The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Choosing a winning team

    Choosing a winning team

    Coach Keshi should be allowed to do his work

    The storm of controversy that followed last week’s release of the 32-man provisional team list of Super Eagles players for the forthcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) holding in South Africa next month is completely uncalled for, and could undermine efforts to ensure a good performance at the continental soccer showcase.

    The list is made up of 14 home-based professionals and 18 players plying their trade abroad, and it is notable for the absence of prominent players like Taiye Taiwo, Osaze Odemwingie and Obafemi Martins. The list will be reduced to 23 players by January 9, 2013, which is the deadline for the submission of final team lists given by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

    The objections to the provisional list appear to fall into two main categories. The first comprises excluded players who feel that they were not treated fairly. The most outspoken of them is Odemwingie, who has given vent to his rage and frustration on social media. Apart from several disrespectful comments about the coach, Stephen Keshi, he has also taken on former player and member of the Nigerian Football Federation’s Technical Committee, Victor Ikpeba.

    The second category is made up of a miscellaneous assemblage of football followers, ranging from sports analysts to the man in the street. Some have criticised the coach for leaving out certain players; others have questioned the capabilities of some of the players who are on the list. Their main grouse is that the whole exercise has been characterised by questionable motives and bad faith.

    Given the intensity with which football is followed in Nigeria, these passionate reactions to the release of the provisional team list are understandable. However, those who dislike the list would do well to remember that Keshi is Chief Coach of the Super Eagles, and as such, takes full responsibility for his team selection. Perhaps more than anyone else, he has the greatest interest in selecting the strongest team possible to do the country proud in the wake of its humiliating absence at the last AFCON tournament in 2012. Keshi defended his list before the Technical Committee of the NFF prior to its release; if there were any glaring omissions or shortcomings, they would certainly have been pointed out by that body.

    As for the exclusion of “star” players from the provisional list, it must be remembered that all the talent in the world cannot make up for the absence of discipline. On too many occasions, the Super Eagles’ efforts to achieve glory have been ruined by the willful behaviour of players who refused to obey their coaches or engaged in actions prejudicial to team harmony and cohesion. Nobody can forget the indiscipline of past campaigns that set players against themselves and made it impossible to achieve victory on the pitch. If Keshi has excluded certain players because he genuinely believes that they will constitute a disruptive influence to his squad, he is fully justified in doing so. Indeed, the vituperations of Odemwingie on social media only serve to buttress the wisdom of his exclusion.

    The past few months have been bad for Nigerian football. Apart from the non-appearance of the Super Eagles at last year’s AFCON, the country’s Under-23 men’s team was eliminated from the football event of the London Olympics, as were the Super Falcons, the senior women’s team. The Nigerian Premier League is beset with poor administration, sharp practices and declining attendances.

    The resolution of these challenges must begin somewhere. If a coach decides to select his team on the basis of discipline and merit, without regard to ethnic, religious and other primordial considerations, his efforts should be supported in the strongest manner possible.

  • Love your gut bugs

    Love your gut bugs

    Bacteria could play a role in the fight against obesity

    Biologists are shining a scientific spotlight on previously neglected inhabitants of our bodies. The 100tn bacteria that populate an average adult, living mainly in the guts, should be treated with more respect, recent research shows, because they play a vital role in maintaining human health.

    The latest study by Chinese scientists provides new evidence that the different types of microbes in the gut can help to explain why some people grow fat and others don’t. The microbiome, as it is known, turns out to be a risk factor for obesity, alongside eating too much, exercising too little and having the wrong genes. Our digestion has evolved to work with the help of a kilogramme or so of microbes; the way we extract calories from food and how fast our appetite is satisfied – determinants of how much weight we put on – depend on the balance between the 200 to 300 bacterial species that live in a typical human gut.

    As several recent studies have shown, this balance depends critically on what we eat. People living on a modern western diet have a very different microbiome from their pre-industrial ancestors. And a study of elderly people in Ireland, published in the journal Nature this summer, showed a direct relationship between diet, bacterial diversity and wellbeing. Although more research is needed to prove the point, evidence is growing that a varied diet, including plenty of unprocessed fruit, vegetables and cereals, promotes the growth of beneficial bacteria in the human body – indicating another possible theme for public health campaigns.

    At the same time scientists at Reading University and elsewhere are taking a more directed approach. They are designing and testing “prebiotic” dietary ingredients to select for a beneficial community of gut bugs that reduces the risk of obesity and associated problems such as diabetes.

    Appreciation of the importance of nourishing a healthy human microbiome should also lend weight to a quite different public health campaign: the drive to cut over-prescribing of antibiotics for trivial or inappropriate infections. Although antibiotics are intended only to kill pathogens, there is collateral damage to other microbes, upsetting the bacterial balance.

    The message for the holiday period, as you eat your festive foods, is to remember that you are feeding not just yourself but all the bugs in your body. Treat them to a varied diet – and do not poison them with unnecessary medication.

    – Financial Times

  • Jonathan’s promise

    Jonathan’s promise

    JUST as well President Goodluck Jonathan has promised to up his performance ante in 2013. That is a tribute to candour and honesty – for a pledge to do better in 2013 is an open admission that his performance since he was sworn in in May 2011, not to talk of the remaining period of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua’s tenure, has been nothing but abysmal.

    Speaking at the foundation laying ceremony of the Living Faith Foundation Bible College in Kaduna, the president admitted Nigeria was going through a lot of difficulties but urged Nigerians to view those challenges less as stumbling blocks but rather as stepping stones to national greatness. That, as far as encouragement goes, is no crime. In fact, it is good for a president to constantly rally his people for development.

    The president also played the avuncular elder next door, with his empathy with small-scale business owners, especially artisans, when he pledged that he envisioned a Nigeria where artisans like barbers and vulcanisers would not need standby generators, before securing their daily bread. On this score, he promised his government would, in the coming year, generate more power. “My wish is for Nigerians not to have generating sets,” he declared, further promising a new year replete with job creation, wealth creation and improved security.

    Nice pledges. But can the president walk his talk? We wish he could. Indeed, we would be happy if he did. But the objective situation on the ground does not presage much hope. That is the problem – for the president’s latest litany of promises would appear a periodic ritual of being seen to say something in the midst of glaring near-hopelessness. That is not good enough, even if it is imperative to keep hope alive at all times.

    It is good to see the president trying to rally everyone to the national cause. But has he rallied himself, through what he does or fails to do? That is the leadership segment tragically missing in the mix. The president, for the last three years does not appear to be up to providing that leadership, from the result of his effort.

    The year 2012 would probably pass as among the worst in this country’s history as regards insecurity, poverty and corruption. Yet, the president does not seem to have a clue as to tackling these problems. To be fair, President Jonathan appears to be starting to have a slow hang on the power problem, the celebrated rise to more than 4,000 mw, which seems the plank of the president’s new optimism on power generation.

    But often, the power situation is a constant yo-yo, celebrated now, condemned then; and is, on the average, no reliable indication to measure progress. Is the president ready to move beyond this neither-nor power situation in 2013? That is what he has promised. But again, the reality on the ground hardly supports that promise.

    This presidential bumbling is a great lesson in democracy, as politics gradually takes over from governance in 2013, en route the 2015 general elections. Democracy guarantees choice. But, as Jonathan’s choice has proved, it hardly guarantees good and efficient governance. Still, that does not vitiate the presidential mandate. It only shows how bad the electorate’s choice was and how they must live by the consequences of that choice.

    The message is clear. The president has promised to do better. We wish him good luck. But as a president is not voted to give eternal promises and pledges but to work hard to improve situations, Nigerians must learn to think hard before making future presidential choices. If only this lesson is learnt from the Jonathan presidential fiasco, then it would have been worth all the trauma.

  • Diesel adulteration

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) startled the public with its belated discovery that fuel retail outlets in the country, for the sake of making excessive profit, do adulterate petroleum products. In a survey carried out by SON, the result of which was presented to stakeholders, the organisation revealed that more than 60 per cent of the over 2,000 retail outlets in Nigeria have diesel sullying with kerosene to about 77 per cent.

    SON’s Timothy Abner, in a geographical breakdown of the field study shows that out of the 21 fuel retail outlets in the South West, 15 had 69.1 per cent diesel adulteration with kerosene: Middle Belt – kerosene mixture with diesel is tested to be 77.1 per cent: In the South-South, kerosene adulteration with diesel is 27 per cent.

    More disheartening is the proclivity of some states for this illegal business. For instance, the study reveals that in Enugu State, diesel was predominantly adulterated with kerosene in all cases but for two stations. Also, diesel sold in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has more of high kerosene content. More baffling is the confession by SON that the diesel in its power generating set showed kerosene presence of about 77.1 per cent.

    Though SON has reportedly discovered in the downstream sector “about six fuel adulteration points between Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,”it is scandalous that fingers of connivance at the stakeholders’ forum are reportedly being pointed in the direction of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). What is the corporation doing in this regard?

    We are not persuaded by the denial by Osten Olorunsola of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) that “….PPMC cannot do such thing…” since whenever there is smoke, a fire must be brewing somewhere. What the DPR ought to have done is to tell Nigerians how adulterated diesel got into the market and not to employ an unworkable blackmail as alibi. The oil barons behind fuel adulteration, most times in connivance with NNPC staff, should be identified as a first step to getting to the root of the cankerworm.

    We take note of DPR’s claim that it recently sealed off 96 petrol stations across the country for sharp practices such as operating fuel stations without DPR licence or expired ones, under-delivery of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), compromise of safety standards, over-pricing and diversion of PMS. These are bad developments, but adulteration of diesel and, most obviously, PMS, with its attendant consequences on vehicles and machineries in a country with poor public transportation system and erratic power supply, is worse. The toll this injurious act takes on the pockets of users of vehicles and generators can be better imagined.

    The situation is frightening and this shows that the DPR has not been effective in the discharge of its duty of supervising and of maintaining standards in petroleum products consumed by the Nigerian public. The SON seems not to appreciate the importance of the oil sector to the nation’s survival, otherwise, it would have ensured that the issue of standards that it ought to maintain is not trivialised as it has been in this instance.

    We call on the DPR to conscientiously monitor fuel stations across the country with the salient aim of nipping in the bud this sad trend. All those involved in the current fuel adulteration must be made to face the full wrath of the law, to serve as deterrence to others who might be thinking of going into the illicit business.

  • Privacy and Google

    Privacy and Google

    Striking the right balance between protecting privacy and encouraging innovation is difficult in the rapidly changing world of the internet. But European regulators are right to increase the pressure by demanding that Google alter its controversial privacy policy, even if this could have consequences for all those offering internet services.

    Google erred when it ignored the request of European regulators to delay its new privacy policy in March. This pools user data it gathers across 60 online services, allowing Google to offer advertisers a better way to target customers. Now it will have to introduce significant changes or it could face sanctions, hardly the best advertisement for its service.

    Google will have to show it has the “unambiguous consent” of users to combine data and better explain how, why and for how long it intends to hold on to this information. This is the right approach to data, which should be seen as the property of those from whom the details are obtained. The rule should apply to any company that collects personal information, whether or not it operates on the net.

    But Google’s approach has not been ruled entirely illegal and this is also to be welcomed. Google has a hefty development bill to pay and the personal information left behind by consumers is a valuable currency. Users must be aware that there is a price to be paid for the convenience of free services, whether with a web service provider or a social networking site, such as Facebook.

    But, given the scope for abuse, they must trust those who gather and keep the information. On this score, companies such as Google and Facebook still have much to prove. Both have been rebuked in the past for cavalier treatment of privacy issues. The road to building that trust lies in a more transparent and considered approach to the privacy trade-off. Simple, clear notifications about the purposes for which information is gathered are the bare minimum.

    It is encouraging that the industry is beginning to acknowledge concerns. Microsoft’s new Internet Explorer package has an opt-out facility on default, so customers must choose to share information. This is to be applauded.

    Regulators also have a responsibility. Companies need reasonable and clear rules. EU member states should press ahead with harmonising their widely varying privacy laws. But the internet is a border-free world. Co-operation should go further. Otherwise, there is a risk that both privacy and innovation will suffer.

    – Financial Times

  • Senate and PIB

    Senate and PIB

    •The Senate should not delay the passing of the bill on political grounds

    Last week, the Senate, rather disappointingly, stood down the Petroleum Industry Bill earlier listed in its Order Paper for December 17. All entreaties by Senate Leader Victor Ndoma Egba to get members to kick-start the process of its passage into law failed to persuade the members. In a session marked by acrimony, the upper house rejected a motion for the commencement of the debate on the general principles of the bill; it also resolved to shelve the debate to a later date.

    It was a perfect execution of filibuster by a group of senators from the North. Officially, the excuse given on the floor was that the Senate was in no mood to consider the Bill. They cited the tragic incident of the air mishap of the preceding weekend which claimed the lives of Governor Patrick Yakowa, former National Security Adviser Andrew Azazi and four others. Another group came up with the excuse that they needed more time to peruse the document – an elegant way of sending the bill to the cooler!

    For a bill that has been lying in the shelves of the National Assembly since July 17, last week’s development is perhaps a foretaste of the difficulties ahead. Earlier on July 20, the National Assembly had deferred consideration of the bill on the excuse that it came on the eve of their annual recess. That recess ended September 17.

    Unexpected as it may appear, the filibuster would seem the least of the obstacles which await the bill, given the North’s increasingly vociferous opposition to it. Whereas the region’s lawmakers are adamant that the bill forebodes no good for their region, the Northern Governors Forum has long held on to the view that the PIB is a recipe for further impoverishment of the region. Latest development obviously signals the resolve of the region’s political leadership to do battle.

    This newspaper on Sunday reported on the provisions considered by the leaders as particularly noxious. These are the institutional structure being proposed for the oil and gas industry; the planned divestment of equity in the proposed National Oil Company (the argument here is that the process could lock out the people of the region from ownership of oil and gas resources). There is also the proposed Host Community Fund –which they contended will grant more funds to the oil-producing communities – in addition to the 13.5 percent Derivation Fund –at their expense.

    They further argue that the PIB does not create a framework for effective exploration of hydrocarbons in the frontier acreages of the nation’s six sedimentary basins. Four of these basins are located in the North. Finally, they questioned the discretionary powers granted the petroleum minister in the proposed law.

    Now, these concerns may well be legitimate; only that we do not accept that they should constitute grounds for stalling the consideration of the bill. Indeed, we see them as issues that a robust engagement with relevant stakeholders can help resolve. The point here is that there is no such thing as a perfect piece of legislation. A law is, after all, as good as the lawmakers who made it.

    So, the idea of killing the bill apriori –that is, before it gets a mention on the floor of the Senate is unhelpful as it is defeatist. What the situation requires is demonstrable commitment by the lawmakers to the principles and ideals of justice and fair-play; willingness by all parties to compromise will also help. After all, there is nothing – at this time – to suggest that the interests of contending groups in the polity are necessarily irreconcilable.

     

  • Sambo’s expensive taste

    Sambo’s expensive taste

    • Nigeria cannot afford to splash N16bn on VP’s residence

    Nigerians are conversant with the idea of contract variations because hardly is there any contract worth the piece of paper on which its agreement is written that does not suffer the plague. And they know what in our parlance that means! But the case of the vice president’s residence that has generated brouhaha is one variation too many. There is bound to be problem. That is exactly what is happening in this instance.

    Here was a contract that was awarded in 2009 at a cost of N7billion. Three years down the line, we were suddenly told that it would cost N9billion more! This must be a record variation even by the standards of our many sickening public contracts. The additional N9billion is needed to provide furniture, fencing, two additional protocol guest houses, a banquet hall and other security gadgets.

    According to Adamu Ismail, executive secretary of the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA), who had earlier defended the new estimate before the Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), these items were not captured in the original scope of the work.

    This is hard to believe. How, for instance, could a vice president’s residence be contemplated without basic things like fencing and furniture, not to talk of security gadgets, banquet hall and protocol guest houses? If all of these were omitted originally as we are now being told, then this calls to question the professional competence of those who awarded the initial contract. Or, could it be a reflection of the relatively moderate taste of the then occupant of the office? This is where the news report that the contract had to be reviewed to meet the taste of Vice President Namadi Sambo would seem to be more credible.

    The original contract was awarded when the incumbent president, Goodluck Jonathan, was vice president. At that time, the incumbent vice president was governor of Kaduna State. But, according to the report, Vice President Sambo is uncomfortable with the structure because of what it calls his ‘culture and religion’. And that is why Nigeria must part with more than N9billion more for the residence? We were even told that the amount was reviewed down to N6billion by the Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP). This would bring the project cost to N13billion. Even Senator Smart Adeyemi, the committee’s chairman, was said to have favoured N10billion for the project. None of these costs reflects the current economic situation in the country.

    We are not opposed to our vice president having a befitting residence. But we detest everything that would make public office an excessive cost centre and a burden to the taxpayer. We already have too much of such overheads and there is no point aggravating the situation. What we should be thinking of now is how to reduce them. If we must redesign a house now simply to reflect the religion of the incumbent, what happens in the future when someone of another religious faith occupies the office? So, we have to start knocking down walls and awarding fresh contracts to accommodate the taste of that person. While this may be good for public officials who award the contracts, it is bad for the nation’s economy. Vice President Sambo or any incumbent of that office should live in a decent residence; but that should not tear the pockets of Nigerians who are to bear the brunt of the costs.

    The fact is that our leaders are too detached from the citizenry, that is why they oftentimes cannot draw the line between what is decent and what is not. All the figures being bandied for the vice president’s residence are too obscene for the kind of picture that the government is painting of our economy. They are simply provocative, insensitive and indefensible.

     

  • What Christ says

    What Christ says

    •As Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth, Nigerians should emulate his life and words

    The gospels tell the story of a little child born in a manger in an air laden with prophesies. He was born in today’s Middle East in what is called Bethlehem, took shelter in Africa under the shadow of a persecuting King, grew up outside the spotlight of men and governments, took a baptismal vow and became a prophet, bishop, chief shepherd, a mighty God, rode on a colt in the subdued glamour of his day, challenged authorities, both temporal and spiritual, became an authority spiritual over temporal, proselitised love but had little love for hypocrites.

    He lived both loved and reviled, and died on the Cross of Calvary only to defy the law of nature with a resurrection. While on earth, he had defied nature with his miracles: the deaf heard, the blind saw, the lame walked. With that fit, he became King to his followers worldwide. His name inspires worship on all continents of the world, and in all generations since he passed away from this earth.

    His name, Jesus Christ, is the wellspring of hope and peace to many in the world, and this faith known as Christianity has triumphed the malice of kings, the age of despots, the inquiry of agnostics and atheists, the gauntlets of wars, the materialism of the self-indulgent. As author E.E. kellet wrote, though he has gone to heaven, he is a “man of amazing impressiveness, force and charm… he still goes about doing good.”

    It is that good that he personifies that we commend to fellow Nigerians today. He was a man of principle who would not yield to the principle of the majority or the permissiveness of the hour. His famous line was “let your yea be yea and your nay nay.”

    This contrasts with the temper of today’s Nigeria, where we compromise principle at will. Whether in the high realm of policy, or in the grind of business or the casual atmosphere of family, we have lived a life of easy virtue as a nation. The past year was one of great peril to those who succeed and sweet adventure to those who preyed on them.

    We saw the hate spread in many areas. It was a year where those who held on to one system of beliefs would not live with those who held on to another. Christ called peace to all and that was why he proclaimed: “Peace I live with you, the peace I give unto you, not as the world gives give I unto you.”

    The flame of hate razed down both churches and mosques, silenced innocents to death in markets and roadsides, threatened business and shattered rustic peace, burned schools and sanctified bloodshed.

    There was also corruption, where a few who had connection turned the resources that belonged to all into private equity and were exposed. As the year ends, we are not sure who will suffer the consequences of their deeds because it is not clear whether those in authority want to dance out of the ritual of investigation into the brutal truths of punishment.

    Those who stoked ethnic bias, who pursued people from place to place creating the curious paradox of refugees within our country, should understand that this season is for them. They will have to contend with the words of Christ who urged all to love their neighbours. “Love,” according to his most exponent apostle Paul, “works no ill against his neighbour. Therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.”

    As many eat, drink, laugh and hug in the course of the day, we recall that Christ has a recipe in his life for a better and prosperous Nigeria. And it is in that spirit that we wish all a merry Christmas.

     

  • Ijeododo explosion

    Ijeododo explosion

    •That was another case of private greed causing public alarm and pain

    Many residents of Ijeododo area of Lagos must have been looking forward to a hitch-free end of the year celebrations until last week Monday when, once again, suspected pipeline vandals shattered their hope. They had to flee the village in the night, following a pipeline explosion and its resultant inferno, a thing they also experienced only last year.

    The good news is that no life was reported lost to the incident, but as usual, the explosion underscored the fact that little has changed in terms of our response to such calamities and even government’s approach to protecting the pipelines, in spite of their economic importance to the nation.

    The incident has naturally heightened apprehension that it would worsen fuel scarcity, especially in the south-western part of the country, which at the best of times has been epileptic since the beginning of the year. Even the people of Ijeododo have started having nightmares of what life in the sleepy village would be like in the absence of electricity supply, which surely would be affected by the explosion. Electricity, they claim, is the only thing that makes life meaningful to them because there are no other amenities. They said it took about six months before electricity supply was restored to the area when they experienced a similar explosion last year, and that was after parting with some money. They expect a longer period of darkness in view of the intensity of the inferno this time, which they describe as more severe than the previous one.

    With pipeline explosion becoming a recurring decimal, the impression one gets is that of a helpless government. Although it is yet to be officially confirmed that the explosion was caused by vandals, the fact that there were many empty jerry cans at the site points in that direction; that is their trademark. Obviously, the vandals must have been operating at that place for some time before the bubble burst. So, the question is: what is the security arrangement like to protect the facility?

    Given the economic importance of the pipelines, the government should pay more attention to securing them. The pipeline in question transports about 11 million litres of petrol from the Atlas Cove. Yet, it was not easily accessible from the Ijeododo end when the fire occurred. Nigeria must be one of the countries that people do not lose sleep over wastage, a word that has lost value in its political lexicon, as there is so much wastage even in governments across board.

    Nigerians appear to have lost hope that corruption and stealing can ever become history in their country because the quantum of petroleum products stolen daily across the country is enough to make people mad with outrage in more civilised countries. The government complains about the billions lost to pipeline vandals annually but it does not seem serious to stem the tide; there is no holistic approach to tackle the problem.

    The issue is definitely beyond the ken of militants that the government has given more than N5billion contracts to protect the pipelines. Apart from this, the arrangement is a vote of no confidence on the navy and other security agencies that should normally protect such public facilities. The luck we had this time was that lives were not lost; unlike the Jesse fire incident of 1998 when more than a thousand people perished, and others that had also claimed many lives. If lives had been lost in Ijeododo, we would have seen all sorts of graveside orations from those who should have prevented the incident in the first place.

    We believe that the government has the resources to tackle pipeline vandalism; what it requires is the presence of mind and will to do it holistically. It should not be seen to be surrendering to vandals, otherwise, we would always return to square one in terms of fuel supply nationwide.

     

  • Mysterious as ever

    Mysterious as ever

    THE Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is easily the most critical player in the country’s economy. The organisation produces most of the output of 2.4 million barrels of oil per day, which contributes over 80 percent of government revenue and 95 percent of the country’s foreign exchange. Given its significant and sensitive role in the generation and management of government revenues, it is shocking and unacceptable that the NNPC’s finances continue to be shrouded in mystery.

    This fact was once again underscored when the corporation’s management last Tuesday appeared before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), to make its budget presentation. Complaining about the vagueness of the records presented by the NNPC management, the National Assembly was rightly alarmed by an excess expenditure of N48 billion incurred by the corporation in its 2012 operations. According to its chief strategist, Dr. Tim Okon, the NNPC generated total revenue of N2.3 trillion between January and September, 2012, while expending N2.4 trillion during the period. The committee was rightly curious to know from which undisclosed reserves the NNPC drew funds to augment its expenditure during the year.

    It is obvious that any organisation run as opaquely as the NNPC is will be a fertile ground for massive corruption, which is clearly the bane of the behemoth. The outrage of members of the National Assembly at what they described as the NNPC’s unserious and contradictory budget presentation is understandable. Dr. Okon’s rationalisation that “The NNPC is a running business and it has reserves and we got money from the reserves” is shallow, unsatisfactory and unacceptable. The committee was right in demanding to know where these reserves are located, how much money they contain, the relevant account numbers, signatories to the accounts and other details. The NNPC is a public corporation. It must not continue to be run like a secret cult.

    We recall that a former Minister of Finance, Mr. Remi Babalola, had disclosed in April 2010 that the corporation was broke, following its alleged inability to pay the N450 billion it owed the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) “until the reimbursement of N1.156 trillion on fuel subsidies being owed by the Federal Ministry of Finance. At about the same time, the former Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Austen Oniwon, told a gathering of top oil and gas executives at an Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in Abuja that “we have to suspend remuneration. The account of the organisation is in the negative; failure is imminent unless urgent transformation is carried out”.

    A 2010 joint report by Transparency International and the Revenue Watch Institute revealed that the NNPC had the poorest transparency record out of 44 national and international companies examined. Indeed, it scored zero in the category of “organisational information disclosure”. The NNPC is of course central to the $6.8 billion fuel subsidy fraud uncovered early this year by the National Assembly. The corporation is said to owe the government $4.34 billion for subsidy violations while also owing oil traders $3.5 billion in unpaid bills. This is in sharp contrast to the Angolan state oil firm, SONANGOL, which has performed excellently, posting $3.32billion net profit for 2011, a 32 percent improvement on its performance of $2.52 billion in 2010.

    We cannot continue with a situation in which the NNPC is accountable to no one. Petroleum minister, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke’s recent assertion that “The NNPC should not be subjected to the National Assembly’s usual legislative processes and appropriation because it operates like a private corporation” is irresponsible and must be roundly rejected.