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Tag: battle

  • Is Nigeria ready for climate change battle?

    Is Nigeria ready for climate change battle?

    Is Nigeria prepared for the climate change battle, which some researchers say may consume 30 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP)? This was the crux of the discussion at a Climate Change Research and Policy Symposium held at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN). INYA AGHA EGWU and MOSES OYEDIRAN report.

    If the negative impact of climate change on agriculture and petroleum resources persists, Nigeria may lose 30 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2050.

    The Executive Director, International Centre for Energy, Environment and Development (ICEED), Ewah Eleri, made this assertion at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), last Tuesday.

    Delivering a paper at a Climate Change Research and Policy Symposium organised by Africa Climate Change Adaptation Initiative (ACCAI), Eleri identified climate change as the major threat to the country’s revenue, noting that 99 per cent of the its agriculture is non-irrigated while farmers have poor access to insurance.

    He said the international response to  climate change had created an uncertain future for the economy, which he said depended largely on the petroleum industry.

    Eleri, who spoke on: Enhancing research influence on policy for climate change adaptation in Africa, listed the effects of bad climate in the country to include decreasing rainfall by 15 to 20 per cent, late season of rain and early cessation, increasing temperature and desertification.

    He called for a reform that would ensure an expanded access for farmers to insurance, noting that the insurance should be determined by a reliable measurable index of the risk associated with high or low rainfall, temperature or humidity.

    Professor Kevin Urama, Executive Director of African Technology Policy Studies (ATPS) in Nairobi, Kenya, identified poverty and poor economic development as factors that predisposed African countries to the impact of climate change.

    Urama, who spoke on: Research for climate change adaptation in Africa: Agenda, methodologies and emerging challenges, said African remained vulnerable to climate change because it lacked the capacity to adapt to the challenges, and not because its climate changes were harsh than those of other continents.

    He advocated the adaptation mechanism which would contribute to sustainable social and environmental development. He said such mechanism should integrate local knowledge into the adaptation process, emphasising that the campaign for a transition to low carbon emission pathways should not be targeted at the poor only.

    Urama urged participants to conduct interdisciplinary researches on climate change, saying: “You cannot solve climate change problem alone, so personal research is not enough.”

    Earlier, the ACCAI chairperson and the UNN Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Prof Polycarp Chigbu, represented by Prof Carl Okezie, said the symposium was aimed at enhancing awareness on climate change and discussing ways to mitigate its effects with research.

    He enjoined participants to be part of the effort to moderate the negative impact by embracing interdisciplinary research.

    The Director of Centre for Africa Climate Change Adaptation Initiative, Prof Anthonia Achike, said the initiative was established in 2010 to partner with ATPS to build trans-disciplinary climate change adaptation capacity in the institution.

    She said: “The objective of ACCAI is to build human capacity needed to address climate change adaptation that meets Africa’s unique needs through university-based curricular for post-graduate degrees, and undertaking short training courses for a wide range of professionals from all sectors.”

    She said the centre would also incorporate various communities within African region in execution and implementation of its research findings, and also provide bases for adaptation of international best practices in climate change and collaboration with related agencies across the world.

    Prof. Achike said that since the inception of the initiative, which is sponsored by Open Society Foundation (OSF), six post-graduate students had been sent to different African countries to further their studies on scholarship under ACCAI-coordinated Africa Programme, adding seven students are currently in UNN from other African countries for the programme.

    She expressed belief that the symposium would help boost the research skills of staff and students in pst-graduate, Master’s and Ph.D programmes in Climate Change Economics Policy and Innovation (CCEPI) in the university.

  • FRESH’s deregistration battle

    The rule of law is not something to be taken for granted in any functional democracy, but not so for Nigeria. Here, the line that demarcates separation of powers is broken by government functionaries with astonishing impunity; so much so that this disregard for the rule of law constantly challenges the autonomy of the judiciary. Much unlike Oliver Twist, they don’t just ask for more, they take it by force or tacit manoeuvrings as evident in the Senate’s re-amendment of the Electoral Act.

    Ojeikpon Imoukhuede wrote an article in The Nation on July 12, titled ‘Who is afraid of Chris Okotie?’ In the said piece, the writer attempted to put down executive lawlessness to xenophobic opposition of our sit-tight leaders to the tide of change engendered by forceful personages like Rev. Chris Okotie. This, he said, may be because his paradigm shift philosophy offers an alternative to the status quo.

    Imoukhuede wrote: “… No excuse is tenable in law for the blatant disobedience of a court order. We cannot accept the argument that because the legislative authorities decided that only big or ‘money bag’ parties with effective capacities to appropriate enough votes to win some elections are dominant today, other parties should ‘fall down and die’. Democracy is about a level playing field. The absence of this has blighted our processes and actions. This INEC and lawmakers’ impunity in the FRESH case is unpalatable.

    Some people are even asking: ‘Who is afraid of Chris Okotie? Is all these attempts to shut out his party a sign of genuine phobia for the man and his paradigm shift ideals? If FRESH claims to be the only serious alternative to the present political shenanigans, we should allow the electorate to decide.”

    In my humble opinion, it goes beyond that. True, Rev. Okotie and FRESH’s entry into Nigeria’s political fray marked a ‘paradigm shift’ in the calibre of contestants, as he emerged on the scene with an unsullied record, having never joined the crony corridor-of-power politics. Above and beyond that, the party’s ideological input and Okotie’s grasp of Nigeria’s socio-economic complexities and his proffered solutions put him steps ahead of his political peers. He has both challenged and upturned the status quo with his can-do pragmatism, and has over the last decade maintained an unflinching belief in the paradigm shift philosophy which led to Fresh Party seizing the initiative by challenging its de-registration in court, leading to the landmark judgment, and subsequently, the series of sporadic and uncoordinated responses by INEC and now the Senate re-amendment of the Electoral Act.

    The behaviour of the ruling class does not embrace institutional democracy, jurisprudence and the rule of law. Therefore, any hint of a challenge which will offer the populace a glimmer of hope automatically becomes a threat to their ‘rulership’. In essence, the modest step which the Fresh Party took by way of the court victory has been turned into a hard slog by INEC’s backdoor politics occasioned by the Senate’s re-amendment of the Electoral Act. These key pointers in understanding the backstage politics of this de-registration stalemate is further strengthened when we realise that this new lease of life which the electoral agency’s de-registration campaign is enjoying is reminiscent of some of the world’s political history’s darkest moments.

    In an internet website, History Today, Russel Tarr, in his article of 15 July, titled Lenin in Power wrote: “In Russia, the Bolshevik Party faced massive opposition following its seizure of power in 1917. The Social Revolutionaries (party of the peasants) had more support in the countryside, whilst the Bolsheviks (party of the proletariat) did not command the overwhelming support of the Soviets. Lenin contemptuously dissolved the Assembly, calling his action ‘true democracy’.

    “By the end of May 1918 Lenin expelled opposition parties from the Central Executive Committee. His close associate Leon Trotsky justified this by saying that, ‘We have trampled underfoot the principles of democracy for the sake of the loftier principles of a social revolution’. By the time of Lenin’s death, political opposition parties had been formally banned and the Bolshevik Party (renamed the Communist Party in 1919) reigned supreme.”

    Also in www.historylearningsite.com, when Hitler was appointed Chancellor at the head of Germany’s coalition government in January 1933, the nation was a democracy. The death of President Hindenburg in August 1934, allowed him to combine both Chancellor’s and President’s positions into one (Fuehrer and Reich Chancellor), and Germany soon became a dictatorship. Germany’s largest non-Nazi political resistance, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), was declared illegal in May 1933, robbed of its funds and forced to disband. On July 14, 1933, a law was passed making it illegal to form a new political party. It also made the Nazi Party the only legal political party in Germany.

    Rana Muhammad Taha said in an article in www.dailynewsegypt.com titled Parties Call for Inclusion in Amending Laws to Govern Parliamentary Elections: “… The Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP) and the Free Egyptians Party (FEP) called on the committee tasked with amending the Political Participation Law to be more inclusive in its activities. The parties noted that in order to avoid ‘exclusion’, representatives from political parties should meet with the committee to put forward their proposals regarding the amendment to the laws. Five parties met to discuss (and) later released a statement condemning the draft. The legislation was also criticised by the Egyptian Social Democratic Party (ESDP) and Misr Al-Qawia (Strong Egypt) Party in two separate statements.

    The statement said: “… ignoring political movements’ demands could push citizens to find ‘other channels of expressing their needs’. They criticised an Article 3 of the constitution, stating that this formation would deprive the ‘underprivileged’ of their chance of winning the elections, given that the costs of running for the elections individually would be “no less than EGP 1m.”

    This is the path of political discontent which INEC is treading upon by depriving smaller political parties their right of participation. It is spurious, and the potential for harm by the Senate’s re-amendment of the Electoral law that empowers INEC to ban parties far outweights the imaginary gains of eliminating them. The notion of a big party dominating the political space belongs to a by-gone age, and that attempt is only doomed to failure if embarked on in this era. I wholesomely agree with the path Okotie has chosen: to tackle this new political menace head-on. He is fighting for our future.

      

    • Oke wrote in from Lagos
  • Raging battle over revenue sharing formula

    Raging battle over revenue sharing formula

    To pundits, the revenue sharing formula remains a hotly debated issue as opinions are divided that many states of the federation are being shortchanged by the system in the disbursement of the national cake. Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf with agency reports examine the thorny issue

    It is anybody’s guess why revenue sharing by states of the federation has remained a very hotly debated issue.

    Reason: it’s all about politics of money: who gets what, when and how.

    Crux of the matter

    The battle for equitable revenue sharing formula has remained a recurring decimal as state governments from resource rich-states, especially oil producing states, have continued to raise their voice above the din as to why they should get the huge chunk of the pie considering the fact that they are the major revenue earner for the country.

    Interestingly, some of the states in the Niger Delta region became favoured in the scheme of things as the Federal Government succumbed to the agitation for a better deal.

    But then, this led to more agitations by other regions, especially the north, with cries of marginalisation everywhere.

    The contentious revenue sharing formula

    The contentious revenue sharing formula and derivation principle remain one thorny issue that has remained unresolved.

    Expectedly, the same controversy reared its ugly head recently at the National Conference in Abuja, with splinter groups emerging at different camps.

    Observers say that the deadlock tends to reinforce the widespread notion that the country’s leaders are more interested in sharing the national cake than in baking the cake.

    The recommendation that pitched the country’s geopolitical zones against each other was the increase of derivation percentage, payable to mineral producing states and the stabilisation, rehabilitation and reconstruction fund, proposed for areas affected by terrorism and insurgency.

    To tackle the ensuing crisis situation, the Conference’s Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi, summoned a meeting of the chairmen of the 20 standing committees and their deputies.

    Yet, the delegates failed to conclude voting on the recommendations of the Devolution of Power Committee, led by former Gov. Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom and former Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Coomasie; following sharp disagreements between delegates from the northern and southern parts of the country.

    To resolve the stalemate, a committee was set up and the committee recommended the increase of the derivation percentage from 13 per cent to 18 per cent.

    The committee also proposed that 50 per cent of the proceeds from the 18-per-cent derivation must go directly to communities where the mineral resources are extracted.

    The committee, headed by Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, also recommended the establishment of a National Intervention Fund, which shall be five per cent of the annual revenue of the Federal Government, for the stabilisation, rehabilitation and reconstruction of areas affected by terrorism and insurgency.

    The fund would be used for the North-East, in the first instance, and other parts of the country eventually.

    Three out of the 37 members of the elders’ committee did not endorse the report.

    Delegates from South-South, South-East and South-West geopolitical zones kicked against the intervention fund, insisting that “if there must be a fund of that nature; it must be set up for the entire country and not for a section of the country or the North alone.”

    Coomasie, a member of the Elders’ Committee, said that the committee failed to reach a consensus on the issue.

    “I am one of the delegates from the North involved in the discussion on derivation, and I want to say that we had discussions which ended in a stalemate,” he added.

    However, Chief Olu Falae, a member of the committee, said that the committee reached a consensus, while Chief Raymond Dokpesi, another member of the committee concurred, saying that the recommendations were agreed upon on principle.

    He said that the bone of contention was whether the committee should include the North-West and North-Central geopolitical zones in the areas affected by the insurgency.

    “All the Southern leaders, North-Central leaders made sacrifices, but there are some people who never wanted this conference to succeed and these people were the ones shouting today,” Dokpesi said.

    The impasse was not resolved on Monday, Feb. 14, when the delegates resumed plenary, compelling the conference to recommend that “government should set up a technical committee to determine appropriate percentages on the three issues and advise government accordingly.”

    There were, however, mixed reactions about the inability of the national conference to resolve the issue of revenue sharing via consensus.

    Senator Anietie Okon, a delegate from Akwa Ibom, said: “We are merely postponing what will come to pass. There is no question about the fact that we are in fiscal federalism and the basic principles of fiscal federalism are that there will be resource ownership and that attribution will be to those states which own the resources.

    “We have a reverse arrangement of federalism here; states own the resources but the Federal Government collects revenue on their behalf and begins to allocate funds.

    “We have a situation where a lot of states don’t contribute anything to the Federation Account. Now, what we are trying to do is to engineer a situation where revenue contribution to the national treasury will be widespread.”

    On his part, Chief Sola Ebiseni, a delegate from Ondo State, faulted the decision of the conference to refer decision on the matter to the government, saying that it shirked its responsibility.

    “As far as I am concerned, there was no decision taken today. What we did today was simply to abdicate our responsibility by throwing the issue back at Mr President, who sent us here to assist in proffering solutions to some of our national challenges.

    “What we fully failed to appreciate about what a national conference is that it is an extra-constitutional assembly of the people convened to critically examine all the issues that were pushed to us in a federation like ours, where we have to constantly review the terms of our national engagement as a country.

    “We now come to the tail end of considering a critical issue and then, we say we couldn’t take a decision and push it back to the President. That is a crafty way of maintaining the status quo and refusing to talk about it,” Ebiseni added.

    Analysts say that the derivation principle has always been a thorny issue in the country, describing the recent development at the National Conference as a mere replication of what happened at the 1995 Constitutional Conference.

    The current 13 per cent derivation for oil producing communities was agreed upon at the 1995 Constitution Conference, after a heated debate and threats from the mineral producing areas.

    All the same, concerned citizens advise state governments to exploit other sources of revenue, instead of depending solely on monthly allocations from the Federation Account for their survival.

    They insist that the current bickering at the National Conference would have been minimised if the states have been able to boost their internal revenue generation sources.

    Commenting on the impasse at the National Conference, Mr Issa Aremu, the Vice-President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), urged the delegates to refrain from taking hard-line positions on the country’s revenue sharing formula.

    Aremu, who is also a delegate, said that the impasse could have been avoided if the delegates allowed patriotism to replace parochial sentiments, while allowing national solidarity and cooperation for development to supersede unhealthy competition.

    “Delegates must look beyond the divisive revenue sharing formula to arrive at all-inclusive revenue growing/production formulae.

    “The truth of the matter is that we must grow this economy before revenue can be shared.

    “Oil and gas, which constitute the base of the derivation principle, is weak due to oil theft and relatively low exploration.

    “The challenge for delegates, including myself, therefore, lies in not just sharing what is not enough, but in growing what will be enough to build prosperity for our people.

    “We must complement distributive approach with production component to fiscal federalism,” he noted.

    Diversification as an option

    Apparently piqued by the rigmarole over the appropriate revenue sharing formula, Chief Elias Mbam, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), emphasised the need for all the states to reduce their dependence on monthly allocations from the Federation Account.

    Mbam, who spoke at a zonal workshop organised by RMAFC on “Economic Diversification and Enhanced Revenue Generation for the South-South Zone” in Asaba in 2012, also underscored the need for Nigeria to reduce its over-dependence on oil revenue.

    He stressed that the goals of development programmes such as the Vision 20-2020 and the Transformation Agenda of the Federal Government could only be attained via the adoption of effective economic diversification strategies which could provide steady, sustainable sources of revenue.

    He, nonetheless, urged the three tiers of government and the private sector to make pragmatic efforts to exploit the vast natural resources which abound in all parts of the country.

    He also noted that tangible emphasis should be placed on the development of the agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals and tourism sectors, stressing that the sectors held the key to Nigeria’s economic prosperity.

    Besides, Mbam stressed that challenges facing the country such as poverty, unemployment and insecurity, could be effectively tackled via the diversification of the economy to expand access to extra resources for the development of basic infrastructure and provision of vital social services.

    Experts therefore urge the federal, state and local governments to adopt sound economic proposals, particularly those that would enable them to diversify their revenue sources and depend less on monthly allocations from the Federation Account.

    Recipe for a vibrant revenue portfolio

    At a public forum in Uyo, Akwa Ibom state capital, recently, Dr. Casimir Anyawu, a Commissioner at the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) noted that “The nation’s hope to become an economic super power come 2020 will continue to be a pipe dream if infrastructural inadequacies are not urgently addressed.  A Marshall Plan must immediately be designed for power, water, roads, railway etc. The problem of the “Generator Cartel” must be squarely addressed.  A ban on further importation of gen sets must be explored, if in the national interest. Leakages and wastages in current tax revenue collections must be plugged.”

    The RMAFC, he stressed, “must pay closer attention to the operations of the FIRS and the Department of the Customs.  The law requires that this be done. Revisit the policy on the Ban on some Used Products and make the initiative work in the national interest towards increasing the revenue base. The policy on revenue generated by MDAs is woeful.  It needs total re-examination.  The current model is prone to sharp and corrupt practices.

    “RMAFC must come to the rescue of LGAs from the stranglehold of State Governments.  Rural Nigeria cannot develop to the extent that allocations meant for that purpose are high jacked by State Governments. We must return to basics.  There is urgent need for a Marshall Plan for Agriculture, Solid Minerals, Manufacturing and Tourism.

    “Nigeria must learn from the Asian Tigers.  The key to their success is massive investment in Education, Science and Technology.  We must get our priorities right. Inconsistency in policy formulation and lack of continuity of programmes have resulted in undue waste of our national wealth.  Policy summersaults should be kept to a minimum.”

  • Tyson Fury to battle Ustinov in Manchester

    Tyson Fury will fight Belarus heavyweight Alexander Ustinov in Manchester on Saturday after original opponent Dereck Chisora pulled out with a fractured hand.

    Ustinov, who has won 29 of his 30 professional fights, was one of Chisora’s sparring partners during preparations for the bout and was the British boxer’s opponent when the injury was sustained.

    Fury said on Twitter that he “can’t wait” for the clash to take place, describing it as a “better fight” than the planned match-up with Chisora.

    The 6ft 7in Ustinov, 37, represents a significant challenge for Fury, whose preparations were for a fighter who stands several inches shorter.

    Ustinov has beaten Britain’s Michael Sprott, David Tua, Monte Barrett and Paolo Vidoz during his pro career, with his sole defeat coming against Kubrat Pulev – Wladimir Klitschko’s next opponent in September – in 2012.

    “The first thing is I’m happy to still be fighting this Saturday and that the fans will get what they paid for and see a good fight,” Fury said.

    “We’ve had a hard training camp and I’m in the shape of my life, expecting to knock out Chisora, but now I’m going to have to take it out on Ustinov and make sure he takes the full force of my anger.

    “Strangely, I’m going to break the man who broke Chisora’s hand.”

    Fury has had a difficult 18 months, with the cancellation of two fights with David Haye preceding this latest setback.

  • Kano Pillars battle Mark Mentors in today’s final

    Kano Pillars battle Mark Mentors in today’s final

    Kano Pillars will be hoping to retain their NBBF/DSTV Premier Basketball League crown today when they face Mark Mentors in the playoff’s final billed to hold at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    2014 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP), Abubakar Usman scored 14 points with four assists to lead Pillars to a 76-45 points victory over Gombe Bulls in the first semifinal match decided yesterday.

    The one sided encounter saw the Coach Sani Ahmed tutored Pillars dominate the all the four quarters 16-13, 35-33, 53-39, 76-45 points.

    In the second semi-final, Mark Mentors defeated Dodan Warriors by 72-63points to set up all Savannah Conference final with the defending champion Kano Pillars.

    In a chat with NationSport, President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Tijani Umar said it is difficult to predict who will eventually win the crown out of the two teams.

    “The beauty of this game is that you cannot predict who will be the winner of the championship. It’s a very keen competition and that is good for the game. Kano Pillars and Mark Mentors have proved their quality and I expect to see an explosive and entertaining game on Saturday and I want to urge basketball fans to come to the stadium and see the best of Nigerian basketball.”

    This season, the semi final pairing saw three team (Kano Pillar, Mark Mentors and Gombe Bull) qualified from the Savanah Conference while Atlantic Conference was represented by Dodan Warriors, and Umar believes the achievement has to do with the investment in the game of basketball in that area.

    “That means the other conference is not sleeping. They are on top of their game, they are playing well and managing their teams well. It’s a big surprise that three of them are in the semi-final but it shows you that there is serious commitment; there is investment from that side of the country,” he noted.

  • DSTV PREMIER BASKETBALL PLAYOFF: Kano Pillars battle Mark Mentors in today’s final

    Kano Pillars hope to retain their NBBF/DSTV Premier Basketball  League crown today when they face Mark Mentors in the playoff’s final billed to hold at the Indoor Sports Hall of the National Stadium, Surulere, Lagos.

    2014 All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP), Abubakar Usman scored 14 points with four assists to lead Pillars to a 76-45 points victory over Gombe Bulls in the first semifinal match yesterday.

    The one sided encounter saw the coach Sani Ahmed tutored Pillars dominate the four quarters 16-13, 35-33, 53-39 and 76-45.

    In the second semi-final, Mark Mentors defeated Dodan Warriors 72-63 to set up all Savannah Conference final with the defending champion Kano Pillars.

    In a chat with SportingLife, President of Nigeria Basketball Federation, NBBF, Tijani Umar, said it is difficult to predict who will eventually be the champion.

    “The beauty of this game is that you cannot predict who will be the winner of the championship. It’s a very keen competition and that is good for the game. Kano Pillars and Mark Mentors have proved their quality and I expect to see an explosive and entertaining game on Saturday. I want to urge basketball fans to come to the stadium and see the best of Nigerian basketball.”

    This season, the semi final pairing saw three teams (Kano Pillars, Mark Mentors and Gombe Bulls) qualify from the Savanah Conference while Atlantic Conference was represented by Dodan Warriors. Umar believes the achievement has to do with the investment in the game of basketball in the area.

    “That means the other conference is not sleeping. They are on top of their game, they are playing well and managing their teams well. It’s a big surprise that three of them are in the semi-final but it shows you that there is serious commitment; there is investment from that side of the country,” he noted.

  • 2015: Ibibio elders battle Akpabio

    2015: Ibibio elders battle Akpabio

    As interest groups protest Governor Godswill Akpabio’s succession plans, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports that a battle line has been drawn between the governor and Ibibio elders

    Raging disagreement between Akwa Ibom State governor, Godswill Akpabio, and Ibibio leaders in the state over the zoning of the governorship position in the fast approaching 2015 elections continued unabated following deadlock at a meeting called to broker peace between the two camps.

    Sources say the governor, determined to stave off all oppositions to his resolve to ensure that the next governor of the state emerge from the Eket zone of the state, agreed to meet with the aggrieved leaders of Ibibio who remained opposed to his 2015 political plans.

    While the governor insisted that the governorship position be zoned to Eket Senatorial District in the spirit of equity and justice, prominent political leaders from Ibibio have canvassed that the governor should respect an agreement he had with them years back and support Ibibio to produce the next governor; otherwise, the choice of a new governor come 2015, should be made open to all comers irrespective of where they come from.

    At the meeting held in Uyo recently, in spite of efforts by Akpabio and the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to convince the Ibibio leaders on the need for them to support the zoning agenda, representatives of Ibibio zone at the meeting insisted that the governor’s plot is not in their interest and as such cannot receive their blessing.

    “The meeting failed to resolve the issues at hand as the Ibibio political leaders are unwilling to shift their ground on the zoning controversy. The parley was called at the instance of the PDP leaders in the state. It became necessary given the numerical strength enjoyed by the Ibibios which may work against the PDP if the issues are left unattended to for too long.

    While the governor and the PDP chieftains want the Ibibios to concede the governorship ticket to Eket zone as canvassed by the Akpabio, the Ibibio leaders appealed to Governor Akpabio to ensure that the race to pick his successor remains an open contest in keeping with the tradition of electoral contests in the state, if he is unwilling to fulfill an earlier promise to support them to produce the next governor.

    Not even the intervention and appeal by leaders of the PDP at the meeting could sway the decision of the Ibibio leaders in favour of Akpabio’s idea of zoning. Thus, the meeting ended without a resolution of the issues at hand, leaving the face-off between the governor and Ibibio leaders unresolved,” our source said.

    The governor reportedly said he preferred to zone the governorship of the state in 2015 to Eket Senatorial District, because, according to him, Eket district has not produced a governor since the state was created in 1987.

    But the leaders told the governor that the Ibibios, with 14 of the 31 local councils in the state, would continue to insist on an open contest as it was in the past when Akpabio won the governorship election after defeating about 58 other contestants from all the senatorial districts of the state at the PDP primaries in 2006.

    “Unless the governor will agree to our own idea of zoning, we will only agree to an open contest. This is democracy and we will want to put our numerical strength to test if we cannot get the understanding and support of our brothers to produce the next governor of the state,” the Ibibio leaders reportedly canvassed their position at the meeting with the governor.

    Not even an option by the party that the governorship position could still go to the Ibibio, if the leaders support an Ibibio of Eket extraction to vie for the job while excluding Ibibio from Uyo Senatorial District from partaking in the race, could sway the leaders in favour of the pact.

    Countering the argument of the governor’s camp that the Ibibios just left office eight years ago, the leaders reportedly told the governor that in the old Cross River State, of which Akwa Ibom was a part, Chief U. J. Esuene of Eket Senatorial District was in office for nine years and was followed by Dr. Clement Isong, also of the district for four years, and yet no one protested.

    According to sources, those at the meeting included leaders of Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, the pan-Ibibio socio-cultural group; members of the Ibibio Elders Forum; representatives of Ibibio Collectives; chieftains of the ruling PDP, former and serving commissioners, amongst others.

    With the development, leaders of the Ibibio zone of the state will return to the trenches in their bid to stop what they alleged as an attempt by the governor to impose his preferred candidate on the state come 2015.

    Addressing newsmen in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, recently, chairman of the Elders’ Forum, Obong Okon Uko, condemned the attempt by Governor Godswill Akpabio to impose a successor on the people.

    Uko had said the Ibibio, as the majority which constitutes over 60 per cent of the population in Akwa Ibom State, believe in the peaceful co-existence of the various sub-ethnic groups and had, due to such recognition, voted Akpabio, an Annang from Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District, repeatedly into office in 2007 and 2011.

    The forum therefore called on Akpabio to remember his earlier pledge during his 2007 gubernatorial campaigns to revert back power to the Ibibio at the expiration of his tenure in 2015.

    “Governor Akpabio reaffirmed this position in 2009 at a rally organised by Ibibio leaders to endorse him for a second term in office. Chief Akpabio stated then that to promote justice, peace and equity, the Ibibios will produce the governor in 2015”, they said.

    Earlier, Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio, the apex Ibibio cultural organisation in Akwa Ibom State, has rejected Akpabio’s zoning campaign with regard to 2015 gubernatorial election in the state. The group made of elders of Ibibio ethnic nationality also advised Akpabio to honour his promise in 2011 to hand over power to Ibibio in 2015.

    Akwa Esop, led by their Patriarch, Obong Essien Udo Ekidem, the Ntisong III, said they had observed with great concern the partisan interest expressed by various groups and organisations in the state concerning the 2015 governorship race, especially, as regards zoning of the governorship office to a particular senatorial district.

    While stressing that governorship elections in the state had never been subjected to any zoning arrangement, the organisation stressed that in 1999 many governorship aspirants emerged from the three senatorial districts of Uyo, Ikot Ekpene and Eket, even though Obong Victor Attah eventually emerged as consensus candidate.

    “In 2007, 58 governorship aspirants from the three senatorial districts contested the PDP primaries of which the incumbent governor, his Excellency, Chief Godswill Akpabio emerged as the party candidate. In 2011 again, six governorship aspirants from the three senatorial districts contested the PDP primaries.

    “It could be seen from the antecedents that there has never been a time that a governorship race is restricted to any particular senatorial district in Akwa Ibom State. In the same vein, ethnic consideration has never been a yardstick for selecting a governorship candidate.

    “In the light of the ongoing, we in Akwa Esop Imaisong Ibibio and indeed wish to state categorically that zoning should not be brought into the governorship race for 2015. PDP governorship primaries in Akwa Ibom State has always been open to all aspirants in the three senatorial districts, therefore, 2015 cannot be an exception. In this circumstance, any governorship aspirant from any senatorial district from any political party is duly qualified to contest the 2015 governorship election,” the group said.

    They said the ongoing town hall meetings should not be used as a political platform to whip up ethnic sentiments or disaffection among the peace loving people of the state or heat up the polity, warning that democracy should be allowed to take its due course rather than imposing a candidate against the will of the people.

    But Akpabio is also insisting that his successor would emerge from Eket Senatorial District. His reason is that the other two senatorial districts, namely, Uyo and Ikot –Ekpene, have each produced occupants of the office of the governor at various times. And as if acting on cue, the state chapter of the PDP zoned the 2015 governorship ticket to the district.

    It is not only Ibibio leaders who are up in arms against the decision as some of the party’s leading figures such as Otuekong Jackson, Senator Aloysius Etuk, Ambassador Assam Assam (SAN), a former deputy governor, Chris Ekpenyong; a former minister, Obong Rita Akpan; and a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Peter Linus Umoh, among others, have taken their protest to the PDP national secretariat.

    In one of several media briefings by aggrieved party chieftains, a former member of the House of Representatives, Bernard Udoh, said he and other stakeholders of the party have rejected the arrangement in its totality. The stakeholders also accused the governor of running the state chapter of the party like a personal estate.

    They cautioned the PDP against treating their complaints with levity because such an action has the potential of hurting the party’s chances in 2015.

     

  • 2015: Jonathan takes battle to APC states

    2015: Jonathan takes battle to APC states

    His taciturn response to his alleged interest to run in 2015 notwithstanding, every sign seems to suggest that President Goodluck Jonathan is poised to neutralise all real and perceived forces standing in his way for re-election, writes Assistant Editor, Remi Adelowo

    For President Goodluck Jonathan and the leadership of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the battle to make a clean sweep of the 2015 general elections may have begun in earnest.

    Still basking in the euphoria of its candidate’s victory over the incumbent Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the June 21 Ekiti State governorship election, PDP leaders expectedly want more, say sources within the party.

    With Ekiti State now in its kitty, credible sources disclosed that the President’s strategists have come up with what is referred to within the circle as a ‘fool-proof plan’ to ‘capture’ more APC-controlled states in next year’s general elections.

    States being targeted, The Nation’s findings revealed include Lagos, Osun, Ogun, Oyo, Edo, Kano, Adamawa and Nasarawa. The strategies to be deployed for each of the states vary depending on their distinct political peculiarities, it was gathered.

    The Lagos’ Action Plan

    Following PDP’s victory in Ekiti State, optimism that the party can pull an upset in the 2015 Lagos governorship election has hit a rebound, with some of its stakeholders saying that with the right candidate and massive propaganda on the perceived shortcomings of the ruling APC, victory may just be possible.

    On the part of the Presidency, there are strong indications that some of the sentiments that came into play in the 2011 general elections, which ensured victory for Jonathan would be put to test again next year.

    Sources revealed that the PDP intends to capitalise on the huge population of the Igbo, Ilaje and the Ijaw, three sections of the state’s population where the President appears quite popular to neutralise the Yoruba and Hausa votes.

    But the party leaders, according to informed source, have one big dilemma: picking the right candidate with the requisite qualifications and pedigree that can turn the party’s dream into reality at the polls.

    While the APC parades many governorship aspirants aiming to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola, the PDP still cannot boast of A-list aspirants about eight months to the election.

    Until he was appointed as the Minister of State for Defense, a few months ago, the party’s former governorship candidate in the 2007 election, Musiliu Obanikoro, was considered as the frontrunner for the 2015 race. However, his ministerial appointment, with the alleged brief to use the position to advance the PDP’s planned onslaught on the South-West zone, may have put paid to his alleged governorship ambition.

    The absence of a strong candidate, according to sources, is said to be giving PDP leaders both in the state and the national level a cause for concern, as time, they reckon, may be running out in thrashing out the issue.

    In picking its candidate, two things are being considered. First, is the issue of religion, with opinion divided on whether the party should allow the APC to pick its candidate first before the PDP holds its primaries?

    The second issue is the zoning formula to be adopted, even as some of the party leaders believe that Lagos being a cosmopolitan state, zoning may not play a crucial role in the average electorate’s voting choice.

    This line of reasoning, say sources, may have informed the alleged desperation of the Presidency and the PDP leadership to draft Mr. Jimi Agbaje, the man perceived to be popular, as the party’s 2015 governorship candidate.

    In the last couple of days, several meetings have been held in Lagos and Abuja to iron out some of the thorny issues considered as obstacles to the realisation of the party’s victory in 2015.

    Ekiti template for Osun

    Following PDP’s victory in Ekiti, leaders of the party are also fancying its chances in the August 9 governorship election in Osun State.

    Beside the alleged planned heavy militarisation of the state before, during and after the polls, which will involve the military, Police, Department of State Security (DSS) and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corp (NSDC), The Nation gathered that hawks in the party are also toying with the idea of instigating the arrest of many notable APC leaders before the election.

    The Presidency’s estimation is that if the PDP wins the election on August 9, Jonathan’s chances in the 2015 presidential election will receive an additional boost.

    Capitalising on division in Ogun APC

    The protracted division in the Ogun State chapter of the APC seems to be sweet music in the ears of the President’s party members.

    A few weeks ago, there were reports that the Presidency held talks with a former governor of the state and Ogun APC leader, Chief Olusegun Osoba, who has been at daggers drawn with the incumbent governor, Ibikunle Amosun, over the control of the party, to defect to the PDP.

    But while Osoba is reportedly not keen in joining PDP, the President’s supporters are still exploring the possibility of persuading him to work for Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.

    And with the Labour Party (LP) having also established a presence in the state and also rooting for the President, PDP leaders are hopeful that winning the state or in a worst case scenario, securing a one-third of votes cast at the presidential poll should not be a difficult task.

    Crisis in Edo and 2015

    Findings have revealed that the current political crisis in Edo State is a script written by some PDP leaders from the state to soften the ground for the President in next year’s polls.

    Prior to the crisis in Edo State House of Assembly, some APC leaders, led by a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Pastor Osagie Ize Iyamu, had defected to the PDP. And just a few days ago, Prince Osama Erediauwa, an Executive Director in Governor Adams Oshiomhole’s office and son of the Oba of Benin, Omo Noba Erediauwa, joined the PDP, a development that reportedly thrilled PDP leaders in Edo and Abuja to no end.

    The President’s camp is hopeful that with this series of defections to PDP, coupled with the fact that Edo is in the South-South zone where the President also comes from, the state is there for the taking for Jonathan in 2015.

    Kano as a battleground

    Boasting the second highest voting population after Lagos, Kano State has been identified as strategic for the President’s re-election bid.

    This scenario, posit analysts, may have informed the appointment of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau as a minister by President Jonathan.

    Early this year, Shekarau, a former governor of the state and chieftain of the APC, defected to the PDP following his former predecessor and now successor, Rabiu Kwankwaso’s move to the APC.

    Shekarau, based on the Presidency’s calculations, is expected to play a key role in the President’s campaign in the North-West state.

    The expected big battle for Kano in 2015, say sources, also allegedly informed the recent decision by the Federal Government to discontinue the N446.3billion theft charges against Mohammed Abacha, son of late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

    The withdrawal of the case, which has attracted local and international condemnation, is seen by political pundits more as a political move rather than a humanitarian gesture.

    That the Presidency is not taking Kano lightly in its 2015 game plan can also be seen in the appointment of another Kano indigene, Aminu Wali, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs. With this development, Kano is perhaps the only state in the country boasting two substantive ministers manning strategic portfolios.

    PDP bent on Adamawa

    The ongoing impeachment plot against Governor Murtala Nyako is also alleged to be part of the plan to ensure a landslide victory for the President in 2015.

    The plan is that with Nyako out of the equation, a PDP governor would then be installed; a development the party intends to take maximum advantage of during the presidential poll.

    Nasarawa in the picture

    If the plot to remove Nyako succeeds, attention, according to sources, would likely shift to Nasarawa State, which has an APC governor but a PDP-dominated House of Assembly.

    Early this year, speculation was rife that the state governor, Tanko Al-Makura, will be impeached by the House, but the alleged plan failed, following the governor’s alleged reapproachment with majority of the lawmakers. But sources said during the week that the plot may be resurrected if Nyako is successfully removed within the next one or two weeks.

    With these schemes, it is clear that for the Presidency, the battle for 2015 has indeed commenced. How far it can go however remains a matter for conjecture.

  • ‘My battle to get justice for my daughter’

    Ms Grace Ese caused a stir in Warri  when she accused the management of Delta Career College of attempting to cover up the alleged rape of her nine-year-old daughter . Six years after, the teacher has been found guilty and sentenced to 14 years in prison by an Effurun High Court. SHOLA O’NEIL met her. 

    Six years ago, a rape report that shook this city, but finally you have gotten justice or something close to it; how do you feel?

    These past years it is been hectic with the file vanishing twice. At the police station it vanished, I had to go to the Commissioner of When they invited us after five years that the case had been recalled, DPP said they still hadn’t got the original file. It took some time with prayer and all before they found the file. I would say it is God that fought the battle.

    Did you find out why the files kept on missing?

    I feel that someone must have bribed them to take the files away. The OC Legal at ‘A’ Division, told me to my face that if I didn’t give him N5,000 the file would not get to Asaba. I had no money because I was running from hospital to hospital taking care of my daughter. Where will I get the N5,000?

    Everybody withdrew from us because of the stigma associated with the case. I told them that I would get justice so that if anybody wants to attempt it (rape) it will be on record that someone who did it is in jail. I did it to protect her and to protect other children from men like that.

    Six years after, to the glory of God, the criminal has been convicted. The penalty is not as much as I would have liked. I am happy because nobody would have thought it would go to this extent. Everybody gave up on me; everybody was against me, some said the battle was too much and that I should just forget it.

    Where did you find the will to keep going?

    There are a few reasons: One, the girl is my only child, I pray to have others and for now I have not and I am not getting younger and I have to look after my child and get the best for her. I put in my best in whatever I have to do; I have done that for my daughter but now when I look at her each day, I do not get what I expected. Before the incident, she was the best child. Wherever we were, people look at her and say ‘what a child!’. Every reasonable parent wanted to be her friend. They wanted the child to be their children’s friend. After the incident, everything changed. I used to protect my child from evil children, but now I feel I need to protect people’s children from my child. She changed; her character and attitude changed. She has become withdrawn and all the things she used to like she no longer likes them. She became rebellious. Here was a child who read all the books of Psalms and came up with reasons why a child should be disciplined and obedient to parents. Sometimes she is so angry and broody; when you ask her to do anything, she would rather do the opposite of what you asked. The difference in my daughter after the incident is too much. That incident has scarred her, I hope not forever. One day I sat down and cried that these people have killed my child and killed me. For over two weeks, I walked on the streets crying nonstop when it happened.

    How did she tell you the rape happen?

    I couldn’t bear to hear the story from her, because of my condition. It was at the court when they were reading her statement that I found out the whole story.

    Why are you so certain that it was the teacher and not one of the students?

    No student would have the heart to do that inside that school without being found out. When I went to look for her, the first thing the gateman told me was that she had not come to the school today.  He said she entered but had not come to the gate. So, the students are ruled out completely. If you know where that office is you would believe what I am telling you. The office is at the extreme end.

    What was the reaction of the school’s management?

    After everything we went to hear from the school authority and we met the PRO. He invited us to his office; he made a statement that annoyed me. He said if I hadn’t gone to the police they would have given me money. I said, ‘To hell with your millions. I am not after your blood money’.

    If the school had wanted to defend its integrity the best way to do that would have been to push the offender out and fight the crime and show that the school does not condone such.

    At the time of the incident a statement credited to the school accused you of attempted blackmail and probably extortion…

    They also said it in the court. Whom did I ask for money? From the date the incident happened till date the proprietor, who is the principal of the school, has not spoken to me. Did I ask the teacher for money or was it the PRO that I asked for money? The teacher said the DPO asked for money and because they refused to give him that is why he took it up. So, who did I ask for money or was it the police I asked to tell them to give me money?

    Are you worried about the stigma?

    I am and that is why I have moved from many places. We were living in Warri, I moved and changed her school. It is like after sometime people would find out and I would be forced to change her school again. Right now we have found ourselves in another town. I have made all these sacrifices and I would continue to do it. I told my daughter, ‘if it is the will of God that I sacrifice my life for you, I will do it.’

    The school believed that the man is innocent and you insist that he did it; do you have doubt that an innocent man could be suffering?

    I am very sure that he did and the court says he did it. They had all the opportunity to prove his innocence; they had people, students and the woman that they could call to confirm or deny my daughter’s story; they refused to do it.

  • Edo Assembly battle enters fifth week

    Edo Assembly battle enters fifth week

    •Activist sues lawmakers

    The battle for the control of the Edo State House of Assembly between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) entered its fifth week today.

    The police have strengthened security around the Assembly complex.

    The roof of the chamber has been removed.

    Attempts by armed mobile policemen to stop the renovation at the weekend failed as the 15 APC lawmakers put up a resistance.

    What has raised apprehension was the vow by the nine PDP lawmakers, including impeached Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, to resume sitting today and the threat by the APC lawmakers to stop them.

    Residents bear the brunt of the power tussle as heavy traffic congestion have been experienced on major roads around the Oba Ovoranmen Square since the crisis began.

    Last week, the APC lawmakers conducted plenary at the old chamber in the Government House because of what they termed “on-going renovation work”.

    The Speaker, Uyi Igbe, who was tear gassed last week by a policewoman, accused the police of working for the PDP lawmakers.

    He vowed not to allow the PDP lawmakers into the assembly complex.

    “The PDP lawmakers want to forcibly enter one of the rooms and we are telling them it is not possible for them to come and sit.

    “We will rise against it and defend ourselves. Our blood will spill on this matter because we know we are on the right.

    “ They have threatened to kill me and today will be the right time.”

    PDP State Chairman Dan Orbih, at a briefing, said the nine PDP lawmakers would resume legislative business today.

    Chairman of One Love Family and Caring Association Patrick Eholor has sued Igbe and the 23 other lawmakers.

    Eholor said the lawmakers’ actions were “unwholesome and unbecoming”.

    In the suit by his counsel, T Akahomen, the prosecutor is seeking for a declaration that the lawmakers, who sat at the Government House on July 2, breached the 1999 Constitution on the principles of separation of powers.

    He is also asking for an order directing the lawmakers to refund all financial benefits they may have received from the accountant-general and commissioner for Finance (27th and 28th defendants) from June 9 to government coffers.

    He asked the court  to compel the 27th and 28th defendants to put on hold, any financial benefit or entitlement; including constituency allowances due to the first to 24th defendants, until they resume their duties as members of the House of Assembly.

    According to the suit, “public funds are meant to service statutory services and duties. The first to 24th defendants have no justification to continue to enjoy any financial benefit of their offices.

    “Nigerians who are resident in Edo State ought to enjoy the services of the 1st to 24th respondents because they came to their offices by virtue of the votes cast by the Edo people; for which they subscribed on oath.”

    Eholor urged the court to direct the 27th and 28th defendants to make available the financial record of the refunds made by the lawmakers to the government and publish same in two national newspapers for record purpose.