The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Once upon a military

    Once upon a military

    •The professionalism of the Nigerian armed forces must be fully restored

    The recent declaration by an American defence policy expert that Nigeria lacked a “war-fighting” military again focuses attention on the competence and professionalism of the country’s armed forces.

    In saying this, Dr. Peter Pham, Director of the African Centre at the Atlantic Council, an American think-tank, merely highlighted the notoriously complicated nature of Nigeria’s anti-insurgency campaign, especially the opaque relationship between governance, corruption, military procurement, fighting spirit and competence.

    It certainly cannot be denied that there have been several obstacles in the way of an effective campaign against the Boko Haram terrorists. Some are rooted in remote causes, such as the repeated military incursions into national governance which eroded discipline and morale, as well as the inexplicable inability of the country to develop a viable military-industrial complex.

    Other obstacles can be traced to the corruption, impunity and gross incompetence which characterised much of the anti-insurgency campaign during the Jonathan administration. Soldiers lacked arms and ammunition, were poorly commanded, and often fought at a tactical disadvantage to their adversaries, only to be court-martialled when they complained. The recently-exposed US $2 billion arms procurement scandal in which several prominent names have been mentioned testifies to the rot at the heart of the country’s military and political establishment.

    Since assuming power in May this year, the Buhari administration has sought to address the issues which have crippled the “war-fighting” capability of the armed forces so grievously. The military High Command has been purged and replaced by individuals who have clearly demonstrated that they intend to walk the talk. A clear deadline for the defeat of the Boko Haram insurgency has been set and corresponding timelines developed to ensure that it is met.

    A four-nation coalition comprising Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon has been welded together, ensuring that the insurgents will be denied places of refuge. Meaningful foreign assistance has been transparently sought, as opposed to the previous practice of covertly hiring mercenaries. There is a renewed effort to reduce and ultimately end the gratuitous human-rights abuses which alienated indigenes, raised the ire of the international community and tainted military honour.

    A new commitment to professionalism has been emphasised, with promotions and decorations for personnel who have distinguished themselves in the anti-insurgency campaign. Those who have paid the supreme price are being interred with honour, pomp and circumstance at full-fledged military funerals, with scholarships and other assistance for their dependents.

    These measures must be complemented by a comprehensive investigation of the arms-procurement scandal. It is a war which must be fought as assiduously as the one being waged against Boko Haram. The mystery of how some N1.488 trillion was spent specifically on armaments between 2011 and 2014 with relatively little to show for it in terms of well-armed military personnel must be brought to light.

    The bureaucratic structures, budgeting procedures, payment processes and procurement systems which made it so easy for a coterie of unpatriotic civilians and military personnel to help themselves to billions must be thoroughly probed and redesigned to ensure that it never happens again.

    Nigeria’s armed forces must become the beacon of national excellence and patriotic fervour that it once was before the lamentable succession of military coups and counter-coups destroyed it. In attaining this end, more must be done to recast the image of the military as a peoples’ armed forces, rather than the instrument of coercion that it has been commonly seen as.

    It is heartening that several social media campaigns, such as the popular #thankasoldier hash tag on Twitter, have begun to honour the bravery and selflessness of the country’s military personnel and show that their sacrifices on behalf of their compatriots have not been in vain.

     

  • Stock market and SEC listing

    Stock market and SEC listing

    •Time to breathe life into the economy

    The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has seen many bearish months and days, but last week’s Monday, November 30, was particularly a low point.  According to Reuters, the NSE, the second biggest weighting after Kuwait on MSCI frontier market index, shed 0.84 percent on thin volumes to close at 27,385, a result last experienced in December 2012. Shares on the market lost 6.5 percent in October and another 6.1 percent in November, as many traders, particularly foreign investors stayed on the sideline, awaiting government’s fiscal policy.

    While the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) is planning new listings to buoy the market, the Federal Government must urgently set its economic plans afoot, to starve a crash.

    Like the national economy, the stock market is faced with recession, and this is worsened by near economic inactivity, six months after the Buhari government came to power. But the Chief Executive Officer of the NSE, Oscar Onyema, has argued that the exchange is not the only one affected by the global economic challenges. He noted that of the 24 Exchanges in Africa, 20 are declining. Specifically, he argues that: “If you look at large, mid and small cap securities, mid cap securities have done well, they have returned six percent positive. Now the whole market is about 18 percent down and that is because of the weight of large cap securities”.

    On its part, SEC is seeking ways to encourage new listings on the stock exchange, particularly the small and medium enterprises which the NSE chief executive argues, are doing better than the big stocks. According to the Director-General of SEC, Mr Mounir Gwarzo, at the third quarter post-capital market committee media briefing in Lagos, “we are willing to relax some of the listing and disclosure requirements to encourage listing of SMEs”. The SEC boss also announced that his commission is collaborating with the Federal Government on tax incentives and exemptions for companies that want to seek listings.

    Furthermore, the SEC is seeking to get the telecommunication companies to list on the exchange. Indeed, there is no explanation why the telecommunication companies are not listed already. But as the saying goes, “better be late, than never”. As part of incentives, Gwarzo said, the SEC is working to reduce the transaction cost, to encourage more listing in 2016. Again, he announced plans to establish a new commodities market, in line with the Federal Government’s policy to boost the agriculture sector. Much as the SEC plans to buoy the future of NSE, the immediate challenges must be addressed, to stem the slide of our national economy.

    In this regard, many have argued that the foreign exchange regime of the government is affecting the stock market. While the government must find a way around the crisis, we doubt if a relapse to the old era of unrestrained trading in forex is in our national interest. Perhaps the solution is in buoying the purchasing power of the consumer. Of note, the consumer goods index fell down by 22.24 percent, in the stock market report, and that is a serious indicator that the purchasing power of Nigerians has greatly declined. Also, the index of the top 10 banks had shed 19.9 percent within the period under review.

    The sharp decline in the market value of the stocks has resulted in high rate of job losses across the economy. Investors, both local and foreign, must be worried that three weeks after the inauguration of the federal executive council, the government of President Muhammadu Buhari is yet to chart a clear economic plan, and the NSE is paying a huge price for this.

     

  • President Buhari’s foreign trips

    President Buhari’s foreign trips

    •After all that globe-trotting, it’s time to settle down to work at home

    Since taking office six months ago, President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on 10 foreign trips. This itinerary translates into roughly two foreign trips per month. Contemplating the enormous challenges facing the Administration at home, not the least of which is to make its campaign promise of Change real in the lives of  Nigerians, many commentators who cannot be called frivolous have criticised the President’s travel schedule and urged him to stay home and attend to pressing domestic problems.

    Their concern is understandable.

    December is already with us, but Boko Haram’s campaign of murder and mayhem shows no sign of abating. Power supply is as epileptic as ever. Free lunch for primary school pupils and monthly stipends for the unemployed are scheduled to start next year, but there are few signs that the preparatory work for these innovative projects is underway.

    Unemployment continues to pose a clear and present danger to the body politic. And there is the running scandal of a major oil-producing country importing refined petroleum products in a process riddled with crippling discontinuities and monumental corruption.

    In our system where political officials count more than institutions, the public expects to see the President personally grappling, hands-on, with pressing issues. It does not help that, several weeks after the President named his cabinet, he is yet to convene a meeting of the Federal Executive Council. He is yet to set priorities and lay out a framework for action.

    It would be easy in this context to dismiss the President’s foreign trips as a distraction from the urgent business of setting the country on the path to growth and development.

    But it would be wrong to do so. The President’s plane is virtually an extension of his office at  Aso Rock Villa, thanks to information technology. He can confer with his ministers, issue instructions, exercise leadership and generally monitor the state of affairs from anywhere in the world. So, his physical absence from the scene does not mean disengagement. If, that is, he works the modern way and uses high-tech in the fashion of a global village.

    Besides, as a newly elected President, Buhari had to establish rapport quickly with other leaders on the global, regional and sub-regional level. Modern diplomacy rests more on such meetings than on formal treaties. A country in dire need of partners to help end Boko Haram’s murderous menace, trace and recover the billions stolen by officials and deposited in secret accounts in foreign banks and bring in investors can have no better spokesperson than its President in face-to-face meetings with other presidents.

    Buhari’s foreign trips to the United States, the UN General Assembly, South Africa, Niger, Tchad, Cameroun, France, India, Iran, and Malta – for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – fall into this pattern. None of them can be dismissed as superfluous.

    And as the President’s Senior Special Assistant, Garba Shehu, has stated, the trips have been undertaken with the maximum of economy, unlike in the recent past.

    But now that the President has fairly established himself on the foreign scene, he should cut down on his travels, if only to stem the growing perception that he is distracted. He should attend only those meetings that absolutely require his presence. For other meetings and conferences, he should delegate the Vice President and senior ministers to represent Nigeria.

     

  • Questionable model

    Questionable model

    •FG should take a clear stand on subsidy and end the cycle of fuel queues

    FOR over a month, some parts of the country have crawled under the burden of fuel scarcity. Long lines of vehicles in some major urban areas have guaranteed a crippling of commercial and social lives. The problem has raised two concerns. One, that apart from the illegal practice of hoarding, oil depots have ratcheted up their daring by selling petrol to marketers above the official price.

    Two, that the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, announced recently that the Federal Government was contemplating what he daubed “remodelling” of the oil subsidy system.

    Already there is much frustration in town with the rise of fuel price worsened by scarcity. At least around the southwest, including Lagos, many vehicle owners have had to reach deeper into their pockets to buy fuel at filling stations. Some buy it for as much as N120 per litre. Some ‘charitable’ stations lower theirs a few Naira above a hundred.

    Even at that, some citizens have had to abandon businesses and social obligations by lining for hours in fuel stations.

    This is unacceptable. It also proffers an irony. The idea of fuel subsidy rests on Nigerians enjoying lower prices for fuel. Subsidy makes no sense when the same Nigerians have to pay sky-high costs for the same products. So, who is benefitting if not the same marketers and oil barons for whom the subsidy was introduced in the first place?

    We have lived in this country as though any time we have easy access to fuel is an interlude to the crisis of scarcity. And when fuel becomes scarce, it seems interminable. The issue of subsidy payment jumps on front burner and we recycle the same arguments without a conclusion or clear-headed policy direction. After the subsidy riots during the Jonathan era, green field refineries were promised as well as other palliatives. Today, we are still in the eyes of the same storm.

    Kachikwu gave a hint of what seems a new try at tweaking the oil subsidy. It is still vague. Are we removing the oil subsidy or are we retaining it?

    Hear him: “In terms of whether subsidy would go or not, I, in my capacity as the state minister of petroleum resources, am working seriously with President Muhammadu Buhari on the issue. Mr President is committed to the issue… We are looking at all kinds of options to remodel the subsidy come January 2016.  We are going to look at options where we can remodel subsidy; and sell fuel at a more flexible price regime without absolutely removing the subsidy.  We would see the result of that in the new year.”

    Meanwhile, the Federal Government has set aside about N500 billion to pay subsidy claims. That is a princely sum that laughs at the gruelling hours of tax payers and voters who line up, rain or shine, looking for fuel. We cannot sustain a system that compels us to pay such sums that can build many schools and hospitals and mitigate poverty. It’s like a fool’s paradise. We must live down this illusion of policy and realise that it is a prodigal engagement.

    The minister of state also noted that the Federal Government plans to privatise oil pipelines in what it calls regional intervention. If a laissez-faire tack on the issue is in the offing, why is there a lack of coherence as to whether we want to privatise refineries, remove subsidy and give government the overarching role of tone setter? That is the answer to all this  rigmarole that imposes suffering while taxing the Nigerian’s pocket and oil still eludes all.

    It’s time, not for temporising, but fortitude of action.

     

  • Infrastructure fund

    Infrastructure fund

    • A bold and refreshing idea

    LAST week, Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, hinted of a plan by the Federal Government to set up a N4.98 trillion ($25bn) fund dedicated to infrastructure financing. Although scant details about the operations of the fund were provided, the minister left no doubts that the private sector will be involved. According to her, the decision to set up the fund for infrastructure is in recognition of the critical role of the capital market to the kind of economy the present administration intends to develop for Nigeria.

    Her words: “In the current environment of significant revenue squeeze and other budgetary constraints, these investments will clearly not come from government coffers alone…We believe this is where the capital market can really make itself relevant by stepping in to close the funding gap”.

    The much we can say about the fund idea at this time is that it comes to us as bold and refreshing. Bold – because it speaks to the urgency of the need to tap into alternative sources of revenue to bridge the infrastructure gaps in the face of declining revenues from oil; refreshing because, it speaks to the dawn of new thinking in our public finance in the face of glaring inadequacies of the budgetary system to tackle the infrastructure challenge.

    A lot of course has been said about the features of our budgeting system and how this inhibits development. Topmost of this is the perennially disproportionate allocation in favour of recurrent as against capital expenditures. No less troubling are the perennial shortfalls from traditional sources of revenue from factors that are both endogenous and exogenous. In the former, the example is to be found in the non-remittance of due revenues to government coffers, while the current slump being experienced in oil prices best illustrates the vagaries from the latter. To the extent that revenues are mere projections of what the government believes are realisable, it is understandable that the constraints linked to such vagaries will also impose limits on what is achievable in a given budget year. In contrast, a project funded from an infrastructure fund is not expected to suffer such constraints.

    A fund of the nature being proposed is therefore not only overdue but offering immense promises in terms of redressing the situation. Among its direct benefits is the potential to help increase the pace of delivery of vital infrastructure, to help bring about a reduction in the number of projects abandoned due to paucity of funds, while boosting the overall economy and hence generate jobs.

    To be sure, what the country faces at the moment in infrastructure delivery is akin to a crisis of monumental proportions. All across the federation, the story is a familiar one of bridges in virtual state of collapse, of federal roads that are impassable and of waterways that are not navigable. It has been said – and we could not agree more – that were the entire annual budget for the next decade to be thrown at the infrastructure gaps, it would still fall far short of what is required to make an appreciable difference given the depth of the rot.

    Aside the fact that only a tiny fraction of our annual budgets actually gets to be spent on infrastructure renewal, it is also the case that a fraction of that tiny portion is either stolen or misapplied, making the nation’s hope of imminent transformation doomed. The country therefore requires, more than ever before, a sustained anti-corruption war if the dream of infrastructure development is to be realised.

    But the infrastructure fund remains only an idea. To the extent that a lot of work still needs to be done to make it a reality, our expectation is that the Federal Government will put every mechanism in place for its early realisation.

  • Social media bill, assault on rights

    Social media bill, assault on rights

    SIR: On Wednesday, December 2, a bill designed to gag the social media in Nigeria passed a second reading on the floor of the Nigerian Senate, exactly a week it received first reading. The urgency with which the bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Prohibit Frivolous Petitions and other Matters Connected therewith” (sponsored by one Senator Bala N’Allah representing Kebbi South) was passed clearly suggests the intent of its proponents and fellow collaborators. With apologies to Prof Wole Soyinka, our senators are fast taking Nigeria one step forward and two steps backward. While the nation is facing serious economic crises, infrastructural decay, corruption, and grievous security threats from insurgents, our senators, whom many preferably call jokers, are busy chasing harmless social media users.

    Gagging the social media will do more harm than good. At best, it will help polarize an already fragile nation the more. One wonders if the supporters of the bill even think about the consequences of their action. I even doubt if they take into consideration the fact that the more you push people to the wall, the more aggressive they become. Nigeria is a nation in which millions of youths wake up every morning with a bleak future; no satisfying job, no access to reliable and affordable internet facilities, electricity is not stable, and yet those who have been elected to make laws that will make their lives better appear to be doing exactly the opposite. Isn’t that akin to sitting on an explosive device?

    The proponents of this draconian bill claim that it is meant to protect persons or institutions of government from false and abusive statements through the social media. They also proposed two years imprisonment and/or a fine of N2 million for those who are found guilty. But we need to remind them that there are already established penalties for libel, defamation and similar offences under the Law of Tort. So they don’t need to hide under the guise of bringing ‘sanity’ into the country’s opinion pool. If I may ask, who decides what information is “false” or not? What if the social media accounts of patriotic Nigerians, especially the critics of government, are hacked by criminals to post “false statements”? Who goes to prison or who pays the N2 million fines? Maybe Senators Bukola Saraki or Dino Melaye or Biodun Olujimi or Ali Ndume should provide some clues.

    Although I do not support the posting of false information or the assassination of characters through any means, including the social media, but censoring the primary means of communication in a country whose journey to democracy has just begun is a misplaced priority. As far as I’m concerned, it’s an attempted ‘murder’ on the rights of Nigerians who use the social media. It doesn’t matter what excuse the proponents put forward, it’s a wrong step in the wrong direction happening at the wrong time.

    Our senators should know that no matter how much they try, Nigerians will not allow their scheme see the light of the day. Nigerians have come to be well known for flushing out impunity and any act that threatens the growth of democracy in the country. So opposition to the retrogressive Social Media Bill will not be an exception.

     

    Kofoworola Ayodeji,

    kennydamola@yahoo.com

  • Ministers’ pay

    Ministers’ pay

    Giving pittance does not foster reasonable service

    It seems Nigerians’ prayer for a drastic reduction in the cost of governance is being answered, at least at the federal level, with the ‘austere’ salaries and allowances announced for ministers in the President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Reduction in the cost of governance was one of Buhari’s electoral campaign promises. Indeed, it has been a recurring issue since the return to democratic government in 1999, when legislators in the National Assembly began to pay themselves outrageous furniture allowance. However, instead of applauding the new remuneration package for the ministers, some Nigerians believe that the perks, particularly the accommodation component, is too small to get a befitting accommodation for the ministers. As a matter of fact, most of the ministers were said to have been embarrassed by the new development.

    The new conditions of service for the ministers were communicated to them in a letter given to each of them by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal. The letter said the conditions of service were derived from the “…Terms and Conditions of Service as contained in “Certain Political, Public and Judicial Office Holders (Salaries and Allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act 2008.” Under the terms and conditions, a substantive minister will earn N2, 026, 400 Annual Basic Salary ($8,514.285) while a Minister of State is to get N1.8million ($7,563.025) per annum. Other perks include: Estacode Allowance($900 per diem); Duty Tour Allowance (N35,000); Utilities Allowance (Telephone/ Electricity/ Water) –30% of Annual Basic Salary (N607,920); Domestic Staff Allowance(75% -((N1,519,800) of Annual Basic Salary; Medical Facilities (in accordance with NHIS Policy).

    Special Assistant as well as security would be provided in kind. The ministers are now restricted to air travel (by Business Class) and newspaper allowance fixed at 15 percent of Annual Basic Salary – N303,960. Moreover, the ministers are to “obtain permission from Mr. President before you travel out of Abuja. If the trip is official, ministers are entitled to a Duty Tour Allowance of N35,000 per diem. However, all private journeys will attract no Allowance”; even as the president must be duly informed before a minister can travel out of Abuja.

    The new perks also include 200% of Annual Basic Salary (N4,052,800) for accommodation in line with the monetisation policy. “Furniture  Allowance is fixed at 300 % (N6,079,200) of Annual Basic Salary and would be paid once in every four years. The allowance will be paid annually at the rate of 75% (N1,519,800) of Annual Basic salary. “Motor Vehicle Fuelling Maintenance Allowance 75% of Annual Basic Salary (N1,519,800) for the maintenance of their vehicle(s) as government has stopped providing chauffeur- driven vehicles to political office holders/public officers for house-to-office running.

    “Annual Leave (30 calendar days for each leave year or calculated on pro-rata basis, with 10% of Annual Basic Salary(N202,640) as leave grant); Personal Assistant Allowance (25% of Annual Basic salary to enable you to employ a Personal Assistant of your choice).” Also, the ministers are entitled to a Severance Allowance of 300 %of Annual Basic Salary payable after full tenure of office with government. The allowance will be pro-rated after a minimum of two years tenure.

    In a country where political office holders, including ministers, have been used to all manner of obscene remuneration packages, legally and otherwise, all these would amount to  nothing and could even serve as a disincentive to some of the ministers, particularly those of them used to easy life of the past. Considering the country’s economic realities, the emoluments would appear too small for the office of the ministers.  But, if the truth must be told, only a few workers are being adequately remunerated in the country. The so-called N18,000 minimum wage, for example, cannot take anyone home. Yet, some of our governors are contemplating slashing that further! Going by what we know officially, even the president, vice president and others are paid peanuts, at least officially. All these explain why people steal left, right and centre in the country’s public sector.

    Without doubt, the question of what is adequate for our ministers would probably forever remain contentious because, it is a matter of different folks; different strokes. For instance, the argument that we should keep the ministers in a ministers’ quarters so that they can be secure is easily punctured by the defence that it is not only ministers that need protection; all Nigerians do because that is the very essence of government; so, giving ministers such preference that insulate them from reality would not make them appreciate the need for improvement in the country’s’ security structure.

    Just the same way we cannot conclude that the package is too small simply because some of the ministers had served in other capacities where they had access to huge ‘free’ funds from which they pleased themselves. Ministerial appointments are a call to service. Without doubt, ministers require a comfortable ambience to be able to deliver qualitative service; if we dare say, they deserve to be pampered a little to enable them give the kind of direction that would lift the country from its present morass and return it to its glorious past which many of us still recall, albeit nostalgically.

    But whatever level of comfort we give the ministers, as well as other political appointees should reflect the country’s economic realities. With regard to accommodation for instance, what existed before monetisation was a good idea. We can return to that era when we had quarters for our ministers. The idea was shelved on account of abuses in the process. What the Obasanjo government that discarded it should have done was curb the excesses and ensure that ministers, legislators, etc.  did not renovate their apartments either annually or whenever they were changed arbitrarily, in a way that constituted a drain on the public till.

    If we want to reduce cost of governance, it is to those emoluments and other sources of drainage of public funds that we must turn. For instance, what is a minister doing in first class flight? Why would a governor travel by chartered flight? Why would President Buhari himself still be keeping about 10 jets in his presidential fleet when the British Queen and that country’s prime minister travel by commercial flights?

    The RMAFC will do well to understand the need to pay our public officials reasonably well to free them from temptations. When Nigerians complain of huge cost of governance, it is not usually about the known salaries and emoluments of our public officials; it is mostly about those emoluments that they award themselves (like our legislators do with constituency allowance, etc), sundry inflated contracts and things like severance package. It does not make sense to give people who served only for four or eight years mouth-watering severance packages that many others who put in 30-35 years of meritorious service to the country cannot dream of. The commission will do well to strike a balance between living wage for our ministers and other public office holders and the effect of such on the psyche of the people and the economy at large. Yes, ministerial appointments are a call to service, but we must also shield our ministers from scientific corruption by paying them reasonably well to get the best from them.

  • Another test for democracy

    Another test for democracy

    • Tomorrow’s Bayelsa governorship election is another opportunity to advance the course of democracy in Nigeria

    TOMORROW, the electorate in Bayelsa State would return to the polls to elect the man they prefer to steer the ship of the state till 2020. The principal candidates are not unknown to the people. On the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC), former governor, Timipre Sylva, is unfazed by the incumbency factor believed to be aiding the incumbent Seriake Dickson flying the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) flag. Sylva believes that the APC control of the levers of power at the centre and the bandwagon effect would stand him in good stead.

    It serves the purpose of democracy that there are two real options. Scenarios such as this enthrone the voters as kings. They cannot be taken for granted, unlike the situation when the country was largely a one-party state. Bayelsa, in particular, has been under the control of the PDP since the inception of the Fourth Republic in 1999. The ascendancy of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, a former governor of the state to the presidency further took the race out of the reach of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011.

    Elections marked by keen competition in Nigeria have always excited so much passion, often degenerating to violence. We call on the electorate to stick to the rules of the game and resist any attempt by the gladiators to use them as cannon fodders.

    In the recent general elections, and even the November 21 Kogi governorship polls, the security agencies acquitted themselves well. We urge the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Security (DSS) and the armed forces personnel deployed for the purpose to exhibit utmost sense of professionalism. They should realise that their responsibility is to the Nigerian State, Bayelsa State and its people. Politicians would come and go, but the interest of the people is paramount and permanent. At a time all Nigerians are calling for accelerated development to catch up with the rest of the world, electoral malpractices and violence should be seen as intolerable in this country.

    The real umpire in the contest is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Coming after the Kogi election, the Bayelsa poll provides another litmus test for the administrative acumen and integrity of Professor Mahmud Yakubu as INEC boss. The political historian is still new to the terrain and the politicians are studying him. Many could not compromise former INEC boss Attahiru Jega and are likely to make fresh moves now. Whatever Professor Yakubu allows or disallows would define his person and dictate how his administration is rated. Incidentally, most members of his team are also new on the terrain. It is therefore an opportunity to raise the bar of election probity in the country.

    Professor Jega and his team are generally regarded as successful. They erased the debased standards left by Professor Maurice Iwu. The last elections showed the importance of technology in conducting free and fair polls. The introduction of the card readers is a worthy legacy left by the Jega team. However, the rate of failure of the machines, due to imperfection and human error is still unacceptable. It leaves room for losers to challenge the validity of the results. This should be corrected in the Bayelsa election.

    We also call on the politicians to brace up for the task of building a new Nigeria that we all would be proud of. Bayelsa is at the heart of this dream, as a state in the oil-rich but restive Niger Delta region, a demonstration of electoral fidelity would tell the story as a country set for a new order more than in other parts of the country.

    To date, doubts have been raised about the returns from the ballots cast in the region in previous elections. Of the four states where governorship elections were held in April, two – Akwa Ibom and Rivers – have been voided by tribunals. It is time for Nigeria to engage a new gear. Repeated elections lead to waste of scarce resources that are needed now for provision of basic services.

     

  • Death in detention

    Death in detention

    •Suspect’s death in EFCC net must be investigated 

    No one is expected to die in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), although death is not always predictable. When death occurs in EFCC’s cage, it complicates things for the anti-corruption agency, which would need to clear the air.

    The death of Arowofela Olufemi, who was being investigated by the EFCC in connection with alleged fraudulent conversion of dividend warrants of over N100 million, put a spotlight on detention conditions at the agency. He was arrested following a complaint by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). EFCC operatives reportedly apprehended him at a bank where he attempted to cash alleged stolen dividend warrants.

    A report said the suspect was “offered administrative bail but could not produce a surety to perfect his bail thereby leading to extended incarceration”. According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Wilson Uwujaren, the suspect had complained of chest pains early in the day and was rushed to an unnamed military hospital in Lagos, where he died before doctors could attend to him.

    Uwujaren said: “The cause of the sudden death is yet to be ascertained even as the corpse of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital. The family of the deceased has already been notified of the incident while the matter has been reported to the Onikan Division of the Nigeria Police.”

    The point about this particular death is that one is too many. It is ironic that a life was lost in custodial circumstances that should offer protection and safety. It is unclear whether the EFCC is structured to respond to health emergencies, like the one that resulted in this suspect’s death. This death calls for a review of the commission’s internal capacity to attend to detainees’ health-related problems before they get out of hand.

    While it is true that detainees may affect illness as a manipulative way of escaping uncomfortable detention conditions, the commission cannot be too careful when health is involved because health is a weighty matter. Any detainee under the EFCC’s care should have prompt access to medical attention.

    What caused the suspect’s death? Could it have been prevented by a timely intervention by the commission?  It is important to shed light on this unfortunate incident to avoid giving the public the impression that detainees may not be safe in the EFCC’s net. A thorough investigation is necessary, and it should be carried out without delay.

    In the current climate of political change under President Muhammadu Buhari, and given the intensity of his anti-corruption campaign, it is foreseeable that an increasing number of suspects would find themselves detained by the commission in the days ahead. The new EFCC chairman Ibrahim Magu must ensure that the commission is equipped to handle detainees’ health issues that may arise.

    It is a trite but accurate observation that every suspect is presumed innocent until proven guilty. So, EFCC detainees, whatever the nature of the allegations against them, should be kept under conditions that are not so restrictive as to deny them the benefit of prompt and proper treatment should they fall ill.

    It is reassuring that the EFCC chief said at a ceremony to launch his administration:  ”I want to state our resolve not to falter on the well-established tradition of patriotism, dedication, courage and fearlessness, and we will take this responsibility with utmost seriousness that it deserves. There is the need to make sure that whatever is gotten for common use did not end up in private pockets.”  The commission should also do its utmost to ensure that no suspect dies in its custody.

  • Re: Ogun the real change

    Re: Ogun the real change

    SIR: I read the article: The real change by Sola Lawal publicity Secretary, All Progressive Congress Ogun State (The Nation Thursday Nov. 19, P18) and have the following comments to make.

    The publicity secretary is entitled to his opinion on the achievements of Governor Ibikunle Amosun especially as regarded urban renewal and developments. However, the writer forgot the most important factor of production in economics and management which is labour or human resources. Retired civil servants in Ogun State, local government, teachers in primary schools most of whom retired at the prompting of the state government in 2011 when the news of ending the former pension scheme that guarantees pension for life as against the new scheme, which deals with the contributory pension and the pension managers led to the exodus of lots of unripe staffers from the service – know better. Unfortunately the old scheme had been extended to 2025.

    We acknowledge, the fact that the monthly pensions are being paid as at when due in state. However, the payment of pension rates of N2,000, 10,000 to pensioners who retired before the review of the minimum wage of N18,000 in 2008, has led to the death of many of these pensioners due to minor health challenges as a result of non-payment of their gratuity. As of today, the Bureau of Local Government has only paid the gratuity of local government pensioners to October or November, 2011.

    The state government signed a law transferring local government retirement benefits bond redemption fund to Ogun State Government which has caused the delay of payment of local government staffers gratuity, which as at today stand at over N10.5b. The state government stopped payment of state contribution to local government pension fund since 2012, which is against the law of the land and the constitution. The Ogun State government has also refused to reconstitute the Bureau of Pension which is statutorily charged with the responsibility of managing the pension funds in the state.

    Physical development has to go hand in hand with the human development. The rate at which local government pensioners are dying is alarming due to non-payment of their gratuity. The real change the retirees want in Ogun state is the prompt payment of gratuity and harmonization of the pension rate in the state, to enable the pensioners, who had served the state for  more than 30 years before retiring live a decent life.

     

    • Chief. S. A. Onasanya,

    Action Committee of Local Government Retirees,

    Ilisan, Remo, Ogun State