Category: Politics

Expectations were high when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan was elected President, almost three years ago. However, in terms of performance, there is gap between expectation and reality. Will the President make a difference this year? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU revisits the transformational agenda of the administration within the context of  growing public disenchantment.

Unlike two years ago when Dr Goodluck Jonathan was elected President, the enthusiasm has fizzled out. Many people believe that the transformational agenda of the administration has failed to herald a brighter future. Reforms in critical sectors seemed to have been put on hold. Almost three years after, there is no achievement worthy of applause. To stakeholders, it has been two and half years of wasted hope and expectation.

Will this year mark a clean break from the past? Will President Jonathan make a difference? Can the transformational agenda be revived and vigorously pursued? Can the administration regain public confidence? As the President climbs the ladder of his third year in office, much is expected of the administration in all the sectors of the economy. Stakeholders expect him to demonstrate uncanny courage, tackle the challenges of governance as leader and statesman and justify the trust reposed in him by voters. Observers believe that the President’s performance would erase the perception of the Presidency as a national burden.

Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) leader Dr. Fredrick Fasehun said the President must intensify his efforts in the new year. He said he shoulders the burden of providing the right leadership at this critical time . He doubted, if he could make a headway by refusing to head the stringent calls for a national conference. “Jonathan is a simple, educated and intellectual person. The problems of Nigeria have accumulated over the years and he cannot solve them in two years without being a magician. He should now try to be a magician”, he added.

Unlike the main opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which is generating ideas for its governors, the ruling party has not supported Jonathan Administration with robust ideas. During the presidential campaigns, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) did not promise voters any programme of action for revatalising the moribund economy. However, the President, and not his party, is accountable to the electorate. President Jonathan cannot be described as an inexperienced administrator at this stage, having served as deputy governor, Vice President, Acting President and President for three years. On his assumption of office, he urged patience among Nigerians, promising to live to expectation. After completing the late President Umaru Yar’Adua’s term, he was given an overwhelming endorsement by voters. Today, many Nigerians think that they voted for him in vain.

When Dr. Jonathan assumed the reins, he started presiding over a trembling polity under the threat of insecurity. The fear of the Boko Haram sect has become the beginning of wisdom. Sporadic bombings have created panic. Lives have been lost. Endless promises by the President have not restored security. Also, forging national unity is becoming increasingly difficult for the President. Sources said that the north is still angry at the perceived or imaginary hijack of presidential power by the Southsouth. But the President cannot boast of commanding total respect from the South either. The oil-rich zone, which endorsed him at the poll in 2011, is disappointed by his abysmal performance.

President’s Jonathan’s transformation agenda was captivating at the onset. He had outlined plans to revive the economy, fight infrastructure battle, curb corruption, promote accountability and build public confidence in government. The President promised a conducive atmosphere for investment to thrive. He said, under his leadership, Nigeria would bounce back.

However, the challenge is how to marry expectation with reality. Asked to assess the administration, former United Action for Democracy (UAD) Coordinator Abiodun Aremu lamented that Jonathan Administration has nearly turned Nigeria into a failed state. “He promised to fix electricity. Instead, PHCN has continued to give us darkness. Federal roads are impassable. Corruption is growing in leaps and bounds. To cap it all, he increased fuel pump price by force’, he fumed.

Many economists have argued that the President did not inherit a country in total economic ruins. They pointed out that, despite the depletion of the foreign reserves and soaring foreign debt, the country still had a promising financial base. But the high cost of governance at the centre, with severe consequences for capital expenditure, and corruption, have damaged the economy. Under Jonathan Administration, budgetary implementation has become an uphill task. Youth unemployment has a time bomb, with graduates now enlisting in professional crime. Infrastructure battle is being fought, as the government has claimed, but no proof of efficient social amenities. The President is also not a respecter of rules of presidential system. When the National Assembly passed a resolution that the executive should stay action on the fuel price hike, the Presidency dismissed the parliamentary resolution with a wave of the hand.

Many Nigerians also believe that the President has made the resolution of the national question impossible. For example, Dr. Jonathan had ruled out any Sovereign National Conference (SNC) where ethnic nationalities could devise the basis for peaceful co-existence in the traumatised country. Although the administration has given backing to the proposed constitution amendment, leaders of the ethnic nationalities and other civil society groups see the exercise as window dressing. Yoruba National Assembly convener Gen. Alani Akinrinade (rtd) flayed the jamboree, saying that a Constituent Assembly outside the National Assembly should have been saddled with the task.

Another politician and lawyer, Chief Bisi Adegbuyi, said the President and National Assembly are afraid of amending the defective 1999 Constitution to reflect the wishes of Nigerians who thirst for true federalism, restructuring and state police. “The President and National Assembly are chasing shadows and preventing the emergence of a peoples’ constitution”, he stressed. Last year, Ajayi, who is a leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, cried out that Nigeria may collapse under the “weak President”. He berated tDr. Jonathan for lack of proper initiative and focus. He enjoined the President to act with speed, warning that the ship of state may hit the rock.

Jonathan’s transformational agenda is beautiful on paper. Observers believe that, if the President focuses attention on its implementation, instead of subtle campaigns for a second term, he can still make an impact. In the new year, Nigerians will show keen interest on his strategies for implementing the robust programme.

One of the burning challenges confronting the country is insecurity. The former National Security Adviser,the late Gen. Patrick Aziza, had reasoned that the violation of PDP’s zoning formula was at the root of the revolt by the dreadful Boko Haram sect. Many lives have been lost and property worth billions of naira destroyed by the sect. Experts fear that the menace would largely scare away foreign investors from the country. The President has owned up that Boko Haram had penetrated his government, sending clear signals that the challenge of ensuring security has overwhelmed him. Last week, the President said he would get rid of the sect and halt the pattern of violence. Although he appointed Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) as new National Security Adviser, it has not deterred the arsonists from their horror. The sect is waxing stronger daily. Many are aggrieved that the federal government has refrained from categorising the sect as a terrorist group.

Oshun explained that Boko Haram’s message is clear. “They would like to have their society organised and administered in a particular manner, probably different from us in Yorubaland, Igbo, Tiv, Ijaw Southern Kaduna. It is only when we have given everyone a voice in their own affairs that we can truly have peace”, he stressed.

On the economic front, people also expect changes in the right direction. Some economists have flayed the government for lack of economic direction. They claim that budget is becoming a declaration of deceit, making the National Assembly to complain about poor budget implementation and failure. Last year, the trend of budget failure Irked by this, the Save Nigeria Group (SNG) alleged that government spend N1.6 trillion without appropriation by the National Assembly. The group, led by Pastor Tunde Bakare, flayed the federal government for breaching the due process by spending N1.6 trillion as against N240 billion budgeted for subsidy in the 2011 fiscal year.

In its review of last year, Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) said government has incurred more debts. Its leader, Olawale Oshun, said the alert by the Central Bank Governor Lamido Sanusi that the future of the country may have been jeopardised, should not be discarded. He said it is ironical that Finance Minister Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, who led Nigeria out of debt, is now the Economy Minister under an administration that has incurred more debts. Economists have warned about the burden of interest and loan re-payment, saying that future generations may be at risk.

Eminent Nigerians were also alarmed at the Infrastructural decay in the country. Former Minister of Works and Housing, Alhaji Femi Okunnu (SAN), cried out that Nigerian roads have become impassable. is alarmed at the impassable, pointing out that they have become death traps. “We need to undertake road studies. We need to return to the old, painstaking way of addressing the infrastructural problems” he said. More worrisome is the poor state of Ibadan/Lagos Expressway. Okunnu blamed the poor state of the roads on pressure by trailers in the absence of an efficient rail system. “If the rail system is functional, we will have less number of long vehicles on the road”, he added. The health sector is also yearning for transformation. As it lies prostrate, only privileged Nigerians can escape the horror by going to either India or Cuba for medical care. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), malaria and communicable diseases are still rampant, to the disadvantage of child and mother mortality.

When President Jonathan came on board, there was a slight improvement in electricity supply. The transient improvement has been wiped off. The nation was back to square one barely three months after. Today, every home is a government providing electricity and water for itself. There is hardly a home in the urban centers without generators and environment is polluted by flames. Generator importation is booming. Due to power failure, the productive sector is crippled, making artisans and peasants to be jobless for most of the day. Last year, operators of the organised private sector and Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had warned that unemployment rate may double, owing to high cost of production. Apart from forced downsizing, private sector cannot meet the welfare needs of employees because of running cost.

How has the government fought the anti-graft war? Dr Jonathan was said to have been held to ransom by cabals in the oil sector. Efforts to prosecute them have hit the rock. Pension scam has also discredited certain top government officials. Bringing them to book is also illusory. Rights activist, Lanre Suraj, said the anti-graft bodies are helpless because they lacked independence. “Nigerians look forward to that time when it will be relatively easier to prosecute those responsible for the economic adversity of the country. They are leaders in the high places”, he fumed.

Other stakeholders said they also looked forward to that time Nigeria would be run as a true federal state. To them, that would put an end to the uniform wage controversy. Governors have complained that, in a federation, states are in a better position to enter into discussion with their workers on wage review, based on the financial strength of the states and other realities. Workers in some states are still at loggerheads with the governors over the uniform wage review, which did not take into cognizance the differences and peculiarities of each state.

It is also evident that the President is insensitive to the national questions germane to peaceful co-existence of the over 250 ethnic nationalities. He has openly opposed a Sovereign National Conference (SNC).The President and 36 governors are at loggerheads over the Sovereign National Wealth Fund. Dr. Jonathan’s views on other issues, including the restructuring of Nigerian Federation, return to true federalism as embodied in 1960 Independence Constitution, marginalisation and rotation of the Presidency, resource control and revenue allocation, and inconsistencies in the 1999 Constitution, are not known. Yet, these are critical to the establishment of a virile, harmonious and peaceful federal nation-state. Other critical issues are the state police, agitations for special status for Lagos and the abolition of the Land Use Act, status of local government within the context of true federalism, repeal and abolition of Petroleum Act, review of the powers of the National Judicial Council, inclusion of national debt in the constitution, adoption of six zone structure, and reform of the civil service and electoral process.

According to ARG, devolution of power, responsibilities and resources and establishment of state policing system should be the hallmarks of the nation’s federal arrangement. Oshun, therefore warned that any constitution review that would not meet these expectations would be an exercise in futility. He advised the President to listen to the voice of reason. “The President should realise that he is a tenant at the villa. His tenancy will soon expire and he will have to confront the reality, just like Obasanjo is now, very much to his chagrin”, he added.

Former National Vice President of National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC) and Finance Minister in the defunct Eastern Region Mazi Mbonu Ojike died in 1956 at the age of 44 years. EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the life and time of the colourful politician and cultural nationalist who died without realising his full potentials. 

He was born 100 years ago. He died almost 59 years ago.

Had Nigeria embraced his socio-cultural preaching, the country, probably, would recorded a leap in its drive for self-sufficiency. But only those who have a deep sense of history now remember the prominent Igbo politician and Nigerian nationalist, Mazi Nbonu Ojike.

The renowned freedom fighter was in the class of Dr. Kingsley Mbadiwe, Chief H.O. Davies, Dr. Michael Okpara, Chief Ladoke Akintola, Chief Bode Thomas, Chief Remi Fani-Kayode, Alhaji Mohammadu Ribadu and Alhaji Zana Rima Dipcharima. He was both a fan and foe of the former Premier of Eastern Region, Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe. As Finance Minister under Zik, he fell out with his leader. Ojike died at the age of 44 in an auto crash. Many Nigerians believed that he left without realising his full potentials.

On the podium, he was at his best when attacking the colonial masters and their anti-African policies. He was an orator and wordsmith. He was a man of intellect and understanding. He canvassed passive resistance, which was made popular by the great Indian leader, Mahatma Ghandi. He traversed the length and breath of the colonised territory, urging the people to “boycott the boycottables”. He practiced what he preached by adopting native names, clothes, food, and ways of life. Ironically, he toured the towns and villages with his message of cultural nationalism in cars imported from abroad. He wore traditional dress to office and served palm wine, instead of whisky, champagne or beer at his official receptions and parties. He replaced his suit with agbada or jumper and encouraged civil servants to appear in office in native attire.

Ojike became famous during the struggle for independence through his weekly column, ‘Weekend Catechism’ in the West African Pilot. Through that popular platform, he appealed to Nigerians to perceive independence from the cultural perspective. His idea was that the attachment of the young educated elements to British culture was another form of enslavement. Thus, the great nationalist taught Nigerians to reject or avoid “foreign things” or “imported things”, contending that, in the process of identifying with or embracing the culture of the colonial masters, the pride of the colonised community is further injured.

A university don, Prof. Ukwu I. Ukwu, who paid tribute to him, said he was a hero to Igboland and Nigeria. “He taught us and kept teaching us, the beauty, dignity and functionality of our traditions”, added the don, who teaches Economists at Ebonyi State University. “His greatest impact was psychological and intellectual. He gave birth to every Nigerians pride in his culture as a living functional whole”, he added

From adolescence, Ojike had shown the promise of an electrifying character. He was charming, gregarious and fork-tongued. Historians point out that 1931 marked a turning point in his life. As a final year student of CMS Tranning College, Awka, he emerged as the best student. The prize was a book titled: “Aggrey of Africa. The book changed his world view because he was exposed to the dilemma of the oppressed African people. At the age of 19, he resolved to join the nationalist vanguard.

In 1936, he started proving his point. Ojike led an agitation for more pay for junior teachers at Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Awka. He accused the authorities of partiality and discrimination, stressing that the salaries of junior teachers ought to have been increased when salaries of their senior colleagues were jerked up. In fact, he resigned as a teacher in 1938. He had come in contact with Dr. Nnamidi Azikiwe, who encouraged him to go for further studies. The young nationalist later attended Zik’s alma mater, Lincoln Univeristy, United States. His colleagues were Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who later became President of Ghana and other pioneer members of the African Students Association of America and Canada. The group became a veritable platform for nationalist activities.

Following his return to Nigeria, he turned to Zik for political mentoring. Ojike became an automatic member of the National Council of Nigerian Citizens (NCNC). He became a thorn in the flesh of the British interlopers. As a critic of the colonial administration, he was marked down for liquidation. When he poured venom on the British government over the behaviour of security forces during the Iva Valley massacre in 1949, he was charged with sedition and fined 40 pounds.

Judging by his father’s status as a prosperous trader, Ojike, one of the 19 sons of a polygamous home, could be said to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But his father had no plan to send him to school. He went to primary school by force, emerging as a teacher of elementary subjects in a primary school, At the same time, he read secondary school books at night. His efforts were not in vain as he won scholarship to study at the teacher training college, where he also taught after graduation. As he taught, he intensified his private studies and obtained the Cambridge School Certificate and University of London Diploma. Apart from Lincoln University, Ojike also studied at Ohio and Chicago universities, obtaining B.A and M.A degrees. As a student-activist, he was President of African Students Union of Lincoln University, Secretary-General of African Academy of Arts and Research founded by Mbadiwe and observer at the historic United Nations Conference on International Organisations held in San Francisco in 1945. He write three books to sensitise Nigerians to the imperative of cultural pride; ‘Portrait of a boy in Africa’ (1945), ‘My Africa’ (1946) and ‘I have two countries’ (1947).

Prof. Ukwu recalled that Ojike plunged into “the mainstream of militant nationalism”, adding that he rose quickly to positions of prominence in the NCNC and regional government. He was adviser to the NCNC delegation to the 1949 constitutional conference, deputy mayor of Lagos, NCNC National Vice President, member of Eastern House of Assembly, and Eastern Regional Minister of Works and later, Finance. In journalism, he was the General Manager of West African Pilot . He was also a successful businessman.

Ojike was also a publicist, if not a propagandist. He often electrified political rallies with his wisecracks and songs, which earned him the sobriquet of “freedom choirmaster”. But he also canvassed positions which brought him in collision with his political leaders. For example, he objected, not to federalism, but a federal structure based on the three regions. He also objected to the creation of the House of Chiefs. Yet, as a conciliator, he brokered peace between warring indigenes and non-indigenes fighting over the control of Onitsha Urban Council. In the East, he introduced the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) system of taxation. He canvassed free education for production and creativity. He also said that Nigeria should develop its certification process, instead of being carried away by Cambridge School,Certificate and London Matriculation.

Ojike was an appostle of self reliance. He had prayed to live to that period when Nigerian shops, factories, banks, universities, societies and clubs would be like the ones in advanced countries. Up to now, it is an elusive goal. Nigerians have continue to boycott home goods in preference for imported commodities. Students are boycotting lecture rooms and teachers are boycotting duty posts. Labour is boycotting work and government is boycotting good governance.

Former Vice Chancellor of Ebonyi State University, Prof. Frank Ndili, urged Nigerians to embrace the “boycott philosophy” in memory of Ojike and in national interest. “The philosophy epitomises belief in one’s own abilities. Nigeria today imports ready made goods, foods, even models, patterns of organisations and institutions from the developed countries, thereby subjecting the national economy and society to all manners of international upheavals that our present level of socio-economic development cannot sustain. Nigeria can do without a number of these imported goods and values and shift efforts towards the optimal utilisation of her inert capabilities”, he said.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) PDP is the ruling political party in Nigeria. It has won all the presidential elections held in the country since the return to civil rule in 1999. Formed by a coalition several political organisation in 1998, the party has to its credit a national spread. It has membership virtually in all the nooks and crannies of the country.

The party which rightfully prides itself as the biggest party in sub-Saharan Africa produced Chief Olusegun Obasanjo as President in 1999 till 2007. It also won majority of the state governorship positions in the first election leaving the Alliance for Democracy (AD) with six and the All Peoples Party (APP) with nine.

In 2007, the party fielded the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as its presidential candidate and won. Upon his death, President Goodluck Jonathan emerged to complete his term. He went ahead to win the 2011 election on the platform of the PDP.

Though it has won all the presidential elections, analysts are of the opinion that the popularity of the party is waning by the day. Its loss in all the six states of the southwest, its hitherto North-central stronghold of Nassarawa and the twin states of Anambra and Imo in the southeast is a pointer to this argument.

According to pundits, the party in line with its identity as a conservative party, has a market-driven approach for the economy. With internal crises rocking many of its state chapters, the PDP is going into the New Year with a lot on its plate to battle ahead of the 2015 general election.

Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN)

This party has continued to prove its critics wrong since its emergence on the political scene in 2007. Formed with the merger of several parties, including Advance Congress of Democrats, Justice Party and Alliance for Democracy, not many people gave the alliance a chance to survive.

The party has a strong presence in Nigeria’s south-west, mid-west and north central regions. From these areas, the party has a total of six governors and about 19 senators, making it the second largest party in the country, following the inability of the ANPP to retain most of the seats it won in the early elections. and 2 representatives to the state houses. In the 2007 assembly elections, the party won 32 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives but today, it boasts of more than 60 honourable members in the lower house. Given its progressive leaning, the party is seen by many as the masses’ party and it is going into the New Year with this appellation.

All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP)

This is another major political party in Nigeria. In the 2007 elections, the party had won about 27 per cent of the popular votes and also won 92 of the 360 seats in the House of Representatives. In the Senate, ANPP won 27 of the total 109 seats.

But today, left with only three governors and seven senators in its care, the party seems to have lost its winning streak. Unable to retain most of the governorship and senatorial seats in its kitty during the last general election, the ANPP performed very badly in the presidential race.

With a right-wing conservative ideology and a mass appeal, particularly in northern Nigeria, the party at inception was touted as the alternative to the ruling PDP. But its many battle with internal skirmishes didn’t help its quest to take over the leadership of the country.

Many see its involvement in the ongoing merger talk as an attempt to relaunch itself back on the track of national politics in the country. The commitment of its leaders to the talk will determine where it will be placed in the politics of the coming years.

Congress for Progressive Change (CPC)

This is another major political party in Nigeria. Formed hurriedly in time for the 2011 general election, it put up what many called a surprise performance, coming second in the presidential race. Its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, was even touted as the man to beat in many opinion polls prior to the election.

The party also got six senators elected on its platform and crowned its surprise victory run by winning the governorship seat in Nassarawa State.

Currently, apart from being deeply involved in the opposition merger talks, the CPC is undergoing serious restructuring with its leaders saying the exercise is meant to position the party to take over the government of the country at the national level.

Its popularity is also spreading wide, especially in the northern part of the country where it is seen as a veritable alternative to the ailing ANPP. It is expected to play a vital role in the politics of 2013.

One of the major political events observers of the power game in Nigeria are looking forward to in 2013 is the result of the ongoing merger talks among opposition political parties in the country.

It is believed that if it succeeds, the proposed mega party will give the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serious run for its money and size.

The merger of the parties is one of the strategies being canvassed by some  politicians to defeat the ruling PDP which has dominated power since the advent of the present democracy in 1999.

While more opposition parties are said to be interested in joining the move to form a mega party, the three leading opposition political parties in the country namely, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) may have decided to drop their identities by April 2013, when talks on their proposed merger are expected to be completed.

Few days back, the Chairman of the ANPP National Rebuilding and Interparty Contact Committee, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, told journalists in Abuja that the merger talks between ACN, CPC  and ANPP had reached the last stage.

Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State, allayed fears that the talk may collapse again when he announced that the chieftains of the three parties had decided to forget their individual ambitions to make the fusion a success.

“Certainly, we are going to submit our party certificates to the Independent National Electoral Commission after our merger. That is what a merger means. The Electoral Law is so clear on the procedure for a merger.

“If we decide to merge, the next thing is that we go back to our parties, call National Executive Committee meeting, and discuss with the members, in the presence of INEC officials. Then, you can call congress and that is all.

“The difference now is to pass a resolution and all this will be simultaneously done (by the three parties) and we will inform INEC about it. When that is done, INEC has no choice than to register your new identity.”

The National Publicity Secretaries of CPC and ACN, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin and Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in separate interviews recently confirmed Shekarau’s claim that a merger of the three leading opposition parties is in the offing.

“Yes, we are ready to lose our identity for the sake of the bigger party that is capable of sacking the PDP. My National Chairman, Prince Tony Momoh, has said it several times that he is ready to lose his position as well.

“I’m also ready for that, if that will enable us form a party that will be big enough to confront and remove the PDP from the central government,” Fashakin said.

“ACN is committed to getting a single platform of all opposition political parties that will drive the PDP out of power.

“All I can tell you is that the modalities are being worked out. And we are committed to it,” Mohammed said.

Few weeks back, another leading opposition party, the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) also announced its readiness to be part of the merger move. The party said though it is poised to displace the PDP in 2015, it will not mind working with other oppositin parties to achieve that.

The party’s national chairman, Victor Umeh, made the announcement when asked if his party is part of the merger talk currently going on. He said the APGA is not opposed to the move and will surely be part of it.

There are also talks that the paties may have already put forward some names including but not limited to Action Congress for Progressive Change, (ACPC) and Action Congress Alliance, (ACA) as possible names that would be used to consummate the alliance.

The parties are also said to be expediting plans to hold their national conventions where the alliance will be endorsed by their members. Sources said all things being equal, the conventions will hold very early in the new year. If this happens, then a new political party will surely be born in 2013.

 Committees constsitute the engine room of legislative houses. Although the standing committees of the 7th House of Representatives were inaugurated on September 29, last year, they started  work early this year. VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI examine some effective committees that have earned the House good reports, their challenges and agenda for 2013.

Finance Committee (Chairman: Abdulmumin Jibrin)

The House Committee on Finance, headed by Abdulmumin Jibrin could be said to have been one of those that have distinguished themselves in the outgoing year.

When President Goodluck Jonathan presented the 2013 budget before the House in October, it was accompanied with the 2013-2015 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) as required in the Fiscal Responsibilities Act, 2007.

Part of the committee’s recommendations on the MTEF, that the benchmark be increased to $80 became a source of conflict between the House and the Executive

Jibrin had always stood his grounds that the House would not shift it’s position on the $80 barrel. The Finance Committee in conjunction with thenLegislative Budget and Research committee reviewed the MTEF brought in by President Goodluck Jonathan and changed the parameters in the budget proposals

Another aspect where the Committee got acclaim was its efforts to ensure that out of the Internally Generated Revenue of MDAs and government corporations, what is due to the Federal Government is remitted to its coffers.

During its investigative hearing on non-remittances of internally generated revenue, It was the committee that also discovered that several agencies were found guilty of contravening the FRA by either outrightly failing to declare their operating surpluses or declare operating loss to avoid remitting it to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) in accordance with the FRA 2007.

The committee’s discovery that 35 revenue-generating agencies including the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) were responsible for a shortfall of N113.8 billion into the Federal Government coffers for the 2012 fiscal year was an added laurel for the committee.

The Committee, in its report over poor remittance of internally generated revenue to the Consolidated Revenue Fund by the government, revealed that agencies only remitted N11.8 billion or 9.41 per cent of their internally generated revenue (IGR) of N125.6 billion in 2012.

Abdulmumin Jibrin, Chairman, Finance Committee said the immediate focus of his Committee was to curtail the spending powers of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) through legislation.

“One of our biggest concerns is the spending powers and the expenditure of the agencies but we discovered that their spending is now a pattern like raising 100 billion and post an expenditure of 100 billion. The implication is that they are giving the Federal Government nothing. But the underlying factor is that by the time expenditure of these agencies are scrutinized, without sounding immodest, most of the expenditures are sheer garbage.

“These are the kind of issues we are looking at now because they always hide under the excuse of internal laws that gave the power to do such expenditure, but then, two constitutional provisions provided a way of it and the constitution is supreme.

“We are taking two amendments to the Act, one is a consolidated amendment to reduce the powers of these agencies to expend what they generate. Second amendment is to the FRA, rather than the Federal Government taking money from the operation surplus, we now want it to take money from the gross.

House Committee on FCT

(Chairman: Emmanuel Jime)

This is one of the most effective committees in the House. The sessional report of the committee headed by Emmanuel Jime as at June 2012 shows that the 40- man strong committee which was mandated to galvanise the essence of Abuja as choice for Capital City of the Federal Republic of Nigeria

The committee’s jurisdiction as spelt out in the House Standing Order XVII, Rule 21(1and2) covers Oversight on matters affecting the Federal Capital Territory Administration, except the Area councils, Planning and development of the Federal Capital Territory, Allocation of lands in the Federal Capital Territory; Control of development within the Federal Capital Territory; and Annual budget estimates.

The committee performed oversight function on the Federal Capital Territory Administration, Secretariats, Departments and Agencies through regular interactions and oversight visits. Within the past year, the Committee held 6 of its regular Committee meetings, 6 interactive sessions with Officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) 2 Public Hearings.

Bills and motions referred to the committee for the period under review include: “A bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the hospitals management board of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and for other matters connected therewith,” sponsored by Rep Uzoma Nkem Abonta; “A bill for an Act to establish the FCT resettlement, Compensation and Rehabilitation Board and for Other Related Matters, 2012” sponsored by Rep Bitrus Jisalo and Hon. Godfrey Gaiya.

Motions include: “A motion on urgent need for a comprehensive and integrated housing policy for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja,” sponsored by Rep Friday Itulah; “Deteriorating state of the transport scheme of Abuja Mass Transport Company (AUMTCO),” Sponsored by Rep Stella Ngwu; “Motion on unchecked refuse dumping along major roads in and around FCT, as it predominantly affects Lokogoma-Gudu axis,” sponsored by Rep Lanre Mukaula O.

There was also “Motion on the need to give priority attention to the slow pace of Kuje-Gwagwalada road project and to provide for water drainage system along the road,” sponsored by Rep Isa Igah Dobi and “Need to investigate alleged mismanagement and embezzlement of N4.5 billion funds for the American University of Medical Sciences Project,” sponsored by Rep Kingsley Chinda; and also the motion- on ”Need to provide mobile emergency response units in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja,” sponsored by Rep Yakubu Abiodun Balogun.

On the committee’s plan for 2013, Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Emmanuel Jimmeh, said security situation within the federal capital was a priority to pursue in 2013.

According to him, the organisation of a security workshop in Abuja in the out-going year was a pointer to the concern of the Committee because notwithstanding being the Center of Unity, Abuja has joined the league of terror cells in Nigeria.

“The current security situation in the country and the federal capital in particular is worrisome and it is our belief that if practical steps are taken, terrorism and kidnapping would sooner than later become a thing of the past in the country.

Raphael Igbokwe, Deputy Chairman of the Committee also spoke adding that Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) as it affects the FCT would be vigorously examined in the coming year.

According to him, it is the intention of the Committee to ensure that time was not wasted on the establishment of Board of Internal Revenue for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as the bill scaled second reading.

He said: “FCT can not collect proper taxes over the years because there was no board of internal revenue in existence. So, going by population explosion as well as the expansion of the city, the FCT cannot develop about 13 Districts due to lack of fund

Public Accounts (Chairman: Solomon Olamilekan Adeola)

For a committee that asks questions on the issues of funds administration, based on reports by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AGF) the Public Accounts Committee headed by Solomon Olamilekan Adeola, according to lawmakers, “has done the House proud.” Many people have insisted that the activities of the committee have started impacting positively on the financial standing of the country. The committee was the first to raise the alarm on the N4 trillion non-remittances by Ministries, Departments and Government Agencies for 2009 alone. The committee’s report subsequently indicted 60 MDAs on the issue.

The committee also took on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation over the $7bn missing crude oil funds and summoned the past chairmen and members of the Board of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as the Minister for Petroleum Resources, Diezani Allison-Madueke to appear it to explain knotty issues concerning the sum.

A look at the activities of the committee and responsibility could be discerned by looking at the working document of the committee which is the Auditor-General’s report for a given year.

For instance, the 399-page audit report on the accounts of the Government of the Federation for year ended December 31, 2009, as signed by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Samuel Ukura, was adopted as working documents for the House Committee on Public Accounts.

So was that of 2003 to 2008. For those years, the committee’s investigations culminated in a-1,200 page report which has over 700 recommendations on statement of accounts of over 60 MDAs out of the 601 MDAs indicted before the House.

According to the Committee chairman, the Auditor-General’s report for 2009 alone shows that the Consolidated Revenue Account recorded a shortfall of N254,157,683,917.45; a shortfall of N267,674,270,493.54 in the external loan out of N582,621,480,000 obtained by Fund Departments while $200 million transfer from JP Morgan was omitted from the Consolidated Account as at August 13, 2009.

In the report, it was further stated that the sum of N214,826,243,694 accrued into sinking fund, interest due on floatation of bonds, among others were unknown while N524,372,523,275.79 extracted balances on capital accounts of 185 MDAs “had not been remitted into the Consolidated Revenue Fund as at the time of this report (December 2009).”

The committee has given notice of its intention to probe the management of the Excess Crude Account, Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), the Ecological Fund Account, Stabilization Fund account which is under the Office of the Accountant General as well as the Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF) account amongst others. This effort is likely to spill into 2013.

Adeola said: “This investigation will be all-encompassing. We are going a step further by bringing back the former board to come side by side the current one to explain to Nigerians where this $7 billion is.”

And what would the committee be concentrating on in the year 2013? Adeola said one of the most important issues before the committee is to ensure that all collectable revenues due to the Federal Government are collected, particularly in the Liquified Natural Gas.

“On the issue of the LNG, as the only thing that constitutes revenue today as we are aside the taxes, federal, income taxes, is oil. LNG has been on for over six to seven years, and they’re not privatized and we’ve not even heard from them.

Adeola said that the committee would institute a comprehensive probe into the operation of the LNG which according to him has not remitted any revenue into government coffers after operating in the country for the upward of seven years.

He said Federal Universities, Polytechnics, Colleges of Education and Federal Government Colleges will also be investigated by the committee in the coming year, adding: “There are also many MDAs, and government corporations like that. In 2013 we are going to ensure that people do not short-change the Federal Government, or misuse tax payers’ money to the detriment of national development.”

Foreign Affairs (Chairperson: Nnena Elendu-Ukeje)

For the foreign Affairs Commit-

tee headed by Nnena Elendu-

Ukeje, 2012 has been a challenging year. But surprisingly, the committee was able to rise up to the occasion and make Nigerians proud. Of note and particular interest was the issue of deportation of the female pilgrims during the Hajj operations.

The “conflict” between Nigeria and the government of Saudi Arabia in the wake of the deportation of over 500 pilgrims from the Holy land during the last hajj operation was an opportunity in which the House could gauge her worth as the head of the committee on Foreign Affairs.

Every member of the House expressed satisfaction for,the manner in which she handled the affair. They lauded her pro-active stance and concise dissection of the issues and incidents as well as her correct interpretation of the mood and actions of the Saudi Government.

The report of the her committee on the issue was incisive and had far reaching recommendations that was no doubt an eye opener to many members in the Parliament.

Elendu-Ukeje has been vociferous in her call for more funding for the Nigerian Mission.

While lamenting the poor funding of the 111 foreign missions in a recent interview, she said: “We have tried to capture it in the nation’s budget. Last year, the allocation made to the execution of foreign policies and our foreign mission was 0.8 per cent of the nation’s budget. South Africa does 19 per cent of their nation budget for foreign affairs, Republic of Benin does 3 per cent of its nation’s budget on foreign affairs, Ghana does 11 per cent of its nation’s budget on foreign policy and Nigeria did 0.8 per cent, less than 1 per cent.

She believes that Nigeria must start to decide if it will put its money where its foreign policy is. “Where does Nigeria see itself? What does Nigeria want to do to achieve its vision for itself? How far is Nigeria willing to back its aspirations and I think those are the issues. Yes, there is wastage in some places but more in other sectors than in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs,” she said.

Public Procurement (Chairperson: Jumoke Okoya-Thomas)

The committee on Public Procurement headed by Jumoke Okoya-Thomas is one of the most important committees in the House. This is mainly because the committee oversights the Bureau of Public Procurement which vets all the procurement processes of the MDAs.

To this end, the committee by extension is like a watchdog of the MDAs in terms of procurement processes and conformity with the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

For a while, the committee was up in arms against the Bureau of Public Procurement, in trying to get it to adhere strictly to laid down rules and procedures for procurement as enshrined in the Act guiding the processes.

One of the recent battles of the Committee was with a Minister which the committee severally invited to explain the why the procurement in the contract awards by her ministry was not in tandem with the provisions of the Public Procurement Act. Her zeal for Due Process has earned her the nickname, Madam Due Process.

Aids, Loans and Debt Management (Chairman: Adeyinka Ajani)

When the mounting debt of the country, particularly the states became worrisome for the House of Representatives and they wanted to know if the loans being obtained by the states and the Federal Government was sustainable, they called on the Adeyinka Ajani headed committee to conduct a fact finding mission on behalf of the House, and the committee did an admirable job of the investigations.

But not without some drama though. It was at the hearing that a pall of confusion trailed the $171 million power sector loans Governor Isah Yuguda’s of Bauchi State applied for from the China EXIM Bank.

While Yuguda’s said he was borrowing $171 million, the Debt Management Office said he was borrowing $75 million

And while the governor who insisted that he was borrowing $171 million put the disparity down to typographical error the Director General of DMO, Abraham Nwankwo said it was the figure he got from the Ministry of Finance.

The Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Fashola also came before the committee to protest the non-inclusion of the second tranche of the state’s $600 million World Bank loan in the borrowing plan of the Federal Government

The committee had called for a meeting with 12 state governments, MDAs and financial Institutions over the 2012-2014 external borrowing plan. Of the twelve state Governors invited, only Governor Yuguda and Fashola showed up in person.

Officials of the World Bank, African Development Bank (ADB) International Monetary Fund (IMF) Exim Bank of China, Islamic Development Bank and French Development Agency were all invited to the session.

The committee also tried to ascertain how comfortable the states seeking multi-million dollar external loans from international financial institutions to fund various projects would be when the loans were being repaid. According to the committee, there was the need to ensure that the states would not be dragged the into debt traps.

The Chairman of the committee, Adeyinka Ajani said the House called for the session to ascertain the state component in the External Borrowing Plan of the country. The committee has co tinted to give good account of itself in its assignments.

Justice Committee

(Chairman Ali Ahmad)

The House Committee in Justice may sometimes be a quiet committee, but in some instances, it was saddled with important assignments in conjunction with other committees.

The efforts of the committee to facilitate the passage of the Justice Sector Reform Bills by the National Assembly as well as how to attract more funds to the Federal Ministry of Justice and its parastatals, has been applauded. The committee’s move to regulate the application of the concept of plea bargaining, which has been grossly abused in the Criminal Justice Administration in Nigeria is also seen as a move in the right direction.

But according to the Chairman of Justice Committee, Ali Ahmad, the committee is also working on the Central Bank of Nigeria Act (Amendment) which he sees as priority.

“It is our determination to strengthen the bank and make it proactive and insulated from unnecessary interference or manipulation by external factors. I assure you that the fears expressed by some section of Nigerians would be allayed because some factors were taken into consideration when they were making their presentations,” Ahmad said.

The bill sought to provide for an Act to amend the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007 No. 7 to appoint a person other than the Governor as the Chairman of the Board of the Bank, exclude Deputy Governors and Directors as members of the Board, divest the board of the power of consideration and approval of the annual budget of the bank; and for other related matters.

Another key area of focus for the Justice Committee in the new year was the justice sector.

According to Ahmad, the Committee held several interactive sessions with the Ministry of Justice and the Chief Executives of the six parastatals under the Ministry.

“The meetings were aimed at, among others: ascertaining the achievements and constraints of the Ministry and the parastatals concerned, appraising the efficacy of the Enabling Acts of the parastatals with a view to determining whether to review or update them and ascertaining the extend of implementation of the year 2011 budgets of the Ministry and the parastatals concerned.

Environment (Chairperson:

Uche Lilian Ekwunife)

The House Committee on Environment has proven that it could be both active and pro-active given the recent environmental challenges that plagued the nation.

Long before the flood that devastated about 22 states in the country, the committee had always sounded a note of warning on the neglect of environmental issues by the Federal Government. It had consistently called for adequate funding for the core ministry in charge of the environment.

Though the Minister for agriculture According to the Minister, the flood devastation of many communities in the country only affected 1.4 million hectares representing 1.117 per cent of the 400 million hectares of cultivated farmlands in Nigeria, Ekwunife was of the opinion that the country does not need to wait for disasters to occur before running around in circles to address the issues.

One of the boldest moves by the committee in 2012 was the crafting of a bill purposed to give the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA) more powers for it to function effectively.

The bill entitled: “A bill to amend the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (Establishment etc) Act 2006 and for other matters connected therewith,” was sponsored by Ekwunife.

According to the Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Department of Petroleum Resources, the bill was more or less transferring the responsibilities of the Ministry and DPR to NOSDRA.

The IOCs that spoke at the hearing including Shell, Agip and Chevron also cautioned that the bill’s regime of fines was more punitive than corrective.

The amendment bill sponsored by the Committee chairperson herself is a radical departure from the principal act and seeks to give the agency wider powers to carry out its functions.

If eventually passed as a law, NOSDRA would be vested “with responsibility for preparedness, detection and response to all oil spillages, oily wastes and gas flare in Nigeria.”

In the proposed bill Oil companies that do not report spills within 24 hours are to pay N500,000 and those who fail to clean up spills N1 million

NOSDRA will also benefit 2.5 per cent from the Ecological Fund annually for the management of major oil disasters, 0.5 per cent operational funds of oil companies “for the enforcement of environmental legislation in the petroleum sector, and 10 per cent from the sale of each barrel of oil “for environmental management.

Tambuwal lauded the efforts of the said bill saying it was a step in the right direction.

Challenges

Constraints that may make nonsense of the ambitions of the Committees include lack of funds. They had no fund to work on the bills committed to them. The present funding system of Committees’ activities should be reviewed so that Committees have access to funds, as and when due, to finance their activities. This is an area usually exploited by MDAs to thwart essence of oversight functions of the Committees. Lack of reference material is another as many Committees lacked basic reference materials to carry out research on bills and other legislative measure

Other challenges include inadequate office accommodation: though the National Assembly may look big and all encompassing. So, the committees still lack space to function effectively. Committees like Justice have high number of referrals in terms of bills, hence such Committees were involved in several joint meetings with others.

Securing meeting rooms or halls was a challenge confronting such Committees thereby hampering progress of work. Other challenges that cut across committees include the refusal of members of the Executive to turn up on invitations of the committee.