The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Code of Conduct

  • Presidency: Leave Buhari out of Saraki’s trial

    Presidency: Leave Buhari out of Saraki’s trial

    The Presidency on Sunday declared that attempts to link the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki to the Presidency are unacceptable.

    It also said that those claiming that the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) were acting on external instigation were uninformed.

    A statement by Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President said that there is no place in law that the Bureau and the tribunal should take instructions from any quarters.

    As an independent institution equal to any superior court of record, he pointed out that the tribunal is set up by the constitution to determine the issue of default,false declaration or forgery in assets declaration.

    The statement reads: “This therefore is purely a judicial process and has nothing to do with the presidency.

    “If anyone has an axe to grind with what they are doing, they should do it in a judicial manner by challenging those actions in a proper court of law.
    “Let them hire a good team of lawyers to prove their innocence. Government has no desire to persecute anybody,” he added.

    He said that the President has vowed to respect the rule of law and is doing that by staying out of the matter.

    According to Shehu, the President has said times without number that the war against corruption has no sacred cows.

    “Even if the President wants to help, there is no way he can do anything. Is he going to ask the judge to stop the trial?

    “It is purely a judicial process, the type of which are routinely dealt with by the CCB and the CCT. There are many cases like this that are going on.

    “The President has sworn to an oath to protect the constitution and will not violate that oath,” he stated.

  • Saraki faults warrant of arrest

    Saraki faults warrant of arrest

    The office of the Senate President, has described the bench warrant of arrest issued on Friday by the Code of Conduct Tribunal against Dr Olusola Saraki as an abuse of the rule of law.
    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, the office said it was dismayed that the tribunal chose to ignore the a subsisting order of a Federal High Court by sitting.
    “ It is a surprise to us that despite the application by the lead counsel to the Senate President that he will produce Dr. Saraki on Monday and the personality of the person involved as the Number three man in the country, the Tribunal insisted on issuing a warrant of arrest as if its intention is simply to embarrass Dr. Saraki,” Olaniyonu stated.
    The full text of the response to the warrant of arrest titled “CCT Defiance of Subsisting Court Order : Our Stand” is reproduced below:
    Following the development in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) today, Friday, September 18, 2015 when the Tribunal chose to ignore the subsisting order of a Federal High Court by sitting, we hereby state our position as follows:

    1. While the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, had stated and maintains that he is ready to submit himself to due process of the law on any issue concerning him, he also believes he has an inalienable right to resort to the same judiciary for protection when he feels his fundamental rights are about to be infringed upon.

    2. It is for this reason that Dr. Saraki, having satisfied himself that the case filed by the CCB and the manner in which the case was filed show that he will not be given justice, resorted to the Federal High Court for the determination of the issues of competence of the prosecutor as well as compliance with the procedure stipulated in the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act.

    3. The Federal High Court on Thursday, September 17, 2015, therefore ordered that the all parties in the case should appear before it on Monday, September 21, 2015. The implication of this ruling by a Court of competent jurisdiction is that the sitting today has been overtaken by event. It is for this reason that Dr. Saraki chose to go about with his normal official schedule.

    4. Today at the Tribunal, Counsel to the Senate President, Mr. M. A. Mahmud (SAN), raised a motion stating that there is a pending constitutional matter before the Federal High Court to be decided on Monday and that the Tribunal should hold the trial until the constitutional matter is disposed of.

    5. We are however dismayed that the Tribunal chose to disregard the order of the Federal High Court and the motion to suspend hearing till Monday when all parties are expected to argue their positions on the constitutional matter.

    6. It is also a surprise to us that despite the application by the lead counsel to the Senate President that he will produce Dr. Saraki on Monday and the personality of the person involved as the Number three man in the country, the Tribunal insisted on issuing a warrant of arrest as if its intention is simply to embarrass Dr. Saraki. We are not unmindful of the fact that the Tribunal is acting under political influence and external pressure. This is dangerous to our democracy.

    7. The conduct of the Tribunal today left nobody in doubt that it cannot do justice on the matter before it. It is also clear that today’s decision is an abuse of the rule of law which portends danger to our judicial system. The Tribunal has equally set a bad precedent in the way and manner it conducted itself during the proceedings.

    8. We want to emphasise the fact that this is not part of any war against corruption but using state institutions to fight political opponents and seeking to achieve through the back door what some people cannot get through democratic process.

    9. We need to caution here that in a desperate bid to settle political scores and nail imaginary enemies, we should not destroy our democratic institutions and heat the polity for selfish reasons. Let us all learn from history.

    10. The Senate President is a law abiding citizen who will not do anything to undermine the judicial process and authority. However, Dr. Saraki will always act to protect his fundamental human rights.

  • IOSCO’s code of conduct for credit rating agencies out

    The International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) has issued the final report on Code of Conduct Fundamentals for Credit Rating Agencies, which includes significant revisions and updates to the current IOSCO Code of Conduct for Credit Rating Agencies (IOSCO CRA Code).

    Nigeria is a member of IOSCO. Nigeria’s Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and currently holds the chairmanship of Africa Middle East Regional Committee (AMERC) of the global body. IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognised as the global standard setter for securities regulation. The organization’s membership regulates more than 95 per cent of the world’s securities markets in more than 115 jurisdictions. Nigeria is a member of IOSCO Board, the governing and standard-setting organ of the global body.

    According to the report, the revisions to the IOSCO CRA Code are designed to strengthen the IOSCO CRA Code by enhancing provisions regarding protecting the integrity of the credit rating process, managing conflicts of interest, providing transparency, and safeguarding non-public information.

    The new revisions are also expected to strengthen the IOSCO CRA Code by adding measures regarding governance, training, and risk management; and to improve the clarity of the IOSCO CRA Code by adding definitions of key terms and revising existing definitions, updating terminology, restructuring existing provisions to better group them thematically, and eliminating extraneous text.

    The new IOSCO CRA Code is intended to work in harmony with CRA registration and oversight programs, and to continue operating as the international standard for CRA self-governance.

    The revisions result, in part, from the experience of IOSCO members in supervising CRAs. They also are informed by the work of the IOSCO Committee on Credit Rating Agencies, including the survey report describing the key risk controls established by CRAs to promote the integrity of the credit rating process and the procedures established to manage conflicts of interest.

    The IOSCO CRA Code is intended to offer a set of robust, practical measures as a guide to and a framework for CRAs with respect to protecting the integrity of the rating process, ensuring that issuers and users of credit ratings, including investors, are treated fairly, and safeguarding confidential material information provided them by issuers.

    The IOSCO CRA Code was first published in 2004 when few jurisdictions had laws governing activities of CRAs. It was later revised in 2008 in the wake of the global financial crisis to include significant provisions that addressed concerns regarding the quality of information that CRAs relied on, suggestions that CRAs were too slow to review existing ratings and make downgrades as appropriate, and the possible conflict of interest arising from CRAs advising issuers on how to design structured finance products.

    In February 2014, IOSCO published a Consultation Report that proposed revisions to the IOSCO CRA Code to take into account the fact that CRAs are now supervised by regional and national authorities.

    The report provides a redline comparison of the IOSCO CRA Code as proposed in the Consultation Report and as adopted in the Final Report. It also briefly explains the differences between the 2008 IOSCO CRA Code and the Final Report as well as the changes made following the public consultation.

    Other members of the IOSCO board included securities regulatory authorities of Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Ontario, Pakistan, Peru, Quebec, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States.

  • CIBN rolls out new code of conduct

    CIBN rolls out new code of conduct

    The Chartered Institute of  Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) has issued a new code of conduct to banks to check rising infractions in the industry.

    The institute said it resolved 1350 petitions/cases of infractions in the last 13 years.  It said the new code are harmonised version of three codes, namely, the code of ethics and professionalism in the banking and finance industry, code of banking practice and the professional code of conduct.

    Presenting the code of conduct to the media in Lagos, the President/Chairman of Council, CIBN, Dr. Segun Aina, said the new code was part of efforts and mandate of the institute to further maintain and ensure compliance of banking institutions to ethics and professionalism as well as guarantee the safety and soundness of the industry.

    According to him, the code is expected to enhance the highest level of adherence to good banking practices and a strong commitment to high ethical standards in the banker-customer relationship.

    He noted that the provisions of the code are binding on the industry as operators and regulators made input to its development while approval was obtained from the bankers’committee.

    “The institute also requires its members, as a matter of necessity, to recognise the required responsibilities in the conduct of their businesses and to strictly adhere to the code.

    “The provisions in the code governs the behaviours of both individual and corporate bodies in the banking industry, It also applies to all strata/cadre of employees in the industry whether full time, part time, temporary, contract of in-sourced.

    The Registrar/Chief Executive of the institute, Uju Ogubunka, said  the review of existing codes became necessary to address emerging challenges in the industry.

    The CIBN noted that its ethics and professionalism division resolved 1350 cases between 2001 and 2013 as against 1,504 petitions received within the same period.

  • IOSCO prepares new code of conduct for credit rating agencies

    IOSCO prepares new code of conduct for credit rating agencies

    International Organisation of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) is proposing significant revisions and updates to its current code of conduct fundamentals for credit rating agencies, IOSCO CRA Code.

    IOSCO is the leading international policy forum for securities regulators and is recognised as the global standard setter for securities regulation. The organization’s membership regulates more than 95 per cent of the world’s securities markets in 115 jurisdictions and its membership continues to expand.

    Nigeria is a member of the board of IOSCO, the governing and standard-setting organ of IOSCO. IOSCO board consists of 32 securities regulators including securities regulatory authorities of Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, the Netherlands, Ontario, Pakistan, Portugal, Quebec, Romania, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and the United States.

    IOSCO has sent the draft revisions and updates to stakeholders for their comments on or before March 28, 2014.

    According to IOSCO, the proposed revisions result, in part, from the experience of IOSCO members in supervising credit rating agencies (CRAs).

    “They also are informed by IOSCO´s previous work on CRAs, including a survey report describing the key risk controls established by CRAs to promote the integrity of the credit rating process and the procedures established to manage conflicts of interest,” IOSCO stated.

    The global securities body outlined that the proposed revisions are designed to strengthen the IOSCO CRA Code by enhancing provisions regarding protecting the integrity of the credit rating process, managing conflicts of interest, providing transparency, and safeguarding non-public information; adding measures regarding governance, training, and risk management; and seeking to improve the clarity of the IOSCO CRA Code.

    “The IOSCO CRA Code is intended to offer a set of robust, practical measures as a guide to and a framework for CRAs with respect to protecting the integrity of the rating process, ensuring that issuers and users of credit ratings, including investors, are treated fairly, and safeguarding confidential material information provided them by issuers,” IOSCO stated.

    The IOSCO CRA Code was first published in 2004 when few jurisdictions had laws governing activities of CRAs. It was later revised in 2008 after the outbreak of the global financial crisis to include significant disclosure provisions that addressed concerns regarding the quality of information that CRAs relied on, suggestions that CRAs were too slow to review existing ratings and make downgrades as appropriate, and the possible conflict of interest arising from CRAs advising issuers on how to design structured finance products.

  • EAGLES CODE OF CONDUCT: NFF to change name

    EAGLES CODE OF CONDUCT: NFF to change name

    Plans to replace the name of the code of conduct, drafted for the Super Eagles has commenced by the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    A federation source revealed to SportingLife that NFF big weights have been rubbing minds to arrive on a suitable name that would also convey the message.”I am sure before the World Cup, a name would have been gotten. It will no longer be called the code of conduct,” said the source.

    “We believe that having another name instead of the former sounds ideal. The term code of conduct is commonly used that is why we want to be different.

    The written rules detailing how players of the different national teams are expected to conduct themselves while in camp is a five-part document that was drafted following the revolt of Eagles players over bonus payment in Namibia last year.

    The document also spells out players conduct via the social media network such as Twitter and Facebook. In the past, players resorted to the social networking site to vent their anger on coaches.

    The section on media states, “Not publish, or cause to be published (including on Twitter and Facebook), anything that may cause offence or embarrass any member of The NFF, national squads or management. If any player wishes to publicly comment on any aspect of playing for Nigeria, including in books, newspaper columns, podcasts, vodcasts, diaries and any other online media services, including social networking sites, prior permission of the NFF Media Office is required.

    “No Twitter or Facebook comments the day before and day of matches, unless authorised by the Head Coach and the Team Media Officer; no Twitter or social media disclosing team or injuries the day before or on the day of the match; any comment in the media that is likely to cause embarrassment to or lower the reputation and integrity of the team, team management, the federation or the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is prohibited; and players should desist from making any comments that could be political in nature.”

    The 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil may serve as the first major test for the team.

  • Eagles’ code of conduct not a draconian law — NFF

    Eagles’ code of conduct not a draconian law — NFF

    • Says it will galvanise team

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has said the Code of Conduct for the national teams including the Super Eagles has come to stay.

    The football house also stated that the code of conduct is not a draconian law as people have interpreted it to be but a handbook of dos and don’ts that always exist in an organised setting.

    The Chairman of Technical Committee of the Nigeria Football Federation, Christopher Green said it would fire up the Super Eagles to success in the 2014 World Cup because everybody will behave accordingly as we all know that rules and regulations always guide people to success in their endeavours.

    “The Code of Conduct is a necessary hand book not for the Super Eagles alone but for all the national teams. Even in their various clubs they have it. There is nothing new about it. There is nothing sinister about it and there is nothing draconic about it as how people have painted it to be, no, not at all.

    “The NFF officials have obligations there; they have their responsibilities and very good intentions about this. Here the image of the country is paramount. Secondly, we need to prepare our team in such a way that we would not have distractions. Players should know what he has to do when in camp and outside camp too.

    “If you are playing for the country the image of the country is on you in respect of how you conduct yourself on and off the field of play. Also you don’t expect a player to be unruly to his coach and also you don’t expect the coach to condone such things. You don’t also expect the NFF not to perform its duty as regards logistics, preparing the team in a conducive atmosphere as well as providing all the needs for a successful participation in a tournament or pre-tournament. So the Code of Conduct or Hand-book is for the success of our national teams not targeted at an individual”, Green clarified.

  • Govt inaugurates private agencies’ code of conduct

    THE Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity, Dr. Clement Illoh, has launched the Code of Conduct for Private Employment Agencies in Nigeria at Ikeja, Lagos.

    He was assisted by the Director-General of NECA, Olusegun Osinowo; representative of the International Labour Organisation (ILO); Director for West Africa, the European Union; Representative, National Agency for Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP); captains of industry and Chief Executives of Human Capital Providers Association of Nigeria (HuCaPAN).

    Illoh also called for prompt payment of retirement benfits for employees who have served their employers meritoriously. He said such practice will boost harmonious working environment between employees and employers.

    HuCaPAN, President and General Secretary, Neye Enemigin and Roselyn Onolaja, said HuCaPAN was passionate about the Code of Conduct, as among other reasons, that it would help to self-regulate every Licensed Private Employment Agency/Labour Contractor in the country.

    Osinowo said the inauguration of the code would put to an end, unwholesome practices carried out by some employment agencies against outsourced staff.

    He regretted that the high unemployment rate in Nigeria has made it easier for employment agencies to exploit their outsourced staff. He said although employers have right to determine the terms of employment for their staff, and how their businesses are to be run, but the employees also have rights that have to be respected to promote a harmonious working environment in workplace.

    He said industrial harmony goes beyond the law, advising employers to also comply with other non-contractual elements of the employment contract to ensure there is peace in workplace.

    Representative of the European Union (EU), David Macrae, said implementation of the Code, funded by the EU, would help in growing Nigeria’s economy. He said implementation of the code will help in checking unfair labour practices in the country.

    Representative of the ILO, Pius Udo said the code will assist in bringing lasting peace and harmony between employers and employees. He said private employment agencies need to follow international best practices that ensure that rights and privileges of staff is respected by employers.

  • Code of conduct for Eagles

    Success intoxicates. It has an uncanny way of making people walk on thin air.

    Decorum is thrown into the bin. For the media, bad news is good news. Newsmen look for such scoops to sell their platforms. Will anyone blame them, especially in our case where a man bites a dog and people are not stunned? They have seen worse things.

    Indeed, the poor conduct of the top actors of the South Africa 2013 cup heroes reached its uncharitable and uncomplimentary heights last week Friday when Super Eagles striker Emmanuel Emenike fouled the air with scathing comments about his coach and eggheads of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

    The words Emenike chose were awful. They showed a high level of indiscipline, such that this writer kept wondering if a Nigerian could pour such invectives on his club’s management and coaches. Even though his reasons for anger were germane, he ought to have known that he could one day return to the squad to meet these people he tried to paint as irresponsible in the international media.

    Granted the failure to contact Emenike should elicit such angst from the player, yet he should have told us the attempts he made to reach the coaches and the NFF. This perspective has become expedient following the revelation that Emenike changed his telephone lines. He wouldn’t have expected the coaches to know about his change of contact, except he told them so. How does Emenike hope to curry the coaches’ favour in future, if he is a borderline case with another player for the list of those to be dropped?

    What Emenike’s rant means is that our coaches should urge the players to register in their Blackberry group where everyone’s movement can be checked? Emenike didn’t want the coaches or/and the NFF to visit him in Turkey. All he demanded was a telephone call (s) to find out how he was faring. Emenike’s demand wasn’t a difficult one, especially as he sustained the injury playing for Nigeria at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations held in South Africa.

    Interestingly, the coach behaved maturely, with his stoic silence. He has learnt from the Osaze Odemwingie saga.

    The need for a code of conduct becomes expedient when the story of John Mikel Obi’s text message to the General Secretary of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), Barrister Musa Amadu, broke.

    The impunity of having to send a text message to the administrative head of the federation underscores how our players regard people in position of authority. Would anyone blame him when the NFF President was ordered out of the stage by the announcer at the presidential reception organised for the Eagles? Could Mikel have had the guts to do that to the smallest administrator in Chelsea? It is easy to say that they won’t owe their players. Yet there are better ways to demand for the cash than pushing out an audacious text message.

    Mikel’s message read thus: “Sec pls, I just want to let u know that if we do not get our match bonus for winning the Nations Cup, we are not playing this game ok.” Had Mikel been the Eagles’ captain, one would have said that he was speaking for the others. In what capacity was he sending that message? What was the hurry in sending the message when he was coming to Nigeria for the game? Couldn’t he have been more courteous to call Amadu, instead of the threatening text message? Would Nigeria seize to be a sovereign nation, if we don’t play a World Cup game? Did the world stop when Nigeria wasn’t at the 2006 World Cup held in Germany? Or are we back to the era of the mafia who held our football hostage with this irritating arm-twisting tactics? Or did Mikel hear that the cash had been given to Amadu? Our players should exercise decorum some when demanding their rights.

    The joke of the Mikel text saga is that it is being swept aside on the altar of whom it was sent to? Was it sent to the NFF Secretary-General or the team’s secretary? Little wonder Mikel laughed his naughty stunt off because he knew nothing would come out of it. Mikel didn’t deny that he sent it, but those desirous to debunk the story failed to ask the Chelsea star who he sent the text to?

    One won’t be surprised if Mikel goes unpunished for this act. We treat issues concerning the Eagles with sentiments for as long as they are doing well. This Mikel act is despicable because he was clearly speaking for himself. As a top player in the Barclays English Premier League, he should know better how such demands are made.

    Would he have confronted his compatriot in Chelsea, Michael Emenalo, if his club had delayed in paying his winning bonus? To begin with, does he even have access to Emenalo, despite that the man is also a Nigerian? Mikel knows that such untoward conduct is hardly condoned in Chelsea- and elsewhere in Europe. The truth of the matter is that our players are so uneducated and so unenlightened to know the right approach to issues. And this is where their European colleagues are years ahead of them. There is no way you will find a European player badmouthing his coach or employer, no matter the circumstance.

    Elsewhere, the skipper of the team would subtly remind the federation about their outstanding entitlements and get commitments. He would do this through their coaches. It is from their coaches that the players would be told the next line of action. Is anyone angry that Mikel chose to deal directly with the NFF? I no know book o! He certainly didn’t carry his coaches along. Like the late Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang in one of his albums, ODOO, overtake don overtake overtake, ye yea…

    Going to the South Africa 2013 Africa Cup of Nations, the NFF’s budget for players’ match bonuses was graduated from $10,000 for the preliminary games, $15,000 and then $20,000. Eagles’ first two matches were convulsive. Indeed, the Sports Minister, in his wisdom – perhaps to further motivate the players, directed that the full winning bonus of $15,000 be paid for the drawn game against Zambia. This writer applauded the decision which was at grave cost to the NFF’s working plan of $10,000. Looking back, it was worth it because we broke a 19-year-old jinx. Our people felt like one and it opened a new vista for us as a country. People’s perception of Nigeria changed. The bonuses overshot the federation’s budget. The players didn’t really bother about the final game, having clinched the trophy.

    A labourer deserves his wages, but such demands should be done with wisdom. One expected to read that the NFF reneged on earlier promises in Mikel’s text. He didn’t reflect it. Emenike and Mikel have thrown potshots at the system? Whose turn is it next? We are watching.

     Ajimobi’s heart of gold

    Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi is the man of the moment. He is not known to be an avid supporter of football. Yet he has given the family of ailing Nigeria international Jossy lad N850,000, in two tranches of N350,000 and N500,000.

    Jossy Lad has been diagnosed of a heart ailment. He needs help. The Oyo Government’s prompt response to a man who gave his life to Shooting Stars Sports Club (3SC) as a player, coach and administrator is commendable.

    The government has promised more. We need to assist our heroes when they are distressed. Jossy Lad is a good man and deserves all the financial assistance he needs to stay alive. This is the time to assist him and not when he is gone (God forbid). Come on folks! Join Ajimobi in getting Jossy Lad back on his feet. Jossy Lad must not be allowed to die.

  • Jonathan’s code of conduct

    Jonathan’s code of conduct

    President Goodluck Jonathan is allowed to grade his priorities as the first citizen of Nigeria. But that priority, while being his prerogative, gives the Nigerian public an insight into how he weighs matters and opportunity to assess how they rank in the hierarchy for the man who steers the affairs of state.

    Barely two weeks into the new year, it seems the priority of this president does not chime in with the values that we should hold dear as a country. On the same day, when the President should have appeared with the police to launch code of conduct outlines for the men who defend the civil society against the worst ravages of immorality, President Jonathan decided to look elsewhere. On January 10, he was not there to lend presidential weight to the code of conduct meeting.

    Rather he thought his presence in a political meeting was superior in urgency to that of the code of conduct. He weighed politics over values. So he sent Vice President Namadi Sambo to the police scene while he, the President, paddled away on the murky shoal of politics where his future – meaning 2015 – was putatively at stake.

    It is all right for the President to attend a political meeting. That is the mother’s milk of all governance. He has to take care of politics, and to ignore it is to be pharisaic about his interests. But this is January 2013, and the Adamawa crisis, though serious and potentially seismic, cannot be more serious than the moral health and security challenges of Nigeria today. As a writer once said, a statesman thinks of the future stakes, but a politician is obsessed with the insular interest of now.

    That was what Jonathan did. He did not only abandon the police meeting, he also flew to Lagos to receive Ndigbo leaders. Clearly he is playing politics at the expense of governance.

    What the code of conduct means is large and far-reaching. It is about professionalism in the police, and how the men and women in uniform can act in accordance to the highest esteem of its citizens in morality. It also means tackling Boko Haram that has intimidated President Jonathan from celebrating national days in the open. He coils inside Aso Rock to do his salutes and pop champagne.

    Obviously, Jonathan’s code of conduct is to pooh-pooh code of conduct. It means this is a president who conducts himself without respect to the standards of the highest codes. If at this stage he places so important a matter below the heres and nows of development, we can say that Jonathan’s priority for 2013 is not governance but politics. That is his code of conduct for this year, and if this is true, it will be tragic. It means as a nation, we have lost 2013 even before it began. Instead of fixing power, he will fix political power. Instead of roads, he will pursue his way ahead of his governors to win the ticket. Instead of people’s welfare, he will empower his acolytes. Welcome, 2013.