The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Olayemi Cardoso’s dilemma

    Olayemi Cardoso’s dilemma

    • By Tunde Rahman

    Those who know Mr. Olayemi Cardoso will agree he got his current job as the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria on a platter of solid professional background and strong personal attributes. His pedigree is rich as his character is unsullied. Cardoso had a remarkable private sector career where he shone brilliantly in banking, stockbroking and consulting.

    Cardoso also came from a very solid family pedigree. Nigeria’s late Prime Minister, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, appointed his late father, Mr. Felix Bankole Cardoso, as the first Accountant-General of the Federation in 1963. The late elder Cardoso served with enviable record till 1971. Part of the remarkable private sector career of Olayemi Cardoso was his appointment as the Chairman of the Board of Citi Bank in Nigeria.

    Cardoso began his public service journey when he became the Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning in the cabinet of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor of Lagos State as he then was in 1999. In addition to superintending that ministry, Cardoso was charged with several other responsibilities including heading important cabinet committees that birthed landmark agencies in the state. Cardoso was known for enforcing strict budgetary discipline that contributed significantly to the overall success of the Tinubu administration in Lagos. He refused to authorise the release of funds for projects or programmes that had no budgetary head. For all of that and many more, Cardoso was nicknamed the Headmaster.

    Armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in Managerial and Administrative Studies and Masters in Public Administration from the prestigious Harvard Kennedy School of Government and parading strong personal attributes, Cardoso is obviously a perfect fit for the CBN top job. He is calm but firm, strict but fair, prudent but practical, straightforward and honest with loads of integrity. These are the unique qualities he carried unto his job at the apex bank and his major selling points when on September 23, 2023 he officially assumed office with the Senate confirmation of his appointment.

    However, it does appear Cardoso will need much more than that to succeed in his present assignment. Under him, the CBN seems to be doing the right thing or doing things right: thinking and working on coming up with appropriate monetary policies, moving to rein in the rising foreign exchange rates and particularly achieve an appropriate value for the naira, which Cardoso believes has been undervalued.

    But in the wake of the floating of the Naira, some of the variables shaping the value of the national currency, including limited production in the country as a result of insecurity, Nigerians’ high taste for imported products, dwindling exports, poor dollar remittances, humongous school fees of Nigerian students abroad and medical tourism all of which engendered a strong demand for dollar, far outweighing supply, seem to be clearly beyond his control.

    Until these situations change for better, no amount of monetary policies by the CBN will work any miracle, hence Cardoso’s predicament. For instance, in his presentation at the sectoral debate organised by the House of Representatives two weeks ago, the CBN governor lamented that the growing number of Nigerian students studying abroad, increasing medical tourism and food imports have led to the depreciation of the Naira against the Dollar. According to him, over the past decade, foreign exchange demand for education and healthcare totalled nearly $40 billion, surpassing the total current foreign exchange reserves of the CBN, while personal travel allowances accounted for a total of $58.7 billion during the same period.

    Another critical yet intriguing factor but seemingly odd in Cardoso’s reckoning is the perception in some quarters of some of the decisions of the CBN, which the apex bank considers purely administrative, but which some others give strange connotations.

    One of such is the decision to move some departments of the bank; notably banking supervision, other financial institutions supervision, consumer protection department and payment system management department from Abuja to Lagos.

    Indeed, until the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, spoke on this issue last week, I had reckoned that the imperative of the planned relocation of some CBN departments and the headquarters of the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria from Abuja to Lagos was evident enough. I had reasoned that the Northern politicians including Senator Ali Ndume from Borno State who had moved to bring down the roof over the development were merely playing politics.

    The Emir of Kano, a highly revered royal father, raised the ante last Monday while receiving the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who was in Kano to inaugurate the School of Law Building named after her by Maryam Abacha American University of Nigeria, and had stopped by to pay a courtesy call on the Emir.

    Emir Bayero, whose speech was translated from Hausa to English Language by a senior palace counsellor, had told the First Lady to convey his message to President Tinubu. He said among other things: “We are indeed suspicious on why Mr. President single-handedly relocated key departments of CBN, and outright relocation of FAAN to Lagos.

     “We are receiving a series of messages from my subjects, and most of them expressed concern over the relocation of CBN and FAAN to Lagos. President Tinubu should come out clean on this matter and talk to Nigerians in the language they would understand. Do more enlightenment on this matter.    I, for one, cannot tell the actual intentions of the government. We should be made to actually understand why the relocation of the CBN and FAAN offices back to Lagos.”

    Many will wonder why some members of the northern elites are losing their cool, misinterpreting this move and, perhaps inadvertently, heating up the polity on this rather elementary matter. Is their reservation altruistic? Or are they just being sincerely mistaken and reading unnecessary motives into the policy? With the benefit of hindsight, one can say that Cardoso and his team should have understood  the  political dimensions of the decision better and undertake a more effective public enlightenment on  it rather than treat it as a purely administrative matter. Knowing the kind of people and country that we are and the fact that ours is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multicultural society where every action or decision is viewed from ethnic and religious lenses, the CBN ought not to have released the news about the movement of the departments concerned in a routine manner as it did.

    It should have released the news with the detailed information and explanation behind the move. The CBN Communication Department should have deployed all in its arsenal to explain the movement to its critical stakeholders and the general public. The apex bank should have seen the movement beyond a mere administrative move, which is within its remit to do. The bank should have situated the movement and anticipated the social and political meanings some may give it. That is how things run in Nigeria.

    A deeper and detailed explanation was later provided when Cardozo appeared on the floor of the House of Representatives in Abuja. I was there at the session and witnessed it all. Asked by one of the members of the House from the North, at the session, the rationale behind the movement, the CBN Governor said: “There is nothing political in the movement. We didn’t change any plan. It has always been like that to ease banking supervision. Most of the banks are based in Lagos. So it works well for supervision if our officials are there with them and close to them and close to those the banks interact with. It’s for administrative convenience. It’s also cheaper for the CBN.” He also disclosed that the movement of the departments concerned to Lagos is also important because, according to him, the country is at the point where there is a need for more banking surveillance.

    Read Also: Olayemi Cardoso’s Dilemma, by Tunde Rahman

    It is important that the CBN governor draws the appropriate lesson from this. He should learn from this experience that though his job of superintending the country’s monetary system is a professional and economic one, yet it has its political aspects. His decisions have consequences not only on the economy but also on the political. As such, the CBN Governor must always pay attention to the political ramifications of his decisions.

    He must be political without being partisan. Indeed, his situation is also not helped by the fact that he has had very political predecessors-in-office including the high-sounding Professor Chukwuma Soludo, the soft-spoken but loud former Emir of Kano, Khalifa Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, and the immediate-past Governor, Godwin Emefiele (this one even attempted to contest for president while holding the office as CBN governor).

    There are a couple of things to say on the hoopla about the staff transfer though.

    One, President Tinubu is receiving attacks over the movement. Emir of Kano says he must reverse it, urging the First Lady to deploy the feminine soft power to actualise this. Yet, to all intent and purposes, the President that is being asked to reverse the transfer may not have been apprised of the decision because he does not micromanage those he gives responsibilities to where their unique expertise and experience are called to service. The CBN on its part may not have briefed the President because Cardoso had seen the planned movement as purely administrative.

    Secondly and more importantly, those who are responding negatively to the policy are treating Abuja as if it belongs to the North rather than being the symbol of the entire country as the Federal Capital Territory. In that capacity, as the FCT, Abuja belongs to all and belongs to no one. In the same vein, as the economic capital and nerve center of the country, Lagos is a melting pot where representatives of virtually all ethnic and cultural groups in the country reside and earn a living.

    There is absolutely nothing that says that the headquarters of all Federal Agencies must be located in the Federal Capital even when economic considerations and efficiency dictate otherwise. Some federal agencies reside neither in Abuja nor Lagos at present and their work go on unimpeded.

    In any case, President Tinubu’s pan-Nigerian outlook and credentials are too well known. His ability to build political and personal networks and relationships across the length and breath of the country were partly responsible for his victory in the keenly contested 2023 presidential election. He will be the last person to approve or support any policy designed to be detrimental to any part of the country.

    But for CBN Governor Cardoso, all of that represents his baptism of fire and a wake-up call for him to be a little more flexible particularly in matters that have wider political connotations.

    • Rahman is a Senior Presidential aide
  • Silver is also good

    Silver is also good

    • Nigeria’s final berth at the just-concluded AFCON is worth toasting

    In 1984, a young Super Eagles side, led by Skipper Stephen Keshi and sundry fledgling stars, were star-struck by Cameroon’s armada of seasoned professionals in the French league, led by the great Roger Milla. 

    That Adegboye Onigbinde-tutored team lost 1-3 at the final match, even with Nigeria’s Muda Lawal scoring the opening goal.

    In 2024, 40 years later at Abidjan, same Côte d’Ivoire, another young team, fortified with Victor Osimhen, reigning Confederation of African Football (CAF) Footballer for 2023, were ruined by a final match negative tactics by Portuguese gaffer, Jose Paseiro. 

    Again, though William Troost-Ekong, CAF best player at the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2023 (though played in 2024), drew the first blood, hosts Côte d’Ivoire overwhelmed Nigeria’s ultra-defensive tactics to win the cup, 2-1. Defensive tactics collapsed. Attacking football triumphed. A big plus for African football.

    Read Also: Cost of living, price control and other matters

    Yet, Paseiro’s defensive-minded tactics hadn’t always collapsed. Aside from well and truly beating Cameroon in the Round of 16, it brilliantly decisioned Angola in the quarter-finals, and sent out South Africa in the memorable semi-final. 

    Indeed, all through a tough seven-match foray, Nigeria stayed unbeaten — until the championship match. That’s no mean feat — for a team or coach hardly anyone gave a chance, when AFCON opened on January 13.

    Which is why the honour President Bola Tinubu did the team, despite their cup loss, makes a lot of sense: Member of the Order of Niger (MON), awarded the team and their AFCON chaperons. But that was aside from the Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON), granted Ahmed Musa, Eagles captain, who had earned more than a century caps for Nigeria, though he was on the bench all through the AFCON matches.

    The thinking behind such high honour — similarly awarded previous AFCON winners — is simply high appreciation, even if this team’s final effort fell short. That’s a positive spirit for a country facing challenging times. Besides, the honours should spur the Eagles in their tough African zone World Cup qualifying series.

    Indeed, aside from the final flounder, the team made great progress between January 13 and now. In the new FIFA world rankings, released on February 15, Nigeria soared 28 places from 42nd to 28th in the global rankings. In Africa, they jumped from 6th to 3rd — bested only by Morocco, Africa’s No. 1 and dethroned champions, Senegal, No. 2 — all by their AFCON heroics.

    Besides, the goalkeeping department was a major headache, pre-AFCON. But Stanley Nwabali, with such solidity and stability, showed so much promise. If he fulfils his AFCON potential, it might be the start of another golden era on the goalkeeping front.

    But Nwabali was only a part of the Paseiro a-la-carte — welding the defence and the mid-field into a near-impenetrable fortress, breached only once, in open play, in a tough championship, stretching six matches. That accounted for Nwabali conceding only one goal in five matches, all through to the quarter-finals.

    Still, that defensive steal near-crippled the traditional fast and furious Nigerian attacking play, that won three previous AFCONs — two on foreign soil: Lagos (1980), Tunisia (1994), South Africa (2013). It was grim poetry that defensive-minded Nigeria lost this year’s final. That wasn’t even the case 40 years ago, when Cameroon overran Onigbinde’s rookie but feisty, attacking side in the 1984 final.

    How does a future manager tinker the team to retain its defensive solidity, consolidate its compact midfield, yet unleash its fearsome firepower upfront — with the likes of Osimhen, Ademola Lookman, Ifeanyi Iheanacho, Terri Moffi, et al — to wreak a havoc of goals?

    Paseiro’s conservative tactics did well for the team. But it blunted Nigeria’s traditional strength, even if the team boasted a formidable arsenal on that front. That was good enough to earn Nigeria three spots in the AFCON Best 11: Ola Aina (right wing back), Troost-Ekong (central defence) and Lookman (forward). Osimhen didn’t really click for goals. But that the team still performed reasonably well is salute to their strength-in-depth.

    The snag though was that wasn’t good enough to annex the cup. So, it behoves the new gaffer to translate the resilient AFCON defence into a potent attack in the immediate future. Can Paseiro do that tinkering? Maybe. Maybe not: since reports speak of him and new suitors from Egypt to Algeria. 

    Maybe it’s time Nigerian greats are handed that huge responsibility, but with fitting terms Nigeria can offer to the global best. Emmanuel Amuneke, for instance, was U17 World Cup victor with Osimhen and Samuel Chukwueze. He’s well respected home and abroad; and probably understands the Nigerian team better than a foreigner.

    AFCON’s final match defeat shouldn’t be a debacle. Rather, it should mark a hope-filled restart, reminiscent of Dire Dawa, Ethiopia. The Dire Dawa first-ever AFCON bronze in 1976, launched Nigeria’s foray as the most be-medalled in AFCON. 

    It’s time to push that record to the most crowned, a record Egypt now holds. But that can’t be done without a superb local organisation that should push Nigerian referees to spice up FIFA and CAF competitions, as Nigerian players have always done.

  • Budgetary indiscipline

    Budgetary indiscipline

    • Officials of MDAs overshooting their budgets without approval should be sanctioned

    Lack of budgetary discipline reflected in non-adherence to financial revenue and expenditure targets and timelines, as well as extra-budgetary spendings is a key factor responsible for the inability of many Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to meet set policy objectives. That this culture is prevalent in Nigeria and contributes to the difficulties in transcending Nigeria’s protracted economic crisis is demonstrated once more by the contents of the country’s 2020 Audited Report of government finances dated November 30, 2023, and just submitted to the National Assembly, last week.

    In the first instance, it is odd and smacks of indolence and indiscipline for an audit report that, constitutionally, ought to have been submitted to the National Assembly in 2021 to be brought before the legislators three years late. Both the MDAs that refused to abide by the stipulated deadline and the legislators that inexplicably did not demand for the document as and when due cannot escape blame for dereliction of duty.

    The number of audit queries and irregularities contained in the report is indicative of the flagrant disregard for specified financial rules and regulations across MDAs. There were no less than 26 audit queries issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF) to different MDAs for abuse of financial regulations and violation of treasury circulars. For instance, 27 queries were issued against the Securities and Exchange Commission and 31 against the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    Again, 28 MDAs, including some Federal Pay Offices, Office of the Surveyor- General of the Federation and then Air-Force Institute of Technology are among those which had negative balances of cash and cash equivalencies which amounted to N13.9 billion. The report noted, and this is of significant import, that no information was given by these agencies on the factors responsible for these negative cash returns.

    Read Also: Cost of living, price control and other matters

    It was further revealed in the audit report that no less than 256 MDAs engaged in extra-budgetary expenditure which amounted to over N284.316 billion. While the affected MDAs reported total expenditures of N361.736 billion, the budget approved for them was N75.957 billion. According to the audit report, the sources of the extra-budgetary spending were neither disclosed nor the evidence of supplementary appropriation or approved virement provided.

    It is difficult to believe that the requisite officers in the affected MDAs are unaware of the requirement of Section 80 (2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended which states that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation except to meet expenditure that is charged upon the fund by this constitution or where the issue of those moneys has been authorized by an Appropriation Act, Supplementary Appropriations Act or an Act passed in pursuance of Section 81 of this Constitution”.

    This unambiguous constitutional stipulation is reinforced by Section 80(3) of the constitution which provides that “No moneys shall be withdrawn from any public fund of the Federation, other than the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, unless the issue of those moneys has been authorised by an Act of the National Assembly”. The report attributes the anomalies identified partly to weaknesses in the internal control system surrounding the consolidation process in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation. It also indicted that office for lack of due diligence in ensuring that the release of the overhead costs was limited to approved estimates. Accounting officers in the affected MDAs were also admonished to ensure that proper budgetary and accounting systems are established and maintained to enhance internal control, accountability and transparency.

    It is necessary that accounting officers who offer no credible reasons for violating these public financial regulations face stipulated sanctions to serve as deterrence to others. The flagrant disregard for budgetary plans creates avenues for corrupt enrichment by unscrupulous public officers and compounds the challenges of economic crisis and underdevelopment in Nigeria. All of these bring to the fore once more the urgent imperative of a wholesale and thorough reform of the public service to achieve higher levels of efficiency, accountability and responsibility on the part of public officers.

  • Uncover them now

    Uncover them now

    • It’s not enough to announce that religious bodies are supporting terrorists. Name and arraign them.

    Given the level of devastation visited on Nigeria by terrorists, whenever the crime is mentioned, everybody shows concern. Unfortunately, not only has much progress not been recorded in taming it, law enforcement agencies have only been coming up with information that fail to raise confidence among the general public.

    Since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency started visiting mayhem on the land, the military, Department of State Services (DSS), the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have made attempts to assure the people that we would soon put the menace behind us. All to no avail.

    It has become a custom for the law enforcement agencies to make claims they fail to substantiate. At one time, the Federal Government under the Buhari presidency announced that it was about to arraign 400 terrorism financiers. With relish, the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, said then that the suspects would be brought to justice in weeks. About two years after, nothing has been heard about the matter.

    Rather than boost confidence in the anti-terrorism battle, government’s failure to live up to promises has given the impression that such promises are fake or that the government lacks the political will to arraign the suspects. This is unfortunate because the people are the greatest source of intelligence; they must be enlisted into the war against terrorism if the society is to be freed of it.

    One area that calls for serious attention is financing terror. Last month, the EFCC came up with a claim that some religious bodies are working in tandem with the terrorists. While the commission’s chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, claimed one body has been uncovered as financing terrorism in the country, he said another has been laundering money for them. As usual, the religious organisations were not named, nor any concrete evidence adduced.

    We hope this is not just another empty claim. If the commission had not got to an advanced stage in its investigation such that it was ready to be laid before a court of law, why make such announcement? Was it meant to tip off the criminals and their supporters?

    In 2021, similar proclamation was made by Mr. Malami with respect to “a large number of high profile terrorism financiers in the United Arab Emirates.”

    But when authorities of that country arrested six Nigerians involved in the crime, they were not only named, but arraigned and consequently sentenced.

    If we are to win the war against terrorism, the EFCC, DSS, police and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies  have to step up their acts. The most critical aspect of prosecution is investigation. Without an ironcast case, it’s impossible to secure conviction, which is the sure way to deter criminal activities in the country.

    President Bola Tinubu and his attorney- general should change the narrative. They owe Nigerians the duty of getting the law enforcement agencies to carry out thorough investigation and diligent prosecution of these cases. Mr. Olukoyede should realise that his job is not just to address press conferences and talk shops. He should set targets for himself, and ensure he meets the targets.

    The judiciary equally must complement the other agencies. Expeditious hearing and determination of such matters brought before their lordships will go a long way in stemming the tide. We have been on this plain for too long, with unimaginable bleeding. As the late Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia once wrote of his country, Nigeria must be free.Given the level of devastation visited on Nigeria by terrorists, whenever the crime is mentioned, everybody shows concern. Unfortunately, not only has much progress not been recorded in taming it, law enforcement agencies have only been coming up with information that fail to raise confidence among the general public.

    Since 2009 when the Boko Haram insurgency started visiting mayhem on the land, the military, Department of State Services (DSS), the police and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have made attempts to assure the people that we would soon put the menace behind us. All to no avail.

    It has become a custom for the law enforcement agencies to make claims they fail to substantiate. At one time, the Federal Government under the Buhari presidency announced that it was about to arraign 400 terrorism financiers. With relish, the Attorney- General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, said then that the suspects would be brought to justice in weeks. About two years after, nothing has been heard about the matter.

    Rather than boost confidence in the anti-terrorism battle, government’s failure to live up to promises has given the impression that such promises are fake or that the government lacks the political will to arraign the suspects. This is unfortunate because the people are the greatest source of intelligence; they must be enlisted into the war against terrorism if the society is to be freed of it.

    One area that calls for serious attention is financing terror. Last month, the EFCC came up with a claim that some religious bodies are working in tandem with the terrorists. While the commission’s chairman, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, claimed one body has been uncovered as financing terrorism in the country, he said another has been laundering money for them. As usual, the religious organisations were not named, nor any concrete evidence adduced.

    Read Also: JUST IN: We uncovered $2.4b invalid FX claims — Cardoso

    We hope this is not just another empty claim. If the commission had not got to an advanced stage in its investigation such that it was ready to be laid before a court of law, why make such announcement? Was it meant to tip off the criminals and their supporters?

    In 2021, similar proclamation was made by Mr. Malami with respect to “a large number of high profile terrorism financiers in the United Arab Emirates.”

    But when authorities of that country arrested six Nigerians involved in the crime, they were not only named, but arraigned and consequently sentenced.

    If we are to win the war against terrorism, the EFCC, DSS, police and other law enforcement and intelligence agencies  have to step up their acts. The most critical aspect of prosecution is investigation. Without an ironcast case, it’s impossible to secure conviction, which is the sure way to deter criminal activities in the country.

    President Bola Tinubu and his attorney- general should change the narrative. They owe Nigerians the duty of getting the law enforcement agencies to carry out thorough investigation and diligent prosecution of these cases. Mr. Olukoyede should realise that his job is not just to address press conferences and talk shops. He should set targets for himself, and ensure he meets the targets.

    The judiciary equally must complement the other agencies. Expeditious hearing and determination of such matters brought before their lordships will go a long way in stemming the tide. We have been on this plain for too long, with unimaginable bleeding. As the late Kenneth Kaunda of Zambia once wrote of his country, Nigeria must be free.

  • Cancer centres in Nigeria

    Cancer centres in Nigeria

    • These will go a long way in reducing forex on medical tourism

    Cancer is an emotionally-charged word. It is referred to, even by medical practitioners, with euphemisms such as cancer antigen “CA”. Complementarily, it is becoming common to hear medical personnel say, “cancer is not a death sentence.” But this comforting expression has conditions to be satisfied for it to be true. One of such conditions is early detection, and early detection is itself based on appropriate screening, which is facilitated by the availability of well-trained personnel and requisite equipment.

    It is therefore gratifying that, in marking this year’s World Cancer Day on February 6, the Minister of State for Education and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, announced plans to construct six new cancer centres in the six geo-political zones of the country within the next three years. The centres would be located in  Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Zaria, the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Federal Teaching Hospital, Katsina, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin, and Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos.

     First, these centres would complement existing cancer facilities in the designated hospitals and, through collaboration, other hospitals in the country, and thereby enhance the capability of the nation’s health institutions to control and treat cancer. This hope is justified, because, in spite of the worrisome exodus of Nigerian doctors and related medical personnel from the country in search of greener pastures, the expertise of those remaining in the country continues to be confirmed by global peer reviews of major health interventions. This would make the increasing trend of medical delegations to the country by Nigerian doctors practicing abroad more result-oriented. The mutual benefits of such medical delegations would enhance the professional competitiveness of Nigerian doctors and allied personnel through increased research networking.

     In other words, these new centres have the potential to create a conducive work environment for medical personnel who really do not have a need to emigrate. They also have the potential to encourage some of the doctors who have currently left the country to return home permanently and make their newly-acquired expertise and experience available to the nation. This would increase the confidence of Nigerians in Nigeria-based medical practitioners and reduce the attraction for medical tourism.   

    Read Also: Sebastien Haller: From cancer to AFCON final

     Second, the proposed centres would facilitate the effectiveness of more-sharply-focused medical campaigns towards cancer awareness and prevention methods and practices. In this regard, experts continue to draw attention to cancer-prevention life-style practices such as keeping away from smoking and drinking, avoiding excessive consumption of red meat, consuming diets high in fibre and fruits, and engaging in regular physical exercise. The plan of the government to train nurses in primary health centres across the nation to provide related enlightenment and the screening of the most common cancers is a commendable complement to the six centres.  

    Third, in cases where cancer develops, in spite of the patients’ best efforts at prevention, the new centres would facilitate access to and early onset of treatment. One of the challenges of treating cancer patients abroad is that, apart from the relatively high hospital bills, it often entails very high associated costs. This includes transport or airfare costs for patients themselves, accompanying family members, and sometimes accompanying medical personnel, and related costs such as visa fees. It also includes accommodation and feeding costs for this set of people. Considering these facts, the cost-effectiveness which the proposed cancer centres would engender is quite huge.

    In ultimate terms, the new cancer centres would relieve significantly the pressure on the country’s foreign reserve. The decision to build the cancer centres across the six geo-political zones of the country therefore needs all the support it requires from stakeholders to see the proposal to fruition. It must not be allowed to die like some noble dreams had in the past.  

  • New ATAK helicopters

    New ATAK helicopters

    • We need them, but we need as much eyes as guns to beat terror

    The fight for the safety of Nigerian citizens was the highpoint of the delivery of yet another set of fighter helicopters. This time, it was the T-129 Atak helicopters. It raises the question on how many do we need to find traction in the anti-terror struggle?

    Records show this is not our first possessions. They add to existing fleet, improving our arsenal to four of such helicopters.

    Turkish-made, the new helicopter is a twin-engine, tandem seat and multi-role weapon. It gives us confidence that the Tinubu administration is devoting valuable resources towards ensuring that our citizens are safe, in spite of the spread of violence in various parts of the country.

    The recent killing of traditional rulers in Kwara and Ekiti states, and the surge in clashes in Plateau State as the year began brought agitation to the minds of many.

    One of the problems has always been whether we have the superior arms to fight the enemy. This helicopter adds to the credibility in that hope. As Vice President Kashim Shettima has noted, the Nigerian Air Force has, since its founding in 1964, not only made sterling “contributions to the sustenance and maintenance of peace and security in places like The Gambia, Guinea Conakry, Mozambique, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Cameroon have not only been a source of pride to Nigeria but has projected the nation as a reliable regional power.”

    Part of the features of the new helicopter is that it is designed for armed reconnaissance as well as a 20 mm cannon with capacity to be armed with rockets, UMTAS anti-tank missiles, CIRIT laser-guided missiles, and Stinger air-to-air missiles. It is 14.5 metres long with a maximum takeoff weight of about five tons. Its twin engine. That is CTS800-4A engines each has 1373 horse power that enables it cruise at 280 km per hour. Its range is 537 km and altitude of 4570 metres. For vision, it boasts an Aselsan Aselflir-300T gimbal with a TV camera, an infrared camera, target designator and laser rangefinder.

    We also have had seven Mil Mi-24V/P ‘Hind-E/F’ and 17 Mi-35M/P ‘Hind-E/F’ gunships. The NAF is expecting 12 Bell AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters.

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     Five other new aircraft we have inducted into our fleet include two Diamond DA 62 surveillance aircraft, two T-129 ATAK helicopters, and a King Air 360ER. The first two T-129s were delivered from Turkish Aerospace Industries in November 2023. More will come in the second quarter of 2024.

    The nation under President Bola Tinubu will have other varieties of aircraft numbering 46, including two AW109 Trekker helicopters from Leonardo Helicopters, two King Air 360 twin turboprops, four DA 62 surveillance aircraft, six T-129 helicopters, three Wing Loong II unmanned aerial vehicles, two Airbus C295 transport aircraft, 12 AH-1Z attack helicopters, and 24 Leonardo M-346 trainer/attack aircraft. The Nigerian Army is not left out as it is adding 12 MD 530F Cayuse Warrior helicopters from MD Helicopters.

    The NAF bought four DA 62 aircraft in October 2023. They are fitted with Hensoltd Argos II HDT electro-optical gimbals. Three Wing Loong IIs have arrived and that the first King Air 360ER arrived from Textron Aviation in November, last year.

    Since 2015, the NAF has had 10 Super Mushshak trainer aircraft, five Mi-35M attack helicopters, two Bell 412 transport helicopters, four A109 Power utility helicopters, two Mi-171E transport helicopters, three JF–17 Thunder multi–role fighters, 12 A–29 Super Tucano combat/trainer aircraft and numerous unmanned combat aerial vehicles (UCAVs).

    We know that weapons are not enough. We are still lagging in intelligence. Our spies in all the local government areas in the country have been failing us, and that should also be a priority.

  • Killing kidnapping

    Killing kidnapping

    • Security agencies have to be proactive to check the growing trend.

    There is the widespread saying in Nigeria, which has almost become a cliche, to the effect that if Nigeria does not kill corruption, then corruption will kill the country. It is certainly no less true that if the menace of kidnapping for ransom is not decisively routed in Nigeria, this crime will be the country’s unmaking.

     While the military has done a yeoman’s job in checkmating the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West and North Central, as well as kidnapping for ransom, which is becoming rampant across the zones, not excluding the South-West, which was once perceived as impermeable to the scourge, give serious cause for alarm.

    In the aftermath of the kidnap of 14 Abuja-bound travellers in two different buses, at Inyenle Eteke, Ogugu, in Olalamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi State, men of the Kogi State Police Command had combed the Kobi forest in a bid to rescue the victims. Although the spokesperson of the police command, Superintendent of Police, William Aya, said those kidnapped have regained their freedom following a combined search and rescue operation of the military, police, hunters and vigilantes, the phenomenon of kidnapping remains a considerable threat to the lives, livelihood and property of millions of innocent Nigerians.

    An indication of the seriousness of the kidnapping scourge is the fact that not even Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which should, presumably, be one of the safest areas in Nigeria, has been spared the trauma of having members of various families in diverse communities there kidnapped for ransom. Indeed, no fewer than 15 persons had been kidnapped in the FCT since the beginning of 2024.

    Of course, still fresh in our minds is the case of the nine children and teachers of the Apostolic Faith Group of Schools, Emure-Ekiti, who were kidnapped when their bus was shot at and forced to stop and the victims whisked away. Although the students and three female teachers were freed after ransom was reportedly paid, the driver lost his life. It was also in Ekiti that two monarchs were attacked and killed in their vehicle as they were travelling within the state.

    The dynamics of the kidnapping phenomenon continues to change across the country.  Some experts have pointed out that data shows that kidnappers appear to be gaining grounds in new territories such as in Katsina, Kogi and Ondo states where there has been an increase in the number of reported kidnap cases.

    It has also been estimated that in the 2022/23 period, Sokoto, Edo and Kogi reported a higher number of cases. Over 100 incidents of abduction were reported in each of these states while the FCT recorded 125 kidnap cases.

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    The security agencies must have the capacity to track the incidence and pattern of kidnapping and other crimes across the country in order to effectively discharge their mandate to secure lives and property.

    No less alarming is the humongous amounts that relatives of kidnap victims are forced to pay to ensure the release of their loved ones. Although the authorities have opposed payment of ransom to kidnappers for the release of victims so as not to make kidnapping an attractive and profitable crime, the agony and anxiety that force families to raise money by all means to rescue the kidnapped is understandable.

     Unfortunately, the humongous ransom payments only help to further strengthen the kidnappers, who are thus enabled to buy more sophisticated weapons as well as more effectively fund their criminal operations.

    The latest kidnap in Kogi State brings to the fore, once more, the urgent need to thoroughly overhaul and decentralise our security architecture. Again, it reinforces the need for the country’s intelligence community to wake up to its responsibilities such that our fight against kidnapping and other crimes is intelligence-driven, geared at nipping potential crime in the bud, rather than always reacting after the crime has been committed.

  • ‘Japa’ centres

    ‘Japa’ centres

    • A good idea; but long term solution is to address the issues that led to the syndrome

    Due to climate change and the need for survival and the quest for comfort and food, both humans and animals, especially birds, have always migrated. However, these days, the major cause of inter-continental migration is purely economic because the human instinct for survival pushes humans to seek better habitats.

    Sadly though, the economies of nations keep changing and governments have become seriously concerned about migration, to the extent that it has become political talking point. Governments are therefore beginning to find more diplomatic and legal ways to limit or cater for the influx of people into their countries as a way of managing the resources for the welfare of their citizens.

    For a country like Nigeria, migration of citizens had in the past not been a serious issue as people left legally in search of the proverbial golden fleece. In most cases, it was not an issue because they just went, acquired education and came back to the country to contribute their knowledge, exposure and experience to its development.

    However, in the last decade and half, the rate of migration out of the country has increased remarkably. There have been the legal migrations through education and work opportunities, and there have also been an increase in illegal migration, either through human trafficking which has necessitated the setting up of the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), to stem the ugly tide. Indeed, there has been illegal migration through all manner of routes, including persons who embark on journeys on their own through the notorious Mediterranean routes that have seen thousands dying in the process and the boarder agencies of many countries overstretched.

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    The rate of migration, especially of the nation’s youthful population, in the critical sectors of tech, healthcare, teaching and many others has escalated so much that a local word, ‘Japa’, which means moving out is now a metaphor for the migration syndrome. We are worried that the country is losing its most vibrant population needed to develop it.

    Just like many countries trying to control the influx of migrants from other countries, the Nigerian government is working at arresting the exodus of its citizens. It is therefore commendable that the Federal Government has commissioned another Migrant Resource Center at New Karu, Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, alongside Germany’s Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Ms. Svenja Schulze. Schulze said that the project was within the framework of the Centre for Migration and Development ZME Project aimed at rehabilitating Nigerians willing to come back from various locations outside the country. The centre is the fourth in the series set up by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Nkeiruka Onyejeocha, explained that it was established with the technical and financial support of German Development Cooperation (GIZ) and more would be established in different parts of the country.

    While we commend the bilateral gesture, we urge the Nigerian government to address those issues that forced Nigerians to seek migration as a better survival option. We are aware that many Nigerian migrants are not ready to come back willingly and that says a lot about their perception about survival in their own nation. African socio-cultural arrangement is not similar to that of the West. Nigerians love to live in their communities and even if they migrate from villages to cities, they do not live in controlled isolation.

    The Migrant Resource Centres must therefore be seen as a temporary measure and must be made available to especially those who are deported, often due to crime or illegal migration, as a stop-gap to their finding their bearing before being reintegrated into society.

    We also hope that the commissioning would not be the last we would hear about the centres because the history of government-funded centres is not very encouraging; most are either run aground or used for other reasons besides the core reason for their establishment. We suggest an integration of the private sector for better efficiency because, as the saying goes, government business is no one’s business.

  • Customs exchange rate hike

    Customs exchange rate hike

    • Govt should come up with fiscal measures to meet specific concerns

    Penultimate week, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), yet again adjusted, upwards, the exchange rate for calculating import duties. This time, it moved the rate from N952 to N1, 413.62 – an unprecedented 42.5% increase within two days. While the adjustment would be the sixth since June 2023, what is particularly noteworthy is what the signal represents in terms of what stakeholders have come to see as wholesale adoption of market-determined exchange rates for government business.

    Clearly, the argument may well be that the move is part of the government’s declared measure to unify the exchange rates, to take out the arbitrage and ultimately to stamp out corruption and other nefarious activities that have undermined the nation’s trade policy. Or even a move to shore up revenue by removing such discretions that have fostered those leakages that have become a huge drain-pipe on the nation’s treasury. Government’s position, in the circumstance, would seem not only understandable but perfectly legitimate. 

    Our concern, as indeed the concern of other critical stakeholders, however, is that the measure will certainly aggravate the current hardships. For the manufacturers and other operators in the real sector, the immediate implication is to further raise their cost of doing business. Clearly, when the new reality is factored with the impact of devaluation in a clime where most businesses actually depend on imports for everything, from raw materials to machineries and spare parts, it comes across as a classic case of double jeopardy – too costly to bear.

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    We therefore understand where those voices of concern are coming from. The words of Muda Yusuf of the Centre for the Promotion for Private Enterprise, (CPPE) perhaps best captures the dire situation: “It is double jeopardy for the investors across all sectors, especially those in the real sector. This action will further fuel inflation as production and operating costs get escalated. The vulnerable segments of the population will be further impoverished as cost push inflation gets exacerbated.

    “The shocks, disruptions and dislocations are of immense proportions. It is even worse that the rates take immediate effect. This is a policy action that is difficult to justify, especially in the context of the multidimensional headwinds that businesses are grappling with”.

    Surely the government cannot claim to be unaware of those legendary headwinds of infrastructure, particularly of roads and electricity, and the generally inclement climate of doing business. When these are added to the aftershocks of the fuel subsidy removal under which the citizens still reel, the effects could only be described as nightmarish.

    To be sure, the point here really is hardly a vote for the retention of the ‘ancien regime’ of multiple rates for the players. That, apart from being counterproductive, will most certainly negate the modest gains of the forex reforms already undertaken by the apex bank. What the government can, and should do, is engage with the relevant stakeholders to see what kind of succour it can put in place to ameliorate the situation. This could come in the form of a range of targeted fiscal measures/incentives, to address their specific concerns. In doing this, the government must be seen to balance the quest to provide the immediate, perhaps short-term relief with the nation’s long-term interests of ensuring that local entrepreneurial initiatives are not in put in any form of jeopardy. It is the least a listening government can do at this time.

  • The Sirika brothers

    The Sirika brothers

    • Good that EFCC has seized N3bn paid allegedly for unexecuted contracts, but we still must ensure such abuse do not recur

    Former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, represented a lot of hope for the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari, as he was trusted to reincarnate the glory of the former Nigeria Airways. At the height of that glory, Nigeria Airways had a fleet of over 30 planes, and was reputed as the biggest airline in Africa. All that glory was lost on the altar of corruption and personal aggrandisement.

    Hadi Sirika was appointed minister with a clear mandate to establish a Nigerian carrier, and until the twilight of the administration, he gave a false hope that the nation was on the path to that glory. But it appears that instead of delivering on his mandate, he carried the ingredients for the pot of soup to his family house, and shared the largesse.

    According to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Sirika awarded several unexecuted contracts worth about N8.06 billion to Engirios Nigeria Limited, a company owned by his brother, Abubakar Ahmad Sirika.

    Abubakar Sirika, a civil servant, is the managing director and chief executive of the company and N3 billion traced to the account of the company has been frozen by the commission. Four contracts awarded to the company by the ministry are the construction of the Terminal Building in Katsina Airport at N1,345,586,500.00; Fire Truck Maintenance and Refurbishment Centre in Katsina Airport at N3, 811,497,685.00; procurement and installation of elevators, air conditioners and power generator house in Aviation House, Abuja, at N615,195,275.00; and procurement of Magnus Aircraft and simulator for Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Zaria, at N2, 296,897, 404.00.

    These contracts were awarded in the last days of the Buhari administration, allegedly without recourse to due process. While we condemn the former minister for awarding contracts at the twilight of the administration, we are shocked that a civil servant would disregard the laws and engage in management of a company bidding for contract from the Federal Government that employed him. It is possible that there are similar abuses in other ministries and parastatals of government, despite the clear prohibition of such practices.

    A top official of the agency reportedly said: “While profiling the contracts, there was a payment of N3,212,258,930.18 out of the total contract sum to Engirios Nigeria Limited, which is owned by the younger brother of the ex-Minister of Aviation.” He went on: “Apart from being listed as the company’s MD/CEO, Abubakar is the sole signatory to the company’s two accounts.” We wonder why there are no checks to avoid such abuses, as allegedly happened in the ministry of aviation.

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    How come a minister could award contracts without due process, and go ahead to authorise the release of the contract sums? Where were the permanent secretary and directors, whose responsibilities it was to insist on due process in the award and payment for contracts? Where is the place of the public procurement laws in the award? Was a no objection certificate obtained before the monies were released to the contractor?

    We urge the EFCC to ask all relevant questions, and get everyone who aided the wrong process, or who failed to raise alarms before endorsing documents to answer for their commission or omission.

    While the work of fighting corruption must go on, the duty of preventing corruption should be entrenched. The sort of abuse allegedly perpetrated by the ministry under Hadi Sirika should not happen again. The system must be strengthened to ensure that gate keepers live up to their responsibility, regardless of whose ox is gored. A minister must never be able to ride roughshod over rules and regulations, even with the best intension. We do not need strong men, but rather strong system. It is sad that the plans to reinvent Nigeria Airways faltered completely.