The Nation Newspaper

Category: Editorial

  • Enugu’s laudable initiative

    Enugu’s laudable initiative

    • But it must add value to the palm produce it wants to revive for maximum benefit

    Even as the country continues to strive to overcome its current economic travails that have inflicted severe hardships on citizens, it is good news from Enugu State that the Governor Peter Mbah administration has entered into a N100 billion deal with a private partner to activate the state’s moribund Enugu State United Palm Products Limited (UPPL). This initiative is in fulfillment of the governor’s campaign promise to grow the state’s economy from its current $4.4 billion to $30 billion through the reactivation of dormant state assets.

    Left to decay for several decades, the UPPL is one of the many projects established by the administration of the Premier of the former Eastern Region, the late Dr Michael Okpara, which Governor Mbah is resuscitating, both for the good of his state’s economy and also to the country’s benefit.

    To actualise this objective, the Mbah administration is partnering with Pragmatic Palms Limited, a subsidiary of Diamond Stripes Limited, which is the Special Purpose Vehicle that will provide 60 per cent of the transaction value while the Enugu State government will provide the plantations as its 40 per cent equity.

    By this arrangement, the state is not releasing any money in the process of resuscitating the UPPL, which is a commendable financing strategy, given the harsh fiscal realities confronting all levels of government today. However, this presumes that the state government has done a thorough due diligence and is convinced that Pragmatic Palms Limited has the requisite financial capacity and technical expertise to effectively fulfill its side of the contractual obligations. We have had too many instances of governments at all levels entering into partnership deals with entities incapable of playing the roles expected of them, to the detriment of the national economy. This Enugu State government initiative must not be allowed to go that wasteful route.

    Every effort to return Nigeria’s lost glory in palm produce should be lauded. Palm produce was, in the immediate post-independence period, a major revenue earner for the country, to the extent that Malaysian experts visited Nigeria in the

    1960s not only to obtain palm nut seedlings but also the technical know-how to grow the product. Ironically, today, Malaysia is a major producer and exporter of palm produce from which she reaps humongous revenues while the industry in Nigeria has regressed and become moribund.

    Read Also: Fed Govt, Labour to resume minimum wage talks Friday

    But we cannot continue to lament over this fact but take concrete steps like the Enugu State government is doing to reverse the situation.

    It is regrettable that despite Nigeria’s rich endowment with all that is necessary to grow this crop on a massive scale and turn it into a veritable economic asset, many companies still import raw materials derivable from palm produce in the manufacture of their products. Yet, if Nigeria was producing palm produce at the level she is naturally endowed to, products derivable from palm produce could have been used by various manufacturing outfits in their production processes, thus reducing the necessity for importation and helping to achieve a less import-dependent and more viable economy.

    It is, however, not enough for the Enugu State government to simply pursue the reactivation of the UPPL with a view to exporting the product in its raw state. Rather, there is the need to add value to the product before exporting, to avoid a repeat of our experience with crude oil.

    Unless we add value to the palm produce before export, the desired favourable terms of trade will remain unrealised.

    Since the Mbah administration has identified agriculture and agro-allied industrialisation as one of its cardinal programmes, we expect that it will also proactively plan for the nurturing and encouraging, through the private sector, of manufacturing and processing outfits that can utilise palm produce as raw materials for the production of diverse finished commodities for domestic use and export.

    We urge states that are naturally endowed with the soil and climate to produce other crops such as cocoa, cotton, groundnuts, cashew, among others, which used to be the country’s economic mainstay, to emulate the Enugu State example in this regard.

  • Tinubu’s one year

    Tinubu’s one year

    •In all, a promise

    It is often a tricky adventure to assess a president’s first year in office, especially if that president is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His legitimacy many did not want to accept. He has been laden with, perhaps, the most burdensome stewardship as the country’s leader since General Yakubu Gowon had to cobble the country together from the rubbles of an internecine bloodbath of 30 months.

    The past year has been fraught. When the judiciary was at work, subverts were at war against it. He stepped into boiling water as president. Howls of protests, especially online, dared to imperil a democracy.

     The parties were at one on the view that both fuel subsidies and foreign exchange regimes should perish, but when the president took the plunge, the same opposition looked the other way and said he ought to have done them differently or at another time. So, on the economic front, the situation has been dire in the past 12 months. Inflation has leapt, the naira has tumbled, and the cost of food and transportation has made life more than a little adventurous for the average Nigerian.

    Read Also: You have restored life to FCT, Tinubu hails Wike for infrastructural deployment

    But from what the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance have revealed, the damage the country suffered under the previous administrations, especially under his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was a criminal profligacy and reckless disregard for due process and the sanctity of the life of the nation’s future. Perhaps we faced existential omen of a Venezuela if we sustained our excesses. Charles Soludo, Anambra State governor and former CBN chief described it as “a dead horse standing.”

    The CBN went on a mythical spree with a near unsupervised glee. According to the records, the country had squandered N30 trillion in printed money, and billions of dollars in various accounts around the world that Nigeria has to exploit its diplomatic muscle to retrieve. The exact amount is not disclosed. The nation was told that in the United Kingdom alone, five hundred million pounds lies cradled at our expense.

    The nation’s indebtedness also included airlines like the Emirates and Nigerians could not only not fly it but were a pariah to the United Arab Emirates.

    To ease the problem, the Federal Government ran into a crisis of integrity in an attempt to muster a register to distribute palliatives. Then the minister in charge of humanitarian affairs, Betta Edu, was wrapped up in a corruption scandal that led the president to suspend her. A committee was set up to review the list of the very poor in order to ensure that palliatives did not go to the well-fed rather than the very poor and vulnerable.

    So, while the effects of the economic measures have kicked in with fury, the softening balm was held down by bureaucracy. Here, though, the states ought to have supported the government since most of them now receive more than double the boost of their monthly allocations. Some of the states have tried like Lagos, Kaduna, Ekiti, Ogun and Akwa Ibom. But most have been tepid and have allowed the hostile climate to bother the vulnerable among us. This prompted the president to ask the governors to “spend the money, don’t spend the people.” Yet, the tardiness of the Federal Government to sort out the palliative problem is of concern as hunger does not answer to patience.

    The foreign exchange problem with the naira’s instability is still a matter of struggle. It fell to almost N2,000 to a dollar before it rebounded to about N1,000, and then back up to a neighbourhood of N1,500. But it seems the Federal Government does not want to spend much to bolster it but relies on cash inflows. All currencies must be subjected to a central bank control so long as such a sacrifice is not so high as to endanger the economy. That seems to be the path the CBN under Yemi Cardoso is taking.

    On the fiscal side, the Federal Government has taken quite a few significant measures. One, the unveiling of three gas plants. Two, investment evangelism spearheaded by the president himself. Three, many hectares of agricultural projects and farms, especially in the north. Four, a single window to streamline import and export businesses. Five, making all oil receipts domicile in the CBN.

    The question of power may be what his stewardship may be judged by. He has started slow, but the distribution of meters, band calibration and payment of the backlog of debts may be a sign of a repair ahead. We need speed in this regard, especially with many dams across the country for hydro ballast.

    Others include cutting foreign trips, merging some ministries to cut costs, etc. We go by the president’s assurance that he has stopped the bleeding.

    We have also seen the Federal Government engage in ambitious projects like the Lagos-Calabar expressway, which drew criticisms from opposition leaders. This is one of the most consequential projects on roads the country has ever known. The issue as to whether it underwent due process drew so much din that it has been left to the discerning to understand that the cacophony did not address the wisdom that David Umahi, the works minister, explained over and over again. It is as though they want it to fail more than they want it to be right. Their excuse is that there are other bad roads that need fixing. But the minister has been seen in the news addressing about 40 of the roads and bridges in progress, some of which the president is commissioning in the course of his one-year anniversary. For instance, the minister made headlines when he berated the contractors of the East-West Road. No one can forget the renewal of the Third Mainland Bridge, and work that is ongoing and near completion on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. More ambitious designs are in the offing, including Lagos-Sokoto, the trans-Saharan express and Lagos -Abuja superhighway. Societies thrive on big dreams, not hidebound imaginations.

    On security, there were instances of great fear like the kidnap of students and sporadic attacks, especially in the north. We acknowledge that the situation remains bad in spite of the fact that his new service chiefs have been more accountable. The recent sweep of Sambisa Forest indicates an armed forces at work. The terrain across the north remains rocky and challenging, and this may savage the work of the security forces. Hence, we enjoin the president to tap into current technologies, especially satellite innovations that could make it less onerous to track and eliminate the threats. There is a wedding between security and prosperity.

     The President’s social programmes are the most potent so far, and may be the key to the national revival he is pursuing. These include the credit programme and student loans. They target the poor and grassroots. They have just been set in motion and we hope that their implementation will be thorough. It can liberate the impoverished and instill pride in the lower class that have ambition for self-fulfillment.

    The economic programmes cannot yield fruits as quickly as many want. The damage was done in decades, and with the policies gradually settling in, it is hoped that in the next year Nigerians will see the fruits.

    This is the first time that a government in Nigeria, since Awolowo, would tackle the economy with ruthless imagination and methodical rigour. It has had its stumbles, like in the reversal of some tax and appointment decisions. The government must not allow overzealous lieutenants to derail good intentions. No government is without its flaws. Its willingness to rethink is a virtue, so long as it does not become frequent.

    President Tinubu has also been a target of scurrilous attacks and malicious umbrage. But he has shown the streak of a statesman and risen above taunts, abuses and traduces. He has not allowed himself to be distracted. He has done much for one year in spite of headwinds. We believe that, going forward, some of those distractions will conduce to a healing land.

    It is often a tricky adventure to assess a president’s first year in office, especially if that president is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. His legitimacy many did not want to accept. He has been laden with, perhaps, the most burdensome stewardship as the country’s leader since General Yakubu Gowon had to cobble the country together from the rubbles of an internecine bloodbath of 30 months.

    The past year has been fraught. When the judiciary was at work, subverts were at war against it. He stepped into boiling water as president. Howls of protests, especially online, dared to imperil a democracy.

     The parties were at one on the view that both fuel subsidies and foreign exchange regimes should perish, but when the president took the plunge, the same opposition looked the other way and said he ought to have done them differently or at another time. So, on the economic front, the situation has been dire in the past 12 months. Inflation has leapt, the naira has tumbled, and the cost of food and transportation has made life more than a little adventurous for the average Nigerian.

    But from what the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Federal Ministry of Finance have revealed, the damage the country suffered under the previous administrations, especially under his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari, was a criminal profligacy and reckless disregard for due process and the sanctity of the life of the nation’s future. Perhaps we faced existential omen of a Venezuela if we sustained our excesses. Charles Soludo, Anambra State governor and former CBN chief described it as “a dead horse standing.”

    The CBN went on a mythical spree with a near unsupervised glee. According to the records, the country had squandered N30 trillion in printed money, and billions of dollars in various accounts around the world that Nigeria has to exploit its diplomatic muscle to retrieve. The exact amount is not disclosed. The nation was told that in the United Kingdom alone, five hundred million pounds lies cradled at our expense.

    The nation’s indebtedness also included airlines like the Emirates and Nigerians could not only not fly it but were a pariah to the United Arab Emirates.

    To ease the problem, the Federal Government ran into a crisis of integrity in an attempt to muster a register to distribute palliatives. Then the minister in charge of humanitarian affairs, Betta Edu, was wrapped up in a corruption scandal that led the president to suspend her. A committee was set up to review the list of the very poor in order to ensure that palliatives did not go to the well-fed rather than the very poor and vulnerable.

    So, while the effects of the economic measures have kicked in with fury, the softening balm was held down by bureaucracy. Here, though, the states ought to have supported the government since most of them now receive more than double the boost of their monthly allocations. Some of the states have tried like Lagos, Kaduna, Ekiti, Ogun and Akwa Ibom. But most have been tepid and have allowed the hostile climate to bother the vulnerable among us. This prompted the president to ask the governors to “spend the money, don’t spend the people.” Yet, the tardiness of the Federal Government to sort out the palliative problem is of concern as hunger does not answer to patience.

    The foreign exchange problem with the naira’s instability is still a matter of struggle. It fell to almost N2,000 to a dollar before it rebounded to about N1,000, and then back up to a neighbourhood of N1,500. But it seems the Federal Government does not want to spend much to bolster it but relies on cash inflows. All currencies must be subjected to a central bank control so long as such a sacrifice is not so high as to endanger the economy. That seems to be the path the CBN under Yemi Cardoso is taking.

    On the fiscal side, the Federal Government has taken quite a few significant measures. One, the unveiling of three gas plants. Two, investment evangelism spearheaded by the president himself. Three, many hectares of agricultural projects and farms, especially in the north. Four, a single window to streamline import and export businesses. Five, making all oil receipts domicile in the CBN.

    The question of power may be what his stewardship may be judged by. He has started slow, but the distribution of meters, band calibration and payment of the backlog of debts may be a sign of a repair ahead. We need speed in this regard, especially with many dams across the country for hydro ballast.

    Others include cutting foreign trips, merging some ministries to cut costs, etc. We go by the president’s assurance that he has stopped the bleeding.

    We have also seen the Federal Government engage in ambitious projects like the Lagos-Calabar expressway, which drew criticisms from opposition leaders. This is one of the most consequential projects on roads the country has ever known. The issue as to whether it underwent due process drew so much din that it has been left to the discerning to understand that the cacophony did not address the wisdom that David Umahi, the works minister, explained over and over again. It is as though they want it to fail more than they want it to be right. Their excuse is that there are other bad roads that need fixing. But the minister has been seen in the news addressing about 40 of the roads and bridges in progress, some of which the president is commissioning in the course of his one-year anniversary. For instance, the minister made headlines when he berated the contractors of the East-West Road. No one can forget the renewal of the Third Mainland Bridge, and work that is ongoing and near completion on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway. More ambitious designs are in the offing, including Lagos-Sokoto, the trans-Saharan express and Lagos -Abuja superhighway. Societies thrive on big dreams, not hidebound imaginations.

    On security, there were instances of great fear like the kidnap of students and sporadic attacks, especially in the north. We acknowledge that the situation remains bad in spite of the fact that his new service chiefs have been more accountable. The recent sweep of Sambisa Forest indicates an armed forces at work. The terrain across the north remains rocky and challenging, and this may savage the work of the security forces. Hence, we enjoin the president to tap into current technologies, especially satellite innovations that could make it less onerous to track and eliminate the threats. There is a wedding between security and prosperity.

     The President’s social programmes are the most potent so far, and may be the key to the national revival he is pursuing. These include the credit programme and student loans. They target the poor and grassroots. They have just been set in motion and we hope that their implementation will be thorough. It can liberate the impoverished and instill pride in the lower class that have ambition for self-fulfillment.

    The economic programmes cannot yield fruits as quickly as many want. The damage was done in decades, and with the policies gradually settling in, it is hoped that in the next year Nigerians will see the fruits.

    This is the first time that a government in Nigeria, since Awolowo, would tackle the economy with ruthless imagination and methodical rigour. It has had its stumbles, like in the reversal of some tax and appointment decisions. The government must not allow overzealous lieutenants to derail good intentions. No government is without its flaws. Its willingness to rethink is a virtue, so long as it does not become frequent.

    President Tinubu has also been a target of scurrilous attacks and malicious umbrage. But he has shown the streak of a statesman and risen above taunts, abuses and traduces. He has not allowed himself to be distracted. He has done much for one year in spite of headwinds. We believe that, going forward, some of those distractions will conduce to a healing land.

  • Jaw-jaw

    Jaw-jaw

    • Labour, FG, other stakeholders should find solution to conflict on electricity tariff.

    It is no longer surprising to see workers called out to picket companies and organisations, or on full blown strike. At the hint of any policy that labour unions find disagreeable, employees are withdrawn from factories and offices.

    This has led to loss of so much man- hours and productivity.

    It was the turn of the electricity sector on May 13, as the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) presidents led out their members on a peaceful protest across the country, and ensured that no one worked in the offices of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), and the electricity distribution companies (DisCos). It was a frightening prospect as the grid could have collapsed if the protests had lasted longer.

    Workers were angry, just as many Nigerians, contending that the Federal Government had no justification for approving a hike in the cost of electricity supply to households and businesses. The unit cost had risen from N68 to N225 for what in the sector are referred to as ‘Band A’ power consumers, before public outcry brought it down to N206.

    As with many Nigerians reeling under the weight of economic downturn, workers who were already calling for a new minimum wage that would reflect the state of things in the country poured out to the streets.

    While Organised Labour has a good case, it is worrisome that work is so easily and regularly disrupted, thus further affecting productivity and capacity to enhance wages of employees.

    The Bola Tinubu administration is about one year in office, hardly long enough to have to contend with so much labour issues; much of it hinged on inherited distrust. It is obvious that in view of general inflation in the economy, prices in the sector have to be reviewed upwards. Cost of gas supplied to the generation companies (GenCos), wages of workers, cost of vehicles and others necessitate a review, unless government wants to continue paying huge subsidies in a sector said to have been privatised for more than a decade.

    Read Also: FG to establish 24 skills, innovation hubs, entrepreneurship centres – Tinubu

    A realistic review calls for both sides to be considerate. The leap by more than 200 per cent is as insensitive to the situation as the insistence that there should be no increase. We call for a middle ground that could only be a result of robust engagement by all stakeholders. It does not help that the Minister of Power, Mr. Adebayo Adelabu, is suggesting that the sector would collapse within three months if market reflective cost is not introduced. Government should realise that all countries subsidise critical sectors. Besides, we have been used to subsidies in different sectors for too long, removing them all at once could only make the government unpopular. Government is for the people and their interests and opinions must be considered in formulating and implementing policies.

    The twin policies of managed floating of the Naira and removal of subsidy on petroleum products had already impacted the masses so badly that fully removing subsidy on electricity supply is not advisable at this point.

    The Federal Government could argue that it had already taken that into consideration in restricting the tariff increase to ‘Band A’ customers who consume more than 20 hours of power supply daily, but many of those so captured have cried out that the DisCos are yet to live up to the promise. Besides, many of them are manufacturing firms already being adversely impacted by the economic policies.

    A meeting of the Ministry of Power with the National Employers Consultative Assembly (NECA), Labour and representatives of the people in the legislature is inevitable if the issues are to be ironed out and resolved in the nation’s overall interest.

  • Safety concerns 

    Safety concerns 

    • Good that Lagos sealed off 840 event centres

    Lagos State is the commercial capital of Nigeria. Lagos is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It is anticipated that by 2035, Lagos might be burdened by about 24 million population, given the effects of more births, rural-urban migration and general migration.

    However, it is not only commercial and government activities that go on in Lagos. It can also be said that Lagos is the entertainment headquarters of Nigeria. With these – population and entertainment — Lagos equally hosts the largest number of hotels and lounges, event centres, clubs and other  social centres.

    Concerned about the safety of citizens in the state, the commissioner for special duties and intergovernmental relations, Gbenga Oyerinde, recently announced that the government had in the last one year sealed 840 event centres and social facilities over safety infractions and non-compliance with extant laws. He added that the fire and rescue service rescued 376 victims during the period, property worth N152.22 billion preserved and N25.37 billion property lost. There were 82 casualties.

    We commend the agency for the presentation of statistics on human and material losses. That paints a very clear picture for anyone who might want to raise any argument about the reasons for the action. The commissioner also announced that the state government is making efforts to improve infrastructure, with about three new fire stations at Ijegun Egba, Satellite Town and Ijede, and an ultramodern workshop at the Alausa headquarters of the ministry, to cater for the fleet of vehicles.

    While  we commend the enforcement of laid-down safety procedures at these centres, we would draw the agency’s attention to the fact that there are too many mushroom and improvised event centres that do not comply to any basic rules in the state. Most communities are burdened with noise pollution which by all standards is a health hazard that is frowned at in other climes. Most of the event centres have no proper buildings so designed, some people use residential spaces as event centres and some of the residents complain with no one to attend to their concerns.

    In other climes, there are dedicated phone lines to agencies in charge of the environment for citizens to report any infractions. Protecting citizens should not be from only fire incidents, the issue of noise pollution from these event centres and even some churches and mosques in residential areas is a concern for many residents in Lagos State. Some hotels have facilities for night clubs that blare music all night, even on regular days, disturbing residents.

    We however would wish that beyond the sealing, that the agency can build a sustainable system that makes sure that any organisation that applies to the government for such buildings is mandated to have all the required infrastructure and that the agency, instead of a ‘fire service’ approach, should ensure compliance ab initio and sustain periodic checks to ensure that the infrastructure remains up to date. We know that human actions cannot be perfect but we should continually strive to attain perfection.

    Read Also: Ondo 2024: Canvass for votes honourably, Aiyedatiwa tells opponents

    Sealing 840 event centres in one year is a lot. Periodic inspections and sustained public enlightenment on the dangers inherent in not reporting such centres that might be flouting government guidelines would have substantially reduced the number.

     This is because no matter the fleet of vehicles and personnel the monitoring agencies have, they might not be able to monitor every centre in the state.

    The agency must work with other agencies that operate with these centres, like the building and construction agencies, the ministries of environment, town planning, etc. This would make it possible for certain standards for safety to be met and avoid the disruptive effects of sealing off premises.

    We also note that people living with disabilities are not provided for in many of these event centres. Yet, they are productive citizens whose welfare must be protected too.

    What we are saying is that the sealing up of the centres should not be the normal flash-in-the-pan action that most government agencies do. As they say, no one can ever predict an accident, no one can predict the victims. The enforcers might one day be victims too. This is why it is better to work diligently and consistently for a systemic change.

  • Redeeming the dams

    Redeeming the dams

    •Nigerians need result in power sector

    Nigerians ought to be forgiven, if only for seeking to make light of the Federal Government’s latest declared target of 10,000 megawatts of electricity through its Sustainable Power and Irrigation Project (SPIN). The project, which the Federal Government says is being done in collaboration with the World Bank, seeks to enhance the capacity of the existing facilities for both irrigation and hydropower generation, as indeed the institutional frameworks related to integrated water resources management within the country.

    Speaking at the African High-Level Roundtable on Sustainable Hydropower in the African Renewable Energy Mix of the 21st Century, in Abuja, last Wednesday, Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, had stated: “SPIN aims to unlock additional 10GW combined capacity from existing dams with provision for hydro but not fitted, partially incomplete dams with provisions for hydropower, Greenfield projects and existing multipurpose dams that can be modified/redesigned and retrofitted”.

    Read Also: Self-injection contraceptive boosts family planning in Nigeria, says SFH

    Surely, Nigerians have heard such before. They have been treated to such high-sounding acronyms that promise heaven and earth only to deliver nothing in the end. Nineteen years of the Power Sector Reform Act (2005) and countless cycles of re-engineering of the sector, what else are Nigerians yet to hear? Have they not seen enough of those endless motions with nary a discernible pathway to the future?

    For Olusegun Obasanjo, it was the scores of turbines that eventually ended in the bond houses of the Nigerian Customs Service as scrap metals after a record expenditure of $16 billion. Umaru Yar’Adua came with a threat to declare an emergency on the sector but did nothing of the sort until death came calling. The Goodluck Jonathan years merely passed as mere extension of the locust years. What could have passed as milestone under that administration – the unbundling of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) – turned into a monumental fiasco, botched on the altar of incompetence and unparalleled cronyism, the outcome of which the country was gifted with a bunch of anaemic operators.

    Even the initial flashes of hope gleefully touted as the ‘body language’ – the so-called Muhammadu Buhari Effect – ended up like a smoke.

    Surely, Nigerians need no reminders about how prodigiously resourced the country is. At least, if they have resigned to the fact that coal, which the country has a surfeit of, now belongs in the past, (share of coal in United States energy mix is 17.8% while in South Africa, it accounts for 70% of installed power generation capacity), or even that her natural gas with proven reserves of 202 trillion cubic feet (tcf) and which puts her in the 9th position globally remains largely untapped, surely, they need no fancy acronyms to underscore the benefits of additional hydro plants. This is especially considering that the three largest dams –Kainji, Jebba and Shiroro dams have total active capacity of 18.6 billion cubic metres of water and total power capacity of 1,920 MW with the oldest of them, Kainji, being at least 50 years old. What of energy sources from wind and solar sources? The Federal Government indicated desire to exploit these important energy sources, all of which Nigeria is also tremendously blessed with. The president’s green energy initiatives point in that direction.

    We understand that the country presently has some 323 large, medium and small dams. That is a measure of how prodigiously resourced Nigeria is in that sector. If the implied suggestion in the SPIN initiative is that the country currently lacks a management framework that is adequate for optimising the utilisation of these national assets for the benefit of Nigerians, the minister should simply let Nigerians into his thinking on the specific measures he plans to take. Waving promises of additional megawatts seems tantalising but we await action.

  • 250,227 policemen!

    250,227 policemen!

    •This is grossly inadequate. The federal and state govts must give the country an effective police force.

    The data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showing that there were 250,227 policemen in 2022, as against 250,461 in 2021, though a marginal decrease, once again highlights the challenge of inadequate policing across the country. For a nation with an estimated population of 218.54 million in 2022, that number fails woefully to meet the United Nations’ standard of 1:450. With that number, Nigeria is in default at about 1:873. That is one policeman for nearly a double of the recommended ratio.

    Yet, last week, the House of Representatives passed for second reading a bill seeking to change the retirement age of policemen from 35 to 40 years of service, and 60 to 65 years of age, whichever comes earlier. We ask, should the bill become an act, will it impact positively on the abysmal number of policemen compared to the nation’s population, which by 2050 is estimated to catapult to 400 million, according to the United Nations Population Fund (UNPF)?

    The promoters of The Police Act Amendment Bill, with explanatory note: ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the Nigeria Police Act 2020 to review the service years of police personnel to improve the experience and expertise of the police workforce, to retain experienced personnel, and reduce the cost of training and recruiting new officers, improve the morale, performance and job satisfaction, and to address the shortage of experienced police personnel and related matters,’ have other motives, which we agree with.

    Read Also: Humanitarian ministry reels out Tinubu’s four months’ achievements for the vulnerable

    The bill is co-sponsored by the Speaker of the House, Abbas Tajudeen, and the Chairman, House Committee on Police Affairs, Abubakar Yalleman. According to Yalleman, the bill is necessary “given the need to apply the experience of officers who have been trained and have served for considerable years.” He added: “This experience is needed especially in this time of insecurity when experienced police officers are needed to help tackle insecurity in the country.” We hope that the experiences will count in tackling the alarming insecurity across the country.

    But we also ask, what about the Federal Government’s plan to recruit 10,000 policemen every year, a cardinal promise of the immediate past regime of President Muhammadu Buhari, to boost the number of policemen in the country? Also, what happened to the much-hyped community policing recruitment plan, touted by some as answer to state police? We also ask, what is delaying the legal steps to allow states have powers to create state police?

    While we are aware of the efforts being made, we restate it is in the interest of all Nigerians that necessary amendment is made in the constitution to allow for state police. We consider that as a more far-reaching and enduring solution to the inadequacy of policemen in the country. It is common knowledge that under the present arrangement, many states don’t fill their quota, citing inequality and lack of equal opportunities in promotion, as recruited men and officials progress.

    We believe that state police, with the many advantages it confers, would enlist the interest of qualified persons from all states, as promotion, emoluments and sundry benefits will be controlled by the various states. Even as we look forward to the impact of state police, we urge those in charge of the federal police to ensure equity and sense of belonging for all officers and men in the force. Discriminatory practices in promotion, postings and other fringe benefits must be avoided, to ensure the nation binds together.

    We urge the federal and state governments to join forces to gift our country a better police force. Effective and efficient police is sine qua non for a prosperous nation. As the safety of lives and property can only be guaranteed by adequate number of policemen, well-trained, well equipped and well-motivated.

  • Dele Adetiba at 80

    Dele Adetiba at 80

    • Welcome to the octogenarian club

    When Dele Adetiba celebrated his landmark 80th birthday this month, there was no doubt about his contributions to broadcasting and advertising in Nigeria. He was, in his words in an interview three years ago, “the face of television sports” when world boxing legend Muhammad Ali visited Nigeria in the 1970s, and he got the opportunity to interview him for the then Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) TV “on a platter.”  It was soon after Ali’s first fight with Joe Frazier at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA, which was dubbed the ‘Fight of the Century.’

    The only Nigerian journalist to interview Ali in a live studio session, he was at the time in the middle of his television career. According to him, “I discovered new things about Muhammad Ali when I interviewed him in Lagos.” He was in a small circle of people that read the news regularly on the then NBC-TV, and was also involved in sports reporting, commentary and analysis. 

    Before his television years, he was a radio personality. He was among the second generation of local broadcasters, who benefited not only from training but also from the mentorship of the country’s pioneer broadcasting giants. He left radio as head of ‘Outside broadcast,’ an important unit for live broadcast.  

    He fell in love with broadcasting, he said, after participating in a programme at the then Radio Nigeria as a student. He started as a freelance in sports broadcasting. In a 2021 interview with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), he stressed that broadcasting “is a serious business,” and recalled the professionalism and preparation for performance among broadcasters in his active broadcasting years towards achieving excellence.  He lauded the technological improvements of today in broadcasting, but criticised what he saw as the unimpressive “attitude” to professionalism among today’s broadcasters.

    He later made another move to advertising, which he said was because the advertising industry at the time was “poaching and recruiting from broadcasting.”  His media personality was attractive, and earned him a place in advertising, where he worked for about three decades after spending about five years in broadcasting. Both fields had to do with “communication,” he observed, but advertising was “a completely different industry” to him.

    Read Also: Tinubu to commission three FG projects in Lagos

    It was a testimony to his mastery of his new profession that he rose to become the second Nigerian CEO of Lintas, the then largest advertising agency in Nigeria. According to a tribute published by his brother, the journalist Muyiwa Adetiba, when he turned 70, “In all of this, it is instructive that he never had to apply for any job. He started as a freelance artiste in NBC—which was how many started— and was employed when his contributions as well as income had become very noticeable. He was later headhunted to join Lintas advertising, headhunted to join Phillip Morris as Brands Manager and headhunted back to Lintas as Associate Director.”  This spoke volumes about his expertise. 

    Respected for his experience in journalism and advertising, he had played roles that underscore his stature in both fields, and he remains relevant. For instance, he headed the 25-man screening committee of the 31st edition of the Nigeria Media Merit Award (NMMA), which was held in Lagos, in December 2023.  According to him, “The criteria for the award include language, originality, depth, accuracy, perspective.” In advertising, he is a fellow of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), and was a member of its governing council for years. The fellowship is the highest status of practice which APCON confers on deserving practitioners.

    His exemplary professionalism underlined his passion as well as his sense of responsibility. We congratulate him as he enters his octogenarian years. 

  • Fiery rage

    Fiery rage

    • Arson attack over inheritance dispute poses societal reawakening on mental health

    No fewer than 11 worshippers were killed in an arson attack on a mosque at Gadan village, Gezawa council area of Kano State, that was purported to have arisen out of inheritance dispute. Dozens of other worshippers were badly burnt and taken to hospital, with at least one dying while on hospital admission.

    Reports said 38-year-old Shafi’u Abubakar locked worshippers in at the mosque penultimate Wednesday when they were observing their dawn (‘Subhi’) prayer, sprayed the building with fuel and set it ablaze with the worshippers, including children, trapped inside. Residents were cited saying flames engulfed the mosque following the attack, with worshippers heard screaming as they struggled to open the locked doors. Before help came, many were burnt to death and many others incurred aggravated burns. Eyewitnesses further said first responders were latecomers to the prayer who struggled to open the mosque’s locked doors to enable those trapped within to break out. Men of the police force and personnel of the fire service in Kano were subsequently deployed at the scene.

    The police later confirmed the arrest of the suspected arsonist, who they reported willingly turned himself in after the act. Kano State Police Command spokesperson, Haruna Kiyawa, a Superintendent of Police (SP), in a statement said Abubakar told the police that he set the mosque on fire out of bitterness against his relations who allegedly cheated him in the sharing of family inheritance, and who were present in the mosque at the time of the attack. “The principal suspect has been identified and arrested. He is Shafi’u Abubakar, aged 38 years, who said his action was purely in hostility following a prolonged family disagreement over sharing of inheritance, of which those that he alleged to have cheated him were in the mosque at that moment and he did that for his voice to be heard,” Kiyawa stated. He added: “While the suspect is currently in police custody, detailed investigation is ongoing and will be made public in due course.”

    Senior police officers were reported dispelling any link between the incident and terrorism attack. Speaking to journalists when he led a delegation of security personnel to visit the attack victims at Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital in the state capital, Assistant Inspector-General of Police in charge of Zone 1, Umar Sanda, said: “What happened is not associated with any act of terrorism. Rather, it was a skirmish that arose from inheritance distribution. The suspect was said not to be satisfied with the distribution and was reacting to that. He is presently with us and is giving out useful information.”

    The arson incident apparently also entailed some explosion, such that the police initially suspected it was a bomb attack. In a statement on the heels of the incident, the command spokesperson said: “Today, 15/05/2024, at about 0520hrs, reports were received that there was an explosion at a mosque in Gadan village, Gezawa LGA, Kano State, during ‘Subhi Prayer’ and that some people got injured. On receipt of the report, the Commissioner of Police, Kano State Police Command, Mohammed Usaini Gumel, immediately deployed the command’s combined teams consisting of experts in explosive ordnance disposal – chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear – led by CSP Haruna Isma’il, and other crime scene policemen led by the Divisional Police Officer, Gezawa division, Haruna Iliya.

    “The scene was cordoned off and 24 victims, including 20 male adults and four male children, were removed and rushed to Murtala Muhammed Specialist Hospital, Kano, where they are receiving treatment.” At least one of those victims later died.

    Community members were reported debating the mental health of the arson suspect. One of the attack survivors claimed that Abubakar had a history of violent behaviour in the village, saying he had in the past brandished a machete to threaten fellow villagers, and that authorities once arrested him and sent him to a psychiatric hospital for mental health evaluation.

    Another community member who lost relations in the arson demanded justice, arguing that Abubakar’s attack was conscious and premeditated, and not due to mental illness. “He knows how to make money,” the community member was quoted saying, recalling that the arson suspect once engaged in local tricycle business to make ends meet.

    Read Also: Tinubu’s tax drive aims to simplify process, not to overburden Nigerians – Shettima

    The police have delinked the attack from terrorism and cited the suspect’s claim that it arose from bitterness over inheritance sharing. But the extremity of that bitterness casts doubt on Abubakar’s sanity and should reawaken society to mental health concerns. Of course, there is the possibility of a cultural factor of hubristic vengeance, for which the suspect should be brought to account as canvassed by Kano State Governor Abba Yusuf.

    Still, society needs to work out how to address insidious mental health challenges that could flare into destructive violence when not tackled at incubative stages. There is also need for public orientation on identifying early warning signs in mental health patients, and institutional arrangements available for getting them necessary help. When Abubakar was contemplating his plot and putting the plans together, he must have betrayed tendencies that should have triggered an alarm in the community and advise his preemptive apprehension. Society failed those attack victims as much as Abubakar harmed them.

  • Fish them out

    Fish them out

    •Government must apprehend all culprits of Kogi varsity abductions

     At the last count, 21 kidnapped students of the Confluence State University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH) in Lokoja, Kogi State, had been rescued after the multiple abduction that recently occurred at the institution. Gun-wielding terrorists had on May 9 stormed the Osara campus of the institution and abducted students who were said to be in the lecture halls at late hour, studying in preparation for their first semester examination.

    Kogi State Police Command late last week said seven more students were rescued to make a total of 21 students pried loose from the kidnappers’ hold. These were in addition to 14 students rescued penultimate weekend. Command spokesperson Williams Ovye-Aya, a Superintendent of Police, said the Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun had deployed an helicopter and aerial surveillance operatives to bolster rescue operations led by the state commissioner of police Bethrand Onuoha. He had earlier said the students were rescued following gun duels with the kidnappers.

    Ovye-Ara spoke against the backdrop of reports by Kogi State Government that four more students were being sought going by its records. Commissioner for Information and Communications Kingsley Fanwo, in a statement, said all rescued students had been reunited with their families. He stated that local vigilance operatives and regular security personnel engaged the kidnappers in a shootout to effect the rescue of the abductees, adding that the kidnappers “succumbed to superior firepower and escaped with gunshot wounds, leaving the kidnapped students who ran in different directions to avoid being caught up in the fire exchange.” According to him, a local hunter and a Department of State Services (DSS) operative sustained injuries in the shootout and were receiving medical attention.

    Read Also: House mourns Lagos Speaker’s father, declares Dogonyaro’s seat vacant

    When the terrorists struck on the night of May 9, they reportedly accessed the institution through the surrounding bush, went into three lecture halls where students were studying for their upcoming examinations and began shooting in the air to scare them, following which an uncertain number of students were herded off into captivity. In a statement on the heels of that incident, the Kogi State government pledged safe return of the abducted students, adding that it had “activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended.” The uncertainty of the toll of abductees was underlined by the government’s claim that nine students were affected.

    Upon his visit to the institution soon after the incident, Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo alleged sabotage. He said the institution was equipped with close circuit television (CCTV) cameras in all the classrooms and a campus perimeter fence, but those cameras were turned off at the time the terrorists struck. “We are prepared to protect the students, and that is why we allowed them to stay on the campus. We installed CCTV cameras in all the classrooms and the entire perimeter of the university campus. Yet, on the day of the attack, our investigation so far revealed that all the cameras were switched off. This can only be attributed to sabotage by internal collaborators,” the governor said as he was taken round the campus by CUSTECH Vice-Chancellor, Professor Abdulrahman Asipita. “Our security agencies are on their heels and investigation is ongoing. All our students shall return safely and the perpetrators shall be brought to book,” he added.

    Well, the Kogi State government and the police have their job clearly cut out and they can’t afford not to deliver. Students yet remaining in captivity must all be rescued alive, and as much as possible without hurt. But the kidnappers and their collaborators must as well be unfailingly tackled down and brought to justice. Whoever it was that turned the CCTV cameras off in CUSTECH is / are integral to the university’s security system and shouldn’t be too difficult to track down. It isn’t as if the whole university needs to be turned inside out to ferret out such persons. It is also instructive that the internal collaborators were in active contact with the terrorists outside, such that they knew when the terrorists were coming and prepared the way for their evil exploit. If such internal collaborators are identified, it could be just a short stop from unmasking much of the terrorist network operating in Kogi State and adjoining areas.

     Also, the government, in conjunction with the police must not fail to apprehend the terrorists themselves and bring them to justice as vowed.

    A major way of terminating the menace of insecurity is deterrence as entailed in apprehending culprits. That is a duty government owes law-abiding citizens.

  • Cybersecurity levy

    Cybersecurity levy

    •Its suspension would enable government clear suspicions, confusion

    It took a circular from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) directing all money deposit banks to ensure deduction of a levy of 0.5 per cent from all electronic transfers to a dedicated account for the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) to combat cyber crime. The fund is said to have been necessitated by the growing incidents of cybercrimes in the country.

    The Nigerian cyber space has been bedevilled by so many attacks that have the tendency to erode interest and confidence in banking and the financial system generally.  The May 6 CBN circular that mandated banks to effect deductions from May 20 was seen by many as one tax too many.

    However, following intervention by federal lawmakers, around which protests galvanised, the President instructed a suspension of the levy’s payment.

    This is the way to go in a democracy where public opinion is respected by elected officials.

    The CBN has argued that its action is in line with the Cybercrimes Prevention Act of 2015, amended in February, 2024.

    However, the confusion and outcry came from the attempt by the apex bank to push the payment to all bank customers, save some specified exemptions, whereas the act expects only some corporate bodies to pay.

    Read Also: NBS: Nigeria had 250,227 policemen in 2022

    As government banker that also has supervisory authority over all the banks, we expect the CBN to have thoroughly studied the act, taking advice from its legal department. The flip flop is unnecessary and avoidable at a time when most people are impacted by the state of the economy.

    Already, bank customers are unhappy with their banks because of the myriad of inexplicable charges on their accounts. To add any other, however meager, could only have provoked the kind of outcry witnessed in the past week.

    For the apex bank to be robed in dignity, it must be seen to be independent, indeed. A direct instruction by the President for withdrawal or suspension of the circular is not neat, and should be avoided in days ahead. The bank’s governor who is its symbol should ensure professionalism and thoroughness in all its actions, be it in relation to the banks it supervises or the general public.

    It’s good that the National Assembly has stepped in by inviting the bank’s managers to come and explain what happened. This is within the lawmakers’ powers and we expect that an improved circular in line with the law will emanate from the authorities. Cybercimes are source of concern all over the world and truly deserve special attention by the security, but does the ONSA have the capacity to handle the assignment, especially the trillions expected to be generated? This should be examined by both the legislators and the executive.

    One other lesson to learn from the hoopla is that people should not wait until a law or policy is given effect before they examine and react to it. Those who have taken the government to court would have saved the country so much trouble if they had actively participated in the lawmaking process. The public hearing by relevant committees of the legislature is incorporated into the process to allow citizens participate.