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Tag: Combating

  • Combating illicit financial flows in Africa

    How can cross-border flow of illicit assets be tackled? How can asset recovery and return be enhanced? These and more were discussed at the second “International Conference on Combating Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and Enhancing Asset Recovery (AR) for Sustainable Development.” It was organised by the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the African Union (AU), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Federal Ministry of Justice. It featured speakers and participants from Africa, the diplomatic community and international organisations, among others. JOSEPH JIBUEZE was there.

    Between 2000 and 2015, Africa is said to have lost $73billion yearly through illicit financial flows (IFF). Added to what is lost through other channels, the figure may be close to $100billion.

    To tackle this problem, the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Union (AU), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Federal Ministry of Justice, brought international experts to find solutions.

    They organised the second International Conference on Combating Illicit Financial Flows (IFF) and Enhancing Asset Recovery (AR) for Sustainable Development (Second Abuja IFF/AR).

    IFF, according to PACAC, refers to money illegally earned, transferred or used. It means any flow of money in violation of the laws in their origin or during their movement or use.

    Money may become illicit due to the way it is created, transferred or used. For instance, money legally earned but transferred illegally, such as to avoid tax, becomes illicit.

    Money legally earned and transferred may at point of utilisation change character and may become illicit, such as when not declared to regulators in accordance with legal requirements.

    IFF has diverse origins, such as laundering of proceeds of crime, abuse of power by politically exposed persons (PEPs), market or regulatory abuse by multinational corporations, trade record falsification and tax evasion.

    Others are mispricing of intangibles like foreign loans, overpricing of intellectual property, and use of secret companies, secret trusts or non-disclosure agreements.

    Poor governance, weak regulatory structures, pressure for foreign investment, unbridled tax incentives that become counterproductive, and acceptance of financial secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens are some of the enablers of illicit financial flows.

    Others are the ability to shift profits from source countries to tax havens, thus denying the source country of tax revenue; weak international cooperation and information sharing, such as on beneficial ownership and tax records of multinationals, and opacity of records and information on what companies pay to governments in extractive and natural resource industry.

    The keynote speaker, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UN-ECA) Deputy Executive Secretary and Chief Economist Dr Abdalla Hamdok said illicit financial flows have perverse effects on African economies.

    They represent a substantial financial drain on the continent, which reduces the ability to make the investments needed in education, health, science, technology and infrastructure to achieve the goal of industrialisation.

    According to him, illicit financial flows are driven by a number of ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors, the most obvious of which is the desire to hide illicit wealth. He also identified double taxation agreements as another driver.

    On how much has been lost through IFF, Hamdok said: “Indeed, the latest estimates from ECA indicate that, over the period of 2000 to 2015, Africa lost $73 billion yearly through illicit financial flows from commercial activities alone.

    “This is in addition to around $27 billion estimated net annual losses through other channels. Taken together, this represents about $100 billion annually, which represents around four per cent of the continent’s GDP. We know this to be a very conservative estimate.”

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, represented by Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters Dr Yemi Dipeolu, noted that emerging economies are the most vulnerable to IFF.

    To him, athough the role of prevention cannot be overstated in the fight against corruption generally, it is important that those who engage in acts of corruption and IFF are adequately sanctioned.

    “In my speech at last year’s (Abuja IFF/AR) conference, I stated that we must make it a national and international call and a call for other developed and developing countries to have the same outrage for drugs, terrorist financing for IFF.

    “We must emphasise at every point and call out financial institutions that are not cooperating. They must be sanctioned,” Osinbajo said.

    He underscored the fact that the transfer of assets cannot be successful without the collaboration between the countries that they are transferred from and the international financial institutions in the countries that receive them.

    “Therefore, it is imperative that we continue to identify financial institutions that are involved in this sort of transactions and make them take responsibility for their actions in facilitating illicit financial flows and corruption in general.

    “Taking advantage of financial secrecy legislations for corruption and other crimes must not be encouraged and in fact it must stop. All other facilitators must also be sanctioned,” the Vice President said.

    According to him, the return of $321million  loot from Switzerland is an instance of the country’s political will and international cooperation in the return of looted public asset.

    “What we can do is to make sure that as we succeed in recovering and repatriating these funds, we must use them for causes that advance the development of the victim country in particular and the continent in general.

    “At the national level, we have to live up to local and international expectations of transparent, accountable and acceptable systems that ensure that the recovered assets are used for the growth and development of the nation. In this we must not fail,” Osinbajo said.

    How Nigeria was robbed, by Onyeama

    Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama faulted Switzerland for its role in keeping the infamous Abacha loot and making the process of repatriation of the assets difficult.

    He said he was shocked and angry by the chunk of the money retained by Swiss institutions and lawyers, describing it as “daylight robbery”.

    The minister accused countries receiving looted funds of complicity, saying they are “accessories after the fact”.

    Onyeama said political leaders must be held to account for the persistence of IFF despite all talks about tackling it.

    According to him, enormous resources siphoned from the poorest region of the world has stifled Africa’s development.

    “We must continue to strengthen basic legislation in asset recovery,” he said.

    Onyeama described as mind-boggling the difficulties faced in the restitution and recovery of illicitly acquired assets from foreign countries to developing ones.

    He said while powerful countries such as the United States, Germany and France were able to force Switzerland to review its banking secrecy provisions and help identify their citizens who were transferring money there, developing countries lack such clout.

    “For developing countries as ourselves, it’s so much more difficult – the kind of hurdles that we have to overcome.

    “Large sums of money have been found in Jersey, for instance, and other countries are laying claim to it, because in getting to Jersey, it passed through different jurisdictions. We haven’t been able to get the money back.

    “We got some money back from Switzerland, but my God! When you look at the details, I was shocked and extremely angry at the process of recovery. Percentages were paid out to all kinds of institutions.

    “To me, this is daylight robbery that these countries are perpetrating, and of course playing on the fact that we’re not the United States.

    “So, it’s something we keep harping on, that these countries have to do a lot more, because at the end of the day, they are condoning huge theft and are accessories after the fact in fact.

    “If you’re making it difficult for legitimate owners to recover those assets, and then you allow your institutions and others take huge chunks from that asset for your own benefit, then you’re just as guilty of theft as those that transferred the money in the first place. This is totally unacceptable and totally immoral,” Onyeama said

    PACAC member Prof Femi Odekunle said the continent loses at least $50billion yearly to IFF. According to him, Africa cannot achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if it continues to lose money that way. Rather, its economic development will continue to be sabotaged.

    He said there was the need enthrone transparency and accountability in governance, and to have the political will to tackle weak and compromised regulatory structures, poor governance structures and reckless tax incentives that encourage IFF.

    He said the government must not compromise on regulatory standards even while seeking foreign investments, because, according to him, “you cannot worship a cow because you want to eat meat”.

    “One ultimate goal of combating illicit financial flows is to help countries mobilise domestic resources to finance their development goals. We cannot hope to achieve sustainable development goals without addressing the problem of illicit financial flows,” Odekunle said.

    For the professor of criminologist, there are enough resources for Africa to meet its developmental needs if they are well managed.

    Odekunle said: “IFF creates a problem for developing countries. According to figures available, the scale is such that we lose a minimum of $50billion annually. This means that we cannot achieve our development goals if we continue to lose money that way from our economies to the already rich economies of the West.

    “The political will is coming into play. If there is the political will, the regulatory agencies will follow suit. The most effective way to limit IFF is for both developed and African countries to increase financial transparency and be willing to enact and enforce policies that deter cross-border tax evasion, establishment of shell companies, strengthening of anti-money laundering laws and practices, and improving transparency of the operations of multi-national companies.

    “It needs to be restated that while the financing for development goals or needs of the African countries are very high, there is availability of resources to meet such needs and challenges if the resources are not looted, stolen and if they are properly managed.

    “Therefore, African countries must demand the highest standards of governance and disclosure from their governments. We, African countries, have the primary responsibility to fight corruption and the compromise of our regulatory institutions, so that the predicate condition that makes IFF possible is not easily available.”

    FIRS Executive Chairman Dr Babatunde Fowler said budgets could not be funded if so much is stolen.

    He said: “If a minimum of $50billion is lost by developing countries annually, especially on the African continent, if this money were to be made available to these countries, they would be in a better position to provide the much required infrastructure and amenities for their citizens.

    “As a tax administrator, we believe that our function is to fund our respective governments and budgets. The donors of the developed nations will not carry the developing nations that long. It (IFF) is something that has to be addressed quite urgently.

    “There is no way that we as a developing nation will be in a position to fund our budgets if this issue of IFF is not taken seriously.”

    According to Fowler, tax evasion is corruption and must also be tackled.

    “If any income is not adequately taxed from the area where it is generated, it is no longer tax planning; it is corruption. Corruption also applies to non-payment of taxes,” he said.

    He believes tackling IFF and utilising the funds for the good of the citizens will help address Africa’s socio-economic challenges.

    “Africa is said to have the highest rate of infant mortality. The question is: is that what we desire? Is it our desire for our nationals to try and cross the Sahara Desert to seek greener pastures?

    “If one looks at the impact, I think it’s cheaper and morality right to ensure that these funds are kept where they’re generated,” Fowler said.

    The sessions

    There were seven sessions during the two day conference. They were designed to help understand the concept of IFF and how to combat it. The need to hold IFF facilitators and intermediaries accountable was also discussed, as well as enhancing asset recovery and return.

    Best practices in managing returned assets for SDGs, improving intrernational cooperation and information exchange and the way forward were also explored during the sessions.

    Former Inspector-General of Police Solomon Arase, who chaired the session on Combatting cross-border flow of illicit assets, harped on the need for intelligence-based policing.

    “I have been a strong advocate of using intelligence to drive investigation and prosecution. Our investigation in this country should be knowledge-driven and professional,” Arase said.

    Jonathan Benton, formerly of the National Crime Agency (UK), believes it is difficult to combat cross border flow of illicit assets through banks because some of them are complicit.

    “Some of your banks are owned by former politicians or other relatives,” he said, adding that complex corruption cases can take decades to unravel, making assets tracing difficult.

    But, Association of Compliance Officers of Banks, Opeyemi Adeojutelegan defended banks, saying they are “definitely” contributing their quota to tackling IFF.

    However, Prof Odekunle believes that banks and lawyers are culpable.

    “Some of our bankers and lawyers are unpatriotic,” he said, adding that such citizens must be dealt with.

    He also reacted to a comment that increase in workers salaries will end IFF, saying: “The people committing this crime against us are not poor people.”

    Falana: Anti-graft agencies must be sanctioned

    Activist-lawyer Mr Femi Falana (SAN), who chaired a session, said anti-graft agencies must prosecute intermediaries.

    “Our anti-graft agencies have not begun to sanction intermediaries. What is done in some other countries is to ensure that you deal with the intermediaries, because without dealing with the lawyer, the banker, the estate agent, the fight against corruption cannot be meaningfully fought.

    “In the Ibori case, a lawyer was jailed for seven years for hiding documents which should have been turned over to the prosecution,” he said.

    Falana said apart from the EFCC, the other anti-graft institutions must be better funded and strengthened.

    A partner at Price Waterhouse Cooper Taiwo Oyedele agreed that there must consequences for the actions of intermediaries who facilitate IFF. He also spoke about indirect facilitators, such as those who award honourary degrees to corrupt persons and those who glorify looters.

    Former Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA) Head Prof Abdullahi Shehu said it will take a collective action to successfully deal with IFF.

    According to him, Africa has sufficient legislation to deal with the problem; it about was effectively enforcing the laws.

    “We need to strengthen our institutions and improve in areas we have not done well,” he said.

    Enhancing asset recovery/return

    Technical Unit on Governance & Anti-Corruption Reforms (TUGAR) Head Mrs Lilian Ekeanyanwu said there was need for a centralised data on how much has been recovered.

    She advocated the urgent passage of the Proceed of Crime Bill, noting that with a robust legislation, tackling IFF can be more effective.

    A partner at the firm of Aluko and Oyebo Dr Simeon Obidairo urged the government to utilise more of non-conviction based asset recovery, which he said would cater for a broad range of offences and can be retroactively applied.

    Going the civil route, he said, allows for circumstantial evidence to establish such cases and is not limited by statute of limitation.

    Obidairo said it also allows for the pursuit of actions outside jurisdiction, and can be used by many agencies.

    A member of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows (Thabo Mbeki Panel), Ambassador Segun Apata, who chaired the session, called for better handling of returned assets. He regretted that there has been no transparency in how such assets are managed in some cases.

    He suggested: “Immediately a proceed is traced, the money should be put in an escrow account in the African Development Bank.”

    Best practices

    The issue of how best to manage recovered proceeds of crime also arose. Mr David Ugolo of the Africa Network For Environment and Economic Justice (ANEEJ) pointed out that valuable assets are currently wasting away in the premises of anti-graft agencies such as the EFCC.

    He decried the absence of an asset management agency to care for  them, urging the Federal Government to act.

    He called for the strengthening of the asset recovery regime, and for citizens to be given access to information about what such recovered assets are used for.

    “There can be no effective asset management without strong institutions,” he said, while endorsing the Federal Government’s cash transfer policy.

    A PACAC member Prof Sadiq Radda said there was the need to “retain value and add value” to recovered assets.

    For instance, he said a thriving hotel that is a proceed of crime could be better managed rather than closing it down and making the workers redundant.

    “In attempting to solve problems, we should not be creating problems,” he said.

    Improving international cooperation

    Federal Ministry of Justice Central Authority Unit Head Tanko Ashang, whose office is in charge of mutual legal assistance and extradition related issues, identified some challenges they face.

    They include common law/civil law distinctions, language differences that sometimes requires translations into Arabic, financial challenges and lack of capacity.

    He urged the private sector to “stand up and be counted”, adding that the government cannot fight IFF alone. After all, he said banks, for instance, are also victims of cybercrimes, meaning that they need to join forces with the government.

    “The private sector and government need to come to the table,” he said.

    Abiodun Aina of FIRS said automatic exchange of information needs to be domesticated in Nigeria. He urged the National Assembly to set up committees on taxation and domestic asset generation.

    He also wants tax administration to be modernised “to catch up with multinationals who are doing complicated layering”.

    Aina called for the replacement of outdated laws, such as those regulating oil and gas operations.

    Minister Plenipotentiary, Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations, New York, Akinremi Bolaji, said recommendations at last year’s Abuja IFF/AR “have found their way into international documents” and have been taken global notice of.

    He, however, emphasised that tackling IFF requires “a lot of leadership and political will,” adding that tax avoidance must be included in IFF.

    He called for a unified and accepted definition of IFF “that is all-encompassing,” while calling for the implementation of the Mbeki Panel report.

    Finding solutions

    According to Dr Hamdok, in addition to the financial drain on the continent, IFFs weaken and undermine the integrity of state institutions, shifting resources from the legit to the illicit economy and worsening income distribution.

    He said it was crucial to break IFF in three components of commercial activities, criminal activities and corruption.

    Hamdok believes the fundamental responsibility of eliminating IFF rests with African states.

    “Therefore, they (African governments) must urgently take necessary measures to curtail and indeed eliminate all avenues for IFF. The primary source of IFF in Africa is the extractive sector.

    “African countries and companies operating in extractive industries in the continent should join voluntary initiatives like the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).

    “Africa should also push for mandatory country-by-country and project by-project reporting requirements across all sectors. African countries should establish transfer-pricing units as a matter of extreme urgency.

    “These units should be appropriately situated in revenue authorities and be well equipped in accordance with global best practices.”

    Hamdok added that customs authorities should proactively use available databases containing information on comparable pricing of world trade in goods to analyse imports and exports and identify transactions that require additional inquiry.

    “States should also begin collecting trade transaction data and creating databases from that information, which can be searched and shared with other states so that a more robust data set on local and regional comparable is available.

    “African states should as a matter of urgency establish or strengthen independent institutions and agencies of government charged with the responsibility for preventing IFF.

    “These would include financial intelligence units, anti-fraud agencies, anti-corruption and financial crime agencies. All such agencies should render regular reports on their activities and findings to national legislatures,” Hamdok said.

    African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Executive Secretary Prof Emmanuel Nnadozie said there was limited awareness and poor understanding of the importance and impact of IFF, as well as what he called inhibiting mindsets.

    He said there were poor positive social norms, values and practices conducive to combat IFFs, coupled with weak political leadership, weak operational capacities, limited adaptive capacities, and corruption.

    With regards to institutional and regulatory capacity, he said there was an inability to design, implement, monitor and evaluate policies and regulations to curb IFFs, as well as inadequate institutional capacity of regulatory agencies and institutions.

    Nnadozie also identified lack of coherence and weak coordination among regulatory institutions at national level, as well as weak operationalisation of appropriate legal, regulatory and/or prudential frameworks to curb IFFs, as other challenges.

    Inability to collect data and statistical information, lack of transfer pricing units and weak managerial capacity to ensure the recruitment and retention of specialists are other factors fueling IFF, he said.

    According to him, there is a human capacity aspect which manifests in insufficient number of skilled experts (lawyers, accountants, tax experts, law enforcement officers, customs officials, financial experts, etc.), as well as limited skills for assessment, formulation and implementation and monitoring of IFF-specific policies and measures, and poor contract negotiation skills.

    He was of the view that Africa needs IFF/AR institute or centre, while there is need for institutional support to IFF-fighting institutions and agencies, enhanced coordination, capacity development, policy analysis, regulatory and legislative support, effective information sharing, and monitoring and evaluation.

    Nnadozie said the ACBF could help with resource mobilisation, conduct capacity needs assessment or capacity audit of anti-corruption institutions and other national and regional organisations dealing with IFFs, formulate appropriate capacity development strategies, and design and implement capacity building projects/programs in order to address capacity gaps identified during the needs assessment exercise.

    PACAC Executive Secretary Prof Bolaji Owasanoye said the conference was organised to create a platform to discuss issues affecting Africa.

    “Oftentimes Africa depends on the international community to create the platforms to discuss things that affect her. If someone else was to create that platform and set the agenda, of course they would discuss and put on the agenda the things that are of paramount interest to them.

    “So, we wanted to create a platform to discuss things that are of importance and interest to us in Africa, and from there, take the conversation forward,” he said.

    He noted that the UN, as a consequence of last year’s conference, has noted in its resolutions the impact of IFF on Africa and the need to tackle it. Some of the resolutions were distributed at the conference.

    “We also recognise that Africa is not an island. It cannot on its own achieve all it wants to achieve. So we also invite non-African countries to share their insights on what they expect and their experiences.

    “We’ve been very dogged. I’ve spoken in about four UN meetings that Africa cannot get the money to develop except she retains what it is generating and is able to retrieve what has been illegally taken away. The conversation is gaining traction,” Owasanoye said.

    PACAC’s recommendations

    PACAC’s solutions to IFF include the need to:

    • Introduce public registers of beneficial owners of companies and trusts.
    • Make available country by country reports of multinationals.
    • Introduce automatic exchange of information between tax authorities in developed and developing countries.
    • Improve the integrity and capacity of regulatory and tax institutions in developing countries.
    • Establish through the AU an institution to deal with taxation on the continent.
    • Eliminate secret corporations, secret trusts and non-disclosure agreements that facilitate tax evasion
    • Adopt open contracting systems, especially for extractive industry to enable citizens know those winning contracts and what they pay to the government.
    • Design standards for the pricing of invisible goods and services like intellectual property and management contracts.
    • Avoid tax treaties and incentives that promote IFF but do not bring sustainable investments.
    • Improve African cooperation and information exchange.

  • Combating Lassa fever’s resurgence

    SIR: The new wave of cases of fresh outbreak of Lassa fever in the country should give everyone something to really worry about.  A latest report has it that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja has recorded a fresh case of Lassa fever, bringing the number of confirmed cases to three within three months. One of the two victims of the confirmed cases earlier recorded at Bwari Area Council of the FCT died in January. Similarly, in Ekiti State, three persons have been reportedly killed in a fresh outbreak of Lassa fever in the state. The Commissioner for Health, Olurotimi Ojo, who disclosed this revealed that five out of the eight suspected cases in the state tested negative while one was uncertain and the last one pending.

    Lassa fever, a haemorrhagic viral infection is named after Lassa, a village in Borno State, on the south of Lake Chad where the disease was first discovered in 1969 after two missionary nurses lost their lives. Lassa fever manifests like other so-called common ailments such as malaria and typhoid fever. The onset is gradual which makes early diagnosis difficult leading to fatal consequences. It is estimated that 10 percent of almost 500, 000 people infected with Lassa fever lose their lives and approximately 15 percent of hospitalized patients die. The disease is more severe in pregnancy particularly in the third trimester, and foetal loss occurs in greater than 80 percent of cases.

    It is caused by a species of rodents called the Natal multimammate rat, the common African rat, or the African soft-furred rat. The Lassa virus is transmitted when the droppings, that is the urine or faeces of the rat- the natural reservoir for the virus- comes in contact with foodstuffs or in the process of the rat accessing grain stores, either in silos or in residences. The rodents live in houses with humans and deposit excreta on floors, tables, beds and food. Consequently the virus is transmitted to humans through cuts and scratches, or inhaled via dust particles in the air. In some regions these rodents are also consumed as food. Secondary transmission of the virus between humans occurs through direct contact with infected blood or bodily secretions. This occurs mainly between individuals caring for sick patients although anyone who comes into close contact with a person carrying the virus is at risk of infection. Transmission that occurs as a result of treatment in a hospital and outbreaks in healthcare facilities in endemic areas represent a significant burden on the healthcare system.

    There is need to mobilize human and material resources to trace the extent of the disease and follow up on potential contacts in order to identify and test suspected cases early. All tiers of governments must ensure continuous sensitization of citizenry, ensuring homes, markets, offices, motor parks and other public places are regularly fumigated. Everyone must come to term with the need to maintain adequate hygiene and environmental sanitation at all times. The prevention and control of disease remains a shared responsibility. Therefore, we must all shun all acts that could complicate the situation.

    More importantly, individual efforts in challenging this scourge, is sacrosanct to achieve lasting solution to the deadly virus. Everyone must realize that keeping an entire community safe from such rampant disease only resonates from our desire to endlessly pursue personal and communal healthy attitude. Thus, it is important to keep away from rats and report any case of persistent fever to the nearest public health facility. The public is also advised to shun ingestion of foods and drinks infected by the saliva, urine and faeces of infected rats as well as catching and preparing infected rats as food. They should also avoid inhaling small particles in the air contaminated with infected rat urine or droppings.

    Getting directly in contact with an ailing person’s blood or body fluids, through mucous membranes, like eyes, nose or mouth should also be avoided. Above all, we all need to embrace faultless personal and environmental hygiene. It is quite imperative that all stakeholders put up a common front against the spread of this disease, before it becomes another major plague.

     

    • Calista Ozele, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.

  • Combating drug abuse through rehabilitation

    The decision of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to construct a modern rehabilitation centre at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja and other parts of the country is laudable. This development was made known at the grand finale event marking the 2017 International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking with the theme; Listen First; Listening to Children and Youths is the First Step to Help them Grow Healthy and Safe. The move though long delayed is highly commendable and stakeholders are encouraged to be part of this great initiative.

    Rehabilitation is the process of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment for drug dependency on alcohol, cocaine, heroin and any other substance. It is a priceless intervention mechanism for reducing the growing threat of substance abuse. Drug use disorder is an equal opportunity infection cutting across the entire gamut of our society regardless of sex, age, religion and status. The negative effect of drug abuse is gradually taking its toll on citizens particularly the youths who are more vulnerable due to various predisposing factors. These factors range from ignorance, peer pressure, unemployment, availability of drugs, use of drugs by parents and desire to experiment with drugs among others.

    The addictive nature of drugs affects the brain and ultimately compels users to keep taking drugs to repeat the euphoric sensation derived from drugs. In all, family members are left to bear the brunt and agony when loved ones drop out of school or work on account of substance abuse. Others incur huge medical bills as a result of the debilitating health conditions arising from drug abuse. Some also die in the process from an overdose, damaged body organs, accidents, and violence associated with drug abuse. When a breadwinner in the family becomes unemployed or starts to experience dwindling income due to drug abuse, other family members are inadvertently forced into economic hardship.

    Over the years, several metric tonnes of narcotic drugs have been confiscated and numerous drug traffickers convicted yet the problem of substance abuse appears to be growing in an alarming proportion. The Chairman/Chief Executive of the NDLEA Col. Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah (retd) recently raised alarm on the growing obsession of youths with the use of psychotropic drugs and unconventional substances like lizard excreta, fumes from pit latrine, gasoline, tippex, and rubber solution. Others are nail polish cleaner, local concoctions called goskolo and a natural stimulant plant called zakami. These are bizarre habits that must be addressed with every sense of commitment.

    The gloomy picture of inordinate desire and craze for substance use has left many perplexed. It is important to understand the reason behind the strong desire and compulsion to use drugs despite negative consequences. What must be done to prevent this ugly situation and encourage drug dependent persons to seek medical care? How can they be treated and empowered to quit drug use to be useful to themselves, family and society are some of the difficulties that the proposed rehabilitation centre seeks to address. One of the features is that the centre shall be located within the town but isolated from NDLEA command offices making it a complete health care facility.

    This will go a long way in encouraging patronage by members of the public who are ignorant and reluctant to seek professional help. Understanding drug use disorders as a health problem like a headache, diabetes and any other ailment will further eliminate the problem of stigmatisation. Patients are empowered to confront drug dependence and discontinue drug use. Rehabilitation covers medication for depression and other disorders, anti-drug counselling by experts and sharing of experiences with other drug dependent persons.

    There are different behavioural therapies to successfully assist patients in recovery. Cognitive behavioural therapy helps clients to recognise situations that make them to relapse and avoid them. Some clients after a successful rehabilitation do relapse due to lack of effective follow-up by family members. A multi-dimensional family therapy is designed to support patients in managing their success. Besides, motivational interviewing and incentives increase a patient’s motivation to embrace behavioural change and encourage abstinence from addictive substances. Another key strategy is peer support, where individuals in recovery use their experiences in helping others in speedy recuperation.

    Provision of employment and educational support is equally a component of rehabilitation. Counsellors and case managers assist clients in acquiring skills to be gainfully employed and establish their small scale businesses. Others are encouraged to study and acquire degrees certificates in fulfilment of their academic dreams through scholarship schemes.  These are enduring support services designed to positively engage clients towards self-sufficiency.

    Official statistics by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) in the 2017 World Drug report states that availability and access to treatment for people with drug use disorders remain limited at the global level as one out of six people are provided with the requisite treatment each year.  The situation is not different in Nigeria. Expectedly, the proposed rehabilitation centre by NDLEA is a project that must be supported by every stakeholder in changing the narrative of drug control. Government at all levels, local and international donor agencies, civil society groups, individuals and much more are expected to play an active role.

    The Honourable Minister of the FCT, Muhammad Musa Bello has taken a noble step by providing a parcel of land for the construction of a pilot centre in Abuja. Stakeholders can support this public health project by building a rehabilitation centre. Individuals or groups can provide drugs, food, scholarship grants and funding to enable clients who have acquired skills establish their small scale businesses. Let’s give this lofty project the breath of life by contributing our quota individually and collectively towards making it a huge success.

     

    • Mitchell is Head Public Affairs of the NDLEA.
  • Combating challenges of poor data-driven agriculture

    Combating challenges of poor data-driven agriculture

    New information and communication technologies (ICTs) are driving change in agriculture by providing farm related data and information to help producers and farmers increase yields and improve income. But the absence of infrastructure and low level of literacy is hampering the deployment of such technologies across the agric sector chain, DANIEL ESSIET reports. 

    Information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as mobile phones, satellite data and the like – are transforming agriculture. With gadgets, such as mobile phone, computers and others, farmers receive data on crop prices and market information.

    They also enjoy stable year-round prices, while eliminating middlemen and lowering transaction costs.

    One farmer who is benefitting from accessing data online  is the Chief Executive, Hastom Global Services Limited, Mr Debo Thomas.

    He is into cashew and plantain farming in Ogbomosho,  Oyo State. Thomas accesses data on commodity prices, and other agricultural services through his smartphone and tablet. For him, information and communication matter in agriculture. Whether for those growing crops, raising livestock, or fish farming. This is because farmers seek information from one another and from other stakeholders across the value chain.

    Apart from personal contacts, Thomas has used his phone to seek information on the most effective planting strategy, where he can get improved seedlings and feeds, and how he can acquire farmland. With data gleaned from his phone or laptop, he is on top of the situation as up dated agric information helps him to cope with market changes.

    He has witnessed the power of the mobile phone and how people are using it to improve communication in agriculture and rural development. New mobile applications are also being used to provide timely information to farmers. Thomas said the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) can improve smallholder farmers’ income and increase agricultural productivity. This is because increasingly affordable connectivity and tools, especially mobile phones, as well as advances in data storage and open access, have made ICT relevant to agriculture. Providing such knowledge though challenging, he noted helps  farmers to be in business.

    With massive agric data coming electronically to farmers, young  people ,Thomas  said,  are attracted to agriculture and are establishing  ventures that could revitalise rural neighbourhoods. Thomas has been able to sell large acres of farmlands and help major investors to  establish agribusinesses across Oyo State. With ICT technologies, Thomas interacts profitably with farmers and other stakeholders and leverage a whole range of technologies to improve farming practices and effectiveness.

    He believes that provision of agricultural services through ICTs could be a game changer that will attract young people to farming. He explained that having better market information would help young farmers to decide what to plant and where best to sell it is important. While the government may not be able to attract everybody to farming, he noted that youths who decide to go into farming can serve as good ambassadors for farming, aided by the increased use of ICT that creates a more favourable image of farming activities.

    He however, lamented that farmers in the rural areas are cut off because of no internet connection. For him, lack of connectivity means that they may be unable to market their products sufficiently or access market data or agricultural research provided through online and telecommunications platforms.

    He is of the opinion farming policies should be part of a wider agenda for rural development by creating an enabling social environment with services to make rural areas good places to live in. Thomas said agricultural technologies and innovations are important for rural development and food/nutrition security.

    Besides, the sector needs better policies to attract young people to stay in the rural areas, in addition to providing better infrastructure and internet. He sees data driven agriculture as vital for youth employment and food security. He believes once farmers have the information they need to improve their productivity, access to financial transactions, they will be able to make much money from farming ventures.

    Therefore, the government must promote suitable agricultural technologies that can be used by farmers and agro-entrepreneurs boost food production and development.  From mobile technologies that easily connect markets to agricultural products, to identifying agricultural value chains, stakeholders believe the agriculture sector must  of a necessity identify ways   of scaling up existing technologies to connect farmers to opportunities  and investors.

    The concerns are Nigeria as a leader in the sub region is failing in its responsibility of collecting and managing data in agriculture. Some experts believe with a supportive government, the high rate of mobile phone penetration and the growth of technology innovation spaces, the country should not lack  behind  countries in  agric data leadership.

    Experts are urging Nigeria to close the glaring gaps in data needed in various agricultural development projects if the country’s economy is to improve. They  believe investing in better economic data will act as an incentive for international investors to plough their monies into the country.

    Lack of adequate data in agriculture would hinder foreign direct investment and  the government’s   efforts to reform the sector. To them, quality data yield not only has sectoral benefits, but also real economic returns.

    Chief Executive, Skill Enhancement Centre (SENCE), Mrs Ogo Ibok is one of those who share this belief. She has keyed into it. To increase farmers’ access to fresh data, portals have emerged which farmers can use to improve agricultural practices. Her seizing this opportunity, has developed an online  platform to provide online information to boost agriculture.

    Mrs Ibok, discovered that getting information to start something  within the sector was difficult. “There is no one place you can go to and get all the information you need on agriculture. The worst part is not even having a place to go and get information.” In the course of her research, she  found out that there are a lot of institutes in Nigeria which can actually provide one with information on agriculture but people don’t know they  exist and solving that problem  became her major interest in agriculture.

    To this end, her organisation decided to  put up information on its  website so that people can have electronic access to all the vital information on agriculture. While hers is a major step accepted across the industry, experts still believe  the dearth of information is  making it difficult to translate data into useful information for producers and other players in the value chain. Experts said lack of access to information about the prices of crops in different markets, is hindering farmers from negotiating for better prices.

    They believe government agencies need to invest more in providing agricultural information to farmers, particularly using new low-cost methods with SMS and other ICT tools. This is because there are no accurate sources for farmers to collect price information at various markets and gather other content such as weather forecasts, fertiliser prices and transport costs from farms to the markets. Neither, are there portals to provide localised agric weather information and agronomical tips.

    This is not restricted to rural farmers alone, farmers in the urban areas who have mobile phones cannot access commodity prices in various markets. In rural areas, however, it is still a challenge for  agricultural extension workers (AEWs), to persuade local farmers  implement new production technologies especially so if these significantly alter the farmers’ current practice.

    On the whole, reaching more farmers is key in facilitating widespread use of the technology. It was experimented with the e-wallet programme launched by the government using mobile phones. According to a study undertaken by the Fertiliser Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) on the Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS),participants in the e-wallet scheme faced numerous challenges.

    The e-wallet was found to be ineffective in many states, mainly because of the poor telecommunications network. Many farmers did not receive the e-wallets and had to resort to the use of scratch cards, which were insufficient for the number of farmers who required them. Among those who did receive the e-wallets, a large proportion did not know how to activate their numbers, or the numbers to dial for fertiliser and seeds.

    A high proportion of non-GESS farmers surveyed were not aware of the scheme, but were willing to register for the next cycle. The Director of Studies, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr Olufemi Ola-dunni, collaborated that the agriculture sector is suffering from lack of reliable data which is hindering growth. The scenario, according to him, has had profound effects on the economy. The sector, he noted, has not been effectively monitored and reported on progress.

    He said the nation’s agriculture statistics are generally lagging behind. He said academics, policy makers, investors and other data users are unable to find relevant, reliable and high quality data to analyse and devise agric policies. According to him, information gaps and the quality of statistical data on the sector are quite worrying for many as the bulk of data in use is outdated and no longer relevant and reliable.

    Where statistics are available, he said they generally have not been gathered in a consistent manner over a time period adding that such data become questionable and one cannot use them to make important decisions.

    He noted that there is now greater recognition among stakeholders of the need to scale up support to statistics development in the agric sector to monitor policies, implement public service reforms and to achieve development outcomes and results.

    Meanwhile, In line with its avowed determination aimed at up-scaling agricultural activities through technology adoption and dissemination in the West African sub-region, the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP) in Nigeria has embraced the Electronic Technology Transfer (ETT) Agriculture.

    WAAPP Electronic Technology Transfer (WAAPP-ETT), is a means of developing a robust, easy to use integrated and accessible system that will improve the lots of the farmers through effective and responsive participation in research. The practice he said could also lead to improvements in key implementers, and in the promotion and adoption of best practices as well as quick response to field problem. ETT Agriculture offers low cost communication to farmers, service providers and real-time access to any agricultural services no matter their location, language and level of education.

  • Combating sexual abuse

    The trauma that comes with sexual abuse is not easily overcome. So to think that it is on the increase in Nigeria is truly worrisome, especially when school-aged children are involved. Stories abound of heart-rending cases of abuse of toddlers, nursery, primary and secondary school pupils by caregivers, teachers and even relatives.

    Sexual intercourse is such a sensitive act that requires each party involved making a conscious decision to participate – fully taking into considerations the consequences or otherwise that may follow.

    Even for adults mature enough to exercise their judgment based on their marital status, beliefs, religion, and relationship with the person involved, a mistake can be devastating – and I am not talking about rape.

    If adults can become depressed, suffer emotional or nervous breakdown because something goes wrong with their sexual relationships, for minors, the experience could scar them for life. That is why parents, teachers and other adults need to be alert and sensitive to the experiences of growing children among them.

    I have read of stories of daughters telling their mothers of fathers, stepfathers, cousins, family friends, or teachers touching them uncomfortably only for them to be hushed. Rather than confront their husbands or relatives with such accusations, out of foolish fear or love or whatever other reason, some mothers would leave their wards in the woods.

    However, even when the mother (or the father as the case may be) is willing to act, it is usually too late – after the damage has been done or the abuse has gone on for a while.

    I read a pathetic story of how a father continually abused his teenage daughter because she told his girlfriend to leave him alone (the mother was transferred to another state at her place of work so the man used the opportunity to romp around). The girl, then in SS2 bore her burden, fear, disgrace, and pain alone for a long time because her father threatened to kill her if anyone got to hear. He even stuffed her mouth with rags during the act to prevent her silent tears from being heard. He would have continued for God knows how much longer but for a vigilant neighbour who noticed the girl had become miserable and reticent. Had the woman not asked the girl pointedly (having had similar experience growing up) whether her father was sleeping with her, she might likely have been too afraid to speak out.

    It is not only girls who are susceptible to abuse. Many years ago, I read a confession of a former domestic servant in the papers. She said she used to have regular sexual intercourse with the less than 10-year old son of her employers. This continued until the boy took ill and was diagnosed with STI. Unfortunately, the careless parents did not investigate to find out how their son came about the infection. The story continued that when he got married, he could not father children because his reproductive system had been damaged because of the disease. It threw his marriage into disarray with his parents running from pillar to post. The storyteller told the story out of guilt that she had borne children but was the cause of untold sorrow for an innocent man.

    To curb sexual abuse, children, both boys and girls, need to be taught sexuality education at home and school from an early age. They have to be told what parts of their bodies are private to them and should not be fondled indiscriminately by adults or even peers. They also need to learn to cry for help – even when threatened with death or bodily harm. Threat of death, violence, withdrawal of favour and the like is a common denominator used by many sex offenders. If children understand that threat is just a tool used by the abuser to avoid detection and that he can be prevented from carrying it out, they would speak out.

    Parents, especially, cannot afford to be careless in this regard. They need to be close to their children so they (the children) are not afraid to discuss their problems. Complaints by children should not be treated with levity. If a child is properly brought up, he or she would not lie about sensitive issues. Also, young children are not likely to tell outright lies about sexual experiences.

    Schools need to be alert as well and be careful about teachers they employ. As suggested by an expert, school authorities should not hire teachers with records of sexual misconduct. In addition, they should not tolerate such behaviour. There are some teachers, especially males, guilty of fondling their female pupils or making x-rated statements that embarrass them. That is enough to earn a teacher dismissal.

    There is so much that can be done to reduce sexual abuse in our society – and it starts with education. Armed with information, even young children can make the right decisions.

  • Combating the threat of flooding

    Combating the threat of flooding

    Flooding is a global phenomenon that has continued to constitute a major threat to cities and indeed nations across the world. At present, in most major cities of the world people are being displaced and in some instances killed by ravaging flood similitude of the Noah period described in the Holy Bible. With the prediction of more rains by experts, most cities of the world are currently battling with the reality of a flood ravaged year.

    In Nigeria, the magnitude of flooding being presently experienced is, without doubt, beyond the scope of agencies and organisations responsible for handling national emergencies. Various parts of the country are currently grappling with the destructive consequences of flooding. In states such as Kogi, Plateau, Anambra, to mention a few, people are faced with various threats of different environmental hazards. In Kogi, for instance, the people now live in awe of dangerous reptiles such as snakes and crocodiles.

    The extent of the damage caused by flooding has made the federal government to come out with a ‘Marshal Plan’ of action to bring relief to victims of the disaster as well as guiding against future occurrence. In an early morning broadcast last week, President Goodluck Jonathan assured Nigerians of his government’s readiness to tackle the danger of flooding in the country. Aside from promising to release funds to three categories of states hit by flooding in the country, President Jonathan equally set a committee consisting of eminent Nigerians with the primary objective of raising fund to provide succour for flood victims across the country.

    From the foregoing, it is quite clear that flooding is no longer a situation that can be politicised. Recently when the Lagos Bar Beach experienced a surge, the opposition in the state tried, though unsuccessfully, to give the natural incidence political colorations. In its bid to find its voice, at all cost (even if it means being insensitive to the plights of victims of the ocean surge), the opposition ridiculously and callously called for the resignation of the governor state over the matter. How laughable! Now that almost half of the states in the country are in danger of flooding, do we call for the resignation of all the governors? Or better still, do we call for the resignation of the President?

    Moments of natural disasters offer unique opportunity for the people, irrespective of political and religious dissections, to bond together and collectively tackle the misery created by the force of nature. When the United States of America faced, perhaps, its darkest moment in the wake of the Al-Qaeda assault, its people were united in forging a common front against global terrorism. No wonder President Obama of the Democratic Party was able to finish what former President George Bush of the Republican Party started when he finally nailed Osama Bin Laden. This is a clear demonstration of the fact that human lives are too precious to play politics with.

    If not for the proactive measures which the Lagos State government has been taking with regards to the environment in the last 12 years, the flood situation in the country would have been more devastating. What we experience in Lagos anytime it rains is mere flash flooding which is natural to most coastal places. This is the outcome of the amount of work that the state government has done in sanitising the environment in recent time. Ironically, when the state government started its environmental regeneration programme, which led to strict enforcement of regulations that had been evaded for long, the same group of people that are now employing the flooding incidence to cause mischief were quite vocal in their condemnation of the programme. When the state government was converting hitherto abandoned loops into parks and gardens, they were the ones that thundered: ‘is it flowers we will eat’?

    Being a natural occurrence, flooding often time defies scientific solutions. Clearly, public safety and good sense call for scientific response to flooding. However, while upgrading environmental infrastructure is important, engineering fixes alone will not suffice. According to renowned ecologists Donald Hey and Nancy Philippi, despite the massive construction of levees throughout the upper Mississippi Basin during the 20th century, annual average flood damage during that time more than doubled. Consequently, what is needed across the country is a comprehensive plan to add ecological infrastructure to complement engineering infrastructure -specifically to expand wetlands and re-activate floodplains so as to mitigate future flood risks. Re-creating wetlands and re-activating floodplains in strategic locations will result in a more robust and resilient flood protection system. With more extreme weather and devastating floods likely in store in the months ahead, according to experts, public safety and economic security depend on enlisting nature’s defences along with our engineered ones. Instead of letting this ecological infrastructure degrade further, the federal and state authorities should work to expand and rebuild it.

    Furthermore, certain negative practices easily aid flooding. Despite, the availability of civilised options for waste disposing as provided by Lagos Waste Management Authority and its other PSP partners, people still turn canals, streams and drainages into refuse dumping sites. It is so bad that while it is raining, people come out to toss their refuse into the flowing water body. No matter the level of government’s preparedness at tackling flooding, such practices would continue to negate its goals. As much as the government is doing its bits, NGOs, Community Development Associations, the media, members of the Civil Society and all well meaning individuals and groups in the state should partner with the state government to achieve attitudinal change towards the environment.

    Perhaps, more importantly, states being affected by flooding should judiciously make use of the federal government intervention fund. They need to take a cue from Lagos State which has been investing heavily in the recovery, rehabilitation and construction of several drains such as the Macgregor, Achapo, and Orile Canals that are constantly being cleaned up. A major channel called System 5, which runs all the way from Surulere, down to Apapa, through Orile and through Ajegunle, has equally been dredged. At the last count, aside from routine maintenance that runs into thousands, major construction and drainage works completed and on-going are in excess of 500.

    On a final note, to avert future disaster, there is need for effective collaboration among emergency response institutions, across the country, to ensure to ensure swift response thereby reducing the number of causalities. To those that have incurred one loss or the other through the recent flooding in the country, one can pray that the Lord give them the fortitude to bear the loss while those living in flood prone areas should vacate those areas for now. God bless Nigeria.

    • Ibirogba is Honourable Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Lagos State.