The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • No motion

    No motion

    • Government has to look for capable investors to bring the Discos back on track

    When in July 2022, the Federal Government announced the planned takeover of Kano, Benin and Kaduna electricity distribution companies by Fidelity Bank Plc; the expectation of Nigerians was that the rites of their passage would be swift and conclusive. Some 18 months after, Nigerians are now learning that the process is far from what it was touted to be. That, at least, is what the axing of the board of the Kaduna Electricity Distribution Company (KAEDC) by the industry regulator, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) on Monday last week seems to suggest.

    In its order published last week, the power sector regulator stated that Kaduna Disco owed N110bn to the 

    Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc and the Market Operator of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) from 2015 till date. It claimed that the receivership, headed by Afrexim Bank, had been given 60 days’ notice to state why its licence should not be cancelled, with another 30 days given in July, last year – all to no avail. It said the bank requested four to six months to finalise the divestment process and that they could not provide the bank guarantees required to secure KAEDC’s market obligation. And as a consequence of the failure of the company to get a new owner to enable it meet its financial obligations, “all directors of KAEDC are hereby removed from office and the board of directors stands dissolved in the exercise of powers vested in the commission by Section 75 of the Electricity Act.”

    In other words, the situation, as it was in July 2022, has not changed. Not only has the government-appointed receivership failed to alter the debt 

    trajectory of the distribution company, its continuing pretence to being a going concern is farcical.

    Truth be said; the insolvency story of KAEDC mirrors the story of the Discos across the board. In fact, with perhaps one or two exceptions, the same could be said of the majority of the 11 distribution companies foisted on the country at the conclusion of what is apparently now a dubious privatisation exercise. But then, this would appear to be a minor part of the more intriguing tales of lack of requisite capital and technical know-how, incompetence, gross mismanagement and non-fidelity to the letters and the spirit of duly executed MoUs for which the Discos were renown – all of which this newspaper had long forewarned, had come to necessitate some drastic action on the part of the government. 

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    Of course, it would have been a different matter if the problem of the entities had stopped at under-delivery of which the electricity consumer had come to accept as standard fare, and which has now metastasised into the manifold perverse, anti-consumer practices that have come to define the sector. Dragging the financial sector – alongside the disparate actors in the electricity sector value chain – into the abyss would seem to us in the circumstance a most needless price to pay. It would be a case of double trouble, which the country could ill-afford.

    In any case, it is not as if the Federal Government has very many options left. The erstwhile owners, as it were, have demonstrated an astounding lack of capacity; even now, it is said that the banks wouldn’t touch the entity with a 10-foot pole. The issue now is how to get new investors with requisite financial muscle and technical and commercial know-how on board to salvage whatever remain of the distribution entities – and we are not referring here to the KAEDC alone but all such other Discos that have run into insolvency problems. 

    President Bola Tinubu’s words in this regard are particularly instructive. Speaking at the 10th anniversary of the privatisation of the power sector and the 1st Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) Market Participants and Stakeholders Roundtable (NMPSR) in Abuja last October, he had said: “We have to create the environment where the worst performers do not continue to drag the sector down”. We couldn’t agree more.

    And while alluding to a preliminary analysis which showed that the Discos were undercapitalised to the tune of N2 trillion, he was just as emphatic: “We must facilitate a reorganisation and a recapitalisation process that brings in new partners and new capital to jumpstart performance in this critical sector of the value chain”. 

    Surely, the time to do this is now. 

  • Deadly traffic            

    Deadly traffic            

    • Customs’ seizure of combat drone at MMIA red-flags national security

    There is stealthy trafficking in weapons of war that should raise fresh concern about Nigeria’s security situation. Customs has just made known its seizure of a high grade combat-ready drone and other military ware among items intercepted at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA) in Lagos.

    The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), MMIA Command, said it intercepted combat-ready Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, alongside military hardware, counterfeit dollars and other contraband goods being smuggled into the country. Speaking to journalists on the command’s operations, Customs Area Controller Charles Orbih said the intercepted drones were without an End User Certificate (EUC) from the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and they were above the specification allowed by Nigerian law. Three suspects had been taken into custody for alleged involvement in the illegal import, he added.

    Speaking on the goods that were seized, the Customs chief said the combat-ready drone had first aid box space, space for weapons, and could stay 70 hours in the sky. He further said 154 additional drones were intercepted by the command. Orbih stated: “While the country allows drones of up to 250 grammes, this combat drone weighs about 5,000 grammes. With a flight capacity of over 70 hours and space for weapon handling, it can be utilized as a weapon of war and it lacks the essential EUC from the National Security Adviser (NSA).”

    There were other weapons seized by the Customs command alongside sundry other items. “According to Section 245 of the Nigeria Customs Service Act 2023, which empowers a Customs officer to seize and detain prohibited goods, the command also made 125 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DPV) of N801.56 million for the year 2023,” Orbih reportedly said, adding: “The items intercepted include 89 seized drones, 66 drones detained, 330 military and other security wares, 700 rolls of cigarettes each containing 10 packs, 126 walkie-talkies and their accessories, 87 pieces of artefacts and antiquities, 22 pieces of elephant tusks, $10,000 counterfeit notes handed over to Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and $8,800 concealed in an album.”

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    A curious thing about the combat drone trafficking is that the Customs chief did not disclose the country of origin; it is up in the air whether that information was available. Neither were the traffickers clearly identified beyond the indication that three unnamed suspects were in custody. Meanwhile, the profile of the drone – not to mention the other military ware – suggests there was a deeply sinister motive to its trafficking. In other words, from the grammage weight compared to that permitted by Nigerian law, the weapons handling specifications, the flight capacity and the fact that it did not carry necessary security certification, one could easily deduce that it was not being smuggled in for benevolent purposes. The traffickers are shadowy warriors, with apparent intent to undermine Nigeria’s security.

    Orbih during his encounter with journalists portrayed the seizure as part of the success story of his Customs command. It could well be. But beyond the seizure are questions that government must address for the purpose of national security. Who were the masterminds – mind you, not mere couriers – of the weapon trafficking and who / where was intended as the destination? What were the weapons meant for if they had not been intercepted? Persons involved need to be unmasked and tracked down, if necessary, through international security collaboration, to prevent a repeat attempt at smuggling in another consignment. Besides, we need to know where the cargo originated, and why Customs authorities in such country allowed the dispatch in violation of standard destination guidelines. It may be that the transaction signposts weak international regulatory framework that needs to be bolstered.

    Then, there is need for internal reality check. Were the weapons to get into wrong hands, do we have an anti-drone defence system with sufficient capacity to repel high grade UAVs? We may not want to make public the location of such system for strategic purposes, but is it in a ready state for an eventuality? If such defence system is not already in place, the MMIA seizure should be a wake-up call.

    For emphasis, we acknowledge that it is helpful some suspects were arrested; they should be diligently prosecuted and, if culpability is confirmed, made to face the full wrath of the law. However, taking on small fries – perhaps mere couriers – will not deal a decisive blow. Government should go after the weapons merchants wherever they are and tackle them down.

  • No longer humanitarian

    No longer humanitarian

    Morning shows the day, so goes a saying. That is why it is encouraging that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ordered the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to probe the suspended Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betty Edu, and the Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer of National Social Investment Programmes Agency (NSIPA), Halima Shehu, over allegations of mismanagement of resources earmarked to lift the poor in the country. It shows that the president is serious with his avowal to fight corruption, and we commend him for that.

    The Tinubu administration earlier ordered the investigation of the previous minister in-charge of the ministry during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, Hajiya Saadiya Umar Faruk, over allegation of fraud. The former minister allegedly laundered N37,170,855,753.44 through a contractor, James Okwete, while the suspended minister, Edu, against public service rules, paid N585 million into a private account, whom she called a project officer. According to the anti-graft agency, substantial part of the N37 billion spent under Hajiya Faruk has been traced to several private accounts which have been frozen.

    Nigerians are appalled that the ministers could authorise such payments when, ordinarily, the permanent secretary and directors are in a position to forestall such practice. So, it is good that the EFCC is also quizzing the bureaucracy in the ministry, to ascertain the degree of their culpability. The investigation of bank executives over their role is equally commendable, as monies are laundered through banks. We urge the EFCC to unearth the whereabouts of the monies allegedly laundered through contractors and sundry consultants.

    The alleged involvement of a company linked to the Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, is very worrisome. While the minister claimed he resigned from the company many years ago, did he influence the winning of the contract, which his wife runs? And was due process followed in awarding that and other consultancy services, gulping over N3 billion? A thorough investigation is necessary so there would be no insinuation of tribal or gender sensitivity on the part of the administration.

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    The N585 million under investigation was earmarked for payment of grants to vulnerable groups in Akwa Ibom, Lagos, Cross River and Ogun states. Announcing the minister’s suspension, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said: “In line with his avowed commitment to uphold the highest standards of integrity, transparency and accountability in the management of the commonwealth of Nigerians, President Bola Tinubu suspends the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr. Betty Edu, from office with immediate effect.”

    He went on: “The President further directs the Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to conduct a thorough investigation into all aspects of the financial transactions involving the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, as well as one or more agencies hereunder.”

    We commend President Tinubu for sending a clear message to all ministries, agencies and parastatals that it is no longer business as usual. No doubt, corruption is at the root of the gross underdevelopment of our country, and no significant progress can be made without confronting it headlong.

    It is very sad that a ministry created with the best intention to lift millions of poor and vulnerable in our society from poverty, appears to have become a conduit for corrupt enrichment and vile practices. How those put in custody of monies for the multi-dimensionally poor, the disabled and the vulnerable, feel comfortable to mismanage such resources beats our imagination. While all forms of corruption are condemnable, tampering with monies for this category of persons is the height of moral decadence.

    We also commend the president for empanelling a committee headed by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, to examine the financial structure and operations of the social investment programmes. We wonder why the programmes appear to have become a source of temptation for the ministry officials. Is there too much lose money in the ministry, or are there no structures, forcing the officials to engage in un-bureaucratic processes? As some have questioned, is such a ministry a surplus? 

    Over the years, our country has suffered so much in the hands of corrupt public officials, and the stench oozing from such practices can be quenched by the Tinubu administration. The international community and foreign investors would only take our country serious when public corruption is dealt with, without fear or favour. Thankfully, the Tinubu administration has shown determination to fight it, regardless of whose ox is gored. The EFCC must toe the same path; it should not fail Nigerians.

    We urge the commission to thoroughly investigate the allegations of corruption in the ministry and its agencies, and bring any person who may have abused his/her office to public account. The monies involved should be traced to wherever they were kept and recovered, and the outcome of the investigation should be made public.

  • Travel expenses

    Travel expenses

    • President Tinubu has set an example in cost-saving measure for others to emulate           

    The announcement by the Presidency spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, about the 60 per cent cut in all travel expenses for President Bola Tinubu, the vice president, Kashim Shettima, First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu and the wife of the vice president  was received by Nigerians with a sense of relief.  For so long in the Nigerian democratic journey, the huge cost of governance has continually been an issue of public concern.

    In a country struggling with many developmental challenges, the zenith of which is the more than 133 million people living in multi-dimensional poverty, more than 20 million out-of-school children, high level food and physical insecurity, double-digit inflation, unemployment and infrastructural decay and deficiencies, the recurrent expenditure spent on non-productive ventures like domestic and foreign travel expenses for principal officers and their wives at both federal and state levels has been a huge drain on the finances of government at all levels.

    Nigerians were therefore relieved with the announcement by the presidency that henceforth, the President’s entourage on foreign trips would not exceed 20, that of the vice president, 15, First Lady, five and the wife of the vice president, five. For domestic travels too, it has been slashed to 25 for the president, 20 for the vice president, 10 each for the First Lady and the wife of the vice president.

    The president, by this gesture, has demonstrated that he is ready to lead by example and as such telling Nigerians to adjust to the economic realities can be seen from this very directive. He also pruned the number of people that should travel with ministers and heads of agencies and parastatals.

    While we commend this gesture, we fear that it may go the way of other presidential pronouncements that ended up as mere promises. We recall the words by former President Muhammadu Buhari that officers of the government would not travel first class or even travel abroad for medical treatment, except when unavoidably necessary. The former president also promised to sell off some aircraft in the presidential fleet to save cost, but there seems to be no evidence that all the promises were kept as even the former president himself spent months cumulatively abroad receiving medical attention.

    These kinds of failed promises no doubt add to the trust deficit of the people on the leadership class at all levels. It is therefore not surprising that most people are taking the travel expenses cut by the president with a pinch of salt and crossed fingers, waiting for the execution. The hope again is that there must be strict monitoring of the implementation of the directive. It would help in rebuilding the trust of the people and encouraging them to truly cut their personal expenses pending when the economy recovers fully.

    We however believe that this should be the beginning of the government taking the road less travelled in governance. More often than not, extraneous expenses and wastages by those elected to offices, appointed or other public servants contribute to the huge budget deficits year on year and the resultant effects of increased poverty index in the country.

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    We would equally suggest that the president, being the leader of his All Progressives Congress (APC) and with their control of majority of the states, can use his influence to redirect the governors in his party to replicate the same ‘belt-tightening’ measures through cutting down of bloated entourages and travel expenses so they can inject the money spent on such trips into developmental projects.

    The legislators at both state and federal levels must also borrow a leaf. Nigerian legislators are alleged to be the world’s most highly paid in salaries and allowances. We hope that they would take a cue from the presidency and re-adjust their cravings for luxury lifestyle, expensive allowances and needless foreign travels to supposedly learn about legislative duties, most of which they never put into practice. 

    However, beyond cutting travel expenses, the cost-cutting net would be more comprehensive if extended to other areas of wastages like duplication of duties by ministries, agencies  and parastatals. In an era of technology, certain redundant staff can be deployed to more areas of need where they can be more productive and add value to the economy. Nigeria sure needs a lot of sectorial re-evaluation for better functionality that can help in creating more wealth.

  • Sebastian Broderick-Imasuen (1938 – 2024)

    Sebastian Broderick-Imasuen (1938 – 2024)

    •A great player and coach who made Nigeria proud but seemed to have been abandoned at his most critical moments

    His crowning glory immortalised him.  He died on January 3, aged 85, and will be remembered as the coach who led Nigeria’s team to victory at the inaugural 1985 FIFA U-16 World Championship in China where the country won the Kodak Cup. He was the first coach to lead an African country to global soccer triumph.  

    The team finished second in a group that included Italy, Saudi Arabia and Costa Rica; and defeated Hungary in the quarter-final before beating Guinea on penalties in the semi-final. Nigeria stunned the world by conquering Germany 2-0 in the final.

    Sebastian Broderick-Imasuen’s recollection of the historic achievement captured his emotion at the time: “When we went to China, and we won the World Cup, the highest trophy one can win, with me as the head coach, when I entered my hotel, I went to my bed and started shedding tears… That was my highest point in my football career.”

    Two years later, at the second edition of the tournament in Canada, he demonstrated that his previous performance was not a fluke. Nigeria reached the final, but lost on penalties to the former Soviet Union.  

    He made his mark as a player before his feats as a coach. Born in Benin, in present-day Edo State, he was attracted to soccer at a young age.  After his secondary education, he joined the former Electricity Corporation of Nigeria Football Club (ECN FC) in 1962, where he won the Challenge Cup in 1965 and 1970. He later moved to Bendel Insurance, and won the Challenge Cup yet again in 1972; he scored a memorable freekick against Mighty Jets of Jos in the final.

     A skillful midfielder, he earned a place in the national team, and played at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico. The Nigerian team did not advance beyond the group stage, but famously drew 3-3  with Brazil, a big name in soccer, in their last game.

    He was also a member of the Nigerian team that played against a top Brazilian soccer club, Santos FC, in 1969, when the South American side visited Nigeria during its world tour with the legendary Pele, who was known as the “King of football.”  He described it as “a great game.” The match ended in a 2-2 draw. Pele scored twice.

    Broderick-Imasuen retired as a player after a glittering career, and turned to coaching. He was equipped for the role. He attended a coaching course in England, sponsored by the military government of the former mid-western state. “After the course, I was attached to Manchester United… then to Manchester City, then a second division club, and Queens Park Rangers in London,” he said. 

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    When he returned to Nigeria, he focused on grassroots football and youth development.  He coached Edokpolor Grammar School, Benin, which won All Schools Sports at the Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, in 1983. His impressive coaching record drew the attention of the country’s minister of sports at the time, Air Commodore Anthony Ikhazobor, who invited him to Lagos, leading to his appointment as Nigeria’s coach for the FIFA U-16 World Cup in China. According to him, “Then the Youth Sports Federation of Nigeria had a standing team. The YSFON team formed the nucleus of the U-16 team I started with.” 

    After his time with the Golden Eaglets, he served as an assistant coach to the senior national team, the Super Eagles, during their golden era in the 1990s. He also coached Bendel Insurance, El Kanemi Warriors, and won the Nigerian league with little-known Udoji United.

    The Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria (PFAN) Task Force said he had been “bedridden for a long time” before he died. He was reported to have had a stroke and diabetes. There was no report of any intervention in his plight by the authorities at the federal and state levels, even after his son sounded the alarm about his condition in January 2023. That was no way to treat Nigeria’s first World Cup-winning coach.

  • Sanwo-Olu’s vindication

    Sanwo-Olu’s vindication

    • The army eventually arrests one of their own for confronting a democratic governor

    It is a scandal with the quality of anonymity of name. The fellow, confirmed as a soldier of the Nigerian Army, went viral as soon as he posted his broadcast of contempt for the world to see and hear.

    His target is the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who had discharged his task as the democratically elected chief executive of that state. The fellow who spewed out unprintable language disparaged the governor for apprehending a fellow soldier who broke the law.

    For him, the soldier was above the law. For him, the governor had no right to arrest him. For him, the governor ought to have left the other soldier on his path of lawlessness and impunity.

    For that, he thought the governor had not only done the wrong thing, he had taken the law into his hands. The soldier on motorcycle did not display the sort of abuse that his defender online threw out with disdain to authority. He was riding his motorcycle known as ‘okada’ against the traffic rule, and the governor happened to be there. Governor Sanwo-Olu ordered him stopped. The culprit was not alone.

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    Three others were caught and they were also ordered to be arrested. Governor Sanwo-Olu was evidently angry and could not hide it as he ordered the soldier who thought he might get a special treatment because of his calling, arrested.

    The video trended for far too long before the army reacted. But they did.

    “The army has investigated and the soldier has been apprehended and we are investigating for every other comical (act) that you have seen on social media,” the chief of army staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, said.

    He said further that, “I want to say that the soldier that was apprehended by the governor of Lagos State while plying on a one-way, does not represent the Nigerian Army because, in every respect, it contravenes what we stand for which is discipline as an army and the constitution and the laws of Lagos state.”

    The soldier was not alone in the aspersions. But the army chief said the others were army impostors.

    “I will say it’s only one soldier that has done that. The others are not personnel of the Nigerian Army.”

    Explaining further, he said, “One of them was wearing the badge upside down and you will know that that is not a personnel of the Nigerian Army. An officer can never do that. And from the utterances that these people made, you’ll know the angle from which they are talking. They are talking about politics, not the army.”

    Some elements of the army still have not delivered themselves from the militaristic temperament of soldiers in their relations with civil authority. This is a throwback to the military era when soldiers exercised impunity in broad daylight and went away with it.

    It shows that some of them do not understand martial discipline and that the soldier is a subordinate institution to democratic authority.

    His resort to the social media again has highlighted the abuse that that platform has been subjected to. Persons of little value to society other than nuisance can draw respectable society’s attention just because they show up with their drivel.

    Free speech has become a licence for abuse.

    General Lagbaja has said that the others who exploited that incident were advancing partisan interests. It is a low that the society has witnessed because of the ease to gain the public ear.

    We commend Governor Sanwo-Olu for demonstrating the need to obey the law and the consequences that await defaulters no matter who they are.

  • Endangered!

    Endangered!

    • Railway services in the country may crumble if nothing is done to balance the books

    The Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) gave indication it may be back to life under the Buhari administration when loans and expertise were sourced from the Chinese government.

    True, the Abuja-Kaduna line started by the previous Jonathan administration was completed, and the Lagos-Ibadan service was similarly modernised.

    Many Nigerians began to express the hope that the future of the economy may be bright after all. As Mr. Rotimi Amaechi who was the Minister of Transportation was never tired of explaining the government’s grandiose plans concerning the train services — how it would protect the roads, link the West to the Northwest, the Southsouth and East to the Northeast, and thus bring down the prices of goods across the country.

    But, it was all built on the fantasy that funding would come from China. Even when the federal legislators sought to inquire into the terms of the loans and how realistic the payment terms were, the former governor of Rivers State flew into a rage.

    Now, figures from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) indicate that the revenue being generated has not been able to service the debts. There is a shortfall of 1,200 per cent, raising fears that plans for the Lagos-Calabar route, Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri route, and Lagos-Kano modern service may have to be put on hold.

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    We are concerned that much of the transactions for the modernisation project was shrouded in secrecy. At a point, a committee of the Senate saddled with the task of advising the upper federal legislative chamber cried out that the terms were written in Chinese. It was nonetheless browbeaten into recommending approval of the loan request.

    There is a need for a wholesale review of the project. While it is not unusual that expenditure (including debt servicing) could outstrip revenue at the early stages of such a major project, 1,200 per cent is indefensible. How efficiently has it been running? How professional is the management? It was shocking when Mr. Amaechi explained that security equipment for the route was not provided because his memo presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) was shut down, thus allowing the bandits’ attack of March 28, 2022, that claimed eight lives and led to abduction of 168 passengers. There is no indication that the gadgets have since been installed to safeguard lives and boost confidence. On another occasion, a train headed for Ibadan from Lagos was said to have run out of fuel.

    There have also been concerns about the ticketing system. In the 21st Century, passengers in Ibadan and Lagos have to manually purchase their tickets, and, in many cases, some passengers have cried out that only ghosts willing to grease palms are allowed into the coaches, with some left at the station while there were empty coaches. The e-payment for ticketing has the advantage of accountability. In addition, it makes it easy to identify all the passengers, if and when necessary. It is not enough to build a “first class” rail line, running it is critical. Government ought to have learnt from the collapse of the previous Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC),  Nigeria Airways and the Nigerian National Shipping Line that had all flourished in the past. NRC was handed to the Indians to manage in the Second Republic, but the experiment did not succeed as what has become known, albeit derogatorily, as the ‘Nigerian Factor’ got in the way.

    The experiences of East African countries that are heavily indebted to the Chinese should not be allowed to befall Nigeria.

    The security services should rise up to the occasion by apprehending the ticketing rats. Besides, they have the duty to keep away vandals from the rail tracks, thus saving funds being spent to replace stolen clips. The corporation said about 150,000 clips were stolen between 2022 and 2023.

    Nigerians, too, have a duty to be vigilant in protecting public property, especially those procured at great cost. Government should take the lead in deploying men of the Nigerian Police Force, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps  (NSCDC) to guard the rail lines.

    This is one precious asset that must be well secured.

  • Great move

    Great move

    • Reps’ bid to criminalise non-payment of salaries is noble, but…

    Lawmakers in the House of Representatives are working on a legislation that would criminalise failure by employers of labour in the country to pay employees’ wages as at when due. A bill sponsored by Wale Hammed, representing Agege Federal Constituency, Lagos, seeks empowerment of employees to demand outstanding salaries by submitting a written claim to debtor-employers, and suing if the employer fails to act on their demand. The bill has passed first reading in the chamber.

    Titled ‘The Employees Remuneration Protection Bill, 2023,’ Section 7 (1) of the bill makes it unlawful for any employer to “refuse or neglect to pay the remuneration of his employees as provided under this Act.” Section 8 (1) states that if an employee’s compensation remains unpaid beyond the period permitted by the legislation, the employee may submit a written demand to the employer for payment of his/her entitlement if they wish to assert their claim. The bill also provides: “If an employer fails to remit payment within five business days following service of a demand under this bill, the employee may petition the court for redress by filing a motion on notice.” It adds that employers found guilty of failing to pay the salaries of their workers risk three to six months of imprisonment without the option of fine.

    Also, any corporate employer that fails to obey a court order regarding the remuneration of its employees risks a fine of N10,000 daily, or being “sealed off for a period not exceeding three months provided that the default extends beyond two months.” And the bill imposes N10,000 penalty on any officer or agent of the organisation, government parastatal, agency, body or institution who deliberately or knowingly authorises or permits default or non-compliance with the directive, until it is complied with.

    Under the legislation, it is mandatory for employers to provide written terms of employment to resuming employees within 14 working days of the employee’s return to work for terms of employment exceeding one month. The employment contract, which is binding on both the employer and the employee, shall comprehensively outline the terms and conditions, remuneration and methods of payment, in addition to the character of the employment and the procedure for terminating it by either party. Section 27 of the bill provides that an employee’s petition to the court for payment of his/her remuneration shall not serve as grounds for “disciplinary action, inquiry, suspension or termination of the applicant by the employer.” Section 28 says in the event of an employer’s bankruptcy, prioritisation shall be given to payment of all outstanding remuneration to employees.

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    The proposed legislation is significant in view of some employers’ tendency to pay employees’ salaries at interminable convenience, rather than at monthly intervals provided for in the employment contract.

     Meanwhile, employment is purely a contract, with terms that take account of the interest of the employer as well as the employee, including the obligation of salaries when the employee meets up to demands of the job for which he/she is engaged. An employment contract typically prescribes sanction – including termination – of an employee who derelicts on stipulated demands of the job, and an employer would be on solid ground to apply such sanction if warranted by an employee’s dereliction. There is, however, a tendency among some employers to view employees’ salaries as the least priority of costs to be borne on factors of production, such that they would sustain operations at whatever it takes except paying workers’ wages. The financial health of the employer must be a consideration in meeting the obligation of wages; the challenge is when the employer neglects this obligation even when it could be met along with other expense on factors of production. It is apparently to  redress this syndrome that lawmakers in the ‘green chamber’ are brewing the said law by strengthening employees’ hand to assert their right to salaries worked for.

    It remains to be seen how far the legislators will go with the proposed law, though. A similar bill headed up in 2016 by then House of Representatives Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, now Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, sought to make non-payment or late payment of salaries by employers a criminal offence. In his argument for the bill, Gbajabiamila described news of workers being owed salaries for months as troubling, saying it infringed on “right to life, which is determined by the quality of that life.” He stated inter alia that affected workers usually lose their self-esteem, adding: “It builds resentment. You cannot tell a child who sees the effects of his parents not being paid to be  patriotic. It encourages criminality; if we talk about security, we must talk about prompt payment of salaries.”

    Gbajabiamila’s bill was stepped down on the strength of argument by House members that the Minimum Wage Act has taken care of its provisions, and that it was better to amend the Act to take care of shortfalls. The 2016 bill did not fly because of the Minimum Wage Act, and we wonder if anything has changed. 

  • Kano prince in the church

    Kano prince in the church

    • Ado-Bayero’s son’s decision to worship with Oba of Benin is good for national unity

    The endless paradox of life pops up every now and then in Nigeria. Perhaps nothing better exemplifies this than the presence of the son of the Emir of Kano, Prince Isah Ado-Bayero, at the historic cross-over night church service at the Edo National Church, in the company of the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II, on the eve of the New Year. This very laudable action, coming after the black Christmas in some communities in Plateau  and Taraba states, is heartwarming. The aftermath of the nocturnal massacres that claimed the lives of more than 150 individuals had generated a lot of concern, some bordering on ethnic and religious sentiments, which, as always, have been the bane of socio-political differences in the country.

      We commend the Oba of Benin, who observed the Gregorian Calendar Year at the Holy Aruosa Cathedral in Benin City where he had earlier celebrated the traditional Igue Festival thanksgiving service on December 31, 2023, for inviting the Kano prince, a Muslim and also the prince, for accepting to attend the events, including the cross-over service to usher in the New Year.

    It is remarkable that this is the first time that the Oba of Benin, since Benin monarchy began centuries ago, had ever come to join the cross-over service.  The Benin monarchy is a purely socio-cultural institution. However, the move by the revered Oba to attend along with his Kano prince guest added flavour to the narrative. The service, which was conducted in Edo language, had been instituted by Oba Ewuare II who may possibly  now be observing the tradition at the end of the annual Igue Festival, according to the Benin calendar.

    The attendance of the cross-over service by both the Oba and the Kano Emirate prince seems an elixir and a very good example for the Nigerian state that has been consistently troubled by ethnic and religious sentiments stirred mostly by politicians for selfish reasons. 

    The worshippers were obviously elated at the presence of the Muslim and Kano Emirate prince. The prince participated in the most flamboyant of all the festivals in Edo State – the Igue Festival, which, ironically, again is  significant in the Obaship mythology. The ceremony is often the most colourful of Edo festivals and is celebrated with pomp and pageantry during the first half of the month of December (first 14 days of the month) of every year.

     The Igue Festival is a set of annual cycle of rituals and rites that are performed to purify and strengthen the Oba and the kingdom, in preparation for the New Year.

    According to Bini history, the festival has been celebrated for more than 1,000 years. The modern day Igue begins with the Ague, which is a period of fasting when the Oba and his chiefs go into strict isolation. They are not allowed to see anyone during this period. It is only after a successful completion of the Ague that the Igue can begin. What this means is that in a way, the Igue Festival is a good cultural coincidence with the New Year and it is good that the Oba and his guest joined the celebration.

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    The significance of the Kano prince’s presence for the festival speaks volumes for the traditional heads of the two institutions and their regions.  This obvious handshake across traditional, religious and cultural divides is commendable, coming after one of the toughest electoral years in Nigeria’s history, that saw politicians and some other influential Nigerians literally driving the nail of religious and ethnic bigotry into the fabric of Nigeria. The admixture of culture, religion and traditional institutions must be expanded to other places because the institutions are very powerful.

     It is also a commendable bonding time between the Oba and his people. The prince’s gesture is admirable. Such inter-cultural and religious harmony can only bring better peaceful co-existence rather than the divisiveness usually promoted by politicians. This example must be emulated by all other traditional and religious leaders for a more peaceful country where the beauty of each other’s religion and culture can be shared and admired for the value they bring to humanity. 

    Our diversity must be a thing of strength and beauty rather than division. The Pope constantly demonstrates this by going to mosques, synagogues and other religious centres.

  • Mirror image

    Mirror image

    • Special constables are replicating a culture they met in the Nigeria Police Force

    Police Service Commission Chairman Solomon Arase, a retired Inspector-General of Police (IGP), recently took issue with the Special Police Constabulary service, saying its personnel were soiling the image of the Nigeria Police Force. He called for an overhaul, disbandment or, at the minimum, introduction of a different uniform for constabulary personnel because, according to him, they are notorious for unethical acts that tarnish the reputation of the entire force.

    Arase’s observations were conveyed in a statement late last week by PSC spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani. According to the statement, the commission is already in contact with incumbent Inspector-General of Police on the need to overhaul the organisation and operations of the constabulary service. “There have been several reports of unprofessional conduct by officers of the outfit, a quasi-police formation created to assist in community policing. Reports of their unprofessional conduct range from highhandedness in dealing with citizens and barefaced extortion on our roads and communities,” the statement said, adding: “The commission calls for an entirely different set of uniforms for officers of the outfit that should be easily differentiated from that of regular police officers.”

    The service commission argued that introducing a different uniform for constables would help in tracking the conduct of men of the outfit, distinct from that of regular police officers, such as would free the police force from blame associated with misconduct by men of the outfit. Unlike the force that is centralised at the national level, the constabulary service is a quasi-police formation at state level to assist with community policing initiative largely on volunteer basis. But Arase decried reports of unprofessional conduct by operatives of the outfit, saying it should be disbanded in states where the operatives are not remunerated or taken care of. The statement, last week, added: “The PSC said it was wrong for states to set up security outfits and not fund them. The commission has observed that this set of men have descended on innocent Nigerians for their daily upkeep through forceful extortion and intimidation. The (PSC) chairman…said the commission would work with the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force to sanitise the organisation and operations of the outfit. Dr. Arase said there is an urgent need to differentiate the special constabulary from regular police officers and clearly define their operations, including uniforms and rules of engagement.”

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    It is reassuring that the service commission, which is in charge of recruitment, discipline and promotion of regular police personnel, is not only keenly aware but also concerned about the conduct of police operatives amongst the Nigerian public.  But Arase narrowing in on a subset – special constabularies – is an octave off the reality because the entire force is perceived as corrupt and abusive; and that is not because of just the special constabularies but also many operatives in the regular police service. Actually, one could argue that the special constabulary personnel as portrayed by the PSC chair are a mirror image of the entire force. And the sordid image isn’t all due to the constabulary service, because the image had been there before the community policing initiative that inspired enlistment of special constables by state governments. In other words, the special constables met a constant in the force when they were recruited, which they are merely upholding by their unethical practices that the PSC chairman complained about.

    When there was the #EndSARS upheaval in October 2020, the protest was not against special constables but malevolent conduct of some regular police operatives that constituted a deadly menace to the Nigerian public. And much more recently, Force Public Relations Officer Muyiwa Adejobi, an Assistant Commissioner of Police, acknowledged the misconduct of some regular police personnel when he disclosed that he drove into police officers extorting motorists along the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. In a post late December 2023 on his X account while replying to a tweet about efforts to rid the force of corruption, he said: “I personally caught some policemen yesterday while driving along the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway. The DPO has been asked to bring them to Abuja. Then we know what to do. It’s disheartening to see some of our men extorting Nigerians. I feel sad, and I don’t like it because it’s a sort of oppression.”

    Scrapping the special constabulary service or kitting its operatives differently would not change the story about the Nigeria Police Force. Rather, the security service needs to look inwards and undertake a wholistic character reorientation of the personnel that must as well take account of the reward system. But Arase is right about states running the special constabulary service without due funding. That the operatives are volunteers does not mean they deserve no reward whatsoever, otherwise they’ll find means of rewarding themselves.