amongst the people.

    The utterances of Senators Mao Ohuanbunwa and James Manager reveal the unconscionable leadership with which the country is yoked. Both senators believe that the separation of power does not permit the police to investigate crimes and misdemeanor in the legislature. They also aver that whatever is done in the National Assembly is covered by legislative immunity and that at worst, the police formation in the assembly complex is good enough to do  the  job. I do not agree because I fear the National Assembly police will merely massage their bloated legislative egos. They had better know that the laws of the land is higher and greater than the lawmakers of the land.

    The attempt of the PDP publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh to pull the wool over the eyes of the people by blackmailing the government with accusations of autocratic tendencies will not equally wash. The people have voted for change and it cannot be “Business as usual”

    I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to muster the historical will of Hannibal to confront the enemies of the country and I pray for his success in this task.

     

    • Osunloye, an architect is chairman Lagos State Afenifere Renewal Group.(ARG).

  • Buhari’s Bucket List to Washington

    Less than a week from President Muhammadu Buhari’s visit to Washington on July 20, attentive Nigerians should be considering the visit’s import and possible outcomes. For the trip, the President should have a bucket list; not a shopping list. A shopping list includes wishful takeaways. A bucket list is diplomatically collaborative and aimed at quid pro quos. The Washington trip is propitious in view of the premise enunciated by Ambassador Bulus Lolo, Permanent Secretary in the Foreign Ministry, that the visit “is not an expression of romance… but a crystallisation of a relationship that is strong and mutually beneficial to the people of Nigeria and America.” Yet, in welcoming this early engagement, it is hoped that the preparations for Washington will be better than that for the G-7 Summit outing, which revealed some snags and faux pas.

    It is gratifying that the Washington trip had been preceded by visits to and return visits from our immediate neighbours and a visit to South Africa for the African Union Summit. That trajectory reaffirmed clear policy continuity of Nigeria’s ‘Africa is the centre-piece of our foreign policy’ doctrine and Prof. Ibrahim Gambari’s concentric circle framework. However, some vitally important issues will be broached with Washington, even as Abuja-Washington relations have cooled discernibly and the engagement halting. Both sides may contest this point. But the true measure is that neither President Barack Obama nor Vice-President Joe Biden has visited Nigeria, which speaks volumes.  One salutary point as President Buhari goes to Washington is that Nigeria’s sweet-crude-oil-relationship with the U.S. has turned lukewarm, thanks to global oil dynamics and realpolitik.  The unintended consequence is a level-playing field for the two nations to engage real-time and on strategic basis; with strict focus on their commonality of interests and shared responsibilities. As such, the President’s maiden visit to Washington will neither be a shopping spree nor a mutual attraction exercise. The President should not expect or demand too much.  And since Nigeria’s role as a strategic partner to the U.S. subsists, the visit ought not to be about Nigeria’s needs alone; but about envisaged Nigeria’s role in keeping the sub-Saharan Africa region safe and stable, given the disconcerting developments in the Middle East and the Magreb.

    The guiding principles of the talks will rest on the observations by Nigerian foreign policy experts that Buhari’s visit to Washington will occur against an ambiguous, but reality-check-laden backdrop. First, should Nigeria’s domestic uncertainties persist, that reality would continue to impact negatively on her proactive role in foreign affairs. After all, proactive foreign policy leadership draws its impetus from national will, domestic self-confidence and wherewithal. Nigeria proved that in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Second, in assessing Nigeria’s present capacity in global politics, there’s stark cognizance that failure to seize the moment, make a turnaround linked to her new leadership, will translate to further diminution of her influence. Third, for a nation once accepted as Africa’s foreign policy bellwether, Nigeria can ill-afford to be risk averse and still expect to be taken seriously in international affairs.

    Without prejudice to the briefs my erstwhile colleagues in the foreign ministry will proffer, the plausible approach to the visit would be for President Buhari to arrive Washington in a listening mode. Whereas the U.S. may no longer need Nigeria’s oil, hard lessons drawn from Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia and Libya, compels Washington to articulate and seek Nigeria’s role as an ally in Africa’s geo-politics. Secondly, despite her wherewithal, the U.S. is visibly stretched in its role as the global policeman. Washington will thus continue to favour a strategic partnership with Nigeria aimed at enhancing global security in the adversely altered post-9-11 environment. Moreover, the U.S. needs a stable Nigeria capable of playing a buffer role against existing or emergent non-state actors. Given its international peacekeeping track record, Nigeria remains a “capable partner who can take on more responsibility for low-end operations.” Besides, democracies favour each other; as such, even a nascent democratic Nigeria is to be preferred to non-democracies and rogue states. Thus, U.S. will affirm its support for Nigeria’s democracy. Aware of the Nigeria’s challenges with Boko Haram, Washington has definitely gone beyond conjectures in evaluating the ruinous impact of a destabilized or dismembered Nigeria. Every evaluation of the havoc wrought on Somalia and its neighbouring states by Al Shabaab and the destructive disposition of the Levant ISIS in Iraq and Syria remain instructive.  Then also, the realization persists that the spill-over effect of the break-up of Iraq and Libya will pale against such an occurrence in Nigeria. As the Economist observed recently, “If Nigeria fails it could bring down half a dozen neighbouring states with it.” U.S.  knows that a fractured Nigeria will pose vast risks and challenges to its economic and strategic interests.

    Discussions in Washington will straddle bilateral and multilateral concerns. The top bullet talking point on President Buhari’s bucket list should neither be an offer nor a demand.  First, President Buhari should ask President Obama:  “How can Nigeria partner with the U.S. to make sub-Saharan Africa secure for Africa, the United States and the rest of the world?” Prosaic as the question is, a secure sub-Saharan Africa will include Nigeria as well as U.S. strategic and economic interests, including core issues now before the U.N. Security Council, where Nigeria will hold the Presidency in August.  President Buhari should focus on few issues that are tangible and can be flagged as catalytic to advancing President Buhari’s national agenda for good governance. President Buhari should be prepared, therefore, to discuss such germane issues like corruption, impunity, insecurity, oil theft, money laundering, financial instability, elections and human-trafficking. While thanking the U.S. for its guidance and support in containing the Ebola outbreak in Nigeria, the President should underline the need for U.S. support in three key areas. (1) Combating corruption: U.S. should help repatriate or recover all the stolen funds that Nigerian anti-corruption will trace to U.S. Financial institutions. U.S. should not throw legal or administrative obstacles on the recovery of the funds.  (2) Overcoming Insecurity: There is need for vigorous support to fight Boko Haram by sale of military hardware, as well as resumption of training of Nigerian soldiers in counter-terrorism.  President Buhari should observe that in fighting the scourge of terrorism including Boko Haram, there can be no conscientious objectors, citing how Nigeria tackled the Maitasine Sect in the 1980s.(3) The economy: Focus should be on U.S. support for developing and boosting electric power generation. President Obama has an Africa Power Initiative, which will need to be expanded in scale in order to accommodate Nigeria’s power needs.

    It’s well known that U.S. spearheaded the countries that denied Nigeria arms for fighting Boko Haram on grounds of human rights violations, despite our missing Chibok Girls challenges. The U.S. will thus revisit human rights issues and even if obliquely, issues of personal choices – gay rights and same-sex-marriage- in the context of freedom of association. President Buhari should stress that while lines might have blurred sometimes in the fight against Boko Haram terrorists, the sanctity of Nigeria’s Constitution and its human rights provisions remain intact, despite the recent Amnesty International report. On gay rights, the President should push back very hard, as traditional norms here frown on such lifestyles and, in any case, this matter remains controversial in the US itself, in spite of recent Supreme Court ruling. Finally, the President should inquire when President Obama intends to visit Nigeria. A non-committal or non-definitive reply should be taken for what it is:  a continued unwillingness to engage Nigeria fully.

    • Obaze is a strategic public policy adviser and immediate-past Secretary to the Anambra State Government.

     

  • Environment: What Masari must do

    The need for proactive measure to control the myriads of environmental challenges bedeviling Katsina state and the political will to confront it has for long been the yearnings of the stakeholders in the state. Alhaji Aminu Bello Masari assumes the office of governor at a critical time when the state needed everything to be done from patriotic point because much is expected from his administration.

    Environment is our only heritage, protecting it is a very serious business which must be given priority in governance. As a Federal Environmental Enforcement Officer working in the state, I had the privilege of observing, participating and executing Environmental Management and Protection Activities organized by the state Environmental Ministry, Department and Agencies (MDAs) such as KTSEPA, Department of Forestry etc  either as a representative of my agency or as a keen stakeholder. I will in the preceding paragraphs present the blunt matter-of-the-fact assessment of the success recorded in the state and what is still needed to be done to get the state to the Promised Land.

    Governor Masari must first of all give all necessary support to the Ministry of Environment to enable the ministry deliver its mandate. The yearly raising of assorted seedlings by Katsina State Afforestation Project Unit (KTAPU) must be sustained. The governor must go beyond raising seedlings to massive planting of trees to arrest the desert encroachment threatening the state. Since the beginning, trees have furnished us with two of life’s essentials: food and oxygen. As we evolved, they provided additional necessities such as shelter, medicine, gum, raw materials and tools.

    The Department of Forestry which is currently under the office of the Deputy Governor must be empowered as an agency of the Ministry of Environment to undertake the following activities: Conservation and improvement of genetic resources of forest trees and eco-system for the state’s economic development; Improvement of silvicultural practices relating to forest trees of economic importance; Forestry education and training; Forestry extension and dissemination; and any other problem relating to forestry flora and fauna.

    All these parastatals must be placed under the Ministry of Environment for effective coordination. Katsina State being one of the 11 frontline states greatly swallowed by desertification (according to Federal Ministry of Environment, 43% of the landmass and population of these states is already affected), her vulnerability has exposed the urgent need to consolidate the ministry in order to have a common front to fight this monster of desertification gradually taking control of the state on a daily basis.

    The State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has over the years sustained the end of the month environmental sanitation exercise in order to improve the environment, keep the state clean and enhance the health status of the people. The agency encouraged families and people in the state to clean their homes and the environment at the village, community and state level. Non-Governmental Organisations, Community Based Organisations, Tipper Drivers Associations etc were supported with working implements, tools and logistics to participate in the exercise.  I have as a member of the State Monitoring Team, gone round during the exercise to see how these organization/associations puts into good use these working implements given to them.

    SEPA adopted a new concept of waste recycling as a means of utilizing the generated waste for other socio-economic activities such as farming, tree planting, source of raw materials to local industries etc. In the year 2013, an estimated 498 tons of sorted organic manure was sold to farmers and over one million naira was generated as revenue by the agency. This is in line with environmental management of Reuse, Reduce, and Recycle.

    Two mechanized street sweepers vans were deployed by SEPA to complement the existing effort of manual street sweeping exercise being carried out. This helped in keeping Katsina metropolis and other major towns clean and tidy. The agency engaged the services of labourers, both males and females in street daily sweeping exercise in the 34 LGAs of the state. This serves the dual purpose of keeping the state clean and reducing the unemployment in the state. This particular exercise has been commended by virtually every environmentalist in the state.

    Governor Masari must consider the need to maintain the current tempo of keeping the capital city and major towns clean and beautiful. Considering the fact that Katsina is the home state of President Muhammadu Buhari, the inflow of visitors to the state will double if not triple. This will be further compounded by the fact the present governor was Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives. We cannot afford to disappoint the citizen visitors; the state must be kept safe, healthier, clean and beautiful. The state must keep its name for heritage and hospitality.

    I have in the past three years taken time to observe and assess the comment and responses of most officials on working visit to Katsina State. Their rating of Katsina being one of the cleanest states in the country is a thing of pride and a pass mark to the state and must be maintained. The common sight of huge heaps of garbage in open spaces found along major cities in the country has long been forgotten in Katsina State. This well organized, prompt and constant sweeping and clearing of weeds from major roadsides and other public places has helped to keep the street clean, tidy and free from sand, polythene and debris is marvelous and needs to be maintained.

    Another milestone attained by relevant state agencies is in achieving a three-year flood-free record in the state. Of course, this is as a result of prompt and timely silt removal, evacuation of drainages, clearing of gutters, drains and water ways that has helped in free flow of water especially during rainy season, This particular exercise and the periodic fumigation exercise of the state capital, villages and towns have greatly assisted in the roll back malaria programme.

    The governor must consider the urgent need to review all obsolete environmental laws to effectively suit the realities of the day. For instance, the efficacy of a fine charged in the 70s and 80s cannot be effectively applied on an offence committed in the current reality of our time today. This clearly calls for the need to review such laws. The governor must encourage the speedy review and passage of such laws by the House of Assembly within the shortest possible time.

    SEPA should be empowered to carry out efficient and effective inspection and enforcement of environmental standards, monitor pollution in the environment, conduct research and demonstrations and assist local governments in their pollution control efforts. The agency must carry out premises inspection, house to house inspection, market inspection, hospital/clinic inspection, food and food premises inspection, industries inspection etc. The manpower and other resources constraints impeding the conduct of these inspections must be addressed.

    SEPA must sustain, re-jig and retool its environmental awareness creation activities. Sensitization which plays a very important role in environmental protection should be taken to educational institutions, markets, associations, households and facilities. The agency must take this exercise to a higher level through radio, television and other electronic media. The public should be informed on why it is important to redeem the environment by keeping our surroundings clean, not dumping refuse in drainages and water ways, using waste bins, disposing waste properly and replacing a felled tree with at least three other stakes of tree. Religious leaders and heads of institution in our mosques, churches and institution of learning should admonish their faithful and the students on the need to redeem the environment.

    The 20 lock up shops constructed by SEPA opposite Katsina state Hajj Camp to check indiscriminate hawking should be constructed in other strategic points all over the state. This is certainly a good innovation aimed at controlling street hawking.

    The 5 Roll On – Roll Off trucks and over 100 pieces of containers recently acquired by SEPA must be well utilized.  These trucks should be used for moving the containers to major dump sites in the major cities of the state, namely Katsina, Daura and Funtua. The 100 containers should be placed in identified indiscriminate dumpsites all over the state. This is a good innovation, considering the large number of waste generated caused by an increase in economic activities in the State.

    Environmental protection is a responsibility of all because a cleaner and healthier society is a wealthy society! The governor must sustain and maintain the current tempo already attained in the state, at the end day, posterity will hold only him accountable for all the achievements recorded during his reign.

     

    • Ahmed, an Environmental Enforcement Officer, writes from Katsina.

     

     

  • Melaye’s slander against judiciary

    When a weighty scandalous press release is made by a party to a case before the appellate court on allegations against the judges of such an important branch of the judiciary, it would be very unwise and most unfair to leave such well publicized accusations uninvestigated or suppressed. Indeed, it really does not matter whether the allegations are true or false because such remarks coming from a party to the case if left uninvestigated have the potency to attract disaffection of the general public on the likely ruling by the accused judges. As such, it is of extreme importance to alert the reading public that deconstructing and addressing the recent allegations made by Senator Dino Melaye against the judiciary is not only vital for ensuring the promotion of an equitable society but important to assuring that our collective quest for a vibrant democratic society is on course.

    In a press release, Senator Dino Melaye, representating Kogi West Senatorial District at the Senate accused some persons of providing support to one Senator Smart Adeyemi who is currently contesting his electoral triumph at the Court of Appeal. Specifically, Senator Melaye in the press release is quoted to have told journalists in Abuja that ‘the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,  had contacted the immediate-past Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke (SAN), to take over the legal battle on behalf of Adeyemi’.  Furthermore, in the same press briefing, Senator Melaye was reported to have disclosed that “on the request of Tinubu, Adeyemi had forwarded details of the suit to Adoke, asking him to look for a judge in the Court of Appeal that would offer assistance’.

    Even though, Asiwaju Tinubu has publicly denied the allegations as “kitchen of malicious lies”, this does not bury the naked allegation of corruption by Melaye against the judiciary.

    Hitherto, my position had been that any person that makes derogatory statements against the judiciary without evidence and thoughts of the backlash consequences may be deficient in ability to apply his mind seriously to vital issues.  However, this particular incident is very different because the very fact that the referenced remarks are quoted to have emanated from Melaye, a member of the upper legislative House of Nigeria provides no excuse for ignorance or that the Senator is unaware of the implications of using malicious and slanderous remarks to rubbish the image of the judiciary.

    As much as the views herein do not in any way advance the belief that the judiciary should be immune from objective and rational criticisms, it is however important to recognise that when criticisms against the judiciary are not backed with any credible evidence, it does amount to unfair and unreasonable condemnation.  Also, when criticisms are based on apparent twist of facts made in a manner which is intended to lower the esteem of the judiciary and destroy public confidence, it cannot be said to be objective.

    Succinctly put, Senator Melaye’s efforts to discredit the judiciary is a significant embarrassment to the nation and it demands that the judiciary should defend itself as soon as possible in order to sustain its reputation for proper administration of justice and the majesty of law.

    On the other hand, ordinarily, now that Senator Melaye has accused the presiding judges on his case at the Appellate court of partiality, the likely recommendation would have been to change the judges but accuser’s inability to neither make any categorical statement on which of the judges that is directly involved in this purported corrupt act nor provide evidence to that effect raises great doubt on the credibility of his claims.  Indeed, without evidence, any rambling or generalization on such a sensitive issue relating to litigation can be regarded as motives to lie. Specifically, from Melaye’s inappropriate action of rushing to the press without any proof to substantiate his allegations, he comes across as a man that is desperate and thinks he can engage blackmail and aggression to make judges bend on his case. Such a dubious and tragic endeavour by Melaye to discredit or intimidate the Appeal court judges is worrisome, his employment of falsehood to embarrass the judiciary as a driving force to twist the minds of the public is unacceptable and effort to make his case invoke disrepute for the Nigerian judiciary is considered utterly malicious. All these combined, certainly amounts to perverting and obstructing justice.

    For avoidance of doubt, any unwarranted embarrassment of the Appellate court of Nigeria is a significant national disgrace. As such, the issues raised by Senator Melaye must be taken seriously and condemned where necessary. Luckily, there is no gapping crack in Nigeria’s judiciary that permits individuals to raise irrelevant accusations against a noble body like the Judges of the appeal court. Indeed, any shot to nastily tarnish the image of the Judiciary at such a time that Nigeria craves for change must not be permitted and it will be unthinkable to imagine that the judiciary would watch and allow such falsehoods spread without a fair reply or challenge, as it presently seems.

    For now, to any objective mind that has closely followed this matter, it would not be difficult to understand that even with the deafening and unholy silence of the Judiciary on this issue, the saving grace for the esteemed Nigerian judges may rest on two strong pillars; lack of credible evidence and the staggering integrity of Senator Melaye, the man accusing the judiciary of corruption. First, that Melaye’s remarks are not accompanied with any shred of evidence, suggests that the reasonable and safe assumption herein would be to regard his comments as dishonorable and reckless, perhaps, his intention is not far from bringing the Appeal court judges on his case into disrepute even before the commencement of the trial. Such a deliberate attempt to interfere with the due course of justice or proper administration of law through disrespect of the judges and falsehood, if not for some watchful eyes, would have shaken the confidence of the general public which the judiciary ought to serve as its last hope for justice. Indeed, this is roundly condemnable and an obvious contempt of court.

    Consequently, such defamatory statements and scurrilous attacks without substantiation require no further affirmative proof that Melaye’s remarks are calculated to  obstruct the proper administration of law.  As such, in the face of these realities, Melaye’s comments are best considered as deliberate ill-motivated intent and firmly calculated attempt to lower the good image of the judiciary. This is where the judiciary should demand from Melaye ample evidence to prove his allegations because these contemptuous remarks pose a substantial risk that the course of justice can easily be perverted in Nigeria through corruption.  Fortunately, issues relating to law of contempt are well settled in the Nigerian constitution.

    The second momentary comfort for the judiciary on comments made against it may emerge from the assessment of the character of the man behind the accusation. Without fear of digression, the character of Melaye, the person making these controversial allegations is highly questionable. Indeed, a brief google search of published stories on Melaye’s personality clearly shows that majority of views about him affirm that he has a long history of telling lies, amplifying irrelevant issues,  fighting, battery of opposite sex and making up stories. It is difficult to believe that such a man of known confrontational style and controversial behaviour will uphold truth when it may not serve his purpose and may even fight in a law court to sustain his falsehood as he did at the National Assembly in public glare. Also, Senator Melaye’s attitude problem is compounded by the fact that his repeated allegations against many people even as a self-appointed anti-corruption crusader have been mostly at odds with the truth as he is variously recorded to have an apparent desire to engage in false claims that are usually discredited when properly investigated by the authorities.

    The Nigerian judiciary has suffered so much in the hands of  skewed critics and Melaye’s grave mischief and  dubious intent  to use disparaging comments, dishonesty,  deceit and misrepresentation  to portray Nigerian judges as corrupt is an opportunity for the Nigerian judiciary to set an example that nobody no matter how highly placed can scandalize it unjustly.

    ‘The Nigerian judiciary has suffered so much in the hands of  skewed critics and Melaye’s grave mischief and  dubious intent  to use disparaging comments, dishonesty,  deceit and misrepresentation  to portray Nigerian judges as corrupt is an opportunity for the Nigerian judiciary to set an example that nobody no matter how highly placed can scandalize it unjustly’

    • Shaibu a public affiars analyst writes from Abuja

     

     

  • Nnaji at 59

    In his popular management book, Performance Management, Herman Aguinis who is an internationally recognized authority on human resource management draws global attention to one thing which world leaders in various fields, including sports, have in common: repeat practice. By repeat practice we mean a deliberate effort by a person—or even an organization—to stretch himself or herself to the limits constantly and habitually while in the process of achieving outstanding results. Nothing great, says the cliché, comes easy. Bill Gates, Wole Soyinka, Aliko Dangote, Barack Obama, Tiger Woods, etc, did not achieve global renown by electing to be like ordinary folks who typically work from 9 to 5. They rather ceaselessly challenge themselves. As Bart Nnaji, the erstwhile Minister of Power, turns 59 yesterday Monday, July 13, it is trite to state that his personal achievements as one of the world’s three leading university professors in his branch of engineering when he was only in his 30s and the revolution he has unleashed in Nigeria’s awful electric power sector are as a result of what psychologists and management researchers call stretch, that is, setting a goal that would seem initially impossible to accomplish but achieved at the end of the day as a result of tremendous determination and extraordinary hard work.

    As one of Nnaji’s closest friends over the decades who naturally worked with him during his stint as Secretary of Science and Technology in 1993, Special Adviser to the President on Power and chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Power from 2010 t0 2011 as well as Minister of Power from 2011 to 2012, I have seen Nnaji’s patriotism, self-confidence, brilliance and absolute devotion to duty benefit the whole country. He made Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of General Electric, visit sub Africa for the first time ever; and Immelt came in 2012 not as a tourist or mere supplier of turbines and other key engineering equipment but as a major investor in Nigeria. Today, GE’s multi-million dollar production plant in Calabar, Cross River State, its first in Africa, is nearing completion. By the way, Professors Heinz Weirich, Mark Cannice and Harold Koontz describe GE in the 13th edition of Management: A Global And Entrepreneurial Perspective as the world’s greatest company.

    Nnaji also convinced world’s leading engineering firms like Siemens of Germany, Hyundai Heavy Industries of South Korea and Electrobras of Brazil to start investing heavily in Nigeria’s power sector as authentic stakeholders, instead of being content to work as mere contractors and equipment suppliers. Siemens, for instance, accepted to build its first workshop in Africa in Nigeria and to work in collaboration with the National Power Training Institute (NAPTIN) and Nigeria’s northern universities in the development of solar energy where Germany is the world’s leader. The unprecedented improvement in electric supply all over the country during Nnaji’s tenure is too fresh in our people’s mind to be repeated here. He assembled a team of what Eric Hoffer, the self-taught American man of letters, would call true believers, that is, devotees to the power sector reform and they did go out of their way to ensure its success. I, for one, broadcast and published in the media my telephone number, asking anyone with a peculiar power problem to contact me directly for a prompt resolution of the problem. It was a particularly difficult assignment. I used to receive as many as 150 complaints daily, and I did my best to solve each problem. It was an assignment which exposed me to the depths of the rot in the power sector. Whole communities and streets in towns and cities were deprived of electricity for months because of minor problems that could be addressed in a few minutes or because they refused to bribe electricity distribution company officials.

    To repeat the obvious, Nnaji’s era remains the golden era in Nigeria’s electricity development. He was in office for only 14 months as the Minister of Power, yet it seems to most Nigerians that he was there for up to 10 years. This shows how impactful his tenure was, and still remains. Most Nigerians don’t even remember his predecessors! There is no minister in our national history whose exit has created the kind of furore which accompanied Nnaji’s principled resignation on August 28, 2012. For at least one month it was the dominant issue in the Nigerian media. On his return from an overseas trip, former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu, who was to become the national leader of the All People’s Congress (APC), told reporters at the airport in Lagos that with the exit of “the only performing minister in President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is finished, and can never come back to office.” How prescient or prophetic! The World Bank called the resignation a great setback for Nigeria’s electricity development. The Economist of London on September 8, 2012, described it as the “extinguishing of a bright light in Nigeria”.

    With the well deserved defeat of the PDP in the March 28 presidential vote and the repeated assurance by President Muhammadu Buhari that his government would feature a number of accomplished technocrats, it has widely been speculated in the media that Nnaji, who has since returned to his private business of building integrated power systems in Aba and elsewhere is a natural fit for the Ministry of Power. Consequently, vested interests in the power sector which have perennially kept the country in darkness have been fighting viciously to stop Buhari from returning him to government. All manner of ghost writers have been recruited to ensure that the status quo of corruption and lethargy prevails in the sector. For example, the latest advertorial by the faceless characters claims that Nnaji has been “sleeping” in Tinubu’s residence and that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo in a desperate attempt to become the new Minister of Power. They even claim that he is a member of Buhari’s transition committee on infrastructure and that there is an ongoing spate of articles celebrating him in the media. All these claims are totally false. Nnaji has never met Tinubu and has not seen Obasanjo in years. Of course, he is not a member of any committee set up by Buhari. Nor has there been in the last year an article anywhere celebrating him or his accomplishments. In fact, he has in the last two years politely turned down award offers from organizations and institutions.

    As Nnaji quietly marks his exceedingly eventful 59 years on earth, we all wish that his tribe of patriots and highly knowledgeable citizens committed to the public good continue to multiply in the interests of our nation. He is an excellent source of inspiration and an eloquent example of repeat practice. It is repeat practice which catapulted him from humble beginnings to global recognition. It is repeat practice which separates advanced nations from poor countries. On this special occasion, we say to him ad multus annos.

    ‘To repeat the obvious, Nnaji’s era remains the golden era in Nigeria’s electricity development. He was in office for only 14 months as the Minister of Power, yet it seems to most Nigerians that he was there for up to 10 years’

     

    • Adinuba is head of Discovery Public Affairs Consulting.
  • Presidential bailout for states: matters arising

    Presidential bailout for states: matters arising

    The recently announced presidential bail out approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for states owing workers months of unpaid salaries will, no doubt, be a welcome development to concerned workers across the country and, indeed, many of the affected states.  It should be stressed that more than a quarter of the 36 states of the federation owe workers’ salaries in arrears believed to be in the region of over N110billion. The worst hit states are Osun, Rivers, Oyo, Ekiti, Kwara, Kogi, Ondo, Plateau, Benue and Bauchi.

    An integral part of the bailout strategy as announced by government is for the federal and state governments to share $2.1 billion (about N497 billion) sourced from recent LNG proceeds to the federation account. Equally, the federal government has directed the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to arrange a special intervention fund that will offer steady financing to the states. The package, which is between N250 billion and N300 billion, is to serve as a soft loan available to states to access to settle arrears of salaries.

    Additionally, the president has approved a debt reprieve plan devised by the Debt Management Office, which will help states to streamline their commercial loans which is presently put at around N660 billion, and extend the life span of such loans while reducing their debt-servicing expenditures. Another part of the plan is to free up more money currently being used for debt servicing by guarantying the elongation of the loans in the benefit of the states.

    Various public affairs analysts and social commentators have taken divergent positions on the presidential bailout since it was announced by the federal government. While some applauded the initiative, others simply denigrate it. To those in support of the move, it is the best option available, for now, especially given the parlous state of the nation’s economy occasioned by dwindling global price of oil. With the sharp drop in the monthly revenue allocation to states coupled with their various debt commitments, there is no way most of the states could offset unpaid salaries arrears.

    However, those who are against the move hinged their stand on the fact that it would further entrench corruption in the system. They argued that, in as much as it is true that the national economy is experiencing a downward trend, most of the states actually compounded the situation through unbridled financial recklessness. Bailing them out would, therefore, amount to promoting and commending their perceived corrupt tendencies.

    In a democracy, these conflicting views and opinions are quite understandable. It is, however, essential to point out that in a troubled economy like ours, government bailout is one of the economic measures that could rescue the polity from a possible or a definite collapse. It is customary, even in advanced democracies, for government to roll out bailout strategies in order to preserve democratic institutions and provide soccour to the downtrodden. Without a doubt, most of the states might possibly go insolvent partly in view of the parlous state of the national economy. It is equally important to stress that but for the bail out, we would have had an unavoidable workers’ rebellion that could pose a serious threat to democracy.

    The snag, nonetheless, is for how long will the federal government continue to bailout the states, especially if the economy doesn’t record a significant improvement as soon as expected? This, of course, is where the states need to be more creative and inward looking in shoving up their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, base. It is better not to have states than to have states that are not economically buoyant. Such would only serve as a huge burden on the country. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, the IGR of most states in the country is recording a downward slide. For instance, the IGR of Lagos State in 2014 was N276, 163,978,675.95 as against N384, 259,410,959.19 collected in 2013. Next to Lagos is Rivers State with an IGR collection of N89, 112,448,347.58 in 2014 compared to N87, 914,415,268.80 collected in 2013 fiscal year. Hence, there is a need for states to plug all loopholes for an improved IGR base.

    To achieve this, we need to re-examine the idea of global taxation for all citizens. This major source of funding has for long been relegated to the background. Now is the time to reverse the trend. In most of the states, the source of government revenue is limited to taxes paid by the civil servants. Creative strategies must be evolved to drag more taxable citizens into the tax net. Governments all over the world run on the taxes paid by the citizens, we cannot be an exception. It should be stressed, however, that funds accrued from taxes should be judiciously expended in order to encourage the tax payers.

    Also, the states and other tiers of government should embrace prudent management of available resources. The cost of governance must be reasonably pruned down. There is no point keeping arrays of needless aides if the economy cannot afford such. Our leaders need to start leading by example. All meaningless extravagant tendencies that could plunge the states and, indeed, the nation into deeper economic mess must be shunned.  Transparency and accountability must become the order of the day in all government establishments.

    It is equally fundamental for both the federal and state governments to address the issue of over bloated civil service. If it is true, as it is being alleged, that some MDAs keep more than the required number of staff that is actually needed, efforts must be made to deal with such. It is particularly undesirable for any government to spend the bulk of its resources in paying the wages of a lethargic and parasitic workforce. The bureaucracy that is required to drive democracy is one that is prompt, forthright and farsighted. In any nation where bureaucracy has become a drain pipe, democracy would certainly become endangered.

    Perhaps, more importantly, the FG should step up efforts to improve the national economy. One way of doing this is to develop the non-oil sector. It is unacceptable for a country of Nigeria’s stature to continue to be a mono economy.  Our current national economic predicament is a direct result of the failure of the federal government to diversify the country’s economy. Succeeding administrations has for long been paying lip services to the development of the non-oil sector, but have all failed when it comes to actualisation. This trend must change. For us to have a buoyant economy, generate more employment and increase productivity, we must diversify the economy.

    On a final note, the federal government should improve the power situation in the country. Regular and stable power supply will enable Small Medium Enterprises to thrive. Equally, multi-national firms that have relocated because of epileptic power situation could be lured back if the power situation improves. This would not only bring back lost jobs, but will certainly restore lost ones and our economy will be the better for it. God bless Nigeria!

    • Ogunbiyi is of the Features Unit, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.