The Nation Newspaper

Category: Politics

  • Mark’s dilemma over new PDP

    Mark’s dilemma over new PDP

    Is the Senate President truly between the devil and the deep blue sea? Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, takes a look at the happening within the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and reports that Senator David Mark may be having one of the most difficult times of his political career.

    Senate President David Bonaventure Mark looked uncomfortable as he sat at his seat in the Senate chamber last week’s Wednesday, watching Senators Smart Adeyemi and Danjuma Goje having a shouting match over the name, “New PDP” on the floor of the senate.

    Mark, who won the admiration of most members of his party with the way he has managed to keep the Senate out of the crisis rocking the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), now finds himself presiding over a highly polarised chamber, no thanks to the growing rivalry between loyalists of the two factions of the party.

    Goje, who represents Gombe Central Senatorial District, while contributing to a motion on the demise of a former Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Agagu, described himself as a member of the Alhaji Abubakar Baraje PDP and added that the New PDP is the authentic one.

    Senators who are members of the new PDP applauded the comment while other Senators shouted “no, no, no.” Those who witnessed the incident also added that the Senate President lost his composure immediately the spat started.

    Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) quickly moved a Point of Order to stop Goje from further reference to PDP as a divided party. He said that Goje used “offensive, abusive and insulting words against the PDP” while saying it was absolutely uncalled for and uncharitable for a former governor who has not defected to another party to stand up in the chamber of the Senate to insult the PDP and members of the party. He asked Goje to withdraw the alleged offensive statement.

    Goje did not take the interjection of Adeyemi kindly. Supporters of the new PDP in the Senate took time to pour invectives on Adeyemi and his own supporters. At that point, the disorder in the chamber got messier and it looked as if Senators were going to add the use of blows to their voices in order to be heard.

    It was a visibly worried Senate President that moved to avert what pundits said would have been a major rumpus on the floor of the Senate. As usual, Mark brought the situation under control but not without a betrayal of his emotional state when he said “this is the upper Chamber, don’t let us reduce it to a market place.”

    According to sources close to the Senate President, the incident of last week’s Wednesday came at a time the Benue-born politician was already under severe pressure from some quarters over the raging PDP crisis. Thus, the incident further dampened his low morale.

    Few hours later, Mark had to defer debate on the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper to avoid what a Senator described as “attempt by new PDP senators to haul attacks at the presidency and the federal government.”

    The decision to defer the debate followed arguments by some senators that the document was critical to the 2014 budget and deserved proper scrutiny.

    Leading the debate, Senate Leader, Sen. Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River), informed his colleagues that the MTEF formed the fiscal foundation and basis for the 2014 budget. Ndoma-Egba urged the Senate to approve the document to enable the executive make good preparation on the 2014 budget.

    But some lawmakers, led by Sen. George Akume (APC-Benue), said the document was flawed because it did not contain inputs by relevant agencies as required by provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).

    He insisted that the senators must have a good understanding of the fiscal issues raised in the MTFF to ensure that a robust debate was carried out on the document.

    “This is a very important document, but from the lead debate, adequate consultations were not done before it was prepared.

    “This document is flawed and should be reworked by the executive before sending it back to us.

    “If this is done the relevant agencies listed in the FRA will be consulted to make inputs into the document,’’ Akume said.

    Senate President David Mark ruled that it was best for the relevant committees to scrutinise the document for any shortcoming and report back for debate.

    Mark said there were a lot of issues that needed to be addressed to enable the senators conduct a robust debate on the document.

    “Ordinarily, if not for the crisis in the PDP, Mark would have relied on the majority of the ruling party in the senate to get the document passed with little or no fuss from the senators.

    The spat among the Senators, championed by Senators Goje and Adeyemi, took the Senate President by surprise. It was a confirmation that he may not succeed in insulating the Senate against the crisis in the ruling party much longer.

    Mark is not willing to be seen as being sympathetic to any of the factions. So far, he has committed himself to the process of reconciliation. But rather than be commended for that, he is being heavily criticised by the parties in the crisis.

    “His idea is that the Senate should remain as neutral as possible in the matter, given that it is an intra-party affair. He feels allowing the Senate to get involved will further heat up the polity unnecessarily,” a source said.

    Findings by The Nation revealed that Mark has been criticised heavily by the presidency and the Bamanga Tukur faction of the PDP for giving audience to the Kawu Baraje-led PDP in the Senate penultimate Tuesday.

    “Aides and associates of the president as well as loyalists of the Bamanga Tukur faction of the party are accusing him of subtly aiding and abetting the new PDP faction. Their argument is that he ought not to have allowed the visit of the seven governors and their factional leaders to the Senate at all.

    Mark’s argument, that refusing to see the politicians who are members of his party and serving governors will send wrong signals about his stance on the crisis, did not go down well with his accusers. We even heard that the presidency and the party already see him as a leading member of the rebels’ camp,” a source said.

    And trouble for the Senate President is not coming from just one quarter. Even Senators sympathetic to the new PDP are suspicious of his moves. In spite of their love for his stance on reconciliation, Mark soon got into the bad books of Baraje’s men over the alleged plot to withdraw the diplomatic passports of federal lawmakers by the federal government.

    The federal government had two week ago ordered the withdrawal of all diplomatic passports of National Assembly (NASS) members, including that of Senate President David Mark and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal.

    Relevant federal government offices responsible for implementing the directive were immediately alerted. No reason was given for the action, but sources said it was not unconnected with the level of opposition the presidency is currently facing among the National Assembly members.

    With the loss of their diplomatic passports, the NASS members no longer have immunity against arrest any time they travel abroad, a script, we gathered from our sources, was the motive for the action. Consequently, federal legislators across party lines resolved to resist the move.

    Trouble, however, started for Mark when it was reported early this week that the Senate President’s diplomatic passport would no longer be withdrawn. Senators are, however, still to lose theirs. This development, coupled with alleged indifference of the leadership of the senate to the withdrawal of lawmakers’ passport, sources claimed, is causing disaffection between Mark and new PDP senators.

    “It is already a very rife rumour among Senators that the federal government may have gotten Mark to see reasons with its decision to withdraw the passports. The news that his passport will no longer be withdrawn further fuelled suspicion that a deal may have been struck.

    “It is really a tough time for the senate President. Neither side in the crisis really trusts him on the matter at hand. The unity the senate has enjoyed under his leadership is fast eroding. This is really painful for him and he has said it in many places since the problem started.

    “The truth of the matter about the passport saga is that lawmakers are originally not part of those who should carry diplomatic passports. Only the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and their deputies were on the original list. It was the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua who directed the Nigerian Immigration Service to include all lawmakers during his tenure.

    “So the passports of the Senate President, the Speaker and their deputies were not part of those ordered to be withdrawn. There is no deal between the Senate President and anybody over the matter. In fact, Senator Mark is still discussing with the relevant agency to see what can be done to avert a crisis over the reported withdrawal,” a source said.

  • Why men are afraid of women in politics, by Adelabu

    Why men are afraid of women in politics, by Adelabu

    To many, the  political turf is mainly  for men. The society has  a wrong impression of  women who struggle for space in politics. But Prof. Modupe Adeola Adelabu, the Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, is of the view that politics has no gender. She has accused men of deliberately fencing off women from politics because they feel insecure. In this chat as captured by her media aide Bunmi Ogunmodede, she says the  field is an open space for  men and women.

    The Professor is now a politician. Can you recall your transition from the academic community to Government House?

    I have always said this that my transition was smooth because even in the classroom as a teacher, you deal with human beings with various characters and from different backgrounds. They have different interests. Dealing with them and leaving that setting to now come into politics, or to occupy a political position, it’s almost the same because I am here to serve my people. In academics, you also deal with people of different backgrounds, different political beliefs and interests, from different communities. That made my transition here to be smooth. I left the classroom as an educationist for the chairmanship of SUBEB, which is also a comfort zone being my constituency and I am still on the board. So, it was actually a very smooth and gradual transition. If from there I became the deputy governor, you can see that my transition was not as sharp as people thought earlier on. Again, every human being is political animal. You cannot operate in the university system without having a wide horizon in politics. I have this over and over again that the topic of my PhD thesis was on Politics of Education. Look at me now, trying to put my theory into practice. Either politics of education or social politics or even political politics, you still must understand the concept of politics itself. So, all these have prepared me for this job.

    So, you are working in a familiar terrain and your transition was not a straight jacket one?

    It is a familiar terrain. It was smooth because I didn’t meet any shock when I got into government.

    Have you relinquished your chairmanship of SUBEB?

    No.

    How do you cope with the two positions?

    If you look at some states not controlled by the APC, deputy governors are just in the office as spare tyres. But it is not so in the APC states where the governors make effective use of their deputies. Because either I am here as deputy governor or in SUBEB as chairman, I have functions to perform. What I am doing have been delegated to me by my principal. So, it is not combining, I am only doing what I am supposed to do. Any assignment could be delegated to the lieutenant by the principal. Imagine the governor who is in charge of all the ministries, departments and agencies because he cannot but supervise. So, combining SUBEB with this office is just an arrangement to make the office of the deputy effective and efficient because it would be a waste of economic and human resources, time and personnel where you have a deputy who has nothing to do. Our governor is maximising abilities and capacities. So, working here doesn’t make a difference, I still do my work and I am able to cope. The governor himself is a workaholic and his deputy must be ready to catch up with the speed of light that he is working.

    Apart from what you have said, in some cases, the deputy governor does just anything that the governor assigns to the office, in your own case, are there specific duties, specific ministries that you supervise?

    Yes. Apart from SUBEB where I am chairman, I still oversee the Ministry of Education which is a familiar terrain and the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. Those are the areas that the governor specifically asked me to oversee. But then once you are a deputy, you can be called upon any time for any assignment. .

    The Eight-Point Agenda of the administration of Dr Kayode Fayemi is summarized in one phrase – making poverty history in Ekiti. Is this a realisable dream?

    Of course this is attainable. The number one antidote to poverty is education. On the Eight-Point scale, education is Agenda Four. If you look at it, this government loves education with passion. Once you are educated, you are already saying bye to poverty. Anywhere in the world, education is the panacea to poverty, this is arguable. If the government believed it cannot realise the agenda, it would not have set it out.

    The Nigerian politics has a characteristic that makes people think that a gentle and decent woman may not cope. For instance, in politics, meetings are held at odd times. The political terrain could be violent and it is usually politics of money bags. With your experience so far, will you say the terrain is comfortable for a woman of value?

    If you look at it generally, in this modern era, women are underrepresented in most countries worldwide. Even in Nigeria in contrast to men. But looking at it from another perspective, it is not what we had 10 years ago that we have now because women are increasingly being politically elected. In some cases, they are heads of government. You remark that may be the political terrain is not for a woman is what scares women. But I think we have women who combine the home with politics and they are doing it well. Women are trying to enter into this terrain. It does not belong to men alone. Politics has no gender. It is unfortunate that we are genderising politics. The initial reasons that women are not knowledgeable, that they cannot go into politics and that they cannot use their brain because what they need has been transferred to their wombs are no longer tenable. We have seen that women can compete openly with men politically without jeopardising their integrity, homes and all other social interests. African men are very possessive because they are not secured.

    What do you mean by saying that men are not secured. Afraid of the women or what..?

    I can say that. They are not secured. If men are secured, they won’t be afraid to allow their wives, mothers and their sisters go into politics. Their fear is that these people may be snatched from them. There is this erroneous belief that women in politics are frivolous, that they are flirts. But this is a wrong perception and assumption. As far as I am concerned, any hardworking woman is a hardworking woman and any hardworking man is a hardworking man. Any man of integrity is a man of integrity and any woman of integrity is a woman of integrity either he or she is in politics or not.

    Actually people believe that a woman cannot go into politics and keep her home and marriage. That she has to make a choice…

    All over the world, we have seen women politician who are being supported by their husbands. It is because men don’t want to agree that a woman in politics will overshadow the husband. That is the fear. It is the security of men that is the issue. Look at the late Margaret Thatcher, the former United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister. Her position did not in anyway negatively, affect her matrimonial home. But African men have complex. African men generally do not want their wives to be famedous if they are not there. They don’t want their wives to be vocal if they are not vocal. They don’t want their wives to ride if they are below. Until we agree that we are all equal before God, except in our physiology. We must be able to compete. It is an open space for a man and woman with interest in politics. If because of what the society will feel or what the home will feel or what your husband will feel, you kill your interest, you end up being unhappy and suffer in silence. I don’t think that is good for either a man or a woman.

    Should people take politics as a profession?

    My advice to whoever is going into politics is that such a person should have achieved something. Nobody should take politics as a do-or-die enterprise and nobody should take politics as a profession. A politician must get another address where he/she can always fall back on if politics fail. Whoever is going into politics must ensure he/she has armed and empowered him/herself – especially financially and professionally. That is why people often feel that women who go into politics do so for money. This assumption is very wrong. Once a woman armed herself – she is educated, she has a work to do, she has something to fall back on if politics failed, there is nothing wrong in going into politics. Nothing stops a woman from going into politics if she has another address, has empowered herself financially and educationally because either you go into it or not, if you fold your arms and allow men to take decisions that would only support the interests of men at the expense of women. Like I said, the more we allow men to dominate, the more they think of the interests of their folk. But things are changing. Even in Ekiti State, we now see that things are different. We have more women in politics; women are getting more and more empowered; laws are being made to support women and women-related issues. So, I think women should not fold their arms, otherwise, they would continue to be enslaved by the men folk.

    The world is for the survival of the fittest and the complaints of the women most of the time is that men don’t give them chance. Who gives the chance in a world that itself is of competition?

    Anyway, what we have been advising women generally is that if we fold our arms and think men would give us the chance, we are joking. We have to go out and grab it. Take it by force if possible. Even the Bible says “The kingdom of God suffereth violence and only the violent taketh it by force”. You have to assert yourself, otherwise you will be left behind. As I said earlier on, men are very territorial about leadership. They feel that leadership belongs to them. No, this is wrong. Anybody can be a leader because leadership has no gender.

  • Ubah and his many promises

    Ubah and his many promises

    Going by the promises he has made so far, even his critics agree that the Labour Party’s candidate in the Anambra State governorship election, Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, has indeed raised the bar. This is because most of these promises minister closely to the needs of the common people in Anambra, an indication that Ubah knows where the shoes are pinching his people.

    One of such promises is that his administration would make sure that local government elections in the state take place periodically as provided for in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.  He added that holding the elections at the third tier of government would be the only way of ensuring that democratic best practices get deeply rooted at the grassroots.

    Noting that democratically elected local government councils are guaranteed under section 7 of the 1999 constitution as amended, Ubah said: “my administration will, within 12 months of my coming into power, conduct local government election in Anambra State.”

    Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah also promised to ensure that only credible persons are chosen by the people to run the local government councils to avoid a situation where wrong persons get to oversee the affairs of the people at the local government level.

    According to Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah, “we will put in place a fully functional local government system to ensure that the dividends of democracy flow down to the grassroots.”

    Ubah, who promised that the Labour Party administration would respect and consult with traditional rulers and institutions, also emphasised the point that due entitlements of the traditional rulers under the chieftaincy law of the state, as amended, are given to them.

    It will be recalled that the Peter Obi administration has not been able to conduct local government elections since 2006 when he came into office; a situation that has led to serious bickering in the state.

    On why he wants to govern Anambra State, Ubah said, “Anambra State needs a governor who will reposition and transform the state and make it a place of excellence in all spheres of life.”

    Ubah added that successful businessmen normally make great leaders, and citing the instance of an icon in the person of Nelson Rockefeller who as governor of New York, United States, vastly enhanced the state’s capacity to provide quality education, environmental protection, transportation, healthcare, welfare and the arts.

    On job creation, Ubah had said, “I promise you, Ndi-Anambra, to create 40,000 jobs before my first hundred days in office as the governor of Anambra State.  I have already developed a master plan for the creation of these jobs, both in the public and private sectors of the economy. The youths and women will take centre-stage in my efforts to create jobs for our people. Women will be empowered financially and otherwise so that they can establish their own business endeavours.  My government will provide financial assistance to the youths in the 21 L.G.As to set up and grow their own businesses. Furthermore, I will encourage the State House of Assembly to enact a law to enhance the capacity of our women and youths to have easy access to bank credits with which to co-operatively participate in the establishment of small and medium scale industries.

    – Ibeleme is the Deputy Director, Media to the Labour Party’s governorship candidate

  • Anambra 2013: Ngige shifts gear as race hots up

    Anambra 2013: Ngige shifts gear as race hots up

    Governorship candidates are frantically preparing for the November 16  election in Anambra State. AUGUSTINE AVWODE writes on the rising profile of  the All Progressivess Congress (APC) candidate, Dr Chris Ngige.

    It is 43 days to the November 16 Governorship election in Anambra State. Expectedly, candidates and political parties are working round the clock to win the election. Last week, two different but related events took place in respect of the election. First, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) published the names of the 23 governorship candidates and their deputies. Second, there was the inauguration of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Candidate’s Campaign Committee, in Akwa. The first served as impetus for the second. And indications are that since the inauguration of the committee, the APC candidate, Dr Chris Ngige has moved into the fast lane.

    According to reliable sources, on the day of the inauguration, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, who is heading the Campaign Committee, set the tone for the day’s proceedings. At the Emmaus House venue of the inauguration in Akwa, Okorocha declared that Ngige was in the race for the sake of the people of the state.

    Hear him: “Ngige is in this race because of the masses of Anambra State. Whatever Ngige has is for Anambra people. Choose him; he has governed in this capacity in the past and you all felt his impact, he can do it all over again. He has no control from Abuja.”

    In apparent reference to 2003, when Ngige first ruled that state, Okorocha said the senator, who represents Anambra Central, is poised to finish the job he started before.

    “He is tested and trusted. ‘Onwa’ is the governor. Ngige is coming back to finish the work he has started. There were good roads and low school fees for tertiary institution students when Ngige was in power, Ngige will give the people free education, qualitative healthcare, water supply, employment, security and other necessities that make life comfortable, if elected into Government House”, Okorocha said.

    Earlier, Okorocha had taken full advantage of the occasion as he rode with Ngige to the venue. The Imo State governor stopped at the most popular market in the city, Ekeoawka, on their way to Emmaus House. The sight of Ngige and Okorocha elicited instant joy from the people with shouts of “Onwa! Onwa!! Onwa!!!.” It is Ngige’s nickname, which means the Moon, in Igbo language.

    The presence of Governor Okorocha, standing side by side with Ngige, sent the traders into joyous mood. He addressed the crowd, who had abandoned their businesses to catch a glimpse of the two men. They eventually heard what an insider described as ‘a highly motivating speech’. They were received at the venue with a loud ovation by stakeholders, who were waiting with songs.

    After the national anthem, Okorocha, who, was already in high spirit and elated, charged all to call Ngige the next governor of Anambra State. In his words: “If Ngige is a candidate, you will not see me here. If anyone is saying anything, it should be we are parking into Government House. It is a prayer. Once it is said, it is bound. Just say it and heaven will hear it.”

    Speaking to The Nation, Ngige’s Media Consultant, Clementina Olomu, said Governor Okorocha’s “prayer” literally charged the atmosphere, creating a special reawaking of the inner self of those present”.

    According to her, Okorocha was never in short of superlative adjectives to describe Ngige. “Ngige’s name is a poster. It needs no introduction. He is someone the people already know. He is the long-awaited governor of Anambra State. Ngige’s name is synonymous with development and is infectious to bad things. “The truth is, if I do not find him worthy, I will not be here. God blessed him tremendously. Anything that concerns Ngige is about Igbo people. Once he becomes the governor, no one will control him from Abuja to take the resources of the people of Anambra”.

    Okorocha blames Abuja for the woes that have befallen the state. He expressed confidence in the ability of Ngige to hold his own and resist being dictated to.

    “The whole confusion in Anambra is from Abuja. In the history of Anambra, the politics has been controlled from Abuja. It is papa says this or that. Ngige is an Igbo man, he cannot be dictated to anyhow. The whole masses are with him and he is in contact with the people. I look at all the things happening in Anambra and asked myself, what is happening here?

    There was a deafening roar when he announced that: “I am the leader of the campaign and I want to build what is known as the world commanders. I will see where they will come from. Is it money? Is it contact? Or is it power? The Egyptians you see today, you will see no more”, the people responded with a thunderous, amen!

    Feelers from the state indicate that the Ngige phenomenon is spreading like wild fire. The Nation learnt that “Onwa”, is on the lips of everybody in the state now. Olomu explained that the name was given to Ngige in Alor, his hometown, in 1990, when he donated a transformer that lightened the whole community. Igwe Okonkwo, then called him “Onwamegilora,” meaning “the moon that disperses darkness”. It was the beginning of the spread of the ‘light’ to the entire people of Anambra State.

    From all indications, “Onwa” is the candidate to watch-out for as the November 16 election draws near. At every political gathering or meeting, and even in the church, the shouts of “Onwa” is never in short supply. Analysts often point to his legacies both as a medical doctor and a senator as people oriented and people centred. For the people of Anambra Central, his senatorial constituency, they just love and appreciate his work.

    A community leader from Alor, who craved anonymity, told The Nation that Ngige is the man to beat in the election. He said “a visit to Onwa is a promise fulfilled. Most times, it leads to another promise. He never stops making promises, fulfilling all as scheduled. Some of the promises and fulfillments go beyond the constituency he represents. They involve the entire people in Anambra. Since their expectations are high, he tries to fulfill all. To him, no sacrifice is too small because he cannot watch them go the same way they came.

    “His past and present legacies, both as governor and senator are glaring. For those who benefited from his administration, either in employment, scholarship or empowerment, it was like yesterday. For those still benefiting, it is a dream come true; hence, they always tell him that he is a good man, a God-sent to the people”.

    Asked to name any past legacy of Ngige that will motivate the people to vote for him, Olomu, said some of his legacies have not been met, let alone beaten by any administration. “A tour of Anambra State tells the untold story. As governor, he employed qualified medical personnel and strengthened the staff to meet the challenges of the health sector. This is because he believes every life is important, irrespective of financial status. This is to the exclusion of putting policies that guaranteed safety in place, such as the construction of roads and maintenance of existing ones, which stood the test of time. The roads have been acknowledged by the opposition in their political campaign as his greatest achievement while in office.

    “The education sector did not suffer any setback. Ngige understands the language of teachers. He did not only make them comfortable but also provided conducive environment for students. He sacrificed all – his time, money and others despite the challenges he went through to liberate his people from the hands of political godfathers.

    “That period almost brought the state to a standstill as lives and properties worth billions of naira were destroyed in what could be described as the greatest uprising in the history of the state. Though the people counted their losses, they all moved forward.

    “ These memories still linger on and that is why they trust him more than ever and more passionately than any other candidate”.

    A chieftain of the APC in the state, Chief Edwin Chinaka said the party must be applauded for picking a man who is seen generally as the darling of the people in the state. He appealed to indigenes of the state to match their words with action on November 16. He said it was time for the people of the state to show that they are ready to join the league of the big states which the APC states represent.

    “As a senator, I can tell you that he is the people’s senator. He has always stood by them; provided jobs for 62 people, supplied motorised borehole with overhead tanks and generating sets in 10 locations in Anambra Central District. In the area of education, he constructed and renovated dormitories and primary schools in seven locations; constructed health centre in Umuezeani in Alor and provided an ICT Civic Centre in Alor.

    “He also provided solar streetlights in Ogidi Barracks, Anambra Command, Idemili North; same at Ojoto in Idemili South and for the Central Police Station in Awka. He upgraded and reinforced 15 numbers of 300KVA transformers in Idemili North and South, including five towns in Awka; carried out rehabilitation works in five towns in Awka.

    He added that some of his millennium goal projects include provision of primary healthcare centre, electricity, water and education in strategic places within the district.

    The Nation learnt that at social events, Ngige enjoys exceptional rousing welcome. When he went to Nnokwa for the burial ceremony of Reverend Father Basil’s mother, the late Madam Virginia Gbuzue, it turned out to be a show stopper. As soon as the people in Nnokwa saw him, they followed him, while the band on ground sang his praises for his good works in the community. Among those who followed him said they did out of their free volition as a sign of appreciation of all the sacrifices he made in the past as a governor and senator. Father Basil later said the development is a reflection of the fact that Ngige is in touch with the people.

    As a special guest at a retreat organised by the Knight and Ladies of All Saints Anglican Church in Irefi-Oraife, Okwusibo Local Government Area, he was honoured with the title of a Knight. Ngige then used the opportunity to respond to questions relating to issues affecting the state. He assured the people that he would do everything possible to ensure their security and welfare.

    “I will ensure that lives and properties are protected, irrespective of who you are, your religion and belief. As long as you reside in Anambra and you are an indigene, you are safe. Our children will no longer be sent away from school because of school fees.

    “I want to say right here, that I will give them free education. Teachers will no longer go on strike. I was and will remain their best friend because I understand their language. Our children will no longer be out of jobs, they will acquire a skill in addition to their certificate, which will enable them to have income even as young graduates.”

  • Why Nigeria is crawling at 53, by Olusi

    Why Nigeria is crawling at 53, by Olusi

    At 77, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain, former House of Representatives member and Lagos State Commerce and Industry Commissioner, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, reflects  the vision of the founding fathers and the country can be repositioned for progress. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU.

    What were the dreams of the founding fathers, who agitated for independence?

    To the best of my knowledge, the founding fathers were men, who were dedicated to the development of Nigeria. They were determined to build a prosperous and united Nigeria. One nation under the federal system of government where even though we are divided by ethnicity and language, we will take ourselves as brothers and live together under the entity called Nigeria as one nation. And it was common in those days to find leaders of people say ‘ “Nigeria, One People, One Nation, One Destiny.”

    Also, it was agreed that they should practice what they called unity in diversity. So, they realised that we are of different backgrounds and that Nigeria is made up of different ethnic groups. But in spite of that, Nigeria, having been created and declared an independent nation, must survive. So, that was their dream and one needs to add that because of the diversity, they agreed that we are going to have regions. Each region will be made of different tribes. There used to be the Northern Region in the North you have Hausa, Fulani, Berom, Anga and the Kanuris and so on.

    These are different ethnic tribes, but they were ruled under the leadership of Sir Ahmadu Bello, the late Sardauna of Sokoto. He led a unified populace and it has to be remarked that there were also Christians in the Middle Belt, people like Joseph Tarka and so on, and they still submitted to Sardauna’s leadership. And these founding fathers, not only had dreams, they also worked towards the development of these dreams. Chief Awolowo developed the Western Region and this was seen in the building of the Liberty Stadium, first television, Cocoa House etc.

    Even in the East, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara also did their very best to improve Port Harcourt, Orlu,Enugu and a host of other places. That was the dream of the founding fathers; to have a united Nigeria based on a federal system of government that will allow them develop at their own pace and ensure that no section of the country will lord things over another. For example, for a very long time, Chief Awolowo had prescribed that federalism is the best form of government, even before he held public office. I remember he wrote a book “The Path to The Nigerian Freedom,” where he enunciated that Nigeria can only be ruled successfully and meaningfully through the federal system of government. He made reference to what happened in some other European countries where you have the Federal system, I think Switzerland or so.

    Above all, his sole principle was to minister unto the needs of the people that is where you have welfarism and democratic-socialism. Socialism aims at improving the lots of the common man, to uplift them from the lowest ebb, give them meaningful education. Now coming to the Nigeria we fought for, the Nigeria of our dream. Certainly, we have not reached the Promised Land. I repeat; we have not reached the promised land.

    But having said that, we have to accept the fact that necessary foundation has to be laid. Our founding fathers laid examples; they set standards which have not been met by any present crop of leaders today. Though I must admit the fact that we have others who have made tremendous impact people like Alhaji Lateef Jakande, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the incumbent governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN), they are all watering the foundation laid by Chief Obafemi Awolowo. But the truth is, we still have a long way to go.

    What should be done to reposition Nigeria?

    I do not belong to the group of persons who will come out with wholesale condemnation. The Yorubas will say ‘If there is no yesterday; there will not be today’. If there is no foundation, you cannot have a building standing. The foundation has been laid by the founding fathers of Nigeria; it is left to us to continue where they stopped. I believe with devotion, determination and seriousness, we can have the Nigeria of our dream.

    Has the dreams been fulfilled?

    The answer is capital no. From my experience, it has been a sad one. I was brought up in Lagos, which then was a mirror of Nigeria. All Nigerians will flock to the city of Lagos. They earn their living here. Most of the eminent Nigerians traded, worked and lived on the Island of Lagos. The great Ojukwu family had a house in Epetedo in Lagos Island. Dr. Azikiwe was at a point in time living in Sabo. Lagos was a peaceful place that was secured for living.

    For instance, in those days, people can walk from the Island of Lagos to Agege at night unhindered, without any fear of harassment and molestation from any marauder or armed robbers. Therefore, if you look at that time and compare with Lagos of today, where we are not even secure in the innermost chambers of our houses, then, you can imagine what we are talking about. And that is the general position in the whole of our country today.

    I remember when I was a young man, I have a friend name R.S. Alawaye; he is a town planner and also represented Surulere Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives at one time. During our days, Alawaye lived in Oyo and we will leave Lagos around 7 or 8 p.m in the evening and drive down to Oyo. We usually got to Oyo around 11 p.m passing through roads like Abeokuta, Shagamu, Ilogbo, until we got to Oyo. Who dare venture that in this our day and time. I gave that example so that you can see the difference. And it, also visible in the area of education, when in those days in the Western part of the country, and in fact, the whole of the country, regional government were awarding scholarships and it was a competition in the area of education. the University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo, came up in the time of Awolowo; at the same time Ahmadu Bello University also came up in Zaria, which used to be Institute of Management Technology at that time became a university.

    All these foundations were laid, but today, the present conditions with which we find ourselves contradict the past and is akin to making the labour of these our heroes past be in vain. Today, there are series of strikes in our universities and currently the lecturers are on strike while the students are idling at home. At that time, the economy was booming. You have multinational companies, contractors and construction companies like Costain, Cappa D’alberto making business across the country without fear of being kidnapped or armed. One will describe those period as the ‘good old days’ of Nigeria and I think, instead of wasting time and resources celebrating independence, we should use this period as a moment of sober reflection to pray for the return of these good old days to our country.

    So, what do you think is the way forward, if Nigeria must return to the good old days?

    The way forward is like I said is that we have to pray to God to show us the way and bring back the lost glory of our country. Not only prayer, because that prayer must follow with the word ‘change’. A change of our vision, a change of our life, a change of our attitude and a change of our attitude. Because today, in this country, corruption is at its highest. Most of us are greedy. The elites in this country wants to have everything to themselves. Everywhere you turn, you see avarice and insatiable appetite for wealth on people’s faces. You see people looting the treasury of the country with impunity. Only few days ago, a political group made an accusation that the crude oil of the country is being lifted illegally and being sold by some powerful people. These powerful people are the greedy ones ruining this nation today. Having said that, those of us who are followers, ordinary citizens, police, Army, civil servants, artisans must have a change of heart and a rededication to live an honest life. A policeman must be able to perform his responsibilities with all sense of commitment, dedication and honesty without taking bribe, without miscarrying justice and killing people unjustly. So, all of us must change to follow the path of honour, change to follow the rule of law not by words alone, but in our deeds and also to eschew corruption and greed and ensure justice and equity. All of us must decide to depart from our evil ways and decide to earn a decent living. A person earning a decent living will not engage in robbery, kidnapping, illegal oil bunkering, drug pushing and the likes. Most of our people today are living a life of parasite. People hang on to those at the corridors of power all in the name of getting their share from the national cake. Nigerians must begin to see themselves as persons, creature of God who has the right to live a decent life. The Bible, Quran and even the religion of our forefathers emphasize the dignity of labour and earn our living honestly and God will help us. That is the only path that we can follow to change our country and return it to the path of glory. There are no two ways about it.

    We are celebrating Independence while ASUU is on strike and our young minds are idling away at home. As an elder statesman, what solution can you proffer, which can help in putting an end to the crisis?

    One has to appeal to ASUU for a change of heart. They need to make sacrifice. They have made their case; maybe, they have a very good case. They are asking for the improvement in the educational sector, that government should fulfill the agreement it had with them over their allowances and improve funding for our universities.

    That is a genuine case I must admit but on the other hand, the government is saying we are committed to honoring our pledge, but please bear with us because we cannot do that now. Few days ago, a faction of PDP made a statement that the Federal Government is broke. And some people are alleging that the government is owing states their monthly allocations and contractors their salaries. If that is the position, then we must adopt the philosophy of the Yorubas. That philosophy says, if a masquerade asks you for money, and you give him peanut, the first thing the masquerade will do is to first grab the money.

  • ‘Personality will decide Anambra poll’

    ‘Personality will decide Anambra poll’

    Anambra State chairman of the Labour Party ( LP) Chief Sam Oraegbunam has said that the November 16 governorship election will be decided by the personality of candidates and not necessarily their parties.

    Oraegbunam said the power of incumbency will not avail the ruling All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) anything as the electorate will solely consider the person rather than the party. He was reacting to the question of the chances of the LP Governorship candidate Chief Ifeanyi Ubah.

    Oraegbunam told The Nation on phone that in the history of the state, elections have always been decided by the personality of the individuals involved and not the parties.

    “The chances of the LP candidate are very high. We are in a state where elections are not decided by the name of the party but by the personality of the individual. On this score, I can tell you that the LP candidate, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah stands taller than any other candidate. As for your question of whether we are not worried by the power of incumbency, I will say no.In the. Final analysis, the voters will tell you that the person they know is Chief Ubah, who has touched their lives in man ways than one. Go to the state and ask the people.

    “They also know that the ruling party is playing two cards, appealing to the people using the name of Dim Ojukwu and playing the zoning card. But zoning should not be imposition. There are others in the party, who are very qualified, financial members from Anambra North Senatorial District. They have been in the state for the past four to eight years working for APGA, why were they disqualified or dropped. The people are wiser than we all think, please.

    “Ubah is popular among the youths, market women, elders, traditional rulers, transporters, traders and artisan. He has touched their lives in various ways. He does not make a boast of it. He is a man who has made it and he want to lift the state to the next level. So, we are not afraid of the power of incumbency”, he said.

    Reacting to the allegation that a factional LP candidate exists, Oraegbunam said nobody in his party is losing sleep over the allegation as there is no basis to worry over “ frivolous concoctions by political enemies” .

    “Nobody is losing sleep over it. There is no faction in Anambra LP, which is the only party that is rancour free in the state. Secondly, the Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) has published the names of the candidates and their parties, and if there was any faction, the electoral body would have known and acted according. Lastly, there is no known court case against the candidature of Chief Ubah that is known to LP and the INEC. So, we are not losing sleep, we are rather focussed on the election and working assiduously towards it.

    “I can tell you that we have searched all our records from the state down to the wards and found no such name as Peter Nwosu. In fact the claimant is not a member of LP. He is not known to us at the state, national or at whatever level of the party”, the chairman noted.

    According to him, the governorship primary of the party was transparently conducted, monitored and supervised by all stakeholders. We sold our Expression of Interest Forms and the Nomination Forms openly for all interested aspirants to buy. As at the date of the closure of entry, only Dr Patrick Ifeanyi Ubah bought, completed and submitted his forms. He was screened and found qualified, capable and able.

    He said that despite being the only aspirant, the national executive of the party that presided at the primary process still threw the exercise open to public scrutiny and participation. Yet no one objected with the conduct for whatever reason, Oraegbunam pointed out. There is only one LP exco in the state under my leadership, no any other.

    He pointed out that he won’t be surprised if the impostor was being sponsored by political merchants who feel dwarfed by Ubah’s rising political profile.

    The party boss said they would appeal to security agents to properly monitor and investigate such characters in future, “because we know our friends and our friends know us.”

    A member of the Ifeanyi Ubah Media Campaign Team, Mr Emmanuel Ibeneme blamed desperate politicians for the rumour. He said that no amount of fabrications will deter the LP from pursuing its goal of installing the next governor of the state.

    “It is all rumour mongering by desperate politicians, who are jittery of the high level of acceptance of the LP candidate. We will not succumb to their lies and fabrications. We will continue to pursue vigorously, the main goal of the LP, which is to install the next governor and give the state a better leadership”, Ibeneme said.

  • Task before Okurounmu committee

    Task before Okurounmu committee

    President Goodluck Jonathan has named a 13-man National Dialogue Nommittee headed by Dr Femi Okurounmu. AUGUSTINE AVWODE examines the task before the committee.

    Nigeria is, again, on a familiar road. In February 2005, former President Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated an elaborate National Political Reform Conference (NPRC), which Nigerians had enthusiastically embraced. Hopes were high at the prospect of ventilating sundry grivances amongst the people, and the possibility of charting a way forward for the country. But, at the end of a long and tortuous exercise, the conference ended achieving nothing.The vexed issues of the Third Term, led to the ‘killing’ of the whole exercise. Nigerians were pleasantly surprised that a national conference, which was called to discuss the way forward for the country, was hijacked to give legitimacy to a predetermined agenda.

    Today, the fear of the possibility of government using the conference as a seal for another predetermined purpose, has come to haunt the Dr Femi Okurounmu Committee. The major task before it, therefore, is to quickly disabuse the minds of Nigerians and create an atmosphere that engenders trust and confidence in the process.

    Director- General of the Develop-ment Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Dipo Fama-kinwa, put the concern of many Nigerians succinctly thus: “National Conference is good, it will allow us to discuss the way forward and make it possible for the present structure of government to be reviewed. But, what one is not sure is whether there will be sincerity and the political will to do the right thing? The fear is whether it will not be for a predetermined purpose. If it is for a predetermined agenda, then it will be a waste of time and resources. So, we wait and see.”

    Besides the question on sincerity, there is also the need to make it clear that the dialogue is for the ethnic nationalities in the country. The inclination among Nigerians is that the conference will provide the platform for the establishment of the framework for peaceful co-existence among the many nationalities in the country. The opinion of many people is that for the conference to be worth its clamour, it should be for the reperesentatives of these many groups.

    Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) National Publicity Secretary Kunle Famoriyo said it was high time the ethnic nationalities discussed the national question.

    “It is time to look at the national question and find an answer to it. As for us in the Southwest, we want to develop. We want our children to go to school, we want industrialization. But in a situation where everything now has a quota system, which makes it impossible for a section to move at its own pace, is not good”, he said.

    Apart from been overshadowed by hidden agenda, past national conferences have been “restrictive”. Some areas are often termed “no go areas”. Proponents of “no go areas” fear that the national conference could lead to the break up of the country.

    But Chief Frank Kokori said there is nothing to fear in the conference discussing anything and everything.

    “There is nothing to fear in the conference. When you say some areas are no go areas, you immediately create doubt and fear in the mind of the people. But I think there is nothing to fear”, he said.

    Integrity at stake

    The committee should not find it a difficult thing to establish that the government meant well and that it is truly sincere in the project it has embarked upon. The committee boasts of men and women of high integrity. It becomes a thing of staking personal integrity. Happily, one of the arrow heads of the clamour for a national conference, Prof Ben Nwabueze, is today a member of the committee. In August, The Patriots, a group of very eminent Nigerians, made it clear, when they visited President Goodluck Jonathan at the State House in Abuja, that he should convene a national conference to find the solution to the multi-faceted problems besetting Nigeria. Nwabueze, a foremost consti-tutional lawyer, led the delegation to the Villa. The group urged the President to ensure that the national conference holds before the 2015 general elections.

    Of course, it is not only Nwabueze’s integrity that is at stake but that of the other members and the government of the day. Proving skeptics wrong, therefore, is very important.

    Profile of some members

    Femi Okurounmu

    The chairman of the national dialogue has been very vocal in his call for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) .

    He was elected senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District in 1999, under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD). It is on record that on October 13, 1999, not too long after they were sworn in, Senator Okurounmu called for the convocation of a national conference in the country, to address many issues afflicting it, particularly the 1999 Constitution. Okurounmu’s call for a conference was in consonance with the belief of the Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, of which he was the former Secretary General. Okurounmu lost the debate but he certainly sent a strong signal to his colleagues that he is for a dialogue to rectify the warped Nigeria federation.

    Not deterred by the set back of 1999, Okurounmu again, in 2001, together with other senators, sponsored another motion on the floor of the Senate, calling for the convocation of a national conference. The eight senators were Arthur Nzeribe (Imo West), Afolabi Olabimtan (Ogun West), Ike Nwachukwu (Abia North), Jim Nwobodo (Enugu East), Melford Okilo (Bayelsa East), Tokunbo Afikuyomi (Lagos Central), Sunday Fajimi (Osun West), and Emmanuel Diffa (Bayelsa West). They titled the notice “Motion that the Senate should mandate the Joint Committee on the National Assembly on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to convene a National Conference as a necessary part of the process in its Review Exercise, and to forward the motion, if passed, to the House of Representatives for concurrence.” But again, he was defeated by his colleagues.

    In the Second Republic, Okurounmu was a member of the National Working Committee of the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), a party led by the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo

    Senator Okurounmu had also served as the Commissioner for Education in Ogun State. While in the Senate, he was a member of the Committees on Commerce and Economic Affairs. Curiously, he was defeated in his bid for a second term to the Senate. He opposed the Third Term Agenda of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He is also opposed to the granting of amnesty to Boko Haram insurgents. It can, therefore, be said that naming him as the chairman of the dialogue is like a dream come true.

    Prof Ben Nwabueze

    Now in his 80s, Professor Ben Nwabueze is the first academic Senior Advocate of Nigeria and a foremost constitutional lawyer. He is the chairman of the Patriots. He is also a former Secretary General, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the pan Igbo socio-cultural group. A teacher, administrator and a businessman, Nwabueze is also a former Minister of Education . He was a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee for Zambia, 1973; Constitutional Adviser, Government of Kenya, 1992; Constitution Committee for Nigeria, 1986 and the Constitution Drafting Committee for Nigeria.

    Prof George Obiozor

    He is a frontline academic and exceptional diplomat. He served as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the United States from 2004 to 2008. He studied at the Institute of African Studies, and Albert Schweitzer College. He graduated from the University of Puget Sound in 1969, and from Columbia University with a Ph.D. in International Affairs. He was one of the most distinguished Director-Generals of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos. He is the author of “Uneasy Friendships: Nigeria-United States Relations”,

    Tony Uranta

    An activist and environmentalist, he is the Executive Secretary of the National Summit Group (NSG), a group that is feverishly pro-national conference for the country. He is also Secretary General, United Niger Delta Energy Development Security Strategy, UNDEDSS, and a member of the Federal Government’s Technical Committee on Niger Delta.

    Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe

    Senator Khairat Abdulrazaq-Gwadabe was elected to represent the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in 1999 on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). She held office from May 1999 to May 2003. She studied Law at the University of Lagos. Her senatorial election in 1999 was her first venture into politics. She was appointed to committees on the Environment, Health, Women Affairs, Federal Character, Tourism & Culture and Federal Capital Territory. She was a member of the Panel of Review of Nigeria Customs and Excise. She lost the bid to go back to the Senate in 2003. She then defected to the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).

  • ‘PDP should restore party discipline’

    ‘PDP should restore party discipline’

    Former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Hon. Chibudom Nwuche spoke with reporters in Lagos on the crises rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the perceived 2015 ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The Baraje faction of the PDP has declared tha President

    Goodluck Jonathan would be gunning for the third term, if he seeks re-election in 2015. How do you react to this?

    As far as I’m concerned, there is no faction in the PDP because Nigerians were witnesses to the colourful and well attended convention, where every state in Nigeria was represented. It was covered live on television and we had a free and transparent primaries that began from 10 a.m to almost midnight. Before we dispersed, we elected officials in a free and fair manner before the INEC and other observers. So, if a few people felt disgruntled and decided to create and impression of a split by walking out, I think it is not consequential. In a family as big as ours, if certain persons walk out, even though they may be governors to me, it doesn’t affect the family because it’s a big family. PDP is a party that has come to stay.

    I want to also caution that those who don’t respect the President are showing disdain for Nigerians. You cannot have the President of a country seated in a convention and you walk out. That was a bad behaviour and Nigerians must tell them off.

    So, I don’t believe that we have a faction. We have disagreements, which the party, in its usual manner will solve and people should understand that the PDP has come to stay. That is why those that are aggrieved do not want to leave the party and they want to carry the same name again, if possible. I think that the problems we have are surmountable. They are problems within a family and they will be solved. People should understand that they mustn’t take extreme positions because ultimately, we will sit together as family and solve the problems. So, you must not show disrespect to the president of a country by walking out because you offend Nigerians, who gave him the mandate by doing so. Again, it is also an office that you hope to occupy one day. How will the governors feel if the local government chairmen walked out on them at a ceremony in their States? They will not like it.

    On the argument of a third term, the President I know and which most Nigerians will admit, has been President for only one term and he is going to do a second term in 2015 by the grace of God, if Nigerians give him the support. If he declares for the Presidency and wins the votes, he will do a second term, not third term.

    The argument is that, if he wins the 2015 elections, he will be sworn in the third time, having been sworn in as Acting President and as a President?

    When he was sworn in the first time as a President, he was sworn in to complete somebody’s tenure. Are you saying that he should do only six years as President of a country and not eight years? He should do eight years. The first time he was sworn in as President, he was finishing the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua (may his soul rest in peace),who passed on unfortunately. It wasn’t his doing that Yar’Adua died. What should he have done? He had to complete the joint mandate that they had and that was another man’s tenure that he was completing. His own tenure began in 2011.

    You are saying that walking out of the national convention shows disrespect to the President?

    Not only to the President, but Nigerians as a whole. Nigerians have a stake in the Presidency because they voted for the President and, if Nigerians want him to be President, it should be respected by everybody, including governors.

    So, what do you think should be the appropriate punishment for any party member ,who shows such a disposition and disrespect?

    The party constitution prescribes clear measures. First of all, if you form a faction or to split the party, it is anti-party and the punishment is suspension and expulsion. It is very clear in the constitution. But in this case, our elders have intervened in the crisis and they have agreed that everybody should sheath their swords. I hope that the agreements will hold and in this instance, we cannot really apply the constitution. We hope that everybody will sit as a family, but we should also learn the lessons that, in the future, we should not try to split the party unnecessarily.

    Shortly after the peace meeting in Abuja, the aggrieved PDP members visited the National Assembly. Was that not suggestive that dialogue has collapsed?

    I think that the dialogue, as I said, is still on and it has been adjourned till the October 7. We shall keep appealing to people that they should realise the value of the platform they currently are in. Most people, who are in politics, their victories, be it landslide in their states, be it by majority vote, owe it to the party they are in. The PDP is a driving force. The PDP is the vehicle they are in. They will be surprised that, if they were to leave the party and go somewhere else, they will be walking alone. For instance, in my state, if anybody leaves the party to another party, he will go alone because our people are for the PDP. They don’t care about any new PDP because they know the PDP that we all know, of which Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader. That is what they know about.

    They don’t know about any new PDP. So, anybody who leaves the party and goes elsewhere, you can’t just take Nigerians to any other place. They are used to a particular culture and a particular party. So, if anybody decides to leave the party and go to another party, he may not be able to command the kind of crowd he believes he will command. He will be walking alone and I think they should have a rethink.

    In politics, what devalues a politician is constant movement. I am a founding member of the PDP since 1998 and I have been in the party since then till now. The party hasn’t been fair to me in many instances, but I’m still in the party. In England, if you are in a particular party like the Labour Party, you will stay there for live. Sometimes, you may run for eight years and at other times, you lose. So, people must learn to focus on the ideology within the party. You shouldn’t see a party as a vehicle only for getting benefits and once you are not favoured, you leave the party for another party. It doesn’t show consistency. That is why I advocate that politicians must have a the party interest so that desperation of going from place to place will not be there.

    As one of the organisers, what were the noticeable ills that dot the convention?

    No convention can be perfect because perfection belongs only to God, just as no elections are perfect. Yes, there were minor complaints in very few states, but I don’t think they were adequate to affect the overall outcome. I will say that, if out of 10 you score 9, then, you’ve passed. You did very well and Nigerians have to see this fact. The convention went very well according to international standards. Nigerians saw it clearly on the TV and those who were there live saw it as well. So, to talk about it being cancelled, you can’t do that. You cannot have something that you scored over 90 percent and you say it has failed.

    The seven governors have said that the President entered into an agreement with them not to re-contest in 2015. As a party leader, are you privy to such agreement?

    I have no idea at all of any agreement. Agreements that are made between party stakeholders may not have been made with other stakeholders. Agreements that are made secretly but nobody can verify such agreement and I think people should disregard all such talks.

    You cannot bind people behind their backs. The President holds a mandate for all the people and I’m not sure the agreement they talk about exists. They haven’t shown us the agreements. Even, if they were to show us such agreements, they will not be valid because I’m a lawyer. So, I think those things are mere sentimental distractions. If the President wants to run for a second term, they should allow him to contest and defeat him, if they can at the polls. Of course, that is, if the President wishes to contest. So far, he hasn’t said he wants to contest, but they mustn’t abridge his rights with a purported agreement, even before he declares. Those who say he signed an agreement with them, do they own the country? How come he had an agreement with them? What is their own stake? Do they have more stake than myself in Nigeria? What is their own locus that prompted an agreement with them? Is it because they own the country or what? Nigeria is owned in common by all of us. Nobody has a right to force another person to have an agreement with him over a property that we all own together. It’s our country and we are governed by the constitution. Whatever is not allowed there, we shall leave it. What is allowed, we contest it.

    Do you think that the President should re-contest?

    First of all, he has a constitutional right to contest and I believe that he has done very well and his records are there for anybody to see. He deserves to re-contest if he so wishes and if he does, I’m sure that he will get the support of Nigerians.

    But what I must urge at this time is that we should not focus attention too much on the second term ambition of Mr. President for 2015. We have close to a year and six months to go and he can still do a lot by trying to address the major problems that confront the country like insecurity, provision of infrastructure, educational backwardness, medical health, infant mortality etcetera.

  • ‘Why Aregbesola deserves second term’

    ‘Why Aregbesola deserves second term’

    All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Senator Mudashiru Hussain (Osun West) spoke with Correspondent ADEKUNLE JIMOH on revenue allocation, local government autonomy, politics in Osun State and other partisan issues.

    Do What is your position on local government autonomy?

    Whoever chooses to speak on the issue of the Joint Accounts of state and local governments must be well schooled on what led to the operation of the joint accounts in the first place. Let it be known that the failure of most local government councils to pay salaries of their teachers, and workers was responsible.

    In Osun State, during the administration of Chief Bisi Akande some local governments recorded zero allocation, meaning that immediately allocation was used to pay half of the salaries, nothing would be left to offset the balance. So, the local governments were in perpetual debt. Besides, let it sink that in a federal structure, we can only have the centre and component units. That shows we can only have the centre and states. Local governments are bye product of states, but because we are contending with contradictory issue called federal system of government that is being operated under a constitution with controversial content and spirit. As it stands now, I am one of the senators who support joint account between local government and state governments because some of our local government chairmen and councillors are not matured. If allocation goes to them directly, there will be an overwhelming abuse of fund. Please, let the status quo remain for now.

    How do you see the current revenue allocation formula and sharing?

    What I am about to tell you now must not be seen as the opinion of an opposition politician, but a realist whose interest lies in true federalism. Ordinarily, all component units of a federation ought to have something in form of revenue contribution, and this could happen, if all states could be allowed to take possession of what they have as resources. In Nigeria, some states could dwarf Niger Delta oil with agricultural produce; some states could develop on tourism, some states could grow on taxation and levies, and so on, but because of the lazy structure, and defective leadership, we are compelled to practice ‘feeding bottle’ federalism, where all states go to Abuja cap in hand, begging for the favour of the Presidency for everything.

    It will be good seeing the states and local government getting more share, while the centre gets lesser. Check it out, all 36 states share 26 percent, and they can still have some things like infrastructure to show, some local governments are struggling to commission some projects out of the 17 percent given to 774 councils recognized by the constitution, what has federal government has to show for 54 per cent? Do the arithmetic and think on my stand point.

    What are your achievement as a the member of the National Assembly from the Osun-West District?

    When a legislator begins to spell out his achievements like the executive, it further reminds us of our defects and our own brand of democracy. Under normal circumstances, a lawmaker is to represent his constituency, and give voice to his or her people in every piece of legislation that should be pushed forward, but it is quite obvious that our constituents are demanding some results different from lawmaking and oversight functions. In the light of this, I must say that, in the last two years, I have attracted some projects to my constituency in Osun. For the past two and half years of being a member of the senate representing Osun west District. I was able to contribute immensely to robust debates on national issues that affect my senatorial district and Nigeria in general to improve the well being of Nigerian youths reduce unemployment and poverty in the land. I sponsored a bill, which was read as first reading in the Senate and it is ready for second reading (The bill is seeking gender equality in the society), and I sponsored a motion on rehabilitation of all national stadia in the country, which was approved by the senate and refered to my committee for investigation. However, I initiated a lot of federal projects to various local governments within my senatorial district such as building of schools, sinking of boreholes erection solar energy poles and, of course, distribution of 500kva of transformers to all the local governments in my senatorial district, not mindful of what I did positively to better the life of individuals, especially in the area of securing federal job appointments such as Custom Immigration NDELA Technical Corp and some others for quite a sizeable number of people.

    I have also been empowering quite a number of women and youths with various working tools and cash throughout the senatorial district.

    How would you rate the performance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola?

    Let me paint the picture before the APC-led government took over. our people were made to contend with economic blunders, which rendered Osun to a civil service state; another name for a failed state; a situation that compelled Aregbesola to seek new window of economic opportunities in the state through his six-point action plan known as ‘O’ concept. Through the concept, the issue of capital flight was addressed. Another landmark was how the APC government led by Aregbesola removed Osun from the list of perpetual debtors and insolvency. As a matter of fact, the way and manner he bought back the suffocating loan bequeathed to him by his predecessor was another as financial surgery. Today, Osun has become a bride for investors, and it is on record that the state has the lowest unemployment rate, according to the Federal Bureau of Statistics. The infrastructural development in the state of Osun under the leadership of our amiable Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola cannot be overemphasised.

    Since the beginning of this administration, we have launched a very aggressive economic drive which has positive impact on the citizenry such as OYES, OMEAL OREOS, OBOPS, OFISH, OHONEY, OBEEF, rehabilitation and construction of middle school and secondary school and elementary school a lover the state the Road Network are not behind our government is comparable with previous administration because Rauf has the Zeal focus and the commitment to take Osun to the next level.

  • What can Nigeria learn from Asian Tigers?

    What can Nigeria learn from Asian Tigers?

    Nigeria and some Asian countries were at the same level of development five decades ago. But why the Asian Tigers are waxing stronger economically and politically, Nigeria’s growth appears to have been stalled by its lack of dynamic and transformational leadership. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN reports.

     

    Nigeria and Malaysia have many things in common. They were former British colonies. Malaysia became independent in 1957, three years before Nigeria achieved independence in 1960. The economy of both countries was agrarian, prior to the oil boom era in Nigeria. They are republican states operating bi-camera legislature.

    Malaysia is a federal democracy leaning on the monarchial order. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong is Head of State and the Prime Minister of Malaysia is the Head of Government. The executive power is exercised by the federal government and the 13 state governments. The federal legislative power is vested in the federal parliament and the state Assembly. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature, though the executive maintains a certain level of influence in the appointment of judges.

    The Constitution of Malaysia is codified and the system of government is based on the Westminster system, which Nigeria practiced between 1960and 1966. The hierarchy of authority, in accordance to the federal constitution, consists of the executive, judiciary and legislative. The Parliament is made up of the Senate (Upper House) and House of Representatives (Lower House).

    The country practices a multi-party system, which in the last 50 years, has been dominated by the United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), the dominant party in the broad-based coalition called the National Front. Three main opposition parties compete in national and state elections in Malaysia.

    During the tenure of Dr Mahathir Mohammad, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia, many constitutional amendments were made. Henceforth, the Senate can only delay a bill from taking effect and the monarch no longer has veto powers on proposed bills.

    Unlike several other Islamic societies, Malaysia practices a liberalised form by allowing even western attires to be worn by women. Contact between sexes is fairly flexible. Women account for 40 per cent of the population.

     

    Malaysian economy

     

    Malaysia has built a “knowledge economy” woven around hitech and all-round specialisation. Technology and telecommunication are already advanced. Mobile phones was common place, since 2001, even among school children.

    Malaysia is cited as a good example of well managed capitalism. Every sector of the economy is tightly controlled by government, with indigenous expertise driving them. For more than 20 years, when Dr Muhammad was the Prime Minister, his Finance Ministers had consistently emerged the second most powerful men, a reward for watching the health of the economy.

    There are no subsidies in Malaysia. Though government is active in every sector, this is in the form of ensuring compliance with economic policies by both the public and private sectors.

    At the turn of the last century, large quantity of palm seedlings was ferried from Nigeria for transplant in Malaysia. Today, the country boasts of millions of flourishing palm plantations all over its land scope. Indeed, Malaysia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil and third largest producer of rubber.

    The country has a national car called Proton, manufactured in collaboration with Mitsubishi of Japan . There are other less popular brands.

    In 1998, the bubble burst and the country, along its neighbours, plunged into its first recession. It promptly tightened capital controls and rejected prescriptions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). It reduced the 21 commercial banks, 12 merchant banks and 25 finace houses to only six in each segment. The economy bounced back two years later.

    Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) averaged 12 per cent in over two and half decade resulting in a bullish emerging market and powerful member of the famed Asian Tigers.

    To underscore Malaysia’s technological and financial muscles, the nation’s capital, Kuala Lumpur currently houses the world’s tallest office complex, the Petronas Towers, which is 1,482 feet high, all massive steel and glass. It has 88 storey and was completed in 1996.

     

    Nigerian politics

     

    Nigeria is a Federal Republic modelled after the United States, with executive power exercised by the President.

    The President’s power is checked by the Senate and House of Representatives, which are combined in a bicameral body called the National Assembly. The Senate has 109 seats with three members from each state and one from the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The House contains 360 seats and the number of seats per state is determined by population. Members of the National Assembly are elected for a four-year term that is renewable.

    Nigeria’s three largest ethnic groups (Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba) have maintained historical pre-eminence in Nigerian politics; The two major political parties at present are the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressive Congress (APC) that emerged from the recent merger of three opposition parties, All Nigeria Peoples’ Party, Action Congress of Nigeria and Congress for Progressive Change.

     

    Nigerian economy

     

    Nigeria is classified as a mixed economy and an emerging market. It has already reached a lower middle income status, according to the World Bank. It has abundant supply of natural resources. The Nigerian Stock Exchange, which is the second largest in Africa. Nigeria is ranked 30th in the world in terms of GDP (PPP) as of 2012. Nigeria is the United States’ largest trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa and supplies a fifth of its oil (11 per cent of oil imports). It has the seventh-largest trade surplus with the US. of any country worldwide. Nigeria is the 50th-largest export market for US. goods and the 14th-largest exporter of goods to the US. The United States is the country’s largest foreign investor.

    Previously, economic development had been hindered by years of military rule, corruption, and mismanagement. The restoration of democracy and subsequent economic reforms have successfully put Nigeria back on track towards achieving its full economic potential. It is now the second largest economy in Africa (following South Africa), and the largest economy in the West Africa Region.

    During the oil boom of the 1970s, Nigeria accumulated a significant foreign debt to finance major infrastructural investments. With the fall of oil prices during the 1980s oil glut Nigeria struggled to keep up with its loan payments and eventually defaulted on its principal debt repayments, limiting repayment to the interest portion of the loans. Arrears and penalty interest accumulated on the unpaid principal which increased the size of the debt.

    However, after negotiations by the Nigeria authorities, in October 2005, Nigeria and its Paris Club creditors reached an agreement in which Nigeria repurchased its debt at a discount of approximately 60 per cent. It used part of its oil profits to pay the residual 40 per cent, freeing up at least $1.15 billion annually for poverty reduction programmes. Nigeria made history in April 2006 by becoming the first African Country to completely pay off its debt (estimated $30 billion) owed to the Paris Club.

    Nigeria is the 12th largest producer of petroleum in the world and the eighth largest exporter, and has the 10th largest proven reserves. Petroleum plays a large role in the Nigerian economy, accounting for 40 per cent of GDP and 80 per cent of government earnings. However, agitation for better resource control in the Niger Delta, its main oil producing region, has led to disruptions in oil production and prevents the country from exporting at 100 per cent capacity.Although it is a producer of oil, the country has no functioning refinery.

    Nigeria is one of the poorest oil producing countries, according to the United Nations report citing “the economic policy orientation during the 70s left the country ill prepared for the eventual collapse of oil prices in the first half of the 80s.

    “Public investment was concentrated in costly and often inappropriate infrastructure projects with questionable rates of return and sizeable recurrent cost implications while the agricultural sector was largely neglected.”

    Nigeria has one of the fastest growing telecommunications markets in the world, major emerging market operators (like MTN, Etisalat, Zain and Globacom) basing their largest and most profitable centres in the country (70). The government has recently begun expanding this infrastructure to space based communications. Nigeria has a space satellite which is monitored at the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency Headquarters in Abuja.

    The country has a highly developed financial services sector, with a mix of local and international banks, asset management companies, brokerage houses, insurance companies and brokers, private equity funds and investment banks.

    Nigeria also has a wide array of underexploited mineral ,which include natural gas, coal, bauxite, tantalite, gold, tin, iron ore, limestone, niobium, lead and zinc (72). Despite huge deposits of these natural resources, the mining industry in Nigeria is still in its infancy.

    Agriculture used to be the principal foreign exchange earner of Nigeria. At one time, Nigeria was the world’s largest exporter of groundnuts, cocoa, and palm oil and a significant producer of coconuts, citrus fruits, maize, pearl millet, cassava, yams and sugar cane. About 60 per cent of Nigerians work in the agricultural sector, and Nigeria has vast areas of underutilized arable land. But it has now tailed to diversity its economy.

    The collapse of the manufacturing sector has led to mass unemployment.

    Corruption is on the increase in Nigeria. In 2009, it was listed among the failed states. Infrustructure is at a low ebb and ethnic and religions tensions have unleased the fear of peaceful co-existence.

    Many experts have attributed the wide gap between Malaysia and Nigeria to the poverty of leadership. They contended that, with visionary and incorruptible leadership, it is still possible to reposition the socio-political economy because Nigeria has the potential for growth and development.