The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2019

  • 2019: Between ease of doing business and ease of doing fraud

    ELECTION campaign begins tomorrow, November 18, ninety days to the vote, and something of great interest to citizens and international observers alike is what kind of contest to expect. There is no gainsaying that this is an immensely important election. Apart from the fact of the stark choice of either going forward or backwards; choice between light and darkness, a large percentage of the country’s traditional and political elite is up in arms against the sitting Buhari administration, which they accuse of disrupting their lifestyle, itself characterised by licentiousness especially when it comes to dealing with the commonwealth. This opposition, it must be said, has liquidity of the type that government itself does not have.

    The US Dollar rain by a major opposition party at their convention in Port Harcourt is a dire warning in this direction. This contrasts sharply with the high level of discipline put in place through the Treasury Single Account, TSA being implemented by the Buhari government. It is a matter for great concern that the leading opposition parties have resolved to undertake a campaign clearly aimed at aggravating differences between Nigerians on the basis of especially religion, region and tribe. A document in circulation, from the resolutions of a retreat in a foreign country by one of the parties makes no pretences about their plan to cause tension between various communities.

    They have dramatically begun actions to destroy the integrity of the election process. Even before the gates open for the race to begin, this country is already witness to a unique type of campaign based on unverified allegation or distortion propagated in the two chambers of the National Assembly which are strangely led by opposition candidates in a minority party in the coming election. They have lately launched scathing attacks on government concerning payment for fuel subsidy and the emergency feeding program of the displaced communities in the Northeast. There are vivid reports of unscrupulous opposition politicians who have finished the lives of our youths by handing guns to them, turning them into rag-tag guerrillas confronting our security agencies in Abuja and states in the north central zone.

    For the All Progressives Congress, APC administration at the center, initial moves towards 2019 have been about the effort to publicise the administration’s achievements while at the same time dispelling negative propaganda by the opposition. While it is clear that the opposition is unprepared for a contest based on policies programs, and past records of work, they are bent on distracting the attention of voters by appealing to sectional feelings and throwing voters into confusion. Churches and Mosques and other places of worship are being recruited for election propaganda. For us in the APC, the task before us as we embark on the campaign is to make plain and clear how the country progressed over the last three years and I dare say that there is so much to talk about. We are proud of our achievements.

    But we must first of all make the voter to illustrate where we are coming from because without doing that, it is hard for many to appreciate the enormous strides the nation has made under the present dispensation. For instance, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, at a press conference early this week announced that this administration has achieved the remarkable feat of doubting the available electric power in the county, from less than 4,000 megawatts to now 8,000 mw. This wattage is the available power that is generated and transmitted. Distribution, which is now in private hands, has improved but at 5,000 mw, it still has a lot of catching up to do.

    If we had continued with the pace, corruption and ineptitude that characterized the war against Boko Haram by 2015, it would have taken us decades to eliminate the terrorists’ hold on Nigerian territory and have them confined to a little corner in the country, by the banks of the Lake Chad. Agriculture was abandoned in that region and only a few could grow their own food in years. The Boko Haram had a state within the Nigerian State with a defined territory, a flag, a system of administration complete with taxation and a court system. There was a time that in the northeast, two million people were displaced. Now, the communities are returning as government, with local and international support put back damaged infrastructure.

    The Buhari administration has shown the ability to take hard decisions, in the nation’s interest as has been seen in dealing with the economy. This administration is doing something that no government had done since independence in 1960, which is moving the economy in a completely new direction. Government has done so much, especially in agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing, preparing the country for the greatness that we all desire.

    It would amount to a major reversal, if not self-immolation for the voters to take steps that return us to the discredited past. Take another example, the reform of the trade and investment sector by which the administration has been streamlining systems, ensuring transparency and fewer rules. That’s what the ease of doing business is all about, measures that have brought a lot of international compliment to Nigeria and for which there is a Presidential Enabling Business Council. As a result of this work, Nigeria moved 24 places on the World Bank ease of doing business rankings, and earned a place on the list of 10 most improved economies in 2017.

    A prospective investor denied visa to come by a corrupt consular office in a Nigerian mission can today hop into a plane and obtain his/her visa on arrival. New businesses which took years upon years to register now have a maximum of a 48-hour waiting period to be certified. In the words of President Muhammadu Buhari, “Nigeria is taking steps towards creating a more business friendly environment for foreign investors and visiting business people. Our Visa on Arrival policy as one of the components of our ease of doing business in Nigeria policy is working.

    “Corruption has been identified as an impediment to sound business practices. The fight against corruption, the ongoing exercise to rid the country of the remnants of the insurgency, the continuing importance we attach to transparency in Governance. These are just some of the major policy initiatives, all of which need to be analysed and reported on to the global audience by the media both at home and internationally.” For decades, demand for fertilizer had never been sufficiently met until this administration came. The foreign exchange part of it, USD 200 million is eliminated; subsidies that run up to N60 billion annually have been stopped and on top of that, prices per bag have crashed from N14,000, to government approved price of N5,500. From farmers to pundits and experts in the agric sectors, (SECTOR) no one ever imagined that Nigeria could stop rice imports and achieve near selfsufficiency in three years, but here we are: 90-95 percent of rice imports have ceased.

    The President is carrying out difficult reforms for the future growth of the country, such as the implementation of the ease of doing business, the Treasury Single Account, TSA, the whistleblower process, and hundreds of others, including the massive investment in rail, roads, power and airports. If such reforms had happened in 16 years of the PDP, this country would not have been lowly ranked among nations. In the middle of the process of changing the country from its unwanted standing to a more desirable one, that’s not the time to change a president.

    In Nigeria as in many other democracies, campaign and elections are addictions. They come with attitudes and responses, those that wanted and those that are unwanted. There are worrying excesses that attend our campaigns, and these are already on display. These, if not managed using voluntary agreement or a code of conduct on rules of behaviour for the political parties and their supporters, can turn things in the wrong direction. When they enter into those agreements voluntarily, parties are more likely to feel bound by commitments into which they have freely entered. For a conducive atmosphere to prevail in making wise and informed choices, parties have a duty to sit around the table to decide. More than all the others, the governing APC has a national call to lead this coalition before the revisionists stampede the unsuspecting citizens into substituting the ease of doing business with the ease of doing fraud. •Garba Shehu is SSAP Media and Publicity to the President

  • 2019: Battle for Agodi House

    Three Ibadan indigenes-Adebayo Adelabu (All Progressives Congress) (APC), Seyi Makinde (Peoples Democratic Party) (PDP) and Olufemi Lanlehin (African Democratic Congress) (ADC)-are contesting for governor of Oyo State. Who wins? Correspondent Oseheye Okwuofu writes on the battle for the Agodi House.

    The three major political parties in the Pacesetter State- the All Progressive Congress(APC), the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the African Democratic Congress (ADC)-have elected their governorship candidates for next year’s election.

    From inception in 1976, Oyo State has been known for its pacesetting, largely due to the fact that all who have governed the state were tested men with vast experience in governance. The late Chief Bola Ige, popularly known as the Cicero of Esa-Oke was a political wizard and an orator. Ige, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), governed the state between 1979 and 1983. The mathematician, Dr. Omololu Olunloyo, was Commissioner for Education. He was governor for a few months in 1983. Chief Kolapo Ishola was Chairman, Akinyele Local Government. He governed from 1992 to 1993. Alhaji Lam Adesina was in the House of Representatives between 1979 and 1983 before he was elected governor from 1999 to 2003. Chief Rashidi Ladoja was a distinguished senator before he was elected governor from 2003 to 2007. He was impeached, but later returned by the Supreme Court judgment which quashed the impeachment. Otunba Alao-  Akala was Chairman, Ogbomoso North Local Government and deputy governor before he was elected in 2007. Abiola Ajimobi was senator before he  won the governorship election in 2011.

    Clearly, underdogs have no place in the coveted Agodi Government House. All the major political parties cannot ignore this history. APC, PDP and ADC have presented their best to vie for the number one seat.

    The APC produced the former Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and grandson of the first Federal Minister of Social Services and Natural Resources, Alhaji Adelabu Adegoke, popularly known as Penkelemesi, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, who will be slugging it out with  the PDP candidate,  Seyi Makinde, a businessman, and Senator Olufemi Lanlehin, a veteran, of the ADC.

    Although the  ADC is a relatively new party in Oyo State, it is home to notable politicians who disagreed with their former parties, but needed to seek their fortune on a new platform.

    The primaries conducted by the ADC and the PDP  to elect candidates for the 2019 elections have stirred confusion that assails the parties. The PDP candidate, Makinde, has a suit instituted by his opponent, Senator Ayoade Adeseun. The ADC has been torn apart by the choice of its candidate, Senator Olufemi Lanlehin.

    Apart from the strength of the candidates, the crisis that followed the primaries will affect the chances of the ADC and the PDP in the governorship election.

    Many supporters of the aggrieved aspirants are opting out to work against Lanlehin in the election as a pay back.

    Of 13 aspirants, 12 have  queried  Ladoja and others for imposing Lanlehin on them. All efforts made by the aspirants to reverse the controversial primary proved abortive.

    They  were said to have gone to Abeokuta to request former President Olusegun Obasanjo to prevail on Ladoja not to impose Lanlehin on them, but their protests did not yield a positive result.

    Determined to fight to a logical conclusion, they had approached a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja to intervene in the alleged illegal selection of Lanlehin as the candidate.

    The aspirants claimed that Ladoja, Chief Michael Koleoso Busari and Olakojo took an unjust decision to handpick Lanlehin without wider consultations.

    The 12 plaintiffs in the suit are: Barrister Sharafadeen Abiodun Alli, Hon. Festus Wale Adegoke, Dr. Nurein Aderemi Adeniran, Mr. Ayodele Adigun, Dr. Yunus Abiodun Akintunde and Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja. Others are: Senator Gbenga Babalola, Dr. Mohammed Kola Balogun, Barrister Ayanlowo Obisesan, Engineer Aderemi Olaniyan, Otunba Oluseye Opatoki and Engineer Aderemi Oseni. The defendants include the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), ADC, National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, Ladoja, Dr. Dele Ajadi, Senator Michael Koleoso, Dr. Busari Adebisi and Chief Olayiwola Olakojo.

    Observers said it will be a bitter pill for the party in the governorship election.  Notwithstanding the last minute statement from the national headquarters of the party that the Oyo ADC has finally settled for Lanlehin, the die is already cast. The intra-party crisis in Oyo ADC has narrowed the  2019 contest, leaving the stage for the PDP and the APC.

    The ruling APC, with its intimidating credentials, has a lot to worry about. Though, highly applauded by the wisdom and maturity applied in the conduct of its party primary, APC needs to work very hard to win the governorship election. Judging by the performance of the incumbent governor Abiola Ajimobi in infrastructural development, the party is in a good position to make reasonable impact . However, the strength of its  candidate, who has never contested any elective position before, may be a disadvantage. Adelabu said he will be relying largely on the legacy of his grandfather.

    Besides, the post-party congress crisis, which exhumed  the two rival groups in the party, SENACO and LAMIST, almost crippled the APC. Many party supporters defected to the ADC as a result of the disagreement.

    Fears are also being expressed that the party may pay dearly for the sins of Ajimobi, who was said to have stepped on many toes in the course of forcing some of his unpopular policies on the people. An example  is Ajimobi’s   review of the contentious 1957 Chieftaincy Laws of Ibadanland, which pitched the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji and vocal and influential Ibadan sons and daughters against the governor. The dust raised by the exercise is yet to settle. Despite these shortcomings, the APC, with its power of incumbency and its overwhelming political structures spread across the 33 local government areas of the state, may likely retain the crown at the end of the race.

    The PDP, a major opposition party is recovering from its defeat in 2011. Like the ADC, the crisis arising from its primary is yet to abate. Adeseun, who contested against Makinde, has headed for court, challenging the outcome of the primary. He is alleging fraud and manipulation of the delegates’ list, which led to boycotting of the primary. Adeseun is supporters have threatened to work against the  party if justice is delayed. Observers said the gale of defections in Oyo PDP may weaken the chances of the party.

    Apart, from the inherent intra- party crisis Makinde, an expert on fluid and Gas Metering, is not new in Oyo politics.  In 2007, Makinde contested for the Oyo South Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), but lost to the PDP candidate- Kamoru Adedibu.

    Makinde remained undeterred by his first failed attempt and in 2010, he aspired for the Oyo South 2011 senatorial seat but lost the primary to the incumbent Oyo South Senator.

    In 2014, Makinde contested for  governor.

    In December 2014, upon the conclusion of the primary, he was denied the governorship nomination ticket. Makinde defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), on the platform he contested for governor but lost out in the end.

    In September 2017, Makinde returned to the PDP, where he  emerged as the candidate. Notwithstanding its weaknesses, no one can underestimate the strength of the PDP in the race, judging by the fact that it rivals the ruling APC, in terms of structure and financial muscle. Observers were of the opinion that  the contest is going to be between the two gladiators, Chief Bayo Adelabu of the APC and Engr. Seyi Makinde of the PDP. The question is who among the two will occupy the Agodi Government House come 2019. Only the party with an unusual wit, people’s goodwill and sagacity will make the difference.

  • 2019: Defusing fake news time bomb

    Many Nigerians have been exposed to the menace of fake news, misinformation and propaganda, particularly on social media and other online platforms. This has caused ethnic, religious and political tensions in some parts of the country. With a potentially-heated general elections coming in February, next year, what legal and other remedies can be deployed to check fake news? ROBERT EGBE asks.

    When the Nigerian Army began a medical outreach as part of the Operation Python Dance II, code-named Egwu Eke, in the Southeastern states on September 18, last year, its aims were to: offer free medical services in fulfiment of its corporate social responsibility.

    But, hours after the outreach began in Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of Anambra State, news began making the rounds that the personnel were forcibly injecting pupils with the Monkey Pox virus.

    Pupils in public and private schools in Anambra and the neighbouring Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and Enugu states abandoned their schools as the rumour went viral that the exercise was a tool by the Federal Government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, to depopulate the Southeast.

    Nearly a month later, despite a sustained national campaign of assurances by the army and Southeast governors, the Monkey Pox vaccination scare hit Edo, Dalta and Bayelsa states in the Southsouth.

    A parent, who identified herself as Mrs. Chiazor, explained on October 14, 2017, why she withdrew her child from school.

    She said: “I came to school because I heard that the killer vaccine was already at the Oredo Local Government Secretariat (Edo State) for onward transmission to schools.”

    Asked where she got the information from, Mrs. Chiazor replied: “It was on the radio. Children also died in Anambra after they were vaccinated.”

     Fake news sells…everywhere

    Nigeria is not alone in the fake news problem. A 2017 study by news website BuzzFeed found that fake news travelled faster and further during the United States election campaign.

    The President Donald Trump-administration has been dogged by allegations that he was partly aided into office, rather than his rival Hillary Clinton, by a Russian fake news campaign.

    According to BuzzFeed, the 20 top-performing false election stories generated 8,711,000 shares, reactions, and comments on Facebook, whereas the 20 best-performing election stories from 19 reputable news websites generated 7,367,000 shares, reactions and comments.

    Also, a 2016 BBC report titled “The city getting rich from fake news” traced many of the fake news websites that sprang up during the United States election campaign to a city in Macedonia, where teenagers fabricated sensationalist stories to earn cash from advertising.

    This suggests that tech-savvy Nigerian youths could be tempted to cash in on the same scheme, unless the country finds a way to stop them.

     Cambridge Analytica

    Another dimension was introduced to the fake news problem in Nigeria, last March when The Guardian UK revealed that a Nigerian billionaire paid £2 million to data firm Cambridge Analytica to help former President Goodluck Jonathan win the 2015 elections which he eventually lost.

    Will Cambridge Analytica style firms be recruited for the 2019 polls? There is no indication yet that this is the case, but eyebrows were raised on November 2, when it was revealed that The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) had hired the firm of Brian Ballard, a top US lobbyist, ahead of the 2019 elections. The influential lobbyist has President Trump as one of his clients.

    Major recent fake news incidents

    Fake pictures circulating on social media which users are falsely claiming depict inter-communal violence are inflaming already high tensions in Nigeria

    In January, the presidency denounced a fake Twitter account which appeared to justify herdsmen attacks in Benue State to the anger of the public.

    A month later, a letter alerting the public to an apparent attack by herders on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, a major route in the country’s Southwest, went viral before the police issued a statement to deny it.

    What is the government doing to stem the tide?

    On July 18, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the National Campaign Against Fake News has received a boost from the Social Networking Platform, Facebook, which plans to partner with the Federal Government to check the menace.

    To tackle the menace, he said: “We have launched a national campaign against fake news and hate speech. The aim is to sensitise Nigerians to the dangers posed by fake news; how to spot fake news and what to do”.

    On October 18, the Minister warned that the challenge posed by hate speech and fake news was a serious threat, not just to the peace and security of Nigeria, but to its very existence.

    A media adviser to President Buhari, Tolu Ogunlesi. has said the government has reported “hundreds” of fake news websites to tech companies since 2015, in an effort to stem the tide.

    “A particular case was that we had people impersonating the Minister of Finance on Facebook. They were using the account to financially defraud people,” he told AFP.

    “A lot of them run pay-for-job schemes. It’s a common scam, asking people to pay some money in exchange for a job.”

    Ogunlesi predicted that misinformation online will still increase as elections approach in February next year when former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will challenge Buhari.

    Are existing legislations adequate?

    Although the Cyber Crime Act 2015 appears to be more concerned with financial/ICT crimes and hate speech, it does tackle fake news, albeit in an indirect way.

    For instance, Sections 24 and 26 of the Act provides that any person who knowingly or intentionally sends a message or other matter by means of computer systems or network that is grossly offensive, pornographic or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character or causes any such message or matter to be so sent; or he knows to be false, for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, ill will or needless anxiety to another or causes such a message to be sent, shall be liable on conviction to a fine of not more than N7,000,000 or imprisonment for a term of not more than three years or to both.

    The Act also forbids the distribution of racist and xenophobic material to the public through a computer system or network (e.g. Facebook and Twitter). It prohibits the use of threats of violence and insulting statements to persons based on race, religion, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin. Persons found guilty of this are liable on conviction to imprisonment for a term of not less than five years or to a fine of not less than N10million or to both fine and imprisonment.

    In an article last August titled, “Nigeria has enough laws to curb hate speeches”, human rights lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN) addressed attempts by the National Assembly to enact new legislation to curb the related problem of hate speech.

    He said: “Before further energies and resources are dissipated by the government on the enactment of a new hate speech law it is pertinent to point out that the country has enough laws to deal with the menace. What is however lacking is the political will to arrest and prosecute those who contravene the provisions of the relevant laws.”

    Falana also observed that offences which include criminal defamation, inciting statements, breach of the peace, criminal intimidation, publication of statement, rumour or report which may disturb public peace, false publication etc, already attract penalties by imprisonment or payment of fines.

    He added: “Under Section 95 of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, it is provided that no political campaign or slogan shall be tainted with abusive language directly or indirectly likely to injure religious, ethnic, tribal or sectional feelings.

    “Accordingly, abusive, intemperate, slanderous or base language or insinuations or innuendoes designed or likely to provoke violent reaction or emotions shall not be employed or used in political campaigns. A political party or persons who contravene the provision of this section is guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction- (a) in the case of an individual, to a maximum fine of N1,000,000 or imprisonment for the term of 12 months; and in the case of a political party, to a fine of N2,000,000 in the first instance, and N1,000,000 for any subsequent offence.

    ‘Laws not the problem’

    Activist-lawyer Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) shared similar views. Ozekhome, who warned the government against attempts to stifle free speech in the guise of curbing fake news, urged it to take a second look at the existing laws.

    He said: “We have enough laws that can deal with fake news in our criminal code in the southern part of Nigeria and in our penal code that operates in the northern part of the country, including Abuja. We have never lacked laws; what we have always lacked is the will to implement laws.

    “When a person decides to post a piece of news that is fake, both the person posting and the person who generated that piece of news are liable and should be prosecuted. It is like in the law of defamation or libel; the person who makes a libelous statement is as guilty as the peddler of that libelous statement. That is why if, for example, chief A makes a libelous statement, the newspaper that published it, has also committed libel. The vendor that sells the newspaper has also committed libel. So, it is therefore important that Nigerians should watch news that are posted to them before they themselves disseminate it.

    “But we do have enough laws in our statutes to deal with fake news. The Cyber Crime Act that was passed is there.”

    Director, Strategic Communications of President Buhari 2019 Presidential Campaign, Festus Keyamo (SAN), reasoned that because of the closeness of the elections, any attempt by the government to curb fake news, could be misinterpreted as a ploy to limit freedom of speech.

    He said: “For now, any legal intervention to try to curb fake news will mostly seen as an attempt to gag free speech. It is a big problem to try to balance the two, to the extent that, one, you allow free speech, and two, you ensure that you restrict fake news. Balancing both is problematic.

    “You would recall that recently, there was an attempt to enact legislation in respect of fake news, unverified news and Nigerians rose up and condemned it. The National Assembly was trying to criminalise it. If you look at the content of the bill, it talked about news that is untrue, unverifiable; whether we call it hate speech or not, the content of the bill was actually fake news, because the content of that bill was that you post something that you cannot verify, that is not true, then you will be subject to prosecution and fake news is all about stories that are untrue. So, we have a problem on our hands, the problem is how to allow free speech and at the same time curb fake news.”

    Keyamo noted that the reputable press organisations have a big role to play in exposing fake news because they have the tools to do so. He

    He said: “For now, an active, regular press must rise to the occasion. The normal, orthodox press that people still believe in; newspapers, television stations, electronic media, etc, must find a way to quickly respond to fake news publications, in order to ensure that people are not misled. This is because, for now, there is no way we can make any legislation between now and the election period.

    “Secondly, if the ruling party initiates anything like that now, it will be interpreted as trying to interfere in the elections and even curtailing the rights of Nigerians. There’s always mass hysteria about such things; nobody will listen to reason.

    “But I’m not giving up to say we have to live by fake news, I’m just saying that the regular press should be alive and not ignore any such news, because some of the fake news items will come as internet garbage, but whether it is garbage or not, I think we should respond, the regular news media should respond to such stories as quickly as possible.”

    Prosecuting fake news publishers

    Kaduna State stands out as the state which does not relent in using the law to solve the fake news problem.

    On April 10, the state arraigned the Vanguard newspaper correspondent in the state, Luka Binniyat, for alleged false reporting of the death of some students during a crisis in the southern part of the state.

    Mr. Binniyat was slammed with a two-count charge before a Kaduna State High Court sitting in Kaduna, the state capital, court documents show.

    He was accused of writing a false report in his newspaper and on the social media that about five students of College of Education, Gidan Waya, Kaduna State were ambushed and shot dead by Fulani herdsmen.

    The state also charged the president of Chocolate City music label, Audu Maikori, to court for distributing a similar report, although he later retracted and said he was misled.

    “After carrying out a detailed investigation that involved the police, I found out that my driver, who claimed that his brother was also killed in Southern Kaduna, lied to me to extort money”, Mr. Maikori said.

    While the Kaduna State government has defended the trials, saying they are necessary to prevent people from spreading false rumours and thus, worsening crises in southern Kaduna, its critics say such trials only distract from the security challenge facing the state.

    Scores of people have been killed in Southern Kaduna in clashes manly between migrant herdsmen and local farming communities.

    Lesson from other countries

    Germany: In June 2017, Germany’s Bundestag (federal parliament) passed the Network Enforcement Act (Netzwerkdurchsetzungsgesetz) 2017, which came into effect on January 1.

    The Network Enforcement Act is aimed at combating agitation and fake messages (fake news) in social networks.

    It requires companies like Google and Facebook to delete content considered hate speech or fake news, or face a fine of up to 50 million euros.

    Malaysia: Malaysia has taken stern measures towards combating fake news. It has enacted a law criminalising it, with a penalty of up to six years in jail. The law criminalised the dissemination of “any news, information, data and reports, which is or are wholly or partly false, whether in the form of features, visuals or audio recordings or in any other form capable of suggesting words or ideas”.

    Italy: Last November, two fake news items grabbed the public’s attention in Italy. The first claimed that a nine-year-old Muslim girl was hospitalised after being sexually assaulted by her 35-year-old husband.

    The second was a fabricated photo appearing to show Maria Elena Boschi, a prominent lawmaker and member of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s ruling Democratic Party, at a funeral mourning the death of a mafia boss Salvatore Riina.

    In response to these and others, Italy launched a two-pronged measure. The first relied on Facebook. Last February, the social networking giant rolled out for its Italian users a new fact-checking programme aimed at identifying and debunking false information that appears on the site.

    The second was initiated by Italian lawmakers last October. They launched an experimental project to make media literacy—including how to recognize falsehoods and conspiracy theories online—part of the country’s high-school education curriculum.

    The Czech Republic: According to a 2016 report by a Czech think tank, European Values, about 2.6 million of the country’s 10.6million (2016 estimate) population are influenced by fake news.

    Last year, the Czech Interior Ministry set up a 20-person unit to monitor “disinformation campaigns related to internal security.” it also runs a Twitter account that shares tips on how to identify reliable news sources, promotes access to free media-literacy classes, and occasionally calls out specific information circulating online as untrue.

    China: In 2017, China’s first cybersecurity law came into effect; it requires Internet companies to allow even more surveillance of their networks, submit to mandated security reviews of their equipment and provide data to government investigators when requested, among other regulations.

    Kenya: President Uhuru Kenyatta, has signed into law the Computer Misuse and Cybercrimes Act 2018 that criminalises abuse on social media and the spread of false information. According to Reuters, the bill allows for a fine of up to $50,000, two years of jail time, or both, to be imposed on any person who intentionally publishes false information.

  • 2019: Lagos CP assures Lagosians of reformed police

    You mean police that’ll arrest those attempting to bribe them?

  • 2019: Why Atiku’s dream will crash, by Tinubu

    All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday dismissed the plan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to win the February 16 presidential election.

    He delivered a firm verdict on PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s ambition, saying he cannot win because Nigerians “will not go back to the illusion of the PDP”.

    He said no matter the attempt to dress up the former ruling party, “the leopard cannot change its skin”.

    The PDP ruled for 16 years during which Nigeria earned so much money from oil but made no corresponding progress in infrastructure development — so goes the popular thinking.

    Asked if he was jittery about Atiku’s meeting with his party chiefs in the United Arab Emirates (Dubai), Tinubu said: “We don’t fear, whether it is in the jungle or in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi; people are free to meet and strategise in anyway they want but we are not going back to the illusion of the PDP. It is not possible; Nigerians will not do that.

    “They say slow and steady wins the race. We inherited that from our forefathers and knowledgeable people. We can’t go back to the pit that we inhabited for 16 years. They can strategise from anywhere but a leopard cannot change its skin,” he said.

    Tinubu spoke after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Villa in Abuja.

    The meeting is believed to be part of the trouble-shooting effort by President Buhari on the issues that emanated from the APC primaries.

    Tinubu, who arrived at the State House at about 3.56 p.m, moved straight into the President’s office.

    The President’s meeting with the APC stalwart and National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole came less than 24 hours after Buhari hosted aggrieved APC aspirants  to a dinner at the State House.

    At the dinner were governorship, national and state assembly aspirants who failed to secure the party’s tickets. Oshiomhole did not attend the dinner.

    President Buhari had also met with Borno State Goveror Kashim Shettima.

    Asked if he is in support of Oshiomhole’s removal, Tinubu said: “No. We all have to respect party supremacy. You were all here when we had the Congress, we elected the new executives, the convention we had it, the NEC was formed and we surrendered to avoid conflict, to avoid domination, to avoid abuses of power, we surrendered our rights, all rights to the National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomohole.

    “That the National Working Committee should set up electoral bodies to supervise various state congresses and elections. ‘We signed off for it’. So, if it is not in our individual favour, so be it.

    “We gave three options, consensus; where there is no consensus because if you are more than two or three and you cannot agree to one candidate, you go to the next level.

    “The next level is the stakeholders delegate and you have to be supervised by the National Working Committee of the  party, national election committee of the party. That shows party supremacy or the freest option; the less cumbersome is to open direct primary, line up and count the number, 1,2,3.  If you win, you win and if you fail, go home.

    “Then appeal committee was set up to listen to all appeals; internal mechanism for conflict resolution. It was there; you cannot turn round against that, you cannot turn against all of that.

    “No. Party is supreme; party must be respected. Abuses will not do it and anger will not do it. It is party politics. Somebody will win and somebody will lose, too bad.”

    On the purpose of his visit to the Presidential Villa, Tinubu said: “The meeting is about the nation, the country, our people, peace, stability and economic progress.”

  • 2019: IPC trains journalists on election reporting

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, no fewer than 25 political journalists have been trained on professional and digital reporting by the International Press Centre (IPC).

    The two-day workshop which held in Ogun state was organised by IPC in collaboration with European Union (EU).

    According to IPC, over 500 persons expressed interest to participate in the workshop but only 25 from different media organisations across the South-west of Nigeria were selected.

    Addressing participants on Wednesday, the Director, International Press centre Mr Lanre Arogundade described journalists as the heartbeat of the public.

    He however charged reporters to learn, unlearn and relearn so as to meet the utmost demands of journalism and ensuring desired change in the profession.

    Speaking during the training, Mr. Taiwo Obe, founder of journalism clinic urged participants on the importance of social media tools in news reporting.

    Obe, in a paper presentation titled Covering Political Space using Digital Tools and Apps, emphasised the need for reporters to think and rethink.

    “Your most important tool is your thinking” He said.

    He emphasised the development of creative stories and data ideas urging journalists to make their voices heard using various social media platforms.

    Journalists and former presidential aide on public affairs Mr Bolaji Adebiyi also urged reporters on in depth understanding of the legal frame work of the electoral processes.

    Adebiyi in his presentation titled” The dos and don’ts of election reporting” highlighted inadequate knowledge of the rule as one of the challenges of election coverage in Nigeria.

    Encouraging reporters to go back and study the constitution, he said ” journalists should be abreast and have deep knowledge of provisions of legal framework of the Electoral Processes especially the 1999 Constitution,

    Electoral Act 2010 as amended, INEC guidelines and constitutions of various political parties.”

    Adebiyi noted that political reporters could cause conflicts if they lack the necessary knowledge of the legal rules.

    A social and human capacity expert, Mr Jide Ojo said that the major role of the media as the watchdog of the society is to set agenda for the politicians.

    “The Media should set Agenda for the Contestants with a view to holding them accountable when elected into office” he said.

    Ojo challenged reporters to carry out their responsibilities ahead of the 2019 general elections adding that the media has so far not lived up to expectations.

    Speaking on integrating human index development into data, Ojo urged journalists to ask the right questions from political contestants.

    According to him, campaigns should be based on socio-economic issues such as “water, unemployment, electricity, tourism, agriculture, transportation”

    Participants however expressed joy to be part of the training as they all said they learnt a lot.

  • Will there be revolt vote in 2019?

    IR: Of two evils, choose neither—Charles Haddon Spurgeon (English Baptist preacher) 1834-1892

    SIR: Now, it is certain that of the nearly 100 political parties asking Nigerians to vote for them in 2019, two are in the forefront: the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) governing at the centre and in some states, and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in opposition at the national level but in administration in a couple of states.

    We are glued to these two, courtesy of what our media gives us and the tin gods we have made of the candidates thrown up by the two political groups. So regardless of who they are, what they stand for, what they have said, their background and the implications of the sum and weight of all these on them when they become elected public office holders, we deem them worthy of our vote solely on account of their party and endorsement by a godfather or a cabal.

    It is impossible to arrive at a salutary outcome through a process flawed from Day One. But in Nigeria, we appear to be guided by the thinking that the result is more to be celebrated than how the event came about. The end can’t justify the means. A show, let it be the utmost in flamboyance, would always owe its success to its process and planning.

    We have again begun to ignore these apparent platitudes as we head for a classic poll in 2019. The two warriors of the major parties incumbent Muhammadu Buhari (APC) and Abubakar Atiku (PDP) have said so much about each other as to trigger grave concerns about our destiny being in the hands of either of them. Their handlers haven’t fared better. They’ve fed us pitiful and painful portraiture of their personae which are pulling the mind apart.

    When Atiku and his army of supporters speak of Buhari, they reach for expletives dug from hell, home of all what is despicable to man, beast and nature. They question his ‘integrity’, wondering if the word is different from the meaning reasonable everyday men and women attach to it. They believe Buhari’s government has battered the economy and rendered it worse than what was on the ground in 2015. The conclusion of Atiku and his camp: the president is a ‘smoke without fire’.

    The president’s friends and sympathisers have been busier than bees in hitting back at Atiku. They see the former vice-president as a corrupt person who isn’t satisfied with the loot he allegedly took when he served under Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007. They’ve asked Nigerians to be wary not to turn over our enormous resources to Atiku’s presidency as he would skin us dry and leave nothing for the generations to come. Buhari’s handlers have repeatedly referred us to the judiciary of the United States of America, where they claim Atiku can’t visit because of corruption charges. They’ve retrieved old slanderous stuff to suggest that Nigeria would cease to exist the day we witness the ex-VP’s coronation as the president. Buhari’s verdict: Atiku is corrupt; not suitable to oversee oil-rich Nigeria.

    Of course, both are naysayers on these charges against each other. But observers say it’s neither here nor there to merely contemplate the accusations and denials as normal in a do-or-die election where the winner takes all. They declare that both sides present themselves as two evils the electorate must pick from. It’s a case of choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. Or is it a question of, better the devil you know? By their statements, they inadvertently admit they are two evils.

    Many don’t accept it’s fair to offer Nigerians who look forward to a promising time in the 2019 presidential poll this anticlimax in the form of two devils. The relief is that there are other candidates asking to be given a chance to govern us. The electors can break the jinx of a perennial two-horse contest in Nigeria’s politics. After all, democracy isn’t a turgid tale or narrative. It has sweet twists and turns seasoned by surprise and revolt of language.

    Ask the ancient Greeks who gave the world democracy and taught man great dramatic literature.

     

    • BanjiOjewale, Ota, Ogun State.

  • 2019: I’ll be a better president, says Ezekwesili

    FORMER Vice President of the World Bank and Co-founder of the Bring Back Our Girls Movement Dr. Oby Ezekwesili has taken a swipe at what she described as the excuses and blame games of the Muhammadu Buhari administration in the last three and half years.

    According to her, Nigerians are tired of hearing such narratives.

    Speaking at a news  conference yesterday in Lagos, where she unfolded her agenda, the former minister, who is the presidential candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), said Nigerians from all walks of life who voted for the President are only interested in results and have no time for excuses and blame games.

    She said: “The poor woman whose children will sleep without food tonight would not have time to listen to excuses or blame games; the four million Nigerians who lost their jobs last year do not have time for excuses or blames games. Leah Sharibu, 112 Chibok girls, as well as others we don’t know their identity, whose future are being snatched by terrorists, do not have time for excuses or blame game. The small business owner, who spends half of his earnings on generating his own power, does not have time for excuses or blame game.”

    In apparent reference to the two major parties, Dr. Ezekwesili said  Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar have failed Nigerians and that with the support of those she described as sleeping voters, the ACPN can win the election.

    She said the larger percentage of registered voters had deliberately refused to vote in the past elections because they were fed up of politicians that have been telling them lies.

    Dr. Ezekwesili added that it was fear that prevented the electorate from making efforts to vote out the old school politicians.

    She said at this juncture, Nigerians deserve tried and tested leadership, “a leadership that is data-driven, independent-minded and solution-centred”.

    Promising that an ACPN government under her leadership will provide a better alternative to the Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration or that Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) witnessed in the past, she said: “You know my record; you know that when I say I can do it, you can take it to the bank that I will do it. You know that when I make a promise, I will keep my word.”

    The former Minister of Education said Nigerians deserve a President that will be working every day for the Nigerian voters  and their children and not “a President that will tell them stories, have any hidden agenda or any kind of dodgy friends”.

  • 2019: INEC expresses fear over foreign interference in polls

    INDEPENDENT National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has expressed fear over foreign interference in the country’s domestic elections.

    This is as he announced that political parties will be allowed to begin campaign from November 19.

    Nigerians are expected to go to polls on February 16, 2019 for the presidential and National Assembly seats. The states’ elections come up on March 2, 2019.

    The INEC boss, who spoke at the opening of a two-day media workshop on reporting of elections in ECOWAS region, noted the concern of the commission on the issue of foreign interference with domestic elections through the internet.

    “Another challenge worthy of consideration is the issue of foreign interference with domestic elections through the internet. This serious concern not only in developing democracies such as ours but also in other and more developed ones, such as the United States (U.S.) and Western Europe,” he said.

    Yakubu, therefore, hoped that the retreat would critically interrogate and proffer workable solutions.

    Section 99(1) of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended, stipulates that “the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and ends 24 hours prior to that day”.

    Section 102 of the Electoral Act also warned against campaigning based on religious, tribal or sectional reasons.

    Speaking on the issue yesterday, Yakubu said: “Campaigns by political parties for the 2019 general elections in Nigeria officially will kick start in less than 21 days from today.”

    On the importance of the retreat, Yakubu said the media represents a critical stakeholder in the efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in the electoral process.

    “The media remains the most reliable instrument through which all electoral issues involving participation and inclusivity are encouraged. There is no doubt, therefore, that the media is an important stakeholder and partner,” he added.

    For the media to be effective, he said there must be trust, openness, access, cooperation and understanding between the administrators and journalists.

    Yakubu, therefore, noted that the workshop was designed and would focus on capacity-building, professionalism and elections management and report writing, with emphasis on ethics and best practices.

    Also yesterday, Chairman, INEC Planning, Monitoring and Strategic Committee Dr. Mohammad Lecky, in Kano declared that the commission is poised to conduct credible, transparent and rancor-free 2019 general elections, which will be far better and more effective than the previous elections in the country.

    Lecky spoke at the opening of a three-day capacity building for 95 state training officers (STO) drew from 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory, on implementers of election master trainers.

  • 2019: Lagos CP assures Lagosians of reformed police

    Lagos State Commissioner of Police (CP) Imohimi Edgal has assured Lagosians of a refined and polished police during the 2019 general elections.

    The command has been training its officers and staff on their constitutional responsibilities and human rights, Edgal said,  adding that people should expect better conduct from the police during the polls.

    “Our training was designed to remind us of our constitutional responsibilities, functions and role during the election. I want to assure citizens of the state of better conduct from our policemen. They should expect competent and trained policemen during the elections,” he said.

    CP Edgal spoke at a training programme organised by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Lagos State Command and the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), at the Police Officers Mess, GRA, Ikeja. The theme was, “Towards a Reformed Nigeria Police Force”.

    Edgal , who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Elkana Ayuba, said the command keyed into the programme because it centred on human rights and Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015.

    He charged senior officers and men of the force to learn from the resource person provided them on matters of the law.

    ”You are not just here to listen but to learn and the resource persons are here to interact with us on the understanding of Human Rights under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015,” Edgal stated.

    He said the senior officers have the opportunity to utilize and put what they learnt into practice when they get back to their duty posts, so that the image of the Police will be improved.

    The police boss urged the trainees to pay attention and ask questions in  areas they feel will conflict with constitutional rights, pointing out that the resource persons are versatile and will put them through.

    Mr Dele Adesina, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), reminded senior officers of their responsibilities during elections.

    Adesina said: “Your responsibilities under Section 4 of the Police Act is prevention of crimes, apprehension of offenders, preservation of law and order, the protection of life and property maintenance of all laws and order.”

    He explained that the role of the police force in an election cannot be over emphasised adding that they have an over-riding duty, not only to maintain security and enforce law and order, but also to arrest the non-conformist or an electoral offender.

    Adesina reminded the officers of the Nigerian Police Code of Conduct unveiled January 10, 2013 by former Vice President,  Namadi Sambo, saying that the Code’s purpose is to provide all members of the force with a set of guiding principles and standards of behaviour while on duty or off duty.

    “It is intended to be used by all police officers in determining what is right and proper in all their actions. The document stated further that with regards to the primary responsibilities of the police officer, a police officer must act as an official representative of the governor. A police officer should perform his duties with impartiality, that is, without favour or affection, without regards to status, race, religion or political belief. They shall conduct themselves, whether on or off duty in accordance with constitution provisions,” he said.

    Founding Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu, Nurudeen Ogbara, in his lecture “Understanding Human Rights under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2015,” cited 26 provisions of the law which he identified as essential to understanding Human Rights in the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2015, like in the ACJA 2015.

    Ogbara argued that it is very essential for the police to issue a ‘notification of arrest’ to any culprit before carrying out the arrest.

    “It is prohibited to arrest anyone unlawfully, that is, to arrest in lieu is prohibited under Section 264(2) of the ACJA”, he said.

    He further stated that any arrested person should be given humane treatment and that the suspect has the right not to answer any questions until after consultation with his lawyer, unless the suspect declines legal representation.

    Ogbara told the participants that in capital offences, the legal practitioner must be present before interview, adding that violation of this mandatory requirement could render the investigation process and its outcome a nullity.

    He added that if the suspect wishes to confess to the crime, such confession must be in writing and also electronically recorded on Compact Disk (CD), as no confession obtained contrary to this will be admitted in evidence.

    Another speaker, Mr Johnson  Esezoobo, urged policemen to learn to take responsibility.

    ”He is in the office to serve and not to use the gun he bears to kill innocent persons for whatever reason”, he said.

    Esezoobo charged persons entrusted with the supervision of police personnel to live up to their responsibility of calling erring police officers to order.

    According to him, no government since the return of democratic rule over 19 years ago has shown interest in police reform.

    He argued that: “The inability to reform the police like any other sector, is a result of lack of interest of the government in the security and welfare of the people as entrenched under Section 14.(2) (b)  of the Constitution.”

    Earlier, CDHR National President, Mr Malachy Ugwummadu, said the committee had resolved that rather than waiting for transgressions to occur, both parties will come together as partners, discuss, understand the loop holes and the challenging areas.

    Ugwummadu said the training was designed to reduce the challenges of policing in contemporary Nigeria.  “This is precisely at the heart of this programme,” he explained.

    He added that the programme was also meant to draw the attention of all police officers to the ACJA 2015 and how it operates.