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Tag: challenges

  • How Nigeria can overcome challenges, by Asiodu

    How Nigeria can overcome challenges, by Asiodu

    Former  Petroleum Secretary Chief Philip Asiodu has said the country will overcome its socio-economic challenges if public servants adhere to 50 per cent of the 4-Way Test of the Rotary Club.

    Asiodu spoke at the weekend in Lagos as a Special Guest of Honour at the investiture of Rotarian Isichei Osamgbi, as the 33rd President  of the Rotary Club Ikoyi.

    He noted that the Four Way Test is all-encompassing in dealing with issues of principle and dedication to work and would help in development, if applied in service delivery.

    The Rotary 4-Way Test; (1)  Is it the Truth (2) Is it Fair to all concerned (3) Will it build goodwill and better Friendship, and (4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned, will address incompetence, lack of dedication and quality service delivery adversely affecting the public service, he said.

    According to him, Nigeria will be better off if public servants adhere to the 4-way test in their activities.

    Former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs  Prof. Viola Onwuliri , who was the Guest Lecturer, decried the high level of the vulnerability of the girl child in Nigeria.

    Prof Onwuliri, who spoke on “Empowering the Girl-“Child for Sustainable Development”, called for collective collaboration between Rotary Club and other relevant bodies to give the child her rightful place in society.

    Osamgbi said the Rotary Club Ikoyi has been in the business of doing good in the last three decades.

    He said: “Our focus is to impact on more lives. Someone near you needs cataract surgery; we will undertake at least 100 of such surgeries in this Rotary year. We will build a blood bank and are partnering with the  Police Hospital in Falomo, Lagos. where we carried out some renovations recently, among several other projects the Club plan to undertake in this Rotary year.”

  • Nigeria making slow progress despite challenges, says group

    The Initiative for Leadership and Economic Watch in Nigeria has said Nigeria was making slow and steady progress despite pockets of challenges facing it.

    The group’s National Coordinator, Agbonkpolor Splendour spoke at a news conference with reporters in Abuja.

    He blamed the current economic challenges affecting Nigeria on the failure of past governments to develop manpower for the country.

    He also said the country has failed to take off as a world power because its leaders had failed to give priority to education.

    Splendour said because the leaders had neglected education, the system produced poor manpower that is not able to meet the skills required to tackle the challenges facing Nigeria.

    He said: “Nigeria has failed to take off as a genuine world power because of the persistent neglect of education and the attendant production of poor quality manpower that can’t meet up to the skill requirements to power the economy and surmount the significant challenges confronting our country.

    “Despite the humongous earnings from oil the economy fell into recession because of failure of successive governments to develop the needed manpower to help retain and add value to the abundant natural resources nature has blessed Nigeria with.

    “Our hope is renewed, in spite of the pockets of agitation and crises in different parts of Nigeria that the country is progressing and as wheels of progress are in motion.”

  • Challenges before Lagos council chairmen

    Challenges before Lagos council chairmen

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has won the chairmanship elections in 57 councils in Lagos State. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU highlights the challenges that will confront the new helmsmen.

    Much is expected of the newly elected chairmen of local governments in Lagos State. The 57 chairmen fought vigorously. They campaigned in their various councils and wards. They promised to complement the efforts of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode at the grassroots. Lagosians expect them to fulfil their campaign promises and live up to expectation.

    Describing the election as historic, Ambode, who voted in Epe, his home town, said it affirmed the importance of grassroots governance, local government being the closest to the people. Apparently reacting to the apathy that marred the exercise in some parts of the state, the governor said the refusal to vote was a disservice to democracy. “If you don’t participate, if wrong people are elected, they will bring bad result,” he added.

    Across the pre-existing 20 local governments and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs), the exercise was generally peaceful. There was no thuggery and violence. Although there was ballot snatching in a ward in Ojuwoye Council, Lagos State Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni said police were able to restore order.

    But, many Lagosians shunned the polls. Politicians who reflected on the apathy adduced three reasons. Voters were not happy because they had become the major victims of the economic recession. This may have resulted into a waning enthusiasm. Also, the weather was not benevolent. Although the Chairman of Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), Justice Ayotunde Phillips described the heavy downpour as showers of blessing, it discouraged many voters from performing their civic responsibilities. Southwest APC Women Leader Chief Kemi Nelson noted that many voters stayed in-door because of the rain. “Despite the rain, which has affected the turnout in some areas, APC will win the polls,” she added.

    The apathy was not related to the fear of insecurity on poll day. Security agents were at alert. Except in Agege and some parts of Osodi/Isolo local governments, polling officers and materials were available. Accreditation and voting were smooth. There was no dispute at the collation centres. The exercise was largely free and fair.

    Ahead of the exercise, the two major parties-the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-were engulfed with crises. While the leadership tussle in the PDP affected its preparations, especially mobilization for the polls, the APC was assailed by post-primary crisis. An APC chieftain, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the apathy may be due to lack of unity in the party. “Some chieftains are still aggrieved. Some aspirants are not happy. So, mobilization was not like before. Our party should reconcile after the elections,” he said.

    The acrimony in the two parties threw up the Accord Party and the Labour Party (LP). While aggrieved APC members used Accord Party as a borrowed platform, protesting PDP members contested on the platform of the LP. The transient change of political alliance may become a permanent feature of Lagos politics in this dispensation.

    The newly elected chairmen may be inaugurated by Ambode this week. They include 17 chairmen who were re-elected, long standing aspirants who have been on the queue for a long time and party loyalists who triumphed over the primary hurdles. Lagosians expect them to swing into action immediately. After assuming office, they should wave the olive branch and reconcile with their co-aspirants who failed at the primary.

    The winners who did not have a landslide victory should see it as a lesson.

    One of the challenges that will confront the chairmen is selecting a good team of supervisory councilors and other aides. While merit should not be compromised, appointments should also reflect the push for reconciliation in a bid to prevent post-election politics of exclusiveness. But, the appointments should be seen by beneficiaries as an opportunity to serve, and not an invitation to amass wealth.

    The chairmen have a role model in Ambode, who in the last two years, has converted the state into a huge construction site. Infact, the governor has set a standard for them. He will also give them additional guidelines on performance. In the next four years, eyes will be on them and voters will hold them accountable. They should fulfil their campaign promises. If they implement people-oriented programmes in education, health and infrastructural development, they will be complementing the governor’s efforts at the grassroots.

    Apart from reliance on allocations from the federal and state coffers, the local government should also look inward. The chairmen should consider ways of boosting the internally generated revenue without inflicting pain on the people.

    Now that the PDP is waking up from slumber, it should resume its opposition role at the grassroots. If the chairmen are put on their toes by the opposition, they are likely to refrain from impunity and justify the mandate given to them, knowing that they may be seeking re-election in four years time.

  • Surmounting Lagos’ environmental challenges

    The environment agency of the Lagos State government has in recent time been experiencing monumental reformation. From the passage of the Lagos Environmental Law 2017, to the recent employment of new environmental officers, the change in the nomenclature of the popular Kick Against Indiscipline, (KAI) to Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency (LASESCORPS) among several other innovations is certainly commendable and worthy of note. With these reforms going on simultaneously, the state government is further demonstrating its renewed commitment to rid the state of all forms of environmental nuisances.

    Environmental sustainability, being the seventh of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), has several areas of focus, which include sustainable development, environmental protection from natural occurrences like greenhouse warming, ozone depletion, soil erosion, chemical management, acidic rain and water pollution, among other things. Generally, the ultimate purpose of this goal is to improve the lives of the citizenry, so much so that activities of urban settlers will not impact negatively on the life of the rural dwellers and vice versa.

    Before now, several commendable efforts have been made to combat environmental challenges and attain a cleaner and sustainable environmental standard by successive visionary administrations in the state. Parts of these initiatives informed the establishment of the Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency, LASEPA, in addition to some already existing agencies under the Ministry for the Environment. Of note was the establishment of the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) in 2003 as a division of the Ministry of the Environment, to effectively police and maintain cleanliness in the Lagos environment as well as ensure that there are no illegal trading activities on major roads and highways within the metropolis.

    The establishment of KAI then and reformation of the brigade by the present administration to include some additional responsibilities show a more pragmatic approach to combat all environmental-related issues. KAI has as parts of its establishing mandate to curb street trading and hawking within the metropolis; prevent indiscriminate dumping of refuse in unauthorised places; prevent erection of illegal structure and shanties on drainages, roads, setbacks, lay-bys and medians.

    In addition to the above, KAI was also established to curb vegetal nuisance and overgrown weeds around the state; enforce the use of pedestrian bridges and curb illegal parking and vehicle abandonment for effective free flow of traffic. This is because the state government realised the long-term effects of these misdemeanours and their ripple effects on the collective good of its residents, as well as attendant threat to the environment.

    This effort by KAI Brigade is also being complimented by Central Business District, CBD officers, whose operations are restricted to the Central Business District of the Lagos Island.

    A remarkable feat by the state governor, Akinwunmi Ambode in the environment sector was the signing of the new environmental law, early this year. The law, which is the first of its kind in the history of the state, also consolidates and harmonises the various laws relating to the environment into a single law to allow for a more convenient administration and management of the environment.

    One of the provisions of the New Environment Management and Protection Law is the change in the nomenclature of the Kick Against Indiscipline Brigade (KAI) to Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps Agency (LASESCORPS) with assigned power to spearhead enforcement of the new law, thereby expanding the composition and scope of operation of LASESCORPS officials. Besides creating 27, 500 new jobs, the policy will fast track the process of transforming the Lagos metropolis into a cleaner megacity by tackling air and water pollution.

    The fact that Lagos is surrounded by water bodies, which makes it susceptible to some natural environmental challenges, makes the law even more imperative. So, from another perspective, the law will also insulate residents against preventable diseases and halt further deterioration of the environment, thus paving the way for thriving socio-economic activities.

    Just as the introduction of Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA changed the face of waste management in the state in years past, the new Lagos State Environment Management and Protection Law, which provides for a smarter waste collection method, will usher in a cleaner, healthier and smarter Lagos.

    As part of the provisions of the Lagos State Harmonised Environmental Law, 2017 also, and in furtherance of the state’s spirited effort to make Lagos State cleaner, healthier and more liveable, a special task force for the removal of abandoned and disused vehicles and tricycles littering the state has been set up by the state government.

    Similarly, the state government has appointed vehicular scrap collection agent, in line with Section 56 sub-section (1) of the Lagos State Harmonised Environmental Law, 2017, whose activity commences this month.

    The Environment Task Force will paste a sticker with a Removal Notice on identified abandoned vehicles with a seven-day period for self-removal by owners of the vehicle. Upon expiration of the grace period, identified abandoned vehicles will be removed by the task force to a designated depot within the state and where such vehicles are unclaimed within 30 days, the vehicles will be forfeited to the government and undergo proper disposal accordingly.

    With the new Lagos environmental law, the rigorous beautification and green Lagos projects and various regeneration efforts and the support and cooperation of every resident of the state, the state hopes to reverse the loss of environmental resources and sustain an even environmental development.

    Street trading and hawking indeed remains great environmental eyesore to the Lagos State government and does not fit into its Smart City vision. Citizens should therefore realise that, as a people, we cannot continue to sacrifice proper and environmental friendly possibilities on the altar of making ends meet. We must also be conscious at all time of the fact that having a sustainable environment free of all forms of nuisances is achievable in Lagos if all hands are on deck.

     

    • Alabi (Mrs) is of Ministry of Environment, Lagos State.

     

  • Farmers grappling with challenges, say FACAN, others

    Farmers’ income will continue to be under pressure as they face challenges, the National President, Federation of Agricultural Commodities Association of Nigeria (FACAN), Dr Victor Iyama, has said.

    Iyama, said there was no “short-term fix” to the problems, saying  the outlook was difficult.

    He observed that though there were a few bright spots, the overall impact had been significant with a lot of producers still looking at how to get through the recession.

    For instance, he noted that young farmers faced challenges getting a foot onto the business ladder, adding that it was having an impact on the entire industry.

    He explained that they are an high tech group who hold a realistic picture of farming in their heads and want a career on the land but are seriously constrained in a number of ways.

    Unless these investments are secured, Iyama said it was unlikely that the economic potential of the young people would be unlocked.

    He urged banks, governments, families, and communities to come together to ensure young farmers receive the support they deserve.

    He  described  agriculture as  a shining light in an otherwise challenging economic landscape ,urging  the government  to partner agribusiness companies to  discuss how they could bring even more investment in the country’s agriculture sector.

    Expressing delight that the budget has finally been signed, Country Manager, Harvest Plus Nigeria , Dr Paul Ilona    added  that it  would be the enabler the government needs to propel economic growth.

    He expressed hope that the budget will not only create an economic revival for the betterment of the country but will also pave the way for sustainable growth.

    Ilona expressed the hope that major changes were introduced into the agric sector as the ministry tries to implement the agric policy.

    Food Safety expert, Prof Stephen Fapohunda,      urged the government, among others, to focus on stimulating entrepreneurial development among young people.

    In the face of a weaker economy, Fapohunda of Department of Biosciences and Biotechnology, Babcock University, Ilishan-Remo, Ogun State expects the  budget  to  focus  on value-addition  and  creating the enabling environment  for businesses to survive and thrive  through  creation of  products and services.

    He explained that adding value and maximising the agriculture sector’s limited resources through targeted investments will strengthen links in the supply chain for food and develop competitive advantages.

  • Fed Govt ‘ll address challenges facing aviation industry, says Osinbajo

    Fed Govt ‘ll address challenges facing aviation industry, says Osinbajo

    The Federal Government will address the myriad of challenges facing the aviation industry, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has assured airline operators.

    He said it is only when challenges confronting the sector is addressed that aviation can be used as a catalyst to position Nigeria as a hub for Africa.

    Osinbajo spoke when officials and members of the umbrella body of indigenous carriers, Airline Operators of Nigeria (AON), met himat the weekend at the Villa.

    He said government would resolve obstacles affecting the sector’s growth to enable Nigeria take full advantage of its natural geographical position as the melting-point of aviation.

    The acting president said the meeting was one of the engagement strategies to obtain firsthand information from airline investors and operators.

    The meeting, he said, offered another vista to ascertain why Nigeria was not yet an aviation hub in Africa despite its many attractions, including natural and human endowments.

    Chairman of AON Captain Nogie Meggison listed the challenges operators are grappling with asincluding the Value Added Tax (VAT).

    He said only domestic airlines are the only mode of transport paying VAT.

    Meggison said other modes,including: marine, road, rail and even the international airlines,were not paying VAT.

    He canvassed the harmonisation of over 35 multiple charges anda reviewing of five per cent ticket sales charge (TSC) to a flat rate.

    He listed other problems affecting the industry as poor navigational and landing aids, high cost and epileptic supply of JetA1, obsolete infrastructure and limiting operations to daylight for most airports.

    He said: “Nigerian airlines fly an average of only five hours as against the average of 10 hours worldwide per airplane. There is also lack of consultations with airlines before introduction of new charges and policies among others.”

    The AON Chairman said: “There is an urgent need for a deliberate economic policy that will support the positive growth of aviation and survival of domestic airlines in the country. For instance, following the air crashes of 2005/06, government came up with a policy to ensure air safety.

    “Similarly, the economic policy for the sustenance of the industry needs to be seriously looked into.

    “Safety and economic policy go hand-in-hand. Where there is no financial profit for airlines, safety would be compromised.

    “A clear economic policy for the survival of domestic airlines is very critical at this time, which has resulted over the years in the death of over 25 airlines in 30 years. Safety and financial economic policy must go hand-in-hand; as airline investors are in the business of aviation for the profit and can’t make profit without safety or have a safe airline without profit.

    “This is one of the main reasonsfor the short lifespan of Nigerian airlines averaging about eight years.”

    The Acting President acknowledged the difficult situation the airlines face and promised to take a closer look into the various issues raised to find ways of addressing them.

  • Challenges, accomplishments

    Challenges, accomplishments

    The two-year-old President Muhammadu Buhari administration has been both challenging and rewarding. It came in when the global oil industry had one of its worst price slumps. At home, it experienced one of the worst attacks by militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta region and insurgency by the Boko Haram sect. These almost grounded the sector, but it has started looking up in the year, report EMEKA UGWUANYI and AKINOLA AJIBADE. 

    The sector witnessed one of its toughest periods in the first two years of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    It also went through radical transformation. The past years were challenging, especially in the petroleum industry, following the drastic fall in oil price from an average of $100 per barrel to less than $30.

    Unlike the previous price falls that recovered within a year, the one that started around August 2014 has continued. By first quarter of last year, crude price had crashed to below $30 per barrel till the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members struck a deal to cut output by 1.8million barrels per day last December. This boosted price and ever since, it has remained at an average $50 per barrel.

    As a country that is dependent on proceeds from oil sales, the two years of Buhari’s administration were hard-hit. Oil price fell below the budget benchmark, where the government hoped to raise the cash to implement the budget. As the government was battling this, militant groups in the Niger Delta region were vandalising crude and gas pipelines stalling production and export and supply of gas to thermal power stations. For example, the Shell’s Forcados pipeline was struck several times and since the last strike on the pipeline on February 13, last year,  it has been out of service.

    According to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, Nigeria’s crude oil production has declined massively from an average of 2.2 million barrels per day last year to about 1.4 million barrels daily due to increased vandalism of crude oil pipelines.

    Kachikwu told a special session of the House of Representatives in May, last year, following attacks by the militants, Nigeria’s oil production declined by about 800,000 barrels daily.

    He said the incessant attacks on oil installations in the region impacted negatively on last year’s budget, which pegged oil production at 2.2 million barrels daily. Besides , the Minister said the government faced infrastructure decay in the industry.

    He said: “There were still a lot more things government needed to pay attention to, particularly infrastructure development. The country has not been able to invest in over the last 20 years in the oil sector. Its crude oil pipelines had not been replaced for 35 years, while gas infrastructure had not been in place, and refineries were old and next to comatose.’’

    He condemned the downstream segment of the industry where undue regulation of pump price of petrol (premium motor spirit) hindered its growth. He said the increase in pump price from N97 per litre to N145 per litre was to encourage investors in the subsector and redcue government’s fuel subsidy burden.

    With the fall in the value of naira to dollar from about N280 to over N500  at the parallel market in the first quarter of the year, access to foreign exchange (forex) by oil marketing firms became difficult, and as a country that depends on imported petroleum products for national consumption, the entire burden of importation to meet consumption fell on the governmebt through the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    Before the increase of pump price to N145 per litre, the nation witnessed occasional fuel scarcity, which forced price of petrol to between N200 and N300 per litre.

    “No country in the world will expect that the fuel price system in the country will benefit its citizens if it doesn’t invest in infrastructure. So, we need to begin to focus on building massive infrastructure all over the country. I know how much efforts it has taken to pump products from the south to the north, to the east and to the west.

    “It has been one battle after another, but the time has come to invest in pipelines and tracking of the pipelines and begin to move with the world,” Kachikwu said.

    At a point, the import bill of $600 million monthly for petrol by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to support  PMS import became challenged due to dwindling crude production and earnings.

    In the power industry, the challenges were not different because 70 per cent of the total power generation comes from thermal power plants that run on gas. Therefore, as the pipelines are vandalised, so are power plants denied fuel. As at first half of last year, the gas supply level to power plants was pathetic. The situation was worsened by power infrastructure decay. The transmission facilities were so weak that the wheeling capacity of the network was limited. The transmission network was experiencing regular system collapse.

    There are periods there were zero supplies from the national grid.

    Lack of gas at a point rendered most of the power plants, such as Geregu, Alaoji, Ihovbor and Gbarain, built under the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP) idle. Power output that had risen well above 5000megawatts (Mw) fell to below 3,000Mw.

     

    Achievements

      

    However, the Buhari administration has recorded some outstanding successes in the sector. The partial deregulation of the downstream subsector  and finding sustainable solution to the lingering unpaid huge cash call debts and peace in the oil-rich Niger Delta as well as the recent passage of part of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), are among the great achievements of this administration.

    This administration unveiled a seven- point agenda for the nation’s oil and gas sector, which created a roadmap for the development of the oil and gas industry. It is aimed at turning around the sector’s fortunes. The agenda focused on key areas, such as Niger Delta development with emphasis on securing the security of the oil producing region. With the government’s peace initiative, the region has witnessed substantive peace ensuring stable operations of oil firms in the past few months.

    The peace initiative being driven by  Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has succeeded in reducing militant activities and vandalism of pipelines in the region resulting in increased production of oil and gas. The payment schedule agreed by the international oil companies (IOCs) with the government has renewed interest in exploration and production and is boosting output. The partial deregulation has created an environment where fuel scarcity has become a thing of the past across the country.

    Other areas of agenda to turn around the industry include the creation of new oil and gas policy and regulation; business environment and investment drive, transparency and efficiency including monthly publication of the operations and financials of the NNPC that didn’t exist in the past, stakeholders management and international coordination of events in the industry, gas revolution meant to ensure sufficient and uninterrupted gas supply to power plants and industries, returning the refineries to full  capacities, among others.

    The country’s oil output has been increased to about 2.1 million barrels per day (bpd) from about 1.4million. Also, many fields that were shut in as a result of militancy are being brought back on stream. According to Kachikwu, the government expects to hit comfortably hit 2.2 million bpd production by end of the year.

    Besides, this administration spearheaded the drive for output cut by the OPEC and some non-OPEC countries, such as Russia, to shore up oil price. Since the deal was sealed, average oil price has not fallen below $50 per barrel.This development has helped to boost the government’s earnings from oil and gas.

    Within the period, some oil companies, such as Folawiyo Petroleum started production from Aje Field. Seplat Petroleum Development Company became the first exploration and production oil firm to list on the Nigerian stock market. Also, Lekoil produced its first oil from its Otakikipo Oil Mining Lease (OML) 11 located on the shoreline of south-eastern part of the Niger Delta,  ExxonMobil started production from its Erna North Phase 11 project offshore Nigeria and Universal Energy Resources started production at its Stubb Creek Field in Akwa Ibom State.

    Part of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) – the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) was passed by the Senate. The PIB is a well-researched legal document believed to transform and make operations in the industry more transparent and efficient and had been on the table in the last 17 years.

    The PIGB was passed last week. The Senate also created three new agencies to replace the existing ones.  The National Petroleum Company (NPC) will replace the NNPC, while the Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC) will replace the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and the National Petroleum Assets Management Commission (NPAMC) will be in charge of assets and liabilities of the scrapped NNPC.

    The Minister of Works, Housing and Power, Mr Babatunde Fashola, recently announced the decision  of the government to voted  N710billion for the power sector. The loan  was to address the huge debts in the sector. The debts had stalled gas supplies and generation. The electricity distribution companies (DisCos)  – the central collector of revenue for the entire power value chain – generation, transmission and distribution companies – had cried out over unpaid bills by customers, especially ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of the government, which built up to about N1 trillion. The development made gas suppliers to power generating companies to cut supplies. The Federal Government had to intervene by earmarking N710 billion to address the debt. The initiative has led to improved power supply since last week as output has increased to close about 5000Mw.

    According to Green Elec President, Mr. Marcel Hochet, one of the achievements recorded of the Buhari government was the provision of N700billiion loan for the operators in the sector. This would help  DisCos to improve their operations, he added.

    The Buhari government is making efforts to ensure that the solid minerals sector becomes vibrant. The Solid Minerals Minister, Dr Kayode Fayemi has been having consultations with stakeholders in the sector. Just recently, the World Bank provided $150million loan to the sector to encourage its development.

     

  • How we are battling Benue challenges, by Ortom

    How we are battling Benue challenges, by Ortom

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has done a mid-term review of his tenure in an interview with reporters. According to him, in spite of the twin-problems of lack of funds and insecurity, he is determined to make a success of his mandate.  Uja Emmanuel was there. Excerpts:

    What were your expectations when you were vying for the office, what you saw when you came in and how has it been?

    I must say that as a Christian, the Bible says “all things worketh together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.” I will not say I’m regretting and that I’m disappointed with what I saw on ground. But honestly, I met a deficit treasury when I came in – in the midst of very high expectations from the people especially looking at my tract record. I’ve never been a failure despite the challenges that I met in my life since I was born. I’ve always overcome, and I’ve always been positive about life and the records are there, it has shown. I was born from a very poor background; I dropped out of school in form two and despite all these, I was able to overcome my academic challenges and I had to crown it up with a Ph.D through very difficult circumstances but God saw me through. I started work as a motor park tout and by the grace of God, I went through; I became a conductor, I became a driver and went on and saw myself in leadership positions at the local government, state and national levels.  My last appointment before becoming governor was as a minister.

    As a Tiv man, we are known for farming and I started at a very small level, but today I’m one of the biggest farmers not just in Benue State but in Nigeria and I’m into various segments of agriculture – livestock, poultry, grains, tubers and citrus. I’m also into fishery. So, it has been a success story all along. Everything I lay my hands on has always succeeded, so even though the people were expecting so much from me to take them out of poverty, ignorance and disease and I was quite prepared and ready to do it and that I’ve been doing. But the fact is that I met a deficit treasury and having salary arrears and pensions and gratuity of over N69 billion was quite tasking. Almost all the institutions of government were grounded – schools were on strike; primary schools, Benue State University and several other unions were on strike. So to contend with this, the first thing we did was to seek for an approval from the House of Assembly to borrow N10 billion to at least serve as a cushion for the hardship that salary earners were having. And we all know that Benue State is a civil service state. Agriculture comes in to support the people but they are doing it at a very small level; no much commercial agriculture that is going on in Benue so it has been very difficult. And so the civil service is the main economic driver of the state. And so once salaries are not paid, it becomes a very big challenge..

    The Federal Government came in with a bailout. We had wanted them to bail us out with N69 billion, but only N28 billion was approved. N15.5 billion for the local government and N12.5 billion for the state. These we paid to workers and because of the screening we undertook, we were able to save at the state level more than one billion naira which we injected back into the treasury for other government activities. At the local government level, we were able to save up to N1.4 billion after the screening and it was garnished by the Industrial Court order and so we had gone on appeal and we’re looking forward that we can inject it back to settle some arrears also. So it has been a very difficult problem – trying to update salaries of workers in the state. But one thing that we’ve noticed also is that there is a cartel, a syndicate that is responsible for the over bloated wage bill we have. We have set up various committees and they are working and I think that we are trying to get it right now because the interim report that was submitted to me two weeks ago, there is a clear indication that we’ll get it this time right.

    Because, honestly, I believe having a wage bill at the local government level of N3.7 billion, is a big challenge. And at the state level, when you put it together, it’s N4.2 billion and so, you are talking about contending with N7.8 billion for a state like ours.  Meanwhile in the actual sense, at the local government level, we get an average of N2.4 billion from the Federation Account; at the state level we get an average of about N2.5 billion. So, this becomes a very difficult problem. But there was also this arrangement from the Federal Government – the budget support fund which is an average of N1.1 billion that comes in to support. So when you put all these together, there is still a short fall contending with N7.8 billion. This is what has been responsible for the arrears of salaries we have today. At the state level, we have four months, at the local government, we have seven months. And we are working closely with the labour unions in the state and that is why you’ve not seen strike in the civil service, the reason being that we’re transparent. Whatever comes in from the Federation Account, from the IGR; we put it on the table and we are able to make distribution with the knowledge of the Labour Unions.

    But, despite all these, by the grace of God, we’ve been able to do milestones in several sectors. In education, we have done so much. If you look at what is happening at the primary school today, we were able to secure a loan of N3.8 billion to match with the counterpart funding of UBEC and we have N7.6 billion and we are executing about 740 projects in various primary schools– renovation and construction of new blocks and provision of instructional materials.

    When we came in, Benue State University for instance was on strike; we were able to negotiate with them and they came back. We have succeeded in securing accreditation for several courses that were left out including at the School of Health Sciences. The Schools of Nursing and Midwifery; the accreditation was also withdrawn and for four years, there was no admission. We came and we provided the equipment and upgraded the facilities and today the school has been given accreditation and we’ve also recruited additional employees and the school is on and today admissions are being made and the students are back to school.

    In our secondary schools, we are working to renovate and upgrade the structures in the 64 government schools. We’ve taken education as a priority and that is where we are so far despite the challenges we have in funding, we have been able to provide minimum facilities in all the schools.

    We have successfully inaugurated the Primary Health Care Board. Our general hospitals have also been providing services for our people. We’ve also provided through Sustainable Development Goals and with the counterpart funding, we were able to secure N1.2 billion matching with what we provided and we have N2.4 billion and we have been able to provide more than 42 primary health care clinics and we have also provided facilities and equipment to all these.

    On Sustainable Development Goals again, we were able to provide Skills Acquisition Centres and also water in several communities of the state. On infrastructure, we are upgrading various facilities of government, and have also provided roads. When we came, we met about 13 road projects which contractors had abandoned the sites due to non-payment of their certificates and we were able to call them back to some of these roads and some of them have been completed. Like, Oshigbudu-Ubagaji road in Agatu local government; that one is completed and of course Zaki-Biam-Afia road too is completed and others are on-going including Daudu-Gbajimba and then we awarded contract for the Uni-Agric-Gbajimba road.

    On security, we discovered that politicians bought weapons and gave them to many of our youths to help them prosecute the elections. I was attacked during one of my outings during the electioneering campaign to Kwande Local Government.

    Five of my vehicles were shot at and destroyed and there was criminality going on in all the local governments – killings, assassinations, kidnappings, and armed robbery was the order of the day and we felt that for the kind of thing we were planning to do, it would be difficult for us to be able to execute it. For me, I was coming from the background of the private sector and I felt that no investor would come to Benue State if he knows that his investment will one day be destroyed or he will be killed or he will be kidnapped and so on. And so we took on this matter of security very seriously and the wisdom we applied initially was to invite the young men especially who were involved in these criminal acts by granting amnesty to whosoever will be ready to surrender his arms. And it was successful. More than 900 of these youths came and surrendered their arms and we were able to receive more than 700 different guns and several explosives and thousands of ammunition. And then the notorious gang leader that has been declared wanted; Terwase Akwaza, alias Ghana also came forward and was granted amnesty and later went back underground and continued his criminal acts and we had issues with him and we declared him wanted.

    How are you addressing the issue of attacks by herdsmen?

    The issue of herdsmen was a big challenge. I inherited it. While serving as Minister in 2013, my ancestral home was destroyed by these herdsmen and my kinsmen; more than 52 were killed in one day. The militia group came and they dealt with us. In fact, the entire local government of Guma was under siege. It was amazing for something that our people did not participate in rustling their cattle but we were accused that the cattle were rustled within our area and so these militia men came and took on the helpless and armless people and killed them in that area and so it was a big challenge. By the time I took over, more than 13 local governments were under siege. Some local governments were taken over completely by these herdsmen. We were able to control the criminality through this amnesty programme, but the herdsmen were a big challenge.

    It was a big challenge – trying to get the herdsmen to understand and trying to get the farmers to understand too. But of course, we soon discovered that grazing and agriculture cannot go together and that was what motivated us.  So, we decided that the only way out is for the herdsmen to continue to breed their cattle but they will have to learn the modern way of breeding cattle which is ranching and this is what is being practiced globally.

    The Fulani men are free and any other person is also free to secure land in Benue State and ranch their cattle for peace to reign.

    While serving as minister in 2013, my entire ancestral home was burnt down, 52 of my people were killed in one day, old women, old men, and young men and so on were killed in one day. That is the extent the herdsmen issue has affected us in this state.

    How has the Paris Club refund helped you?

    The Paris Club refund helped us very well. In fact it came at the right time for us in Benue. It came during Christmas. So all the trouble that I had, I think at the state level, I had six months arrears that was hanging on my head and everywhere you went, they will say Ortom did not pay us and that is why we could not… and even the children were on my neck that Ortom did not pay, so the thing landed at the right time. Luckily the money I had at that time, I paid December salaries and had the opportunity of paying two months arrears during Christmas, it was a big relief and it really helped and I’m waiting for this second tranche, if it comes. The second one is not coming; I don’t know what is wrong. But when it comes, I think it will go a long way in reducing the salary arrears.

    Is it true that the Nigerian Governors’ Forum warehoused part of the Paris Club refund for consultancy?

    It’s true. The funds were warehoused by the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and that is a fact and I’m aware of that. But it was meant to be the consultancy for those who worked for us to get the fund. This is an on-going thing, I inherited it. For instance, for us in Benue State, a contract was signed by a consultant with the then Benue State Government, the previous government and there the agreement was that the consultant will get 18% of the amount. So, when we got on board and this issue came up again, we decided to negotiate at the Nigerian Governor’s Forum level and so it came to 10%; 5% for consultancy, and 5% for legal fee. So that was what was deducted from our own money and so we even saved 8% as far as Benue State is concerned. So the problem was that there were several consultants because several other states had engaged other consultants who were doing this. In my own case, the consultant that took over the job at the national level was the same consultant that had signed 18% agreement with the Benue State Government. So it was easy for me but for other states which had other consultants, there was a problem. So the Governors’ Forum had warehoused this money to sort out with them and then pay. But then I hear a lot of things and I was going to take it up when we meet at the Governors’ Forum; we’ll have more information as to what is actually happening.

    How much is the state losing to ghost workers; I’m even surprised that Benue is paying that much, N4.2 billion monthly. Why is local government also your problem?

    I hear that Local Governments are seeking for autonomy. I was privileged to be Local Government Chairman of this local government from 1991 to 1993; then we had autonomy. So I understand that they are also looking for autonomy now. But that autonomy then ran into troubled waters. Local governments elsewhere in the world are an appendage of State Government. You know, we say that we have three tiers of government but you know that the local government operates under the supervision of the state. I don’t have anything to do with local government funds as it is today. I met a system that was operated by my predecessor where local government puts money together and the state adds to execute projects; they called it projects account. But since I came in and discovered that the funds were not enough for the local governments and there was no point making that and a lot of people trying to accuse us here and there, I decided to ban that account. So whatever comes for the local government goes to them. I have no business interfering in their accounts and all that. But the challenge I have is the issue of arbitrary employment at the local government level. I can tell you because I served in this local government that even now this local government does not need 250 staff to make it functional and there are over 1,200 and so it is to several other local governments and in fact all the local governments. Local government politicians derive pleasure from coming to just do recruitment. Each group when they come, they do recruitment until they don’t know what to do again. And I tell you, very few local government staff come to work. If you want, go to any of the local government in Benue State; even the one in Makurdi.

  • Akande links economic, political challenges to ‘obsolete constitution’

    Akande links economic, political challenges to ‘obsolete constitution’

    Former Interim National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Chief Adebisi Akande has linked the socio-political and economic challenges bedevilling the country to its obsolete constitution.

    Speaking at the 2017 Distinguished Role Model Award of The Wings Schools, Iwo in honour of the late educationist and administrator, Ben Adisa Akinola, the former Osun State governor said Nigeria would have grown to its zenith, if not hampered by constitutional pitfalls.

    Akande, who was the chairman of the event, faulted the 1999 Constitution, which, he maintained, had created unwarranted challenges to the country and its federating components.

    He said: “There are many aspects in the constitution that are never workable to Nigerian socio-economic and political structures. There are anomalies, lapses and imbalance posing serious challenges to the nation’s constitution and the way it is can lead Nigeria back to greater poverty.

    “The constitution that can move Nigeria forward is the constitution that recognises the culture of the people in relation to their occupation.

    “The background of economic life of any community should be the type of its own culture. No nation practising federalism develops in a circumstance, where all or larger percentage of existing power is concentrated into a single hand.

    “For instance in Osun State today, one can’t drive five kilometres of roads leading to borders of Kwara, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states without potholes. The same applies to other states of the federation as many of them have been rendered subservient to the power that be at the centre.”

    According to him, until the constitution was “passionately and circumstantially” reviewed in consonance with the needs of various constituents, the nation would remain stagnant.

    Akande stressed the need for power to be properly distributed and devolved from the central to the federating units as being practised in other countries of the world.

    The APC chieftain said: “Nigeria Constitution (1999) serves as a platform for social economic inequality and now constitutes the major obstacle to peace among various generating country. Those who wrote the constitution did not realise that political denomination and subjugation breed revolt, community disharmony and national insecurity.

    “The bad constitution of 1999 has now begun to stimulate demand for ethnic self-determination and economic security, otherwise being called resource control or restructuring. Whatever name you call it, community disharmony is a burden on national security and it is dangerous for economic development and peace.

    “What we are saying, for instance, is that the constitution which (according to 1999 census ) gave Lagos State (with 5,725,153 population) 20 local governments,  also gave Kano State (with 5,810,494 population) 44 local governments. The same constitution, which gave Anambra (with 2, 796,510 population) 21 local governments, also gave Jigawa (with 2, 875,559 population) 27 local governments.

    “Such constitutional provisions seem capable of denying the federating components of Nigeria most importantly on their equal opportunity for accessing the national revenue allocations. Such agitations may not be healthy for community harmony, national security to influence the change for the better.”

    On the late Akinola, Akande urged the people of Iwo and other Nigerians to emulate the good deeds of the man.

    The guest speakers, Prof. Olasupo Akano and Prof. Lai Olurode, former Dean, Faculty of School Sciences, University of Lagos, described the late Akinola as a patriotic son of Iwo, “who during his life time strived towards the development of our town”.

    Secretary to the Osun State Government Alhaji Moshood Adeoti said the legacy the late Akinola left behind in the education sector would not be forgotten.

  • Rector challenges students on entrepreneurship

    Fresh students of the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti, have been urged to key into the institution’s determination to produce graduates who will be entrepreneurs.

    Rector of the institution, Dr Taiwo Akande, gave the advice while speaking at the matriculation of about 3000 ND and HND students for the 2016/2017 academic session.

    Akande admonished the new students that since the future belongs to those who have extra skills beyond certificates, all of them must aspire to make themselves marketable.

    She urged them to discover and unleash their talents, so that whatever training they received in the course of their studies wouldbe complemtry to their potentials.

    According to her, the school management has put in place a vigilant security network to closely monitor and sniff out bad eggs among them.

    “Any unscrupulous element caught will be made to face the full wrath of the law,” Akande warned

    The Rector enjoined the students to make the best use of the facilities on campus so that they can derive optimum benefits. “The Management of the institution is striving hard within the limits of the resources at its disposal to make the environment conducive for serious academic work,” she added.

    Highlight of the event was the signing of oath of matriculation, as well as presentation of prizes to ‘Rector’s Scholars’, who emerged the best students in ND I and HND I classes of 2015/2016 academic year.