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Tag: Anxiety

  • Anxiety in APC over Kwankwaso

    Anxiety in APC over Kwankwaso

    There was anxiety yesterday over former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso’s political future. There were rumours that he had defected to the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP).

    It was learnt that many PDP bigwigs had been disturbed over Senator Kwankwaso’s next move.

    But the former governor yesterday said he was still in APC and yet to give defection any thought.

    According to sources, APC leaders were jolted yesterday by the alleged defection of Kwankwaso.

    A party leader, who spoke in confidence, said: “We were all shocked by the news of Kwankwaso’s exit from APC because Kano State was strategic to our victory in 2015.

    “We have not been able to get in touch with the ex-governor, but we have doubts on the veracity of the news in some media.

    “We know that Kwankwaso is a straightforward politician, he does not take action through the backdoor.

    “We are however trying to establish contact with him to know the truth.”

    Responding to a question, the party source said: “The party is no doubt aware of a disagreement between the ex-governor and some APC  leaders, especially his successor, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

    “The leadership of APC has been doing its best to resolve the intra-party crisis. And in fairness, Kwankwaso has been cooperating with the party.”

    A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC said: “We have been receiving enquiries from our leaders on Kwankwaso. We believe that some elements somewhere were flying a kite to create a crisis in our party. We suspect desperation on the part of some PDP elements.

    “We don’t know why the opposition is interested in defection of APC  leaders. Are they short of credible leaders and trying to poach some in APC?”

    The Personal Assistant to the ex-governor, Mallam Nafiu Umar Dankura, dispelled “the rumour and fake news that is circulating in some online media and radio stations that the Distinguished Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso has defected to PDP”.

    “This is not true as the Distinguished Senator is a strong pillar of APC and he is still an APC card holder.

    “The senator has not at anytime thought of decamping to PDP.”

    Asked if the PDP had made overtures to Kwankwaso, Dankura said: “There has never been anything like that. PDP was only calling on all their members that left the party to come back. It wasn’t just about him.”

     

  • Teenagers’ death in Delta causes anxiety

    Parents and relatives of two deceased teenagers in Warri, Delta State, have called on both the Delta State government and the state’s police command to unravel the cause of death and bring killers of their sons to justice.

    The bereaved families, whose 15 year-old sons; Samson Omagbemi and Darlington Taire, died on Monday in the premises of Golden Tulip Hotels, also alleged foul play by officials of the hotel, accusing them of corrupting facts of the actual circumstances surrounding their death.

    It should be noted that the disappearance of the boys occurred just a day before officials of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), sealed the hotel off over a N15.6 million tax indebtedness and their corpses surfaced on Wednesday, just a day after it was sealed off.

    Omagbemi, a nephew of the head coach of the Nigerian female national football team, the Super Falcon, Florence Omagbemi, and Taire, had joined other peers of theirs who also wrote the  last paper of the Junior Secondary School Certificate Examination (JSSCE), to swim at the hotels swimming pool.

    They were bother students of Challenge Secondary School, Kolokolo area of Enerhen, Uvwie council area of Delta state. They just ended their junior secondary school grade.

    The Nation was told by both families yesterday that although they were not informed of any prearrangement by a teacher in their school, identified as Mr Robinson, they were alarmed to receive the news of the death of their sons on Wednesday after, after two days of fruitless searches for them.

    According to the sad account of the events, as narrated to the Nation in Warri by both Omagbemi’s uncle, Henry Omagbemi and Taire’s father, Morrison Taire, the corpses of the boys were said to have been found in the pool on Wednesday, two days after the got missing, with their faces swollen and traces of blood from the nose and mouth.

    “We went to the mortuary and saw the two students in the mortuary. They didn’t look like people who were in the pool because the mouth and the face were bleeding. But the legs were intact. If somebody is drowned in the pool you will see some signs of swollen stuff and all that but nothing like that. Before we finished, the two people that went with us, disappeared on Wednesday”, Omagbemi said.

    He called on the Inspector General of Police, IGP Ibrahim Khotoun Idris to investigate and bring to justice anyone culpable for the deaths of the two students.

    “We want justice to be done. It looks mysterious to us. We want justice to be done. The truth of the whole thing should be told to us. Covering somebody’s corpse is something else. taking somebody’s corpse to mortuary without the knowledge of the person’s family and all that looks suspicious”, Omagbemi said.

    Efforts to get the manager of Golden Tulip Hotels to throw more light on the development was unsuccessful as he was said to be away from his office, however, another female official of the hotel, who gave her name as Mukoro, said menders of the swimming pool were the ones who discovered the corpses on Wednesday.

    Although she denied that the teenagers who came to swim on Monday were coordinated by any adult, as she said they paid their ticket fees individually, she, however admitted that the deceased members of the group of boys came along with others on Monday and that their corpses were only discovered on Wednesday.

    Delta State Police Commissioner Zanna Ibrahim confirmed that three suspects were already in police custody.

    “About 1000hrs one MC Collins Nwose,  the General myanager of Golden Tulip Hotel, Effurun, reported that at about 0530hrs of 14/06/2017,  two male corpses were found floating inside the hotel’s swimming pool.

    “Scene visited by team of  detectives, led by the DPO, CSP Ibrahim Shuaibu. Photographs taken, corpses deposited at Central Hospital morgue awaiting autopsy.

    “Information in our disposal revealed that the names of the deceased are Darlington Taire, male, aged 15 years and Samson Omagbemi, male, aged 14 years. Both are students of Challenge School, Kolokolo, Enerhen.

    “However, two students, namely Muntari Sidi, male and Feargod Edafe, male,  who accompany the late students to the said swimming pool, and the swimming pool attendant, have been arrested and are helping the police in their investigation,” Ibrahim said.

  • Anxiety in Edo over commissioners’ list

    Anxiety in Edo over commissioners’ list

    There is anxiety in Edo State over the make-up of Governor Godwin Obaseki’s executive council.

    Obaseki last month promised that he would name his cabinet before the end of the month.

    To ensure grassroots participation in the selection of political appointees, Obaseki asked the party structure from the ward to the local government to submit names following certain criteria he spelt out.

    A committee headed by Prof. Dennis Agbonlahor was set up to screen the names forwarded by the political party structure and to also look into areas of dispute where two different lists were submitted.

    The Agbonlahor-led committee submitted the list of Commissioner nominees in April while the list of those to be appointed Special Assistants and Senior Special Assistants were submitted in May.

    It was while receiving the list in May that Obaseki promised that his cabinet would be named by May ending.

    Last week, Obaseki announced the appointment of 192 Special Assistants representing the 192 wards in the state.

    He clearly told the SAs that they would work from their various wards and not the Government House in Benin City.

    Supporter of APC were surprised that the House of Assembly on Wednesday embarked on a two-weeks recess without mentioning whether the Commissioners’ list has been sent to it for screening.

    Two meetings of Edo APC caucus held to finalise the list were said to have ended in deadlock.

  • Anxiety in Ondo as NLC alleges plan to sack 600 council workers

    Anxiety in Ondo as NLC alleges plan to sack 600 council workers

    There is tension in Ondo State organised labour, following an allegation that about 600 local government workers attached to traditional rulers have been “tactically” sacked.

    It was learnt that the names of the workers had been removed from the government’s pay role.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has vowed to challenge the government’s action.

    Sources said the development came to the open, following the non-payment of May salaries to the palace workers.

    It was learnt that they were being paid from local government areas’ purse.

    The workers were said to have been employed into the councils and captured by remittal payment system during the administration of Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    Sources said eight workers were captured for each first class traditional rulers and six for second class rulers. Others have two workers.

    The removal of the workers’ names has been generating tension in various palaces.

    There are allegations that more workers will be affected.

    NLC Chairman Mrs Bosede Daramola said the congress will resist the action.

    Mrs Daramola said the  action contradicted the governor’s promise.

    She said: “The workers, irrespective of who they were working directly with, were employed properly and captured under the remittal system.

    “It is unacceptable for government to sack them and expose them to previous system when the workers were being paid indiscriminately by the monarchs they were working directly under.”

    The union leader said the congress would not accept a situation whereby some monarchs would collect money meant for the workers and pay them pittance.

  • ‘Anxiety, stress triggers migraine headache’

    A consultant neurologist, Dr Rufus Akinyemi, on Monday in Ibadan, said migraine headache could be triggered by anxiety, work overload or stress.

    Akinyemi, a Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Advanced Medical Research and Training, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “migraine is severe headache that can be debilitating.

    “It can cause severe throbbing pain or a pulsing sensation, usually on just one side of the head. It’s often accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light and sound,”

    He advised that people who experienced migraine should know the trigger factors and prevent a full-blown attack by acting upon the warning signs.

    He added that “while the exact cause of migraine is unknown, it is however, thought to be due to abnormal brain activity which causes temporary alteration in the nerve signals, chemicals and blood flow in the brain.

    “Migraine can begin in childhood or early adulthood. There are those people who are known to have family history of migraine.

    “Some people who suffer from migraine can clearly identify the triggers that cause the headaches.”

    According to him, potential migraine triggers include physical or emotional stress; work overload; anxiety; dehydration, depression, allergic reactions and the lack of sleep.

    Other triggers, he said, include bright lights, loud noises, smoking and exposure to cigarette smoke.

    “Some typical symptoms my include headache usually confined to one side of the head during an attack; feeling sick and physically being sick, temperature changes and diarrhoea,” he said.

    The neurologist said that while migraine would generally not get worse over time, it could result in more serious complications.

    “Although stroke happening as a result of migraine is not usually common, we don’t see many such cases, but it can still happen,” he warned.

  • Ekiti 2018: Anxiety in APC over guber ticket

    Ekiti 2018: Anxiety in APC over guber ticket

    As All Progressives Congress (APC) prepares for its primaries ahead the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reveals the leading aspirants so far and reports on the issues that may guide the party in choosing who will fly its flag 

    The governorship election in Ekiti State, scheduled for next year, is almost here. Expectedly, the battle to succeed incumbent Governor Ayodele Fayose is gathering momentum as aspirants jostle to position themselves in good stead for the gubernatorial tickets of the frontline political parties in the state ahead of the 2018 governorship poll.

    So far, the struggle for gubernatorial ticket is more fierce in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where Fayose is reportedly shopping for an able and trusted hand to continue after him; and the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), where two ex-governors are leading the pack of leading party chieftains in the contest to determine who will represent the party at the polls.

    It would be recalled that the APC, which ruled the state between 2010 and 2014, lost control of Ekiti when incumbent Governor Fayose defeated former Governor Kayode Fayemi, currently the Minister for Solid Minerals, in a shocking electoral victory that took many, within and outside the state, by surprise. Though the result of the said election remained controversial till date, the PDP had gone ahead to consolidate its hold on the politics of the state by posting impressive performances in subsequent elections.

    But the APC, with its nationwide impressive performance in the 2015 General Election that saw it displacing the PDP from the presidency, has left no one in doubt of its readiness to return to power in Ekiti after the 2018 governorship election. Party leaders and members insist the state is an APC state irrespective of what Fayose and the PDP claim.

    Bimbo Daramola, a former member of the House of Representatives and one of those aspiring to succeed Fayose, said the APC stands a very good chance of defeating the ruling PDP in the forthcoming election, only if it goes into the election with a united front. He cautioned that Fayose is not a push-over in politics and as such, all hands must be on deck for the APC to defeat him.

    “By the grace of God, 2018 would be a year to break the yoke of servitude and it will happen if we get it right. APC will defeat PDP in Ekiti in 2018. By 2018, there would be a demand for accountability of Fayose’s stewardship. If we present a candidate that is widely accepted and reasonably has a good reputation, track records of performance and blending with grassroots and the party is united, we’ll surely defeat PDP. But if we go to that context as a fractured party, it could be very dangerous for our party,” he said.

    Senator Ayo Arise, a former chieftain of the ruling PDP, who joined the opposition APC, also believes Fayose and his party will be defeated in 2018. Arise, who represented Ekiti North District at the National Assembly between 2007 and 2011, said the ruling party is no longer as popular as it was across the state. To him, Fayose, though popular with Ekiti people, is not invincible.

    “It is most likely, from all projections, that the APC would win Ekiti in 2018. The only reason I can comfortably say that is because the man that is at the helm of affairs now, Ayo Fayose, would not be able to run again by virtue of constitutional limitations. Initially, I thought it was possible for him to run but I now look at it that the likes of Kwankwaso, who was totally in charge in Kano would have run if the constitution had allowed him a second time. I am not too certain that Fayose would be able to run again.

    “If he should run, it would be very seriously contested. This is because somehow Fayose has his way in Ekiti. But it is not to say now that he would be able to win because the people too are hungry. I learnt he is owing almost seven months salary in the state. If that is the truth, it is no magic that he would find it difficult to appeal to people that are hungry. I can conveniently say that in the coming governorship election, the APC would win Ekiti State, all things being equal,” Arise explained.

    APC’s line up

    Expectedly, array of aspirants are already lined up within the APC with their eyes on the gubernatorial ticket of the party. These gladiators include former governors, ex-Senators, former gubernatorial aspirants as well as a number of new entrants. The pedigree and political reach of the contestants who have declared their interest in the race so far is such that the race is fierce right from the onset.

    Former Governor Segun Oni, who is currently the National Vice Chairman of the APC in the South-West, is believed to be one of those with strong interest in returning to the Ekiti Government House and succeeding Fayose. Oni was ousted by Fayemi in 2010, midway into his four-year tenure, when the Supreme Court nullified his victory at the 2007 governorship election and declared Fayemi the governor.

    Speaking recently with newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the state capital during an empowerment programme, Oni, when asked if he intends to run for the governorship, replied, “I will run.” Though not much has been heard of his aspiration from his camp after that, sources within the party said the former governor is most likely to formally declare his interest in the governorship anytime soon.

    Another former Governor, Fayemi, the incumbent Minister for Solid Minerals, has come out to tell the people of the state that he is still very much interested in governing the rocky state after Fayose. The minister, sources claim, is currently oiling his political machineries across the state as he prepares to seek the ticket of his party, the APC.

    The former governor’s ambition, according to party sources, has heightened the fierce nature of the struggle for the APC ticket as tongues are waging about how he intends to stage the comeback in 2018. But sources close to the Minister said Fayemi is not leaving any stone unturned in his determination to return to the Government House.

    “Fayemi is a politician and he is a political leader here in Ekiti. The Fayemi you see now, I can tell you, is a better politician. If he has his eyes on the governorship as you claim, then he is prepared to give it all it takes. I believe he will win the race because he was part of the Ondo governorship struggle and I am sure he learnt a lot from that exercise,” an associate of the minister said.

    Also touted as one of those in the race for Ekiti 2018 is Senator Babafemi Ojudu, the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Affairs. The respected journalist who represented Ekiti Central at the upper chamber between 2011 and 2015, has once gunned for the governorship seat before without success.

    Already, a group, Ojudu for Governor 2018, is agitating for the party to give the APC gubernatorial ticket to the Senator. The convener of the group, Comrade Adebayo Joshua-Olusegun, assured the people of the state of Ojudu’s readiness to take the state to greater heights. “It is a popular view that if Senator Ojudu if put to test among others, I believe strongly that majority of people are in support of him because he has the interest of the state in mind,” he said.

    Other chieftains of the party believed to be interested in the governorship ticket ahead of the 2018 guber poll include Adebomi Akin Olumilua, son of former governor of old Ondo State, Evangelist Bamidele Olumilua,  Bisi Aloba, Chief of Staff to Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Lasun Yusuf, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, Yinka Akerele and Bayo Idowu.

    Others are a businessman, Kola Alabi, a former member of House of Representatives, Bamidele Faparusi, and a renowned medical doctor, Adebayo Orire, as well as former Speaker, Femi Bamishile. Bamisile confirmed he is interested to run for governor if his party, APC, allows his candidacy. According to him, his love and concern for the welfare and well-being of the people are the factors propelling his decision to run.

    The issues

    Already, the aspirations of some of the chieftains are already generating controversies within and outside the party. Many issues are daily being thrown up as elders within and outside the party continue to call on party leaders to ensure they handle the nomination process with great caution in order to forestall any crisis before the governorship election.

    Findings by The Nation revealed that there is anxiety within the party over what some party sources described as fears that some of the aspirants may use their current position to corner the gubernatorial ticket for themselves. Consequently, agitations that such persons should quit their current positions are very rife, leading to allegations and counter allegations.

    One of such is the call on Oni to step down as the National Vice Chairman of the APC on account of his gubernatorial ambition. According to party sources, the agitation, which started after the former governor publicly said he will seek the party’s ticket to contest the 2018 governorship poll, has assumed a life of its own as several petitions have been sent to the national leadership of the party on the matter.

    “The call on Oni to quit his position as the leader of the party in the South-West is fast gaining ground within the party. It is not out of hatred for him or his ambition. Rather, it is out of the belief that he shouldn’t be a judge in his own case. If he intends to participate in the primary election that would be overseen by the national leadership of the party, he shouldn’t be a part of the leadership,” a source told The Nation.

    A group named Concerned Ekiti Youths (CEY) had last week protested Oni’s continued stay in office as Vice Chairman of APC. The group said the constitution of the party frowns at such an arrangement as the one that will see an aspirant remain in an office that will give him or her undue advantages over other aspirants in any election.

    “The constitution of the APC is clear, national officers of the party will be responsible for the conduct of the gubernatorial primaries at the state, which is tantamount to Engr. Segun Oni wanting to be a judge in his own case, or the INEC chairman and a contestant at the same time as he has failed to resign his current position before publicly indicating his interest to run for Governor.”

    “He who comes to equity must come with clean hands; therefore Engr. Segun Oni should resign as this is the path of honour. We, as members of the youth body of our great party, dare say this runs contrary to the spirit and principles of equity, fairness, and justice which are salient basis on which the party is built and what our party preaches that differentiates us from the Peoples Democratic Party {PDP}. ”

    “We call on the Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun-led leadership of our great party and the NEC to advice Engr. Segun Oni to acquaint himself with the APC constitution as necessary and guide  Engr. Segun Oni to resign his position since he is now a gubernatorial aspirant like others and so he cannot chair, mediate, or be privy to issues regarding how the primaries will be conducted anymore so as to ensure a level playing field and remove the moral burden and constitutional lacuna on the part of the APC as this is capable of generating bad blood among other aspirants, thereby affecting the chances of the party at the general elections,” the group argued.

    Another issue that is generating controversy is the issue of zoning. Following the declaration of interest by aspirants across the state, the Southern Senatorial District of the state are urging the party to zone the ticket to their area. This line of thought is being promoted by aspirants like Faparusi and Bamisile, amongst others, with the argument that the district has never produced the governor since 1999.

    Faparusi recently urged the APC leadership not to ignore the zoning agitation which is gradually gaining grounds across the state. According to him, “any party that jettisons zoning should forget the election. In 2007, there was what we called the North Agenda and we all embraced it. Both Engr. Oni and Dr. Fayemi were beneficiaries of that and it was made possible because we all supported the idea and time has come to reciprocate the south.

    “Since 1999, the Central has produced Governor Fayose and Otunba Niyi Adebayo and they have ruled for 12 years. The north has spent eight years leaving the south with nothing. So, the time has come for the south to produce the governor for equity, fair play and justice. These three instruments or words are very important in any political party. Any party that lacks it will be engaging in self-destruct and we won’t want our party to be destroyed over avoidable circumstance.”

    But Daramola, who is from Oye Ekiti in Ekiti North Senatorial District, said APC had no reason to embrace zoning being a party that has enormous respect for the constitution of the land. He added that what the populace needed was good governance, not minding where the personality that is able to give the people a new lease of life hails from.

    “The issue of zoning is arrant nonsense. In a civilized clime, what the people always clamour for is good standard of living as reflected in the economy and not where the person who governs comes from. Ekiti is a homogenous society that plays little or no recognition for zoning. We see ourselves as one and politicians should refrain from causing division just because they wanted power at all costs,” he said.

  • Anxiety over states’ dwindling IGR

    Anxiety over states’ dwindling IGR

    The latest Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Quarterly Review shows a drastic drop in the revenue profile of most states of the federation, a development, analysts have argued leaves nothing to cheer about, reports Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf

    There are mounting worries over the parlous state of the economy. The worries, if you may, are not for nothing.

    Reason: the biting economic crunch has not only affected receipts to the 36 states of the federation but is already having a negative run on critical sectors of the economy, especially social services like healthcare, security, education, infrastructure to mention just a few.

    One agency that has raised its voice above the din over the unprecedented decline in states’ revenue in recent times is the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). NEITI’s treatise is as damning as it is revealing.

    A snapshot of (NEITI) Quarterly Review

    According to the latest NEITI Quarterly Review obtained by The Nation, receipts to states across the federation have dipped in recent times.

    The report tagged: ‘FAAC Disbursements in 2016: Review and Projections,’ in which the agency appraised the internally generated revenues (IGRs) of the states showed that payments to the three tiers of government have continued to decline by over 40% since 2013.

    Specifically, the report stated that: “The federal government received N3.711 trillion in 2013 and this fell by 43.9% to N2.08 trillion in 2016. Similarly, disbursements to state governments totaled N3.095 trillion in 2013. In 2016, states received N1.642 trillion, which represented a 46.9% decline on the 2013 figures. Local governments received N1.011 trillion in 2016, representing over 40% lower than the figure of N1.708 trillion received in 2013.”

    On disbursements to the federal government in 2016, the NEITI publication disclosed that the total FAAC allocations stood at N2.08trillion as against the N6.06 trillion that the federal government budgeted for the year. This represents a drop of 20% when compared to the 2015 figure of N2.6trillion.

    The payment covered just about 34% of the budget and was not even enough to meet the recurrent expenditure needs of N2.6 trillion of the FGN last year. The implication according to the NEITI publication was that “the federal government would  resort to even higher debts to fund the budget including debt service payments, which accounted for 24.3% of the 2016 budget, increased.’’

    NEITI further revealed that revenues accruing to the state governments fell short of their budgets projections; some as much as 30%. These disbursements comprise of gross statutory allocation, 13% share of derivation, Value Added Tax, distribution of exchange gain, NLNG dividend, and distribution of excess bank charges recovered and distribution of solid minerals revenue.

    The report cited some states like Lagos which had a budget of N662.60bn, against the  total revenue of  N410.5bn  that accrued to the state leaving a shortfall of about N252 billion. On the other hand, Adamawa state had revenue of N41.05 billion against a budget of N130.10 billion while Nasarawa had revenue of N32.5 billion to fund a budget of N77.30 billion.  It further asserted that some states such as Cross River, Sokoto, Borno, Jigawa, Osun and Plateau had revenues below 30% of their budgets in 2016.

    Akwa Ibom state received the highest allocation of N116.6 billion from the federation account in 2016 and was closely followed by Lagos and Rivers states with N109.3 billion and 103.98 billion respectively.

    The NEITI Quarterly Review also showed that Kwara and Ebonyi states received the least allocations of N30.08 billion and 30.09 billion respectively from the federation account.

    The disparities in the total disbursements to state and local governments were also highlighted in the report. For instance, while three states received disbursements above N100 billion each, 30 states received allocations less than half of that figure (N50bn) in 2016.

    On disbursements to the 774 local governments in Nigeria, Lagos state topped the table with a total of N69.29 billion to its 20 local governments, followed by Kano state’s 44 local governments that received a total of N56.16 billion. Bayelsa state received the lowest disbursement of N11.56billion for its eight local governments.

    The NEITI Quarterly Review identified allocations to the local governments to include   gross statutory allocation, exchange gain difference, value added tax, and excess revenue from various sources. Others were NLNG dividend, recovery of excess bank charges, excess PPT and solid minerals revenue.

    It is also instructive to note that NEITI shared the concern of Nigerians for state governments to lessen their dependence on federal allocations through creative means of increasing opportunities for internally generated revenues. “IGR is very low in most states and it is only in two states of Lagos and Ogun that the IGR is higher than FAAC allocations.”

    The debt profile of the state governments, NEITI observed, were on the increase; consisting of domestic and external debts as at December, 2015 and June 30th, 2016. For instance, Lagos state has the highest cumulative debt of N603.25 billion as against the state’s revenue of N410.5bn for 2016. The second on the debt table is Delta state with N331.95 billion growing debt as against N142.78 of the state revenue. Osun and Akwa Ibom states took the third and fourth places on rising debt profiles with N165.91 billion and N161.23billion respectively.

    Yobe and Anambra states stood out clearly as states with the least debt burdens. While Yobe was indebted to the tune of N11.74billion, Anambra state owed N20.60billion.  The cases of Osun, Cross River and Delta states raised major concerns in the debt analyses giving the fact that their total borrowings over the years were found to have more than doubled the total revenues accruing to them in 2016. The report maintained that “Considering that most states already have a high debt burden, the possibility of even higher debts for the states remain quite high.”

    The NEITI Quarterly Review noted that “All three-tiers of the Nigerian government have been subjected to dwindling and volatile revenue as a result of militant attacks in the Niger Delta and falling/unstable oil prices.’’

    It however expressed optimism that with the gradual increase in oil production and a gradual rise in oil prices from $30.70 per barrel in 2016 to $54.58 per barrel in January 2017 there is hope for the recovery of the economy. “If this rising trend continues government revenue will likely increase further. This will improve the ability of both the federal and state governments to fund their budgets,” the NEITI Quarterly Review concluded.

    Implication of a monoculture economy

    Because of the dependence of government revenue on petroleum exports, Nigeria’s public finances are subject to frequent upswings and downswings, following movement of global oil prices. As shown by this and previous issues of the Review, all three-tiers of the Nigerian government have been subjected to dwindling and volatile revenues as a result of militant attacks in the Niger Delta and falling/unstable oil prices.

    New mandate to state governments

    Faced with the grim reality of an unstable polity as a result of dwindling oil receipts, there has been a paradigm shift in the way state governments are expected to run their operations.

    Like Lagos, many states have literally woken up to smell the coffee as they have become rather ingenious in setting their priorities in line with their revenue projections.

    Speaking at a public forum in Lagos recently, Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun said most of the state governments in the past were spendthrift.

    “In the past few years, 90% of all what we were spending on was on recurrent leaving just 10% for capital project. For instance, when we came on board, we discovered that the federal government spent N19billion on infrastructure in 2013 while it spent a total of N64b on travels, N51billion on welfare like rice, biscuits, coffee, and tea. If you spend for the wrong things you are going to get the wrong results,” she said.

    The minister who acknowledged the fact that country was in dire financial straits at the moment, said things would have been a lot better if the right infrastructure was in place.

    Waxing philosophical, she said, “Often things get worse before they get better. Most nation’s that are doing well today have passed through some kind of adversity. Ethiopia, that everybody is talking about today invests over 60% of its budget on infrastructure, they export flowers to Holland and make a lot of forex in return. Nigeria needs to take a cue from such good examples.”

    Mazi Okechukwu Unegbu, Managing Director/Chief Executive, Maxifund Investments and Securities Plc, speaking with The Nation recently lamented what he described as the overdependence on a monoculture economy. Such overdependence, he stressed, does not bodes well for the economy.

    “I think we should living in denial, saying that this has happened because of the past administration. We should forget and throwaway that administration and do something better than what that administration did. That’s why we voted. So I think people should have patience because there is no doubt that if we spend N1.5 trillion on capex, and people will not benefit from it. We will benefit from it. But it is the level of benefit you get that matters at the end. Right now, people don’t have food to eat because no money is circulating around. But with corruption left, right and centre, it becomes a problem.”

    Expatiating, the trained lawyer and stockbroker said: “I think the issue of corruption appears to have permeated everywhere. Even the domestic industry everybody is doing something that is not right. In a situation where the recurrent expenditure is so high, that is a recipe for corruption because even in private businesses what you achieve with one person may be more than 20 in the public institutions. So I think we need to look into the process of those who are going to implement the budget. If the budget is well-implemented, I’m optimistic that it will help Nigerians get out of their current poverty state.”

    He would rather the government is more circumspect in their operations.

    “We have so many uncompleted projects littering over Nigeria because they would forget the one that was coming up. They bring out something new and midway they stop it.  as a private business, all you do is you do a projection that if they can complete five of the 34 projects they have outlined fully to operational position I tell you we will be better off than  having one quarter completed of the 34 projects. I think the government is biting a lot more than it can chew. I don’t believe idea of saying we have earmarked 34 projects for completion. They will achieve that. Just mark down this date we’re talking, at the end of the fiscal year they cannot deliver on those projects. But if they can achieve even five of it, we will be better off.”

  • Anxiety as Fed Govt shuts Lagos mining sites

    The Federal Government has shut three sand mining sites in Lagos State for operating illegally.
    The development has thrown the owners and workers in the sites into a state of uncertainty as they count their losses.
    The sites, located in Ajah-Ibeju-Lekki axis of the state, were closed for not complying with the rules governing the sites. The sites are Naisha, Oretob and Afromedia.
    More sites would be shut across the country to sanitise the sector for improved productivity and economic growth, the government warned.
    Solid Minerals and Steel Development, Minister, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in an interview with The Nation, said the government decided to close the sites because they had no licences.
    Fayemi, who spoke during a tour of the sites, said the failure of the owners of the affected sites to show their approval to the mining officers at the Ministry, meant that the sites would remain close.
    He said mining and solid minerals are in the Exclusive Legislative List, this confers the authority to regulate and award licence to operators on the Ministry.
    Fayemi said: “The law is clear on the issue. Mining is in the exclusive list. However, there may be reason for the states to be involved in the regulation of the mining areas, by charging fees or putting in place measures to prevent environmental degradation. But the right to closely monitor and regulate the sector is vested in the Ministry of Solid Minerals, of which I’m the Minister.
    ‘’The licence for operating the mining sites would be signed by me or officers that are delegated to perform that function in the Ministry.’’
    According to him, it was only the Ministry that has the right to issue cardesral, which is the operating licence to miners.
    He said once a miner has cardesral, he had automatically been given access to mine mineral resources.
    He said the Ministry gives access to the contents or the resources in the waters to the miners, while the National Inland Waterways Authority(NIWA) only provides access to the waters.
    However, a site operator, Mr Fakumoju Fashola, and his colleagues are unable to come to terms with the state government on the issue of mining of sand in the state.
    He wondered why the state government should charge operators N500,000 after they had been licenced by the Ministry of Solid Minerals and Steel.
    ‘’My colleagues and have been out of jobs for about a year. The site where we operate has been closed down. The state government is demanding payment of N500,000 yearly, which is subject to renewal from us. There is no basis for paying the money, since Solid Minerals Ministry, the regulator has licence us.’’ he said.

    He said unemployment and cost of living would increase further, until the federal and state governments proffer solution to the issue.
    Miners condition, he said, has been compounded by the closure of the sites, urging the government to temper justice with mercy on the issue.

  • Fresh anxiety in Senate over Ekweremadu

    Fresh anxiety in Senate over Ekweremadu

    The battle for Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu’s seat is not yet over as All Progressives Congress (APC) senators begin fresh moves to persuade him to defect to the party or face impeachment, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    Nearly two years after his controversial emergence as the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate, strong indications emerged during the week that the controversies surrounding the continued stay in office of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the All Progressives Congress (APC)-controlled red chamber, may not be over yet.

    Authoritative sources at the National Assembly told The Nation during the week that the Enugu-born legislator may soon have to follow the footsteps of some of his colleagues by dumping the opposition PDP for the ruling APC or forfeit the revered position of the Deputy Senate President he currently holds.

    Ekweremadu became the number two man in the senate on the crest of an intra-party crisis within the ruling APC that saw the Likeminds group of Senators, led by Senate President Bukola Saraki, aligning with the minority PDP senators to produce the leadership of the National Assembly at the inception of the current senate in June 2015.

    The development was vehemently opposed by the Unity Forum, another group of APC senators who were then opposed to the ambition of Saraki to preside over the senate. The Unity Forum senators, who recently got one of them, Senator Ahmed Lawan, elected as the new Senate Leader, are still very much opposed to Ekweremadu’s continued stay in office.

    Specifically, a Senator from the south southern geo-political zone of the country, who is a member of one of the committees currently being chaired by the embattled Deputy Senate President, told The Nation that members of the ruling APC caucus in the senate may have resolved to retrieve the position back into the party as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts within the majority party.

    “Just like you said, I am also aware that in recent weeks, there seems to be renewed talks among the caucuses about the Deputy Senate presidency. While the majority APC wants the position to return to their caucus, following the impressive successes made with the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the party, the PDP is determined to ensure that the status quo remains,” he disclosed.

    The lawmaker, who pleaded anonymity, said that “even though the peace currently being enjoyed by the senate is unlikely to be disturbed, I cannot say the same of the position of the Deputy Senate President. You will recall how we had a seamless change in the position of the Majority Leader of the Senate, few weeks back.”

    The Nation gathered that the APC caucus in the red chamber is working hard in its bid to find a way of ensuring that a member of the caucus sits as the number two man in the senate. “It is one of the mandates given to us by the leadership of our party, as part of the process that will see to the unification of the party’s caucus in the National Assembly,” a source said.

    “You must also not forget that President Muhammadu Buhari has never hidden his displeasure with the situation where the opposition party holds the exalted position of Deputy Senate President in this administration. And as loyal party men who understands politics very well, it is natural that, now that the APC caucus is one family in the senate, we want the position back in our fold,” another Senator told The Nation.

    Senate sources claimed that unlike in the past when APC senators were sharply divided over the Ekweremadu saga, it appears there is a common position amongst Likeminds and Unity Forum senators now that it is not politically expedient for an opposition senator to continue to occupy the position of the Deputy Senate President.

    “The disagreement over the issue, as far as I can see, based on how we now feel as a caucus, is a thing of the past. The party’s interest is now uppermost in the minds of all APC senators, whether you are Likemind or Unity Forum. There is a common position now that it is no longer politically expedient for an opposition senator to continue to occupy the position of the Deputy Senate President,” The Nation was told.

    Options for Ekweremadu

    Findings by The Nation revealed that while APC Senators in the National Assembly are united in their rock readiness to get the position of the Deputy Senate President back into their caucus, not all of them are bent on seeing Ekweremadu booted out of the seat. A good number of them, especially within the Likemind group, would rather have him join the APC and continue in office.

    It was also gathered that talks are in top gear with the DSP by Senators sympathetic to him, with a view to get him to decamp into the ruling party as a way of getting him to remain in office. Sources confided that several meetings have been held between APC senators and the Ekweremadu camp.

    “It is no longer news that there are talks over the position of the Deputy Senate President. But it is not true for anybody to say we have agreed to impeach or remove Senator Ekweremadu from office. There are many options before us as we strive to achieve a united Senate as directed by our great party, the APC.

    “Impeachment is just one of such options. It is not the only or final thing to do. To many of us, Ekweremadu is an APC senator in PDP. I have had the opportunity of working with him closely as a senator. I can tell you he is a progressive who should be more at home with us in the ruling APC more than he currently is in the sinking PDP.

    “The situation we have on our hands now is one that we are hoping to eat our cake and still have it. We are optimistic that Ekweremadu will join us in the APC and retain his seat. That way, we will have the seat in the APC caucus without having to remove from office a Senator who has shown great capability to handle such a leadership position,” a source said.

    But there are also APC senators who want Ekweremadu out of the post. To these lawmakers, it will be difficult to trust a man who has spent more than 16 years as a PDP chieftain and most of that he spend as a Deputy Senate President on the platform of the same party. For this reason, the APC must enthrone one of its own in place of Ekweremadu.

    “Yes, I am aware of efforts to get him to decamp and remain in office. Like you said, it is an option for him. But my question is, is it an option for us as a party? I mean for us in APC. I will say no. Here is a man who has spent more than 16 years as a PDP chieftain and most of that he spend as a Deputy Senate President on the platform of the same party. In my opinion, APC must elect its own man into that position,” our source insisted.

    A fear foretold

    The Nation recalls that sacked Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, had warned against alleged sustained violations of parliamentary procedures, which he said manifested in his sudden removal, warning that Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu might be the next victim of the alleged disregard for rules.

    Ndume, who spoke against the background of an emerging realignment of forces intent on establishing the hegemony of the ruling APC in the leadership of the Senate, had only came short of telling the embattled Deputy Senate President to be prepared for a big fight if he intends to remain in  office much longer.

    Ndume spoke at plenary, following his sudden removal while raising Order 43 of the Senate Standing Rules in reaction to his removal without his fore knowledge. He said the Senate was a national institution whose sanctity must be protected by members, insisting that he had done nothing wrong to warrant such treatment.

    He said: Mr. President, I discussed with you before the sitting that sequel to the event that happened yesterday in my absence  I went to pray, there was a change in leadership, particularly affecting me and I felt it is important for me to be given the chance to defend myself. I was not found wanting for anything that I know and because the unity of this Senate is more important than myself, three times, I offered to resign if that would bring peace but I believe that God’s time is the best.

    “Having said that; I want to say that this Senate is an institution that we must protect. How you protect the institution is to obey the rules and the tradition. If today, just like that, without telling somebody and he goes out and he’s removed…If it is Ndume today and it’s ok. It may be, God forbid, Ekweremadu tomorrow.”

    Also, a member of the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabir Marafa, once affirmed that the only condition that would keep Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President was for him to defect to the ruling party. He enjoined the Deputy Senate President to save his seat and kindly pitch his ‎tent with the ruling APC.

    “I am using this medium now to tell the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, to please join the APC. It is when he says he is not joining the party that you can come back to say Ike has refused to join the APC; what are you going to do? I am using this medium now to call on Ike to join APC.

    “He has the golden opportunity because Senator Ahmed Makarfi and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff have successfully, to our delight, caused a division in the PDP. We are always praying that their power tussle will continue. While I pray for Makarfi to have the upper hand, I am also praying for Sheriff to have the power and ability to sustain the fight, so that we (APC) will be taking the senators one by one.”

    Adding that the senate will be more stable once Ekweremadu defects, Marafa said the ruling party will become one in the Senate once the Deputy Senate President becomes a member. He added that many APC senators, who are sympathetic towards Ekweremadu, would rather have him join the party than move against his seat.

    “Then, I can tell you that the Senate will be stable and there won’t be any friction. The little issue we can then have may be due to human nature. You never can say that you will gather people and they will not disagree. I am telling you that he has the opportunity now. Let him just defect. The beauty of any political party is the people. If you can join us, join us. We want more people. Instead of moving against his seat, let him join us,” he said.

  • Anxiety over Oyo council polls

    Anxiety over Oyo council polls

    There have been repeated calls for local government elections in Oyo State. There have been no elections in the last 10 years. Stakeholders have been reacting since the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC) announced that the elections would take place on February 11 in the 33 local governments and 24 local council development areas. BISI OLADELE examines how political parties are preparing for the exercise.

    Political parties are warming up for the next local government elections in Oyo State. The elections would take place on February 11, according to the Oyo State Independent Electoral Commission (OYSIEC). The exercise is coming 10 years after the last one conducted by former Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala in 2007. Alao-Akala’s predecessor, Senator Rashidi Ladoja, had conducted a council poll at the twilight of his administration. He conducted the election on May 24, 2007, five days to the end of his tenure.
    But, on assumption of office as governor on May 29 of that year, Alao-Akala dissolved the elected council chairmen and councillors, arguing that it was improper for the outgoing governor to conduct the election in the manner he did. He also dissolved OYSIEC Board appointed by his predecessor.
    The sacked chairmen and councillors approached the court, seeking a reversal of Alao-Akala’s dissolution. But they lost after a long legal battle up to the Supreme Court. The sacked commissioners also sued the government, but their tenure ran out before the case was determined.
    Prior to the period, a council poll was conducted by the military in 1999, while another one was conducted late 2003 by the Ladoja administration.
    Stakeholders have expressed divergent views about the contest. Some are of the view that considering the fact that the last election took place 10 years ago that the announcement for the current one was too abrupt and that it has not given them enough time to prepare for it. Thus, such stakeholders say preparations so far have been shoddy.
    Other stakeholders disagree, saying that their arrangements are in full gear for the exercise. For instance, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Accord Party (AP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) expressed readiness for the election. The AP, which disclosed that it has conducted its primaries and concluded screening of eligible candidates in readiness towards the council election, however, doubted the sincerity of OYSIEC in keeping to the date of the poll.
    The APC said that the screening exercise has already been concluded and that its primaries would soon be conducted cross the 33 councils and 24 LCDAs in the state to chose candidates for the election. Its Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, declared that the party was set for the council poll. He noted that the APC has set all machinery in place to ensure that it triumphs in all the local government areas.
    An AP chieftain, Hon. Oluwafemi Josiah, explained that “as far as Accord is concerned, regarding the forthcoming council poll, all is set for our participation”. He added however that the only problem was the electoral body which he alleged has not done much to show the electorate that it was serious about the poll.
    Josiah said the AP has made adequate preparations and that it is up to OYSIEC whether the election would hold or not. He said the party has already entered into alliance with other political parties in order to defeat the APC in all the 351 wards.
    He said: “We are ready for the election any day. We have our supporters on ground in all the 33 local government areas. We have done our primaries and our candidates have emerged. And we know they will pass the screening of OYSIEC. In the next few weeks, it will become clearer the direction things will take. Everything is largely dependent on OYSIEC, they are the ones to conduct the election.
    “Well, they have told us they want to conduct the election and they have announced the date of the election and they have announced the time-table and have kept to the time-table so far. We are doing our own part and we hope they will do their own part too. The problem is that there is no sufficient effort on the part of the electoral umpire to educate and mobilise the electorate for the contest.
    “On our part, we have entered into alliances with other political parties. So, you will not be surprised that in some places we will be using the platform of another political party to contest.
    “The candidate might be Accord Party and the platform may be Labour Party and so on. In some places, the candidate might be SDP and the platform may be Accord Party. So, it’s an alliance and the alliance depends on the level of popularity that the party enjoys in a particular local government. You know, it is a grassroots election; it will be unwise to confront the ruling party without coming together. We are consolidating already.”
    The Publicity Secretary of the SDP, Mr. Akeem Azeez, confirmed that negotiation was still ongoing between his party and other opposition parties like the AP. He said opposition parties have formed a coalition towards the election, by agreeing to come together in different local governments to slug it out with the ruling APC.
    In Oke-Ogun, he said the coalition has adopted the SDP in some local governments, including Iseyin Central, Iwajowa, ATISBO and Irepo. In those local governments, the coalition, he explained, came up with consensus candidates who will fly the flag of the SDP though the candidate may belong to the Accord or the Labour Party. He added that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) was part of the coalition.
    He said: “In Ibadan North West Local Government, a faction and the Accord Party has adopted the SDP. We have almost concluded screening of candidates. We have some consensus candidates. This is working. We are fully prepared and ready for the election.”
    On whether the SDP has any reservations about the election, Azeez said the party was concerned about the lopsidedness of the composition OYSIEC, including allegation of partisanship of OYSIEC, which is largely regarded as an extension of the APC-led government.
    Azeez added: “We complied with the guideline of submitting list of candidates by December 28, but the APC did not. That gives us room for concern. If the umpire accepts the list from the ruling party, then we have grounds to fear that it may not give us free and fair election on February 11. However, we are preparing.”
    The electoral umpire however insists that it is fully ready for the election and that it has been fair to all players in the election. The commission’s Press Officer, Mr. Cosmas Oni, said: “As far as we are concerned, we have rolled out the time-table. Not all the parties have submitted their list of candidates, however. The commission is open to all of the parties. We are not biased; we are following the regulations.
    “We are being careful not to conduct a poor election. The OYSIEC is ready for this election; we are committed to free and fair election. We have the required manpower and other resources to conduct a credible election.”
    However, the AP faces a dilemma in the election, as the party is not preparing for the local government election as a united entity. It has two factions in Oyo State and they are currently in court. So far, the court granted the prayers of one of the faction to restrain the other faction loyal to Sen. Ladoja, from parading itself as the authentic faction pending the determination of the case. The case has been adjourned to February 10, 2017, meaning that the party can not officially present candidates for the election.
    The APC is also yet to conduct its primaries in the 33 councils and 24 LCDAs, leaving aspirants in anxiety. The PDP is hardly visible in preparation for the election.
    But as February 11 draws closer, voters and potential candidates are excited to see a change take place at the grassroots after 10 years of appointing caretaker committees to administer the councils.