The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

Osun and the quest for continuity

A social commentator, Idowu Ajanaku, writes on the developmental programmes of the Aregbesola Administration and the people’s quest for continuity in Osun State in 2015.

He, who comes to governance in Nigeria and wishes to be on the good side of history, must do so with a good dose of creative ingenuity mixed with the power of vision. He must come with candour laced with uncommon courage; to dare where angels feared to tread. And to leave impressionable imprints in the sands of time one must be propelled by policies and programmes that are people-oriented, pragmatic and purposeful as Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has done since November, 2010. But it does not come by mere wishful thinking. No!

The sterling factors that fuel such feats come from an inner nudge- to do one’s best and let history be the ultimate judge. Add these to some forms of divine touch; implicit belief in God the creator, a measure of righteousness and never forgetting the source of the rivers of fortune and the picture of the positive persona of our subject, Aregbesola seems complete. For a gubernatorial hopeful, who put all his faith in God during the trying years to reclaim his stolen mandate, and for a Nigerian male, who confessed openly that he had never philandered or strayed away from the arms of his loving wife and for a principled politician, who has remained steadfast and grateful to his political mentor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, unlike the generation of goats, there are several lessons to learn. As for his support for the Yoruba cause,the South-West integration and the progressives he has been consistently focused.

Driven by the will to win, against seemingly insurmountable odds, staked high against his frail figure, Argebesola came into office eminently qualified with a wealth of experience that spoke volumes about his sheer determination to make the desired change. For instance, as the erstwhile Commissioner of Works in Lagos state, the Centre of Excellence, the roads and bridges constructed during his tenure remain enduring legacies till this day. These as well as the solid infrastructure the admirable administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu laid formed the foundation built upon by the current Governor Babtunde Raji Fashola-led administration.

Mounting the saddle as a critical thinker, he saw the need to reposition Osun within the constitutional framework of fiscal federalism that we all still dream about. So came: ‘The State of Osun,’ complete with its anthem and logo and the Omoluabi as the driving mantra for morality and responsibility in governance as well as a means for the citizens to have a sense of self-identity. Though back then lesser minds tried, vainly to rouse a rabble, they were soon reminded that before him Alhaji Lateef Jakande did the same in Lagos state. If Shehu Shagari as the then president did not bat an eyelid why should anyone now? And come to think of it-if we truly want to imbibe the doctrines of presidential democracy as the United States which we claim to emulate then each and every state needs such a distinct identity. Not just for its name sake but to imbue in the citizens self pride in what rightly belongs to them, rather than being seen as a mere appendage to an overlord of a federal government.

That singular rebranding of Osun state was a right signal of the ground-breaking and epoch-making achievements soon to be unfolded from the fecund mind of the man fondly called Ogbeni Aregbesola. He knew from the outset that he needed to assemble a team of top technocrats to drive his vision which took some thorough thinking through. It was that team that came up with the now hailed Six-Point Integral Action Plan.

And fully aware that no meaningful progress could be made in the absence of peace, communal peace and progress has reigned supreme in the entire state since the assumption of office of the administration in line with the sixth item on the Six-Point Integral Action Plan. At the inception of the administration, one major step taken in the line of enhancing justice and facilitating the judicial process was the institution of the Peace and Reconciliation Panel. That formed the platform for victims of “various acts of oppressive threats, intimidation and tyranny had been meted in the past went to table their plights. The intent of this, as defined and demonstrated by the administration, was not to punish, witch-hunt of black-list anyone; but to reconcile all opposing parties in every dispute and entrench peace process in the true spirit of Omoluabi.”

Before then there were series of communal conflicts and centrifugal forces mostly by chieftaincy disputes and/or land boundary disagreements. It would be recalled that the erstwhile PDP-led administration in the state put in place forceful enthronement of royal/traditional fathers in many communities where such stools should ordinarily be declared vacant. But these have since been amicably resolved. The Aregbesola-led administration pacified the aggrieved parties; letting them see the need for peaceful resolution rather than taking the laws into their hands.

One other area that deserves commendation is that of reducing to the barest minimum the culture of wanton waste that characterized local government administration in the state. It was the practice during the locust years of Oyinlola for PDP chieftains at the community level to grace the premises of local government council secretariats all over the state. That was especially on pay-days to collect unmerited salaries. The consequences were grave as that the councils were unable to achieve or execute impact-making solid infrastructure or put in place capital projects for the benefit of their people.

According to Osun Defender, “another area where local government councils were victims of compulsory deductions from their monthly statutory allocation from the Federation Accounts was the compulsory N1 Million deduction from the monthly statutory allocation coming to each o the thirty local government councils and the Ife East Area Office in connection with the Songhai Programme. These deductions were made for a period of more than a year.”The rip-off amounted to N31 million every blessed month! But Ogbeni by plugging such obnvious loopholes, has since restructured them from drain pipes to service pipes delivering goodies to the rural populace with accountability as the watchword.

Fully aware that sound education delivery would revolutionalize the thinking and actions of his people he took off on an illuminating platform. He had this to say on August 27, 2012 during the 21st anniversary of Osun State: Our focus is human development because it is humans that drive development, not machines…If our people have quality education, are gainfully employed and well fed, they will recreate their environment, create wealth and engender development. Our people are great and we have a history of greatness. Events since then have proved him right.

The introduction of the first-of-kind Opon Imo as the Tablet Of Knowledge is one of such giant steps taken. In specific terms, it has 63 e-books covering 17 academic subjects as well as the History of the Yorubas, Civic Education, Sexuality Education, enterprise education, Ifa teachings on morals with tips on passing SSCE and living a healthy and happy life. Furthermore, the test zone comprises over 40,000 UMTE and WAEC practice questions sand answers spanning over two decades. There are mock tests in over 50 subject areas packed full with 29,000 questions with relevant images numbering 825.

As rightly highlighted by Aregbesola during the launch of Opon Imo, it will enhance the students’ access to relevant texts “regardless of means, location or status.” Similarly, the students would be able to read ahead of their teachers on various subject areas. They could test their ability to grasp how much of the lessons taught has been fully understood.

Also important, is the economic implication to the government purse. As noted by the governor: “If the government was to buy textbiooks for 17 subjects,51 Audio Tutorials, and JAMB past questions for for ten years for the SS class students it would cost the government abot N50.25 billion”.

Interestingly, this laudable initiative is springing forth from where the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo instituted free education in the defunct Western Region back in the sixties. The joy in it all is the focus of government on providing quality education right from the secondary school level, ‘the fruits of which would be visible in a decade or even less from now.’

Honestly,the current status of education in the country is far cry from what it should be. According a recent World Bank report, over 10 million Nigerian adults are stark illiterates while another 10 million of children of school age are out of school. It also decries a situation where there is a glaring disconnect between the supply of schools and the labour market.

In a similar vein, the recent Education for All global Monitoring Report from UNESCO made available in May 2013 during the World Economic Forum on Africa, says that if the mineral and oil and gas resources in the country were judiciously utilized in a transparent manner Nigeria would be able to take 2.4 million out of the about 9.6 million out-of-school children off the streets. The country was listed as one of the 17 developing ones that could effectively make access to education for 86 per cent of this category of disenfranchised youths.

Still on education, at the inception of the multi-campus Osun State University (UNIOSUN) in 2005/2006, the Oyinlola administration could not afford the means to finance and sustain simultaneously with theadded task of funding Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, co-funded with its partner Oyo State. Oyinlola’s turned to local government for compulsory imposition of levies deductible from source of the monthly statutory allocation from the Federation Accounts. At the beginning, the fraction deducted was 10 per cent. Later it was reduced to 5 per cent monthly. But the harm has been done already. Again Aregbesola has since brought sanity to that querulous area of running the tertiary institutions in the state.

.For long in the State of Osun, elections could not be held into local government councils. The issue at stake was to challenge the constitution of the State of Osun Independent Electoral Commission (OSSIEC). But on Friday, December 17, 2010, justice was dispensed through the judgment delivered by the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

On the infrastructural front various completed and ongoing local government feeder roads attest to the desire for true rural transformation. Many have been achieved through the World Bank/ FGN- assisted Rural Access Mobility Project (RAMP).They are still being executed in the state in tandem with the well thought out Six-Point Integral Action Plan.Worthy of mention also is the Rural Electrification. The efforts made so far in the area of rural urbanization are contained in the activities of the Urban Renewal Committee.

In a similar vein, the Lands, Housing and Physical Planning sub-sector has transformed the city of Osogbo in particular, which doubles as the host of the seat of the state capital. A lot of structures that were erected without proper planning have since given way to modern buildings. Before his coming, many residential houses were built anyhow and anywhere without approval from constituted authorities and without bathrooms, toilets and other conveniences; in gross violation of modern acceptable standards. Major roads linking Osogbo, Ikirun, Ila Orangun, Ede, Iwo, Ejigbo, Ikire, Ilesa and Ile Ife, Osogbo/Ikirun/Ila Odo/Erin Ile, Kwara State Boundary Road project as well as the Oba’s palace and Old Garage Area have enjoyed a face lift under the Urban Renewal Project. Indeed, the story has since changed for good.

Still on infrastructure, in Osogbo metropolis alone, there are three international markets including the Ayegbaju International Market, the Aje International Market and the Dagbolu which have been transformed beyond the dream of the residents.

Add all these to the paradigm shift to agriculture with O-YES project boosting food security, creating jobs and wealth for the teeming youths and one cannot applaud the political sagacity of Ogbeni Aregbseola. The acclaimed State of Osun has taken its rightful place not only as the economic hub of the South West but as model to others in the country. Osun’s transformation is no longer a dream but a sweet reality in only three years! Surely, he deserves another term to continue the good works he has started.

January 8, 2014
‘Oyegun Committee may not visit Kwara’

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Reconciliation Committee may not visit the Kwara State chapter for now, its chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, has said.

The former Edo State governor told our correspondent on phone that the committee was busy with similar assignment in Sokoto and Kano states.

“We have no plan to visit Kwara State now. It is not yet part of our plans. The problem in Kwara can be solved locally. We have been talking to our people in Kwara”, he said.

There have been anxiety in the Kwara APC, not among the party followers, but among some party leaders, who are facing political adjustment difficulties. While prominent leaders, including the National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Layiwola Mohammed, have been working with the defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the camp of the former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) governorship candidate, Mr. Dele Belgore (SAN), is still lukewarm.

However, many APC politicians have resolved to work for peace and unity, noting that this is the first time that the progressives will have the opportunity to be in power in the Northcentral state.

Oyegun said that the crisis of confidence in Kwara APC will soon fizzle out, urging the chieftains to embrace and work in harmony.

He added: “We have no problem in Kwara as such. The leaders are in touch with the chapter. We don’t have plan yet to visit the chapter. The challenge is not what our people in Kwara cannot solve. We have much to do in Kano and Sokoto. That is the situation for now”.

January 8, 2014
APC’s burden of reconciliation in Kwara

The recent defection of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains to the progressive camp has imposed new challenges of reconciliation in the Kwara State All Progressives Congress (APC). Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the task before the harmonisation and reconciliation committees in the state.

The crowd at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Secretariat, Ilorin, capital of Kwara State, was huge on that historic day. Something strange was about to happen. Some party stalwarts turned up with brooms, the symbol of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and they were not molested. For many party members, it was a moment of suspense.

But, the cloud of anxiety fizzled out when the leader, Senator Bukola Saraki, arrived at the venue. Accompanied by the governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, members of the State Executive Council, many lawmakers and other party officers, the former governor broke the news. “We have resolved to join the APC,” he told the gathering. There was wild jubilation. Party chieftains danced to talking drums. Although there were dissenting voices among the few PDP ‘federal politicians’, who objected to the defection, it was evident that the PDP had suddenly become a ghost of itself in Kwara State. The ruling party instantly became a struggling opposition platform facing the prospects of extinction.

But there are some hurdles for the APC to cross, despite the enlargement of its coast. The defection has polarised the chapter. The sudden re-alignment of the progressive and conservative blocs jolted many out of the delusion that Saraki could seek refuge in a party that is fundamentally opposed to his political ideas and the orientation of his illustrious father, the late Second Republic Senate Leader, Dr. Olusola Saraki. While the APC chieftains from Kwara, including the Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, exuded happiness, the camp of the former governorship candidate, Mr. Dele Belgore (SAN), has demonstrated caution.

Whenever the APC reconciliation train rolls into Kwara, the old APC members and the defectors will have the opportunity to articulate their concerns and ventilate their grievances before the peace committee led by former Edo State Governor John Odiegie-Oyegun. The committee is busy with a similar task in Kano and Sokoto states.

Party leaders, who expressed delight at the realignment, agreed that a sort of political adjustment was required on the part of the foes-turned allies. “Both have to accept the reality of compulsory cohabitation for political growth and survival, and the compelling need for the management of the achievement,” said the Southwest APC leader, Otunba Niyi Adebayo.

The challenge of adaptation, observers point out, relates to the non-negotiable fact that the leadership of the APC may shift from Belgore to Saraki/Ahmed clan, judging by the numerical strength of the defectors to the party. The old and new chieftains must see themselves as members of a family, forgive and forget the past. A PDP defector, Hon. Bolarinwa Bashir, said that, for old and the new members, the Kwara APC is now a joint enterprise, adding that the task before the harmonisation committee is to approach its work with diligence and patriotism.

For true progressives, it is a new dawn in the Northcentral state. From the days of the foremost leader, the late Chief Sunday Olawoyin, and his compatriots, Alhaji Sule Maito and Chief Bello Ijumu, the progressives have never attained power in the old Kwara axis. They have only operated from the sidelines of power as opposition arrow heads. In a state where politics has been shaped by ethnicity, religion and poverty, the Saraki political dynasty has been a great factor. Although a handful of people in Ilorin, the capital, and majority of the Igbonna and Ebolo ethnic nationalities have always followed the footpaths of Awolowo in politics, their combined efforts have not reduced the growing influence of the strongman, the late Waziri Saraki, since the Second Republic.

To analysts, the crisis of confidence between the two antagonistic camps in Kwara is not beyond expectation. It is similar to the crisis brewing in Sokoto State between the old and new APC members, led by former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and Governor Aliyu Wamakko. It is the same trend in Kano State, where the forces loyal to former Governor Ibrahim Shekarau and Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso are at war. But, the point of departure is that, while Wamakko and Kwankwaso are governors, Belgore is a former governorship candidate.

In Kwara, although Saraki and Belgore have aristocrat backgrounds, they have operated from opposite political camps. Saraki and Belgore were political foes in 2011 during the governorship election. The governor, who had emerged as the undisputed leader of the PDP family, even when his father was still alive, worked for the victory of Ahmed during the governorship contest. It was a bitter contest between Ahmed and Belgore. When the electoral commission declared Ahmed as the governor, Belgore said the poll was rigged.

The acrimonious relationship continued between Belgore’s men and the PDP in the post-election period. The former Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) flag bearer became the opposition leader in Kwara. He challenged every action and step taken by the governor, saying that they were not in the public interest. During the recent local government polls, Belgore and Saraki’s men clashed. Although the ACN claimed that it won the Ofa Council chairmanship, the state electoral agency declared the PDP candidate as the winner. Hell was let loose. But, the PDP chairman assumed office.

The dust generated by the controversial council poll had not settled when the news that PDP chieftains were on their way to the APC was broken. The APC interim chairman, Rev. Bunmi Olusona, complained that, during the negotiation with the PDP defectors in Kwara, the chapter was not consulted. Party sources said that this was debatable because many of the negotiations and consultations between the APC and the new PDP were done in a hurry. But, Olusona also rekindled the old rivalry, saying that Saraki, who “oppressed“ the opposition as the governor, has now become the leader of the larger APC family. He also alleged that Ahmed has not lived up to expectation, but he did not tender proofs.

“The struggle of the progressives in Kwara all these years has been about the liberation of our people from the clique that sees Kwara as a fief and its people some sorts of serfs to be exploited. The dream of winning this struggle is about to be killed through the handover of the APC structure to Bukola Saraki, who is the face of this oppression,” said the interim chairman.

But, a Kwara politician said at the weekend: “There is no permanent enemy in politics, but permanent interest. Even, Pa Olawoyin and Oloye Saraki embraced politically in the Third Republic.”

Olusona also took an exception to the alleged remarks of his former counterpart, Ishola Balogun-Fulani of the PDP, who has now defected to the APC, that the APC had no structure before the defection. “This statement has created so much disenchantment,” he fumed. Despite Balogun-Fulani’s denial of the statement, Olusona is still combative as he holds on to the allegation. He made references to the 2011 governorship results to show that the ACN was a party to reckon with. Olusona recalled that while PDP scored 252,803 votes, the ACN had 154,434, adding that, if today another election is conducted, the APC will defeat the PDP.

According to sources, the pre-defection APC leaders are gripped by the fear of the future. “The number of defectors has overwhelmed the old members. During the party membership registration, the defectors will have an upper hand and they may be in a position to elect party chairmen and other officers at the ward, local government and state levels”, said an APC chieftain from Ilorin.

Belgore’s followers also fear that, in 2015, Saraki’s group may insist on producing the governorship candidate for the election. The fear is accentuated by the fact that the senatorial seat in Kwara Central may also not be vacant as Saraki is interested in keeping it. Saraki and Belgore are from the same senatorial district. Thus, in the senatorial contest, Belgore has a slim chance. Olusona maintained that the old APC will not accept Saraki’s leadership. Many APC members have dissociated themselves from this remark.

A party stalwart, who craved for anonymity, cautioned against making inflammatory statements about the defection, instead of applauding the efforts of the interim APC leaders, who have worked tirelessly for the realignment of forces nationwide. He appealed to the aggrieved APC members for understanding. He urged the old and new members to work together in harmony for progress. The chieftain clarified that the majority of the APC members in Kwara are happy about the defection. He described it as part of the strategic processes that will lead to the attainment of federal power by the APC in 2015.

“We need to make sacrifices. Our national leaders are making sacrifices. We need to make sacrifices too at the state level. Three parties fused to become the APC in Kwara ACN, ANPP and CPC. The old ACN does not make up the APC. Therefore, we should not create division. We know try to make sure that we use this opportunity of defection to soar to progress,” he added.

Following the defection of the New PDP, the APC Interim Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, promised a level playing field for all, saying that the APC will be a party of equal founders and joiners. Echoing him, Adebayo said: “Nobody will oppress anybody in the APC. The party will be in control of the party machinery. There is the party constitution and the leadership will emerge by the will of the people.”

When contacted on the phone, Odigie-Oyegun expressed optimism that all is well in Kwara APC. He said the priority of his committee is the reconciliation of party chieftains in Sokoto and Kano states. He however, said that he is in touch with the Kwara APC leaders. “We have the belief that that challenge can be solved locally in Kwara,” he added.

January 7, 2014
Governorship aspirant unfolds plans

Former High Commissioner to Canada and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State Ambassador Dare Bejide has said that his administration will focus on youth development, if elected as the governor.

He called for a vibrant youth policy, urging the government to meet the needs of the vital segment of the population because of its volatility and vulnerability.

Bejide said: “We, as a nation, need a robust and meaningful youth policy that should be a strategic anchor of sustainable agenda for transformation.”

The PDP chieftain spoke in Ado Ekiti, the state capital, where the PDP National Youth Vanguard performed his investiture as its patron.

Noting that the youths constitute about 65 per cent of the population, he said that “this calls for constant re-thinking, re-assessment of priorities, adequate financial resources and effective implementation of policies.”

Bejide lamented that youths have resorted to crime and other social vices, owing to unemployment.

He lauded the intervention programmes of President Goodluck Jonathan for the youths, including the Youth Empowerment Programme, Youth Enterprise with Innovation in Nigeria and SURE-P, adding that they have reduced unemployment.

The politician charged the youths to “act as agents of change, instead of waiting for the government to do everything for them”. He also urged the PDP National Youth Vanguard to rise to the task of “sensitising the youth to their roles and responsibilities in society.”

The National President of the group, Hon. Beke Apere, said that Bejide was honoured because of his credentials and antecedents as a prominent and dedicated leader of the PDP.

The Southwest Coordinator, Hon Dele Dumiye, and Ekiti State Coordinator, Ambassador Gbenga Olofin, described the aspirant as a mobiliser and rallying point for the PDP in Ekiti State.

January 7, 2014
Kaduna: Can PDP survive APC offensive?

Worried by the recent mass defection of members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, Vice President Namadi Sambo is leading a PDP counter charge, reports TONY AKOWE, KADUNA

There appears to be a hurricane sweeping through the political landscape in Kaduna State and through the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and unless stakeholders in the party move fast, there are clear indications that it might lose power in the 2015 general elections. Ahead of the 2011 elections, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) gave the PDP a big scare. But the party had to rely on religious sentiments to win the governorship election. After the scare caused by the CPC, the former governor, the late Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, moved to build bridges across political divide in the state, winning the confidence of opposition parties in the state. The death of Yakowa left a vacuum, truncating the peace initiatives targeted at aggrieved members of the party in the state. The Nation was informed that several members of the party are feeling left out in the scheme of things in the party across the state.

The emergence of the Abubakar Baraje-led new PDP further compounded the problems in Kaduna State as it provided the aggrieved members opportunity to express themselves. But rather than call them for dialogue, the leadership of the PDP in the state called the aggrieved members names, apparently under-estimating the calibre of people that constituted themselves into the new PDP in the state.

Former National Legal Adviser of the party and a former Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mark Jacob, lamented that an otherwise tiny misunderstanding has been allowed to grow into a huge ball of fire that has the capacity of rubbishing every structure of the party, pointing out that unless things change for good in the party, there will be a political disaster if it goes into any election now.

While expressing concern over the current state of affairs in the party, Jacob said it was unfortunate that those saddled with the responsibility of guiding the party through troubled times do not care that the boat is threatened. Jacob said “in the face of unfolding political events in Kaduna State, it is indeed worrisome that once again, persons shouldered with the responsibility of guiding the PDP boat through troubled times do not seem to care that the boat is threatened by critical weather conditions or are still enmeshed in the euphoria, size and magnitude of the office they occupy.

Otherwise, how does one explain the rascal docility, loud silence and inaction of these major players in the PDP to the serious events that occurred in the last 10 days. It is an accepted fact that conflicts abound in all human associations thus the challenges in the Kaduna State PDP are not an exception, however what is baffling is that an otherwise tiny misunderstanding has been allowed to grow into a configuration that has the capacity of rubbishing every structure of the party.

The officials of the PDP in Kaduna State must be held accountable or responsible for any collateral damage that befalls the party if all caution is again thrown to the wind and genuine issues of concern raised by party members and political observers are again ignored or labelled as “attention seekers”. Available data garnered from on the spot analysis reveal that the PDP is at its lowest rating since 1999 and unless things change, there will be a political disaster if we go into any election now”.

He said further that “all in the political and PDP leadership of our state that the current challenges are surmountable. However, there must be a change in the style of leadership being provided. The traditional stronghold of the PDP, which is Southern Kaduna, is gradually, but surely slipping away from the PDP; thanks to the shoddy, unintelligent conduct of the party leadership both at the state and zonal levels in the last few years. Of course, instead of listening to advice, they engage in childish gossips, name calling and persecution of anyone who speaks up, just as the trend is glaring in both Northern and Central Kaduna zones. The entire state is pregnant with feverish anger against the current administration in the state and as well our party. When you meet politicians, they complain of exclusion, you meet businessmen, they complain of non patronage and overconcentration of business opportunities in the hands of a few favored fronts of those in government, you meet the youths, they complain of failure to empower. This trend must be arrested if we want to sustain the fortunes of the party in the state. It is imperative that party stalwarts reconsider hard-line positions in view of the sensitivity attached to our state, as political capital and nerve center of Northern Nigeria. This, we must guard jealously and use as a source of strength, integration, peaceful coexistence and development. However, this we cannot, as a state, boast of if we are unable to effectively manage simple political discontent within our state and showcase very high political/administrative capacity. Finally, I restate my belief that the current challenges are surmountable, but this will require that the leadership of the party and those in government facilitates genuine reconciliation on the premise of justice, equality and equity. The style has been to dismiss and insult those who make suggestions, I hope the recent ugly trend of events have thought us good lessons”.

The decamping of Audi Yaro Makama, two time chairman of the PDP in the state, along with many other stakeholders to the All Progressive Congress (APC) has further left the PDP vulnerable in the state. Even though PDP officials in the state have failed to admit the fact that the exit of Makama and other loyalists of former governor, now Senator, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi to the APC is a threat to the continued dominance of Kaduna politics by the party, there are clear indications that the party is threatened by the exit of these politicians and many more who are billed to follow in the days to come. The Nation gathered that apart from the Makarfi loyalists that have left the party, loyalists of the immediate past governor, late Patrick Ibrahim Yakowa, may follow suit having been made irrelevant in the scheme of things in the party and in governance in the state. It was gathered that the APC is currently in discussion with leaders of the Yakowa loyalists with a view to attracting them to the party. Ismaila Abdullahi Yakawada, who is believed to have a wide acceptance across southern Kaduna is one of those being attracted by the APC. Also, a former governorship aspirant of the party and former Commissioner for Finance in the state, Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi, who is believed to be one of the best grassroots mobilisers in the state, is also believed to be going round villages in the northern part of the state, mobilising PDP members to join the APC, since in his words, “the PDP has failed to carry them along.” Hunkuyi has consistently have problems with Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, since his time as governor in the state. Even though both Hunkuyi and Sambo camps have failed to comment on this since then, Sambo was said to have awarded Hunkuyi a contract as governor and refused to pay him the money. The contract sum was reportedly paid by late Yakowa.

Also, a letter making the round in the state suggests that the present government is out to implement an agenda carefully prepared. In a letter dated March 6, 2013 and addressed to the governor, one Mallam Zubairu Sani, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Albarka Consult, drew up the agenda which many believed is currently being implemented by the government. The letter reads “In reference to government house memo KDGH/CONF/008/13, find attached, my submission on the ways forward in charting a new political course for Kaduna State and the game plan to overcome the zone 3 challenge”. It suggests the “immediate change of the leadership of the state House of Assembly. For the Speakership position, another member from Giwa Constituency should replace the present speaker. This is to counter the threat and influence of the Yakawada camp. Reshuffle the cabinet in disguise as a ploy to make the commissioners relax, then fire them within one to three months in the new positions, when they would have had a false sense of satisfaction that they would not be dissolved and make them open up on the activities of their ministries. This is to get rid of the Yakowa loyalists, especially from zone 3. For political exigency, the PPS, Aliyu Samaila, should be reassigned as was done to the Timothy Gandu. Not quite long after you swear in the new commissioners, sack all, remaining Yakowa appointees…”

Investigations revealed that this plan may have been implemented by the government to its exact specification with the exemption of sacking the remaining Yakowa appointees who are Special Advisers. The near correct nature of the actions of Governor Yero since June 2013 in relation to the proposal has further widened the gulf within the PDP in the state.

Audi Yaro Makama, who was always regarded as the Chairman of Chairmen, when he led the party in the state, recently led 70 others to join the APC, saying they decided to abandon the party they worked hard to build in the state because of the injustice currently existing in the party. Makama believe that their exit from the PDP is part of the political revolution that is happening in this country, saying “the injustice in PDP is one reason why we left the party for the APC. As you can see, most of the people here are PDP members who have played a greater role in its development in Kaduna State. We cannot remain in a party that cannot provide infrastructure for people of the state. This is why we want those in PDP to know that we hardly join a party that we know will not deliver. So, by 2015, APC will win elections in Kaduna”. However, former governor, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, who is the arrow head of the Makama group, is still a member of the PDP, but it remain to be seen how long he will hold back since almost all is henchmen have dumped the PDP. One of his aides told The Nation that “presently, Makarfi is out of the country. He has been informed of the decision of his men to dump the PDP, but he remains a member of the party for now. We don’t know what his move will be when he returns, but definitely, he will be alone in the party now. But the PDP is also aware that if Makarfi leaves, it will affect its fortunes in the state greatly because his supporters at the grassroots will follow suit and as you know, he has a wide followers across the state because he has remained in touch with them even after leaving office as governor”.

But the leadership of the party in the state dismissed the action of the decampees, describing them as attention seekers. The party’s Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Mansur, said the defectors have long ceased to be members of the party even before they announced their defection, describing their exit as good riddance to bad rubbish. Mansur said “it has come to our knowledge that some disgruntled politicians are claiming to have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The Kaduna State PDP wishes to inform the general public that the so-called individuals and their co-pilots have ceased to be members of the PDP for a very long time ago. In short, it is a good riddance to bad rubbish, these politicians have stopped participating in PDP activities and programmes a long time ago. As such, their so-called defection is only a charade intended to deceive the general public for cheap political point. We are calling on our teaming supporters to remain calm and focused and not to be deterred by the so-called defection, as their defection is not and will never be a threat to PDP”, the statement reiterated.

The dwindling fortune of the party in the state is no doubt of concern to Governor Mukthar Ramalan Yero and Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo, who had to spend his Christmas holiday in Kaduna holding consultations with stakeholders on how to stop the party from collapsing in the state. Sambo and the governor held series of meetings with various interest groups in the state and it was gathered that more of such meetings are still lined up in view of the fact that it will be politically suicidal for the Vice President for the party to lose Kaduna State to the opposition party. However, while Sambo was holding consultation meetings, there were further reports that 1,200 members of the PDP in his (Sambo) local government area had joined the APC, a report which PDP promptly denied, insisting it was aimed at embarrassing the Vice President.

Abdullahi Babawo said at a news conference in Kaduna that they were taken aback about the news of such defection and challenged officials of APC to produce the membership cards of those PDP members who have joined them. Babawo said, “our attention has been drawn to publications by APC that some of our members have decamped to their party from PDP and to portray the APC as having gained an upper hand within the Kaduna North Local Government Area”. While insisting that those who manufactured the report wanted to score cheap political point against him, he said “I have met with all my ward chairmen and it was a malicious fabrication deliberately executed to coincide with the visit of the Vice President to the state and to diminish whatever he came to do. I assure the public that APC has no strong footing within the local government and we are going to show that we are the party to beat”.

The Nation also gathered that at the moment, there is a lot of dissatisfaction among strong members of the party from Southern Kaduna that has remained the strong hold of the party since 1999. Party leaders in the area have been complaining of being left out of the scheme of things in the state. The umbrella body of the southern Kaduna people had in a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan complained that despite giving the party majority of the votes that brought the government to power, they have been given the least patronage in terms of appointments and projects by the government. Sources however said that the people of southern Kaduna may opt for the APC, especially if the party gives them the governorship ticket.

Also, the appointment of the next minister from the state may go a long way to determine their next move. Already, some have said that the Special Adviser to the Vice President on Special Duties, Isaiah Balat, is being considered for a ministerial job. Others believe that since Balat is already an Adviser in the presidency, another southern candidate, preferably a woman, should be appointed as a minister from the area. But there are those who believe that there are plans to ensure that the ministerial slot does not go to southern Kaduna. This may further expose the party to dangers especially in the southern part of the state.

So, as the political theatre becomes hotter, Sambo is personally leading the counter force to halt the hurricane. How far he can go before the 2015 elections remains to be seen.

January 5, 2014
Let’s stop ignoring grievances in Nigeria

Professor Bolaji Akinyemi, former Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) and former Minister of Foreign Affairs is one of the nation’s leading political thinkers. He recently served as a member of the presidential committee on amnesty for Boko Haram. A few days before his 73rd birthday he sat down with selected journalists to share his thoughts on the committee’s work and recent political developments in the country. FESTUS ERIYE was there.

How do you see the APC developing?

I have often said and I have been on record for saying so that a two-party system is a positive development for nation building to overcome all our nativistic cleavages. It is one of the legacies of IBB that was jettisoned ill-advisably. I welcome it. I must also say I think people who are talking about the lack of ideological orientation in the PDP or the APC completely miss the point in that political parties are there to win elections and they will configure themselves in such a way as to maximize their electoral support. You look at the Democratic and Republican parties in the United States, there is always a mixture. The southern element, for example, in the Republican Party in the United States have nothing in common with those in Montana and those from Massachusetts; the same thing with the Democratic Party. We should start to give up this missionary concept with which we judge our politics, whether domestic politics or foreign. It must be so pure that you would think we are electing a Pope. With the Snowden and Wikileaks now, we all know that those who mount the pulpit at the UN or wherever and preach pure values, their agencies are busy doing the filthiest things possible against even some of their own major allies. It doesn’t bother me. It is a welcome development and then of course we must not forget that the Labour Party is coming up. So, if you don’t like the PDP or the APC, the Labour Party is there for you. Remember in the United Kingdom, you have the Labour Party, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats. The Labour Party in Nigeria will always be for those of us who want to vote our conscience. The Labour Party may never win an election in the Presidency, but they will make you feel good that you still voted but not for either of those two characters.

We’ve heard a lot of criticisms about APC poaching in the PDP waters…

In what other waters would they poach?

Is that the same way you see the APC attempt to woo Obasanjo and Tinubu describing him as navigator and asking him to come and navigate for them?

Politicians will do anything to get into power. I’m not surprised and I’m not going to lose any sleep over what any politician says or does in order to win over people. I’m not saying I support what they do. I’m just saying I’m not going to lose any sleep because it just doesn’t surprise me. I have experienced a situation where you have a meeting that breaks up at 11pm and you have reached certain decisions about to do and some of the people who were at the meeting, leaving your house, have gone on to another meeting of the other side. And in the morning you remind them, ‘don’t forget our decision’ and they reply, ahh… Things have changed. There are different colours… What different colours? I had gone to sleep believing decisions have been reached. So, I won’t lose any sleep and won’t be surprised.

Could we then be talking about the death of ideology?

Ideology, in this country, died a long time ago. It’s just that things that we got from the Western or the Eastern countries, long after they are dead, are still wagging their tails. There are people still preaching Marxism in Nigeria. Some people still believe in Marxism and other kinds of things. Ideology in terms of inflexible beliefs is long gone – except if you are talking about North Korea. But that’s a one-party system. It doesn’t matter what they believe in. They are there. The death of ideology is long celebrated.

From your observation of what is going on, do you think this is a major shift in the balance of power in Nigeria or just a cosmetic game that after a while will settle down to the same old fashion? Are we seeing a major shift?

I don’t really know. And that’s the honest truth. I am old enough to have witnessed alliances between political parties always on the eve of elections or at times, after the elections. It happened in 1959, on the eve of our independence at the Action group. Half of the Action Group was negotiating with Zik. The Akintola wing were sending messages to the NPC, which the Sarduana saw as duplicity and so it ended up with the NCNC. Then UPGA was also an attempt at shaking hands across the Niger. Then in 1979 between UPN and NPP, they were again negotiating, while the NPP was also negotiating with the NPN. So, I am old enough to have gone through and seen that all those alliances falter on two platforms. Disagreement over who runs for what office or if it’s after elections, who issues the best offer for post.

So, that is why I said that I don’t know how fundamental this is. Because it then takes us back to the question I addressed earlier on about ideological posturing. If a party is not founded on a firm set of beliefs, that it is just to get rid of the ruling power, if you don’t succeed electorally, you are going to break up. If the issue then starts about who runs for governor, president and so on, because also politics is about power and the power could be power within the party or power over the country.

But if you have fixed ideological postures, then the people you will invite to join you must be people who have the same ideological beliefs, who see things the way you see them. That is most likely to hold together. But in a multi ethnic, multi religious country like Nigeria, you’ve got to broaden your base.

Does it mean that if APC does not get power at the centre in 2015 that coalition will not survive?

Yes, but I will even modify that by saying let us watch out for when candidates start being adopted because this is Nigeria. I am a political scientist. Let us be practical. I have seen and you have seen, in the past how many years, a man is not adopted today to be a candidate for governor, tomorrow he moves to another party. Now, then what was his belief in the party he is leaving and then after some time he comes back. We have even had it at the presidential level, so many of them. Do you really believe that this will change within one year, that all of a sudden, people will now embrace the values that there is nothing wrong in being in the opposition? Even the way we run the National Assembly… I am quite surprised that we really haven’t had people do an analysis of that. Nigeria is the only country that I know where, without forming an alliance, members of the minority party are made chairmen or deputy chairmen of House and Senate committees. I’ve never heard of it in my life. How can you claim that you are in opposition and yet you are the chairman of a House committee ruled by another party? Whereas technically, they can say no, we are in opposition. We accept we are in opposition and we will fight the battle of opposition. But when in fact you have already be sucked into what I call status politics. I am chairman of this committee and chairman of that committee. How can you then say you are running a viable opposition?

You have applauded what looks like an emerging two-party system. But if you look at the current configuration would you say it poses a potent threat to the PDP in 2015? The same way you would look at that time that the military thought NRC was going to beat the SDP but they were wrong…

That means Nigerian politics makes a fool of all of us who dare prophesy! Well, I must agree with you that the configurations show that nothing must be taken for granted whether by the ruling party or the APC coming up. That’s good for our country. Politicians are likely to be more respectful of the citizens, of the people when they actually have to fight for their victory. I think that is good for us. When nothing can be taken for granted, that is good for us. We do need the politics of citizen control, the politics of citizen respect, politics of citizen appreciation – where things center around the interest of the citizens. Whether vote is really going to count, we need that and not ‘What the heck… E dibo fun wa, e o dibo a ti wole.’ (Whether you vote for us or not we have won).

You served on this Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenge in the North and the report is ready. Things are fairly better now, but do you think the worst is over?

No. I don’t think the worst is over.

Things are a bit better?

Oh yes.

To what extent did your committee play some strategic roles in creating the kind of situation we have right now?

I would rather put it this way, that the carrot and stick by the president is something that needed to be applauded. I would rather actually give more appreciation to the military intervention. I think that the symbolic value of the presidential dialogue committee was that it showed the preparedness by the federal government to negotiate if the other party is willing to negotiate. It was a diplomatic gesture. Right now, the President of the Southern Sudan and his former Vice agreed to go to Ethiopia to talk, even though the official army of the Southern Sudanese is actually giving the rebels a bloody nose. It’s like if you want to talk, I am ready to talk. But if you want to fight, I am ready to continue fighting.

A government should never be afraid to negotiate. But like Kennedy said, it should never negotiate out of fear. At the time we were set up, the Boko Haram had already overrun most of Borno and Yobe states. There were some people who were beginning to feel that our committee was set up as a kind of appeasement. Some people felt that way and said so. Therefore, it was necessary for the President to let these people know that I can use the military just as well. I think that things are better now. I would give the appreciation to the military intervention. The reason I said no to the president is because we tend in this country, it is either yes or no, people now think that because things have gotten better, maybe the Boko Haram is finished. But the Boko Haram has become an affiliate of an international movement that is not finished. If the major tree trunk is not finished, how can you say that the branch is finished? I just don’t want Nigerians to relapse into a state of complacency, where they will later turn around tomorrow and say, we thought this thing was finished. No.

Number two, the factors that led to the emergence of Boko Haram are still there: Massive youth unemployment, disillusionment with the system, loss of values, loss of faith in the judicial system. These issues were raised with us by the Boko Haram members we spoke to. These were their grievances. They are all still there. You must address the issues of massive youth unemployment. It is a time bomb. You must address the issue of caring for the widows, the fatherless, orphans. You must address those issues. You must curb corruption. This people can see. Even the blind who stumbles into a pothole on a road that was constructed three months ago knows why. He walks confidently because the road is only three months old but, all of a sudden, he falls into a pothole. He then knows why that pothole was there. We must address all these issues. They are beyond partisan politics. That is why I said Boko Haram would continue. Boko Haram will continue to afflict us. In any case, mention to me one country in the world where you had religious-based insurgency and it has been defeated.

The leadership of Boko Haram has never come out to say that they are fighting for economic emancipation. It has always been religion-based. How do you begin to negotiate with people whose demands are not negotiable? The want install theocracy in the North. And then the people your committee was meeting were the hired hands. There was no evidence that you met with the members that mattered. If you really met with the leadership, perhaps you would have seen something more substantial.

My reaction to your point is, look at where the demand for negotiation was coming from – the northern elite, the Sultan and Western countries like The United States and Britain. What do you lose by saying ‘Fine. I’m ready to negotiate.’ You’re right, the pressure didn’t come from Boko Haram members. But it came from prominent and eminent Nigerians. What do you lose by saying, alright, I am ready to negotiate. If I should turn the question around, what do you gain by saying, ‘I am not ready to negotiate.’ Then they turn around and say it is because you are refusing…

Cuts in… No, my point is, if people are saying negotiate, then the government should have had discussion with these northern elite and asked them to provide credible people to negotiate with. Your committee met with some prisoners. We still have Shekau in the bush somewhere slaughtering people.

Then, what did we lose by setting up that committee and saying we are prepared to negotiate. What did we lose?

Frankly, I thought the government was just embarking on a wild goose chase.

We didn’t lose. A government must always…In fact, this is classic management technique. You want us to talk, I am ready to talk. And then you fold your hands. You didn’t lose anything. Yes, you have allocated manpower resources for this, but then, that’s part of management. You have lost nothing. It would be different if the president had taken the position that because I have set up this committee, I will order the military to stop action and then, Boko Haram had continued to gain ground. Then you will have a point. On the other hand, rather than have to confront a situation where the president will be accused of showing lack of respect for the northern elite, showing insensitivity to the people who are actually suffering and who have come up with a solution package… and also, the Americans and the British saying you are just using iron fist which was not working, according to them. The president said okay ‘here’s a committee headed by a minister in my government. He gained because he was prepared to negotiate.

Apart from those prisoners, we did meet important leaders of the sect, not Shekau. Last week, somebody still came up to say he was Shekau. The CIA confirmed that those tapes are fake. I have come to the conclusion that actually what Boko Haram has decided to do is that every leader of the sect would be called Shekau. There was another spokesperson for Boko Haram that they kept using his name. There is no way to find out the real fact. Except if you conduct DNA testing and even at that, do you know who Shekau’s father was, because you have to get a relative of his? What happened with Boko Haram is that they have been trained by the Al-Qaeda international network.

It is not true that it was just the foot soldiers that we met. Even with the foot soldiers, meeting them served a very good purpose. For the first time in my life, I met Nigerians who could not be bribed. Money was nothing to them. Just as they were prepared to kill, killing them also was nothing to them because they believed in a cause. So, it was that cause that you needed to attack. And that was where some eminent Sheiks who were on our panel took them on based on the issues of the Quran. At the end, those Sheiks were able to persuade them that the interpretation by Yusuf and Shekau of the Quran was wrong. That was why they were able to go on tape and they did. And the advantage of it was that when this tape was then played, there were other foot soldiers who then said, ‘Wait a minute…if our commanders are saying this…all these efforts were to make them understand that their cause and their interpretation of the Quran given to them by Shekau was faulty.

They were not offered anything, nothing. Not even their freedom. As far as I know, they are still in the prisons. There are some of them who didn’t give us the time of day. You could tell from their body language. But there were others who listened, who were persuaded and were convinced.

Believe me, dealing with Boko Haram has alerted me, and this is the message I would like to give to Nigerians. Usually, we think every man has his prize. ‘Don’t worry; how much?’ But I met a group that couldn’t be bought and they may not be the only group. They may not be the only group. If you push people to the wall, whether in the Niger-Delta or in any part of Nigeria, you may never know when they may cross that boundary. And then you know you really have trouble on your hands. Up till now, we always believed that money could solve all the problems; throw money at them. But these ones couldn’t be bought. There was a guy… when he was arrested, his wife was pregnant and he had a little baby and they were separated. He was imprisoned somewhere. The wife and the kid were in another prison. He was aware of where they were. So it was like, look, cooperate with us, and incidentally, your wife had a baby boy. He said he knew. Don’t think because you separated them he didn’t know. Of course, prison is porous. Then we said to him, don’t you want to go and visit your wife and new baby? But he said, ‘What for?’ He said where he is, that’s the way Allah wants it and where his wife and baby are, that’s the way Allah wants them to be. It is a struggle that does not allow for family sensitivity. That one, are you now going to say we’ll give you money…So, that is a lesson that was imprinted on my own mind, which I would like Nigerians to pay serious attention to. Let us stop doing things as business as usual. Things are not business as usual in this country. There are the aggrieved and you are right that in the case of these people, they found a religion on which to hook on their grievance. There may be other groups. It could be ideology that they would hook their grievances on. Let us stop ignoring grievances.

What would you say the committee achieved? From what you said earlier, it’s like you more or less canvassed compensation for victims of Boko Haram. And I know the president had said there wouldn’t be compensation. Did the committee recommend that? Is the committee in disagreement with the president on that?

No, we didn’t canvass compensation. We canvassed victims’ support. What’s the difference between the two? A man, a driver loses his left eye in the bombing. If he goes to court, the judge can award N2 million to N3 million compensation. We said no. Instead, look at the man. He lost one eye and can’t drive again. What does he want to do? What do we suggest to him to help him maintain his family, educate his children and put food on the table and have another life? He might decide to become a carpenter. In this case, government pays for the man to be trained to be a carpenter. You set up a workshop for him after he graduates. You give him the running capital, so that from the proceeds of that workshop, he can now maintain his family. That is victims’ support. All the money you are going to put into it may be more than N5m. You don’t even know the figure. We are not concentrating on the figure. We are concentrating on giving the man an alternative life. Take a woman who lost her husband. Maybe, she has run away from Maiduguri to settle in Opebi, Ikeja. Is it a small shop that will set up this woman who lost her husband, the breadwinner, and left to cater for the children? How much will it cost to set up a shop for her and give her running capital? That is victims’ support.

But the moment you talk about compensation, it is a legal term. Then, you have to start setting up a committee to decide how much you compensate the woman for the loss of her husband. We didn’t want to go down that road. We were reading on the same page with the president. I was the Chairman of the Victims’ Support Committee. We wrote the draft for a Victim Support Agency that would handle this matter.

Did the president accept that?

Yes, he did accept that. Now, what were the gains? The committee took a holistic look at the problems facing Nigeria that encourages insurgency all over the country. We came up with a recommendation for a Marshall Plan for the whole country – not just the North East but for the whole country. Manifestations of insurgency are kidnapping, blowing up of oil wells, armed robbery. We didn’t put a figure on it but we suggested a Marshall Plan that would rescue Nigeria. Recall that in the new budget, the president said N2 billion intervention fund for the North-East and when they complained that it was too small, the Minister of State for Finance said that was just the first tranche for this year out of the total amount. I am not privy to what the president is going to do with our report. And I am not privy to what he has decided to do, but obviously, he has accepted the concept of an intervention fund.

The other gain, as far as I am concerned, is the way we reached out to the victims. We had a meeting with the surviving victims of the Madalla bombing as well as the surviving victims of the NYSC office that was blown up. I remember one of the priests who still had shrapnel wounds and lost one of his children.

He brought another son who had metal plate…Frankly, there was no dry eye. Everybody was moved to tears. But the man said the healing has just started by the fact that the government sent you people. He said apart from the government delegation that came the day after the bombing, they had seen nobody, such that they thought they had been forgotten.

So, you have that psychological reaching out to them. And it happened to me also in Kano when I went to the hospital. There was a man on the bed who first of all told me off. He asked what I came to the hospital to do. Have I come to say sorry? Is that what he needs? I asked, did he mind if I sat on his bed. He told me to sit wherever I want to sit. I sat next to him on his bed and we just allowed him to talk. And it turned out that he lost his three children and when he removed the clothes covering him, he had tubes coming out of… I saw he had lost his vital organ. He said even if I want to start all over again, I can’t start.

After he had talked, I started calming him down. I said I’m not even going to say I’m sorry, because I didn’t do it. I told him the president sent us to let him know that he knows you exist. I spoke to him and gave him a little package. He calmed down and gave us advice on what to do for the victims. We went around the country, reaching out.

This is a remarkable difference from what used to happen in this country where no one remembers such victims. I remember when Yar’Adua became president, I called one of his aides to tell the president to write a letter to victims of a major accident that happened at that time somewhere in Delta and a lot of people died. Let us try to show that government can be a compassionate government. This is what I expect First Ladies to be doing, frankly. When there are disasters, I expect the First Lady to go to the hospital. Obviously, she can’t go to every home. This is the compassionate face of government. We did that. We showed the compassionate face of the government. To me, those are what we count as gains. Obviously, we didn’t persuade Boko Haram to give up but we came up with what I would regard as an exhaustive report on what causes insurgency. If you go to government archives, there are up to 50 of such reports that had been written. I cannot claim that to be our own success. But those two, victims’ support and proposing a Marshall Plan to actually pull Nigerians out of the gutters of misery. I would regard those as having been worth the time spent on it.

As a fallout of the work of your committee, you have said that things have improved. Maybe you have Boko Haram boxed into the corner, but you have also seen them grow in terms of their capability. Before now they didn’t have columns of pick-up vans. Now they have all that. They have more ordnance. They even attacked military bases. They never had that kind of capability. So when we say things have improved…

Cuts in… When the president asked me, I said, no. He asked me, do I think…

What I’m getting at is, how do you rate the capability of Nigerian military to deal with this problem?

I am not in a position to answer that question on the military tactics being adopted. But this has to do with the fact that I am not Minister of Defence, a service chief, not the National Security Adviser, so I don’t really know. Do we have operational drones? I know the President went to inaugurate one, but is it operational? If those drones are operational, you will be able to pick up. Although they are expensive to run, you need drones. You have to pick up the columns and before it gets there, you can send bombers after them or you set ambush for them. I, myself, have questions to ask. Let me use this opportunity to say this. There was a front page story in one of the newspapers last time. Somebody designed toys for his child. And he has designed this thing that can actually fly. I looked at that thing. Believe me, if I were the president of the country, my National Security Adviser would have gone to pick up that man. So, you’ve got brains to do this. How can we make this thing operational? First of all, what other brain waves have you got? This is how to make a breakthrough. Obviously, the guy has the technological skills. This thing flew out of his compound and crashed into another place. That is the way to develop Nigeria, not through PhD. Yes, you need PhDs, but research and development. Go back through history and see. There was this man, during the Italian Renaissance, he’s noted now more for sculpture. They came up with files of his drawings. He was able to dissect the human body that showed where muscles are. He did designs for submarines at a time nobody even heard of ships apart from wooden canoes. He designed space ships. He never went to school. The Americans spent $300 billion on their space programme. India spent $1.65 billion on their own. You want to tell me that Nigeria cannot afford $1.65billion? I am sure in one month we steal more

January 5, 2014
Presidency, PDP woo Marwa, Gunduri

Aware of the implications of the defection of its key members in five Northern states, the Presidency and the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have adopted some desperate measures to stem the tide, reports Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

These are indeed not the best of times for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

With the 2015 general elecions just some months away, both the Presidency and the leadership of the PDP have in the last couple of weeks embarked on desperate measures to mitigate the recent losses the party recorded, following the defection of five of its govenors and 37 lawmakers in the National Assembly to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Aware that some prominent members of the APC are not happy over their seeming loss of influence in states where some PDP governors recently moved to APC, The Nation gathered that the Presidency has constituted a high powered team to woo these APC members to the PDP.

In Adamawa State for instance, two prominent APC chieftains, General Buba Marwa and Mr. Marcus Gunduri, who are alleged to be unhappy over the handing over of the party’s structures in the state to Governor Murtala Nyako, are reportedly under immense presure to defect to the PDP.

The thinking in the Presidency is that if Marwa and Gunguri move to PDP, the effect of Nyako’s defection to APC would be greatly minimised. Marwa and Gunduri are no pushovers in the politics of the North-East state.

According to a source, both the Presidency and the PDP leadership are aware that the only way to salvage whatever remains of the fortunes of the party in Adamawa State is to woo Marwa and Gunduri to the party.

The source quipped, “The Presidency knows that with the combination of Nyako, Marwa and Gunduri, Adamawa State will surely be a walkover for the APC in 2015.”

In the 2011 governorship elections, both men gave Nyako a run for his money in a poll that was adjudged by many observers as one of the most keenly contested governorship elections in the country.

During the election, Marwa contested under the platform of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), while Gunduri was the candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN). Both parties, along with the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) have since merged to form APC.

Though The Nation gathered that Marwa and Gunduri have so far spurned entreaties from the PDP, some of their supporters are allegedly asking them to consider the PDP offers. The supporters’ argument, according to a source, is that Nyako is not likely to adopt the spirit of ‘give and take’ in the control of APC structures in Adamawa State.

What has further boosted the confidence of PDP leaders that Marwa and Gunduri may move to the party is not unconnected to the absence of the two APC chieftains at a recent meeting convened by Nyako at the Government House in Yola.

The meeting was at the instance of the national leadership of APC, which recently mandated Nyako to harmonise his differences with Marwa and Gunduri. Both men gave no reason for their absence from the parley.

The situation in Sokoto State where the governor, Aliyu Wammako also defected to APC is also similar to Adamawa’s.

Sources revealed that the Presidency has desperately tried to convince some PDP stakeholders not to move with Wammako to APC. One of such people is Wammako’s deputy, Muktar Shagari, who a few days ago visited the Vice President, Namadi Sambo in Kaduna.

During the visit, Shagari reportedly assured the VP that Wammako’s defection to the major opposition party will not affect the PDP’s control of the state in the next election.

Until now, Wammako and Shagari were believed to be close, which explains why the latter’s latest action came as a shock to many political observers.

According to a source, Shagari’s political moves of recent formed the major part of the discussion between Wammako and former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in Abeokuta a few days ago.

The Nation gathered that Wammako had sought Obasanjo’s intervention in appealing to Shagari, who is known to be his political godson.

Obasanjo, it was, who brought the two men together in 2007. The former President was alleged to had asked Shagari, his former Minister for Water Resources, to step down as the PDP governorship candidate for Wammako, who had just defected from the ANPP, following his parting of ways with the then governor, Attaihiru Bafarawa. Shagari not only relinquished the governorship ticket, he also agreed to be Wammako’s running mate.

As compensation for his decision to remain in PDP, The Presidency, according to a source, has allegedly promised Shagari the party’s 2015 governorship ticket. One other option being considered by the Presidency is to lobby Wammako’s predeccessor, Bafarawa, an APC chieftain, who is alleged not to be happy that the APC structures in Sokoto State would be controlled by Wammako, his reported political foe.

In the case of Kano State, no effort is being spared by the PDP leadeship to mitigate the effect of Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s defection to APC.

The ruling party is also allegedly banking on the complaints by some APC stakeholders, led by former governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, to maintain the party structures in the state.

Presently,there is a battle for supremacy between Kwankwaso and Shekarau over the control of APC structures in the North-West state.

While Shekarau’s camp argue that the former governor, being a founding member and a former presidential candidate should be recognised as the APC leader in the state, supporters of the incumbent governor think otherwise.

According to them, Kwankwaso, based on current political realities in the state, stands head and shoulders above Shekarau and should be accorded that status in APC.

With this battle for supremacy yet to be resolved, sources revealed that the PDP has sent emissaries to Shekarau to consider defecting to the APC with the promise of being made the leader of the party in the state.

The Nation however gathered that Shekarau bluntly told some PDP leaders who recently visited him that he has no intention of leaving APC, because of what he described as “my disdain for anything PDP.”

But the Presidency and PDP leaders are still not giving up on persuading Shekarau whom they consider a big fish capable of serving as a counter-poise against Kwankwaso.

Beside Shekarau, the Presidency is also banking on the support of Mohammed Abacha, the eldest surviving son of late dicatator, Gen. Sani Abacha, to shore up the PDP’s support base in Kano State.

In the last few months, the younger Abacha has been quite visible in the state. Recently, he was part of a PDP delegation that accompanied the Minister of State for Works, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda, who was in the state to inspect some Federal Government projects.

But it remains to be seen if these desperate measures are enough to reverse the dwindling fortunes of the ruling party in these core northern states.

January 5, 2014
Twists in Taraba handover deals

In Taraba State, Governor Danbaba Suntai’s camp is excitedly preparing for the governor’s return to the seat of power early this year. But current twists suggest that Acting Governor Garba Umar may not be willing to return power so soon. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on the reconciliation deals

At the twilight of 2013, aides and close associates of Governor Danbaba Suntai of Taraba State were most enthusiastic the governor will resume duties before the end of the first quarter of 2014. But during the New Year festivities, Acting Governor Garba Umar, broke his long silence on the power tussle, re-declaring his loyalty to the governor but unequivocally stating his unwillingness to be cowed by some elements he accused of plotting to hijack the state, using Suntai’s name.

“Our major challenge in 2013 was the cabal which tried to hijack the machinery of governance, using the name of Suntai,” he said, adding, “I can assure the people of the state that I will not fold my hands and allow any individual or group to hijack the state.”

Before Umar’s New Year’s broadcast,Taraba State’s power intrigues, which peaked late last year, as ailing Governor Suntai returned home from his prolonged overseas medical trip and tried unsuccessfully to take back power from Umar, his deputy.

It would be recalled that Suntai, who was involved in a plane crash in Yola and had to stay away in overseas hospitals for treatment for about 10 months, returned to Nigeria on August 25, 2013, at the heat of alleged political moves to declare the Acting Governor as the substantive governor.

So, when Suntai submitted a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly, stating his intention to resume duties, a serious political crisis unfolded in the state as loyalists of the two leaders fought desperately to outdo each other both at the state assembly and in the executive arms of government. At the end, the House passed a resolution empowering Umar to continue in acting capacity till Suntai gets fit to resume his office.

Since then, insiders said Suntai felt his deputy has betrayed him and so, he has been reaching out to some powerful elements, both within the state and outside, to ensure he is not pushed out from the office he was voted into by the people.

Our investigation shows that among the powerful elements Suntai has reached out to and who have showed solidarity in his course include General Theophilus Danjuma. Soon after the Hope Uzodinma- led People’s Democratic Party committee created what had been described as a “diarchical”system in Taraba, the powerful former Minister of Defence, flew into Jalingo in a bid to save his political godson, Suntai, from the complex power game.

Although the power play had continued since then, we gathered that Danjuma has not backed out of the intrigue. He allegedly spoke to President Goodluck Jonathan severally on the negative implications of allowing Suntai to be pushed out of office, when it is certain that his condition is not hopeless. In fact, it is said that Danjuma’s singular backing, more than any other, may have made it difficult to dislodge the ailing governor.

Another strong support that has helped sustain Suntai is Nigeria’s First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, whom sources said was reached through Suntai’s wife, Hajia Hauwa Danbaba Suntai. As one of Hauwa Suntai’s aide, told us in confidence over the weekend, ” Madam in Abuja has also been very helpful to the Suntai family, and she is involved in the ongoing negotiations to resolve the crisis.” An associate of Suntai, confirmed this in a chat with The Nation during the week, when he said, “Dame Patience Jonathan has shown motherly support to Hajia Suntai in ensuring that her husband, is not thrown out.”

Perhaps because of these strong supports, Suntai’s associates were certain, before New Years Day, that soon after the celebrations, Umar will have no option than to hand over power back to Suntai.

While Umar’s associates, today are not denying the possibility of handing over power back to Suntai in the near future, they insisted that “certain agreements have to be reached before such a thing can be done.

According to one of the aides of Umar, the resolution that empowers the Acting Governor to hold on to power demands that he must do so until Governor Suntai is healthy enough to take power back. So, the question we must all answer and agree on is whether the governor is now healthy enough and capable of shouldering the enormous task? It is not just a matter of some elements, desperately trying to take power by force. The interest of the state and that of the governor is what is at stake here,” he said.

Umar himself said that much in the New Year broadcast when he said his loyalty to his ailing boss, Danbaba Suntai, was “consistent and unshakable”.

He openly admitted that he was only holding brief for Suntai, pending the governor’s recovery. As he puts it, “as a loyal lieutenant, I will continue to hold brief for my boss by staying focused on his master plan for the development of our dear state.

“My resolve to do so is borne out of the need to ensure continuity and completion of the set goals and objectives within the life span of the current administration started about seven years ago.”

That open declaration notwithstanding, an insider in Jalingo Government House, who is obviously sympathetic to Suntai, told The Nation that Suntai’s close aides are not deceived by the Acting Governor. ” This is not the first time Acting Governor Umar would make such comments about being loyal, but we are here and we can see through his actions. He wants it all but the law and the people’s votes are against him.”

The deals:

Notwithstanding the suspicion between the two camps, our investigation confirmed that careful underground negotiations are going on both in Abuja, where powerful elements like Patience Jonathan, PDP National Chairman, Bamanga Tukur, and General Danjuma are said to be actively involved and in he state, to ensure a peaceful resolution of the Taraba power puzzle.

From the outcome of some of the meetings so far held over this issue, it seems the deals that must be settled and agreed upon by the two camps, which are not yet settled, according to our sources, include the fate of Umar, should he agree to return power, the fate of the members of the executives and top government functionaries, who Suntai removed at the heat of the intrigues and that of the current executive council members who Umar recently constituted, amongst others.

“These are amongst the issues that have stalled every meeting. Add these to the argument on the true health situation of the governor and you will agree that the anticipated return of power to Suntai may take longer than his supporters may wish. If these issues are not addressed more objectively than they are being addressed today, the handover may never take place before the 2015 elections,” the source said. The source further alleged that reactions to the Acting Governor’s New Year’s declarations may mar rather than help realise the few areas of agreement so far.

With these seemingly unending twists in the Taraba power crisis, observers are eager to see how it would turn out this 2014 and the likely effect in the 2015 general elections.

January 5, 2014
‘Bamidele’s defection to LP in bad faith’

Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) leader Hon. Olawale Osun spoke with Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN on the Afenifere crisis, the proposed national conference, and national security.

What prompted the formation of the Afenifere Renewal Group?

It was due to the lingering crisis in the Afenifere. The crisis has its root in the face-off between the older generation, comprising Chiefs Ayo Adebanjo, Olaniwun Ajayi, Reuben Fasoranti, Olu Falae, Supo Sonibare and the governors led by Chief Bisi Akande and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. When the Alliance Democracy (AD) was about to make Akande the chairman, the older generation kicked and installed Chief Mojisoluwa Akinfenwa. Akande became the substantive AD chairman. It triggered a crisis of confidence.

There was the allegation that Obasano’s hand was quite visible in the AD crisis. At a certain point in the crisis of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin was arrested. That drove a wedge in the crisis. It was believed that the older generation were responsible for Odumakin ‘s arrest. The cause was the tussle over the control of 6, Jibowu Street, the administrative headquarters of the Afenifere. That further divided the group.

A group of young men, including myself, Ayo Afolabi, Kayode Fayemi, Bisi Adegbuyi, Jimi Agbaje, Famoriyo and some others came together and decided that we should reconcile the feuding leaders. We convened a reconciliation meeting at the International Institute of Trpopical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, which was attended by both sides. We had a useful discussion and far reaching resolutions were taken at the meeting. Both sides agreed to sink their differences and work together as a formidable group. We thought the conference had provided the plank for further communication.

Did the two sides keep to the peace agreement brokered at the Ibadan conference?

No, the agreement didn’t work. The reason was that Ayo Adebanjo, in a press interview while celebrating his 80th birthday, castigated the governors (Bisi Akande’s group) and called them all sort of names. That reopened the old wounds and pre-empted our peace efforts. It was then that theAfenifere Renewal Group came to the conclusion that it would be unproductive to be tied down by the crisis. We said, if the two sides are not willing to reconcile, we would not take side and it was necessary to move forward. We tried to reconcile them, but they are irreconciliable. The needs of Yoruba are too many and complex than to be bogged down by trivialities. We felt there was the need to move away from the feud and energise ourselves to do more work, more so, when Obasanjo mercenaries were being overrun in the Southwest. We decided to support any progressive party that would reclaim the Southwest from Obasanjo’s stranglehold. Obasanjo actually subverted the Alliance for Democracy.

Why did the likes of Odumakin and Agbaje pull out of the ARG?

It was difficult to say specifically why Odumakin left. At a point, Odumakin embarked on a campaign that the ARG was being sponsored by Tinubu. People knew we were independent of both sides. We used to brief Chief Fasoranti and Chief Fasanmi about what we were doing. Odumakin was involved in the planning and formation of the ARG. He as the Publicity Secretary of the group was the closest person to me. We met and discussed issues, took decisions and implemented them without external influence. We felt he needed an excuse to leave and that was why he kept talking ofTinubu’s role. I can’t lay my hands on any specific issue as to why he left the organisation he was a party to its formation.

Some PDP governors have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). What does this portend for the polity?

For the purpose of a virile democracy, a gradual evolution of two strong political parties is a welcome development. With two strong parties, the voters can always have a choice. Although our constitution allows multi-party system, a situation where we have more than 30 parties and one of them is dominant is not healthy for a democratic growth.

What role did theARG play in resolving the crisis between Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, who has defected to the Labour Party?

Ordinarily, I should not say anything at this time. I was involved in reaching out to Bamidele and persuaded him to remain and work within the APC structure to realise his political ambition. A true democrat will work within the ambit of his own party to achieve his political ambition. Crossing from one party to another because of elective office means you don’t believe in the party ideals. The fact that some people have endorsed Fayemi for second term has not given him the ticket. He has to pass through the process of party primaries. If Bamidele had confidence in himself and the potentiality of his aspiration, he could have waited for that process to be completed. If he had the patience of going through that process and felt badly treated, it is a different thing. But, he didn’t allow the process to take its full course before pulling out. If he is a democrat and he believes in its tenet, he should not have dumped the party. What kind of democrat is he?You are not sure of what will be the outcome of the process.

He must have left because he knows he has no chance of defeating the incumbent governor. Bamidele should not forget that it was the AD/ACN and now the APC that made him to serve as commissioner in Lagos State for 12 years and it was on the platform of the party that he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives. He cannot forget that it is our party that has given him the opportunity to serve politically for 16 years. He should know he had acted wrongly.

What is your assessment of the INEC’s handling of theAnambra governorship election?

The election did not run well. The INEC role was disappointing. I am sure the election petition tribunal will decide sooner or later on the election. There is the need for the INEC to put its house in order against 2015. It has not shown the confidence expected of an impartial umpire. The commission needs to go to the drawing board to re-strategise. If it could not handle a state election satisfactorily, what would happen in 2015? It is hoped that the criticism that attended Anambra would be taken care of to put 2015 in the right perspective.

January 3, 2014
Furore over budget, revenue shortfall

The House of Representatives is probing the the federal revenue shortfall. Correspondents VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI write on the altercation between the House Committee on Finance and Finance Minister Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala on the vexed issue and its implications for the executive/legislative relationship.

The face-off between the Federal Government and the House of Representatives over dwindling economic fortunes may continue this year.

The House has begun an investigation into the revenue shortfall, which generated anxiety among the 36 governors last year. During the investigation by the House Committee on Finance, the legislators and the Finance Minister and Controlling Minister of Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, traded words. There were hot exchanges. However, the disagreement was not personal.

In the opinion of the House, the economy has suffered from hemorrhage. The legislators complained that Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) were responsible for the drop in the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR). For instance, the committee alleged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) was owning the Federal Government N142.7b and it showed no intention of paying the money. The corporation supposed to remit the amount from its N6 trillion IGR between 2009 and July 2012 to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) as demanded by the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

On the other hand, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) was also alleged to be owing the Federal Government N95b unmerited independent revenue from its IGR, but it remitted N80b. in March. The Committee also turned the heat on the banks for short changing the Federal Government of its revenues as tax collection agents. There were mind boggling revelations. on behalf of the government.

However, the meeting of the committee with the Finance Minister ended on a sour note. The Committee Chairman, Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin, and Dr. Okonja-Iweala clashed. Before the meeting, the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, had accused the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office of inflicting pain on the country. He said the ministries were responsible for the benchmark controversy, which led to another frosty relationship between the legislature and the executive.

Jibrin alleged that while the minister had painted a picture of a growing economy, what is on ground is at variance with her position. He handed to the minister 50 questions, which he said will shed light on the true picture. The committee gave the minister two weeks to give her response.

Okonjo-Iweala informed the committee that, owing to her indisposion, the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) and the Director General of the Budget Office, Bright Okogwu, would provide necessary answers to the queries.

The first question is: what are the major economic achievements of the administration in the 2013 fiscal year? The committee chairman queried: “If the economy is one of the fast growing economies, what is exactly growing the economy? What role does government play in the said economic growth, especially given that as high as 80 percent of the total annual budget spending still goes into recurrent expenditure?

“Since your arrival as minister of finance in 2011, you have publicly announced the need to reduce the recurrent expenditure so that more money would be made available to capital spending which is critical to growing and diversifying the country’s economy. How far has government succeeded in making these necessary cuts; and where exactly have these cuts been made in this effort to reduce recurrent expenditure? In other words, based on real amount spent on capital expenditure, how much reduction was made in 2011 against 2010, in 2012 against 2011 and in 2013 against 2012?

“You are known to be celebrating a single-digit GDP growth. But speaking recently at a breakfast dialogue with some members of the organised private sector in Lagos, organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), you were quoted as saying: “We are growing, but not creating enough jobs. That is a very big challenge. We need to grow faster. I think it needs to grow at least 9 to 10 percent to drive job growth the way we want.” Don’t you agree that a good finance minister managing an economy like ours should be celebrating a GDP growth as high as 20 percent annually? Why is it that our economy cannot grow beyond a single digit? How many jobs are being created as a result of these said growths? In which sectors of the economy are these jobs created? If in private sector, what contributions is government making to further assist these private sector firms?

“In the presence of Nigeria’s huge infrastructure deficit, why is it that the country’s debt-to-GDP at about 19 percent in 2012 remains one of the lowest in the world when compared to nations already with world-class infrastructure and industrial economies such as America’s 105 percent, Brazil’s 65.49 percent, India’s 67.60 percent, and South Africa’s 40.9 percent? Since facts don’t lie, have you any disagreements with the September 4, 2013 Global Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum for 2013-2014, which ranked Nigeria 120th out of 148 countries ranked in the Global Competitiveness Index, including being ranked far behind some African countries such as Mauritius 45th, South Africa 53rd, and Kenya 96th?

‘’For the first time in Nigeria’s 53rd year history, we have successfully privatized the electric power industry,’’ so said the President at a recent meeting in London with some foreign investors. As minister of finance should you agree that the recent privatization of the country’s power infrastructure is worth celebrating as a major economic achievement in 2013, when in reality there is little or nothing to show as an improvement in the country power supply? Also why our rush to wholesale privatization of the power sector when countries like South Africa, generating as high as 42,000MW still have their power sector mostly in public hands?”.

The Committee expressed worry over the debt profile, which was responsible for the $4 added to the government’s projected benchmark for 2013 budget, put at $75. The House raised it to $79 so that the balance could be used to service the debt and boost domestic economic activities. “From Debt Management Office (DMO) 2012 Annual Report, the total public debt outstanding between 2008 and 2012 for external stock rose from $3.72bn to $6.53bn, while domestic stock rose from $17.68bn to $41.97bn. The total debt service in the same period showed a reduction from 11.46 per cent to 5.96 per cent while the percentage of domestic debt servicing grew from 88.54 per cent in 2008 to 94.04 per cent in 2012, drastically increasing the cost of the total debt service, since the cost of domestic borrowing is atrociously higher than the cost of external borrowing. “How could your debt sustainability analysis rationalize this without seeing some narrow interests being the overriding reason? Could this be the explanation why commercial banks in the country are declaring unheard-of three digit profits and the high Foreign Portfolio Investment and low Foreign Direct Investment?”, Jibrin asked.

Also, the committee beamed a searchlight on the Excess Crude Account and the Sovereign Wealth Fund and their effects on the internal economic growth. The committee raised some posers” “How much exactly has been the amount of money lost in government revenue as a result of import duty waivers in 2011, 2012 and 2013?Provide the names and beneficiaries and justification for same. In your opinion as the minister of finance who oversees the economy, what are the implications to the country’s economy? What efforts have you have made to stop this waiver policy, which is distorting the economy?

“Our non-oil income has dropped in 2013. A case where increased tariffs on various items effectively reduced importation to zero in some sectors. However, those items now find their way into Nigeria through our borders. Does it make any sense to increase these tariffs when we have such porous borders? As an example, officially, Togo imported more rice this year than Nigeria.

“Do you really believe that Nigeria needs a ‘Sovereign Wealth Fund’ at this critical juncture of budgetary deficits, and having to be borrowing extensively in an effort to address government revenue gaps?

“ Shouldn’t the presence of Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) simply mean spreading government’s scarce resources thinly? Why will you insist that no matter what we still need to operate a sovereign wealth fund? Sincerely speaking, how sustainable are the objectives of Nigeria’s Sovereign Wealth Fund, particularly in the long-term?

“Who determines the investment objective and who establishes the risk parameter for the NSIA’s portfolio? In providing answer to this question, it is also important to understand and explain why NSIA recently hired a Swiss national as its chief portfolio investor? Answering this question is important since it should help us to know who determines the maximum draw-down that the government would be comfortable with in extremely negative market environments.

“Do you agree that the Excess Crude Account as being operated by government is illegal and unconstitutional, especially given how it has been managed? Can you explain with clarity how the ECA is being operated? Also provide a statement of account of the ECA from 2011 to 2013? Also how much have we made in excess of the benchmark price from January 2013 till date.

“ If there is nothing like Excess Crude Account, would you have been demanding lower oil price benchmark for the budget, especially when the executive arm of government around world is known for demanding more money from lawmakers in order to be able to meet government spending obligations, particularly capital spending. Why is the reverse the case in Nigeria only, notably since 2011?

“ With respect to the Excess crude account and our Sovereign wealth fund again, there have been allegations and counter allegations on its legality. Assuming, for the sake of the committee’s enlightenment, the FGN alone saved its own excess in its ECA/SWF (which is about 52% of the Federation account) and the states and LGs get their funds in full compliance with the constitution, what would be the effect on the economy?”

“Why should we expect private sector firms to be investing in the economy? You are quoted as saying, ‘’ Very soon, the US would become a net exporter of oil. So, it would be disingenuous for anyone to say that just because the price of oil has hovered at around $100 per barrel, it cannot crash”. Lest we forget, as recently as 2008, oil prices crashed from a peak of $147 per barrel to $35 per barrel in a space of months triggered by the global financial crisis.

“Given the IEA global oil price trajectory, can’t we agree that “there are many constraints on supply keeping pace with demand’’, which means that within this decade, oil prices should always hover around $125 per barrel? Answering this question will help us understand why you insist on benchmarking the oil price for the 2014 appropriation at below $79 per barrel.

“ In answering this question, would you also agree that, as the global economy shifts from the West to Asia, will the appetite for global oil consumption shift from the West to Asia?

“As crude oil continues to sell at $100-$110, how low will production have to fall for us to record a net loss or at what production level can we break even at a 2013 benchmark of $79?

The House also wanted to know whether Okonjo-Iweala is familiar with business arrangements of the NNPC. It queried: “Why were these business arrangements excluded from the MTEF, which used to be the practice? “Why do you always prefer a lower benchmark, which leaves government with wider deficits and your attitude of no qualms with domestic borrowings at excessively high interest rates to balance deficit, as against our position of increasing benchmark to reduce deficit, which consequently reduces domestic borrowing, that frees up funds for the real sector of the economy, thereby bringing down the interest rate, increased private sector investments and creating jobs?

“What is the total amount expended by certain statutory agencies of government without appropriation for 2011, 2012, and 2013?

“ As the Coordinating Minister of the Economy, do you feel comfortable with allegations that almost equal amount of our yearly aggregate expenditure is being spent without appropriation, yet we are crying that the country is running short of revenue?

The 50 questions have generated interest in the government circle and the public. For now, the House awaits the minister’s response. Her explanations may either restore mutual confidence between the two arms or accentuate the frosty relationship.

January 3, 2014