The Nation Newspaper

Tag: crisis

  • One crisis to another

    The National Assembly is increasingly acquiring the unenviable image of an institution in a crisis of relevance. That would seem to be the reading of the bitter disagreements that have dogged its affairs since inauguration. Early signs of schism appeared as both chambers prepared to elect their leadership. Attempts by the ruling All Progressives Congress APC to get its members support its preferred candidates as both the president of the Senate and speaker of the House of Representatives met brick walls.

    As events turned out, both Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara who subsequently emerged were not the choices of the party leadership. They emerged contrary to party preferences and permutations. The APC was seriously embarrassed by its inability to rein in its members such that saw to the election of Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP as Deputy Senate President.

    Various meanings have been read into the issue. Even those pencilled down as principal officers did not eventually make it as Saraki defied party directive on that. Dogara, after much hesitation, aligned with his party on the matter. The APC found itself handicapped in wielding the big stick for fear of the likely consequences of the action. It has since come to terms with that reality.

    But trouble is yet to be over in both chambers as another round of crisis is threatening to tear members apart. This followed the sharing of the 96 standing committees by Dogara. In the sharing formula that he unveiled, the APC is heading 48 committees as against 46 by the PDP. Also both the Social Democratic Party and APGA were assigned one slot each.

    Saraki has on the side of the Senate, unveiled 65 standing committees with APC getting 41 slots while the rival PDP had 24. Whereas the sharing formula in the Senate has yet to attract adverse reactions, the House of Representatives has been very volatile. Saraki may have learnt from the criticisms that trailed the sharing by Dogara. With the bitter criticisms Dogara has faced since that exercise, he may have opted to play safe given his utter disregard for his party’s preferences in the appointment of the principal officers of the party.

    At the last count, two APC members have rejected the chairmanship and deputy chairmanship positions respectively assigned them by Dogara citing sundry reasons. There are speculations that more will follow suit as pressure mounts on the speaker to reconstitute the committees.

    Those who have expressed views on the matter are piqued that the APC has no clear edge as a majority party over the PDP. They reason that the sharing formula runs contrary to extant practices in the sharing of committee positions between the majority party and the opposition. They want the committees reconstituted to reflect the majority/minority status in the house.

    There are others not happy that all top and juicy committee positions were given to the PDP. They accused Dogara of compensating the PDP members for supporting his election into the speaker-ship position. Yet, there are some others who contend that the committees assigned to the PDP were very critical to driving the change philosophy of the APC.

    For now, it is not clear what Dogara intends to do about the welter of protests that have trailed his sharing of committee positions. But if his immediate replacement of Garba Datti who rejected his chairmanship of the House Committee on Solid Minerals Development is anything to go by, the matter seems foreclosed. How this will affect the smooth running of the house in the days ahead is a matter for the future.

    No doubt, the APC members are within their right to seek a clear edge in the composition of the committees given their status as the majority party. That is politics. This is more so when the current composition of the committees in the house appears out of tune with the ratio that had previously guided sharing between the majority and minority parties. If that is the grouse of the lawmakers, it is difficult to fault them. From the list released by Saraki, the APC commands a preponderance of the committees. For now, it is very unlikely that APC senators are going to react the same way house members did.

    However, some of the issues that have been canvassed to support the raging anger over the sharing of house committee positions do not seem to derive from altruism among members. The immediate impression one gets especially when such terms as juicy and key committees are applied is that the bickering is all about who gets what.

    Though overt references have not been made to this for very obvious reasons, but the body language of those who have complained so far, indicate that their grouse is more with what they intend to get from heading the committee rather than the altruistic motives under which they have sought to hide. That is the interpretation of their contention that Dogara, through the sharing of the committee positions, has compensated those who helped him emerge as speaker.

    The word compensation, immediately connotes the impression that those so appointed, stand to gain material benefits from the positions they have been assigned. This inference is clearly not in doubt. And that is where the main reason for the agitations is exposed. If the PDP house members stand to benefit through their headship of key committees, there is nothing to suggest that their APC colleagues given the same opportunity will not avail themselves of the perquisites which those offices offer.

    That seems to be the major issue to the disagreement rather than the selfless promptings that have been copiously canvassed. It is not surprising some have hidden under the cover of the argument that the headship of key committees by PDP members will stall the driving of the change mantra of the APC. It is curious how that will happen.

    If previous handling of oversight functions is anything to reference upon, they have largely served the selfish interests of our legislators rather than those they act on their behalf. It has been an avenue to fleece the nation. There is no guarantee that the situation will be different irrespective of the party that controls a preponderance of the committee slots. What will make the difference is the credibility and integrity of their headship. That seems a better approach to the argument.

    More seriously, we must tread very cautiously the way opposition is perceived in the current dispensation. The festering feeling of total exclusion for those who did not vote for the government in power will serve no useful end. It may turn out polarizing the polity as those excluded invent other ways to vent their grievances and frustrations. Once a government has come to power, it should take every section as its constituency. That is why statements from key leaders of this regime which show disdain for those perceived not to have voted for them must be totally discouraged.

    Above all, our legislators must come to terms with the fact that the business of lawmaking has suffered seriously since their inauguration on account of avoidable disagreements. They must now settle down work as a team and confront the daunting challenges of the ordinary people irrespective of party affiliations. We have had enough of this fretting over who occupies what position. Our common problems know no party boundaries.

  • Rivers’ looming constitutional crisis

    Rivers’ looming constitutional crisis

    The last may not have been heard about the political crises in Rivers State. The election in the troubled state was adjudged one of the most controversial by both local and international observer groups. Last week, the Election Petitions Tribunal nullified the election of Governor Nyesom Wike, Speaker Ikuiyin-Owaji Ibani and 19 other honourable members elected on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, reports on a looming constitutional crisis in the troubled state.

    Following the nullification of the elections of incumbent Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, as well as the annulment of the victories of Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Ikuiyin-Owaji Ibani and 19 other honourable members elected on the platform of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the Rivers State Election Petitions Tribunals, concern is mounting over a possible constitutional crisis in the troubled state should the Supreme Court validate the governor’s removal while the issue of the state’s depleted legislature is not resolved.

    According to Dupe Oduguwa, a legal practitioner and pro-democracy activist, the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria empowers only the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, and no one else, to act as the governor of a state in event the governor and his deputy are no longer available, either following their deaths or removal from office by courts of competent jurisdiction.

    And according to her, should the Supreme Court uphold the rulings of the tribunal, not only Governor Nyesom Wike would be expected to leave office, his deputy, Mrs. Ipalibo Banigo, will also have to leave office too. Although Wike and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have vowed to pursue his removal from office to the Supreme Court with confidence that the tribunal’s rulings would be upturned, some pundits are of the opinion that the case can still go either way, given the weight of evidences for and against the ruling.

    Also, with the continued stay of the current Speaker, Hon. Ikuiyin-Owaji Ibani, threatened, following the nullification of his victory by the same tribunal that asked Wike to go and face fresh elections, observers of the politics of the restive state say the state may be heading for another constitutional crisis similar to the one its faced when the absence of a Chief Judge threatened the swearing-in of the incumbent governor.

    “There is indeed good reasons to be worried. Given that the tribunal’s rulings are not final and the defendants still have the grace of approaching appellate courts up to the Supreme Court, we must also not lose sight of the possibility of the tribunal’s rulings being upheld all the way. The question we should be asking ourselves is ‘what happens if the nullifications of the governor’s election, and that of the Speaker, are upheld at the same time?

    Or what happens if the governor has to vacate his seat at a time the House of Assembly is unable to appoint a new Speaker to replace Banigo? I say this because there is another angle to this threat. Don’t forget that 19 other honourable members had their elections nullified by the tribunal too. Currently, they are in the appellate court.

    And without two third of the membership of the House, a new Speaker cannot be elected. Considering that in Nigeria, cases do drag, what happens if the Speaker is finally sent packing alongside most of his 19 co-travelers and the House is left with just 13 members? Not even the required quorum for plenary would be formed by the remaining members, not to talk of electing a new Speaker.

    Should the Supreme Court sack Wike at such a time, what will happen to the seat of the governor of the state? That is the issue here and that is the question that is begging for an answer. As a lawyer, I can tell you that the constitution as currently drafted made no statement on a situation like this. Perhaps a situation like this wasn’t envisaged. But now that we are faced with its possibility, it is not out of place to begin to seek how best to approach it should it happen,” the legal practitioner explained.

    The queer twist

    While nullifying Wike’s election on grounds that his election did not comply with electoral guidelines, chairman of the tribunal, Justice Suleiman Ambrosa, has ordered INEC to conduct fresh elections in the state within 90 days of the ruling. The petition challenging Wike’s victory was filed by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Dakuku Peterside.

    Barely 48 hours after the election of Wike as governor was nullified, the Rivers State House of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Abuja, introduced a twist into the already murky political landscape of the state when it delivered the judgements that sent the Speaker and 19 of his colleagues in the Rivers State House of Assembly, packing. The 20 lawmakers were all standard bearers of the PDP during the April 11, 2015 state assembly election.

    Consequently, the 32 member House is now left with only 13 honourables seating pretty without their elections being challenged. Sacked by the tribunal are Jack Major, representing Akuku Toru 1; Tonye Alalibo, representing Akuku Toru11; Ikuinyi Ibani, representing Andoni, Granville Wellington from Asari-Toru 1; Enemi George from Asari-Toru 11 and Abinye Pepple from Bonny.

    Others are Ngbulelo Israel from Gokana; Oguguo Anslem from Ikwere; Deeyah Bariene, Khana 1; Dinebari Loolo from Khana 11 and Amaewhule Chike from Obio/Akpor 1, Michael Chinda from Obio/Akpor 11; Ihunwo Nyeche, Port Harcourt 11 and Ngbar Amulele from Tai. Lawmakers elected for Eleme,  Etche II, Opobo/Nkoro,  Onelga I, Degema, and Ikwerre were also sacked by the tribunal.

    However, the tribunal upheld the elections of the candidates in 13 constituencies. Those who survived the election nullification include: Deputy Speaker Marshall Stanley-Uwom (Abua/Odual); Chief of the House Evans Bipi (Ogu/Bolo); the only APC member in the Assembly, Olu Josiah John (Eleme) and 10 other lawmakers.

    With the Assembly badly depleted by the tribunal’s ruling and the executive arm of government seriously threatened by the nullification of the governorship election, the stage was set for what some analysts say may require another doctrine of necessity to resolve.

    A nutty issue

    Already, the Rivers State chapter of the APC, optimistic of victory at the appellate courts, has described the sacking of 21 lawmakers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), including the Speaker, Rt. Hon. IKunyi Ibani, by the Rivers State Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in Abuja, as the end of the road for Governor Nyesom Wike.

    The state Chairman of the APC, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, who made the declaration in a statement following the sacking of the PDP lawmakers, said the tribunal’s verdicts on the lawmakers have shown clearly that the nullification of the governor’s election is in order. The party boss said there is no gainsaying in the fact that the tribunal did justice to all the cases before it.

    But Simeon Nwakaudu, the Special Assistant (Media) to the Rivers State Governor, insists that the judgment of the Justice Ambrosa-led Tribunal in the petition filed by Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) Governorship Candidate, Mr. Dakuku Peterside, will not stand the test of Appeal. So, he sees no constitutional crisis emanating from the judgement of the appellate courts.

    “The Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal erred in its judgment and this will be corrected at the appellate level. There cannot be a different set of rules for Rivers State, aside that which has been approved by the National Assembly and upheld by other tribunals and the Appeal Court,” he said.

    Nwakaudu said that the press statement issued by INEC could never override the law made by the representatives of the Nigerian people.

    Besides, he said that the Rivers State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had earlier thrown out the petitions of the Labour Party and that of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) on the valid premise that they contravened the Electoral Act Section 85 (1), which stipulates that a political party must give INEC 21 Days Notice before conducting her primary.

    Also, embattled Speaker Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, says he has appealed the tribunal’s judgment and he’s certain that the judiciary will vindicate him. “All I want to say is that ‘I, Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, have appealed against the judgment of the lower court and that if it comes to Andoni where I come, I know my people and my people know me.

    “Going by the several judgments given by the different panels at the Rivers State Election Petitions Tribunal, I would say that the Rt. Hon. Ikuinyi Owaji-Ibani, the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, was not sacked by any election petition tribunal. What happened was that a tribunal gave a ruling in its opinion against my election that of 19 other members of the legislature and none of the members were also sacked by the tribunal.”

    To former State Chairman of the Joint Action Committee (JACON) and a respected pro-democracy activist, Comrade Austin Agumagu, the state may be in for another constitutional crisis soon. According to him, it is unfortunate that the lack of sportsmanship amongst politicians has ensured that Rivers State is constantly in the news for the wrong reasons.

    He said, “How on earth did we find ourselves in a situation where only 13 members, that is just about one third of the members of our House of Assembly, are duly elected? It simply means that our politicians believe more in rigging elections and forcing themselves on the people even when it is obvious that the people would prefer some other persons.

    It is this lack of sportsmanship and democratic values that has brought us to this nutty situation. I see a constitutional crisis. I see a situation where we will again be calling on the world to help us find solution to a difficult problem soon. Should Governor Wike’s election be nullified by the Supreme Court at a time when the House of Assembly membership is seriously depleted and the current Speaker affected, there will be no way to elect a Speaker that will constitutionally act as governor pending the election of a substantive governor by the electoral commission.

    This is the scenarios we fear. Although I am not a legal practitioner, I have discussed this at length with senior lawyers and they expressed the same fear as mine. We have a situation where the constitution didn’t make any provision for the situation we are envisaging. Simply put, we may have to wait upon another doctrine of necessity to resolve the logjam should it happen,” he said.

  • UNIJOS: Bogged down by incessant crisis

    UNIJOS: Bogged down by incessant crisis

    University of Jos (UNIJOS) teachers are on strike again. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU examines some of the issues causing unrest in the university.

    There has been disquiet at the University of Jos (UNIJOS) since the beginning of the year.  Teachers are not happy. Last Thursday, the institution’s 1,090 teachers began a strike, which the local chapter of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) described as “total, comprehensive and indefinite.”

    In the last four years, there has been at least one strike per year over a variety of issues, especially welfare. This is what the Vice-Chancellor (VC), Prof Hayward Babale Mufayai has been contending with in the past four years.

    Students have a grouse with the school management on what they described as harsh policies which culminated in the disbandment of their union and the suspension of the president, Abel Nok Nduu. The implication of the suspension is that the final year Law student will not graduate with his classmates. Furthermore, he will not proceed to Law School to complete his professional legal training.

    The students’ problem with the management is a spillover of last November’s riot over lack of facilities and fee hike.  They had asked the university to stop the N10,000 yearly development levy and the N4,000 ICT fee they pay without enjoying facilities.  They also complained about the late registration fee of N10,000, which they wanted removed; and the N25,000 acceptance fee for new students and hostel accommodation fee of N13,400, which they wanted reduced.

    Some school properties were destroyed during the riot. This forced the management to shut down the university. When it was reopened, the management imposed N6,000 levy on students to replace the damaged properties.

    Most students are afraid to talk about Abel’s suspension for fear of the sledge hammer of the VC. But the courageous among them, condemned the punishment.

    One of such is Francis Zitta, a 400-Level Law student.   “The VC’s decision to suspend our president is too much punishment for one offence. The VC made us to pay a riot levy of N6,000; he also disbanded the SUG Exco.  As if that was not enough, he suspended the final year student so that the boy will graduate. I see this as wickedness.  Some of us are asking, how many punishments should the boy serve for one offence,” he said.

    Racheal Ibrahim, a 400-Level student of Sociology, said the levy was enough to atone for their wrongs.

    “All of us students have been punished for the riot by paying a damage levy of 6,000, why should the VC single out the SUG leader for another punishment?  To me, that is wickedness.  We all did the riot; it was not the fault of our SUG. So I advise the VC to withdraw the suspension to allow the boy enjoy his graduation after spending five years in the university,” she said.

    ASUU Chairman, UNIJOS branch, Dr. Christopher Piwuna, faulted the levy, describing it as too high. He claimed that the damaged facilities were replaced by the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund).

    Piwuna, who sympathised with the students, said: “The forceful collection of N6,000 is another exploitation by management because the properties damaged were estimated to cost a little above N10 million, but the management eventually made about N200 million from the levy. Meanwhile, the replacement of the damaged properties was carried out by TETFund The university management are yet to account for how they spent the riot levy collected from each students.”

    The teacher wondered why the students did not hold the management accountable for the levy.

    “I expect students to ask management to account for that levy they paid in January this year.  Their SUG president, a final year student from the Law department was suspended for no given reason, and the students are not asking questions. The university community is not well, all is not well with us, a lot of things are going wrong” said Piwuna.

    The Nation gathered that the management has yet to replace any of the broken louvres.

    On the lecturers’ issue with the management, Piwuna said it had to do with the nonpayment of some outstanding allowances.

    He said: “The dispute started from June 2013 after the six-month national strike by ASUU. As a solution to the problems, the Federal Government released the sum of N1.6 billion to the management of University of Jos to settle outstanding payment of allowances and other claims of academic and non-academic staff.

    “The school management created problems in the sharing formula between its academic staff and non-academic staff. ASUU protested that immediately. In the lopsided payment made by management, as I am talking to you now, 300 ASUU members have not gotten their money since the last payment in 2013.

    “But instead of management to even talk of resolving the lopsided payment, they came up with claims that some ASUU members were over paid in the process. We agreed with management to verify it and make the deductions accordingly. The deductions made by management in the so-called over payment even overshot the original sum paid to members. That also formed part of the unresolved controversies.”

    Another issue ASUU is fighting for is for the university to absorb some lecturers that have been working on part-time basis for the last 10 years.

    “There is also the unresolved demand by lecturers of School of Remedial Studies and Centre for Continuing Education of the University to be absorbed into their mother department of the university.  It has been a long term issue that has remained unresolved for more than 10 years. Two Vice Chancellors have served and gone without giving attention to this demand.  Such attitude of management kills the morale of staff.  We have been pleading with the present management to see reasons to absorb this category of workers, but they turned a deaf ear to our plea.

    “Apart from that there is the issue of unpaid Postgraduate Supervision Allowance which has not been paid since 2005. There are 157 lecturers affected by that. We complained but school authority never bothered,” he said.

    Furthermore, the lecturers are complaining about their remuneration being lower than their counterparts in other Federal Government

    “There is the lingering issue of disparity of salaries among federal Universities.  That of University of Jos is lower than the rest and we wonder why the disparity. We keep asking, ‘is this not a federal university like others, why can’t we receive what our colleagues in other federal universities are collecting as salaries?’ When our members here go on sabbatical leave in other Federal Universities, they collect good salary, but when they come back here they get something less, why is that so? That issue remains unresolved by the UNIJOS management.

    The ASUU chairman said efforts made to resolve the issues with the management have proved abortive.

    “It will interest you to know that within the last six month alone, we have sent 13 letters to management over these unresolved issues.  We have also met with the Vice Chancellor five times.  Our zonal ASUU in Bauchi has visited the VC twice over these same issues.  We have written twice to the pro-chancellor. In May this year, we gave a 21-day strike notice to management. In spite of all these efforts, we were never taken serious by the school authority. We were shocked when the management came out to deny even the agreement we reached with them on how to resolve the issues. The last agreement between us and management on payment of these allowances was August 28, 2015, but as I’m talking to you now in October, the management has failed to meet up the agreement,” said Piwuna.

    However, the school authority believed the ASUU members had no reasons to embark on strike action.  The Vice Chancellor was unavailable to respond to the issues.  However, the Registrar, Jilli Dandam, acknowledged only two of the issues ASUU raised – nonpayment of earned allowances, and the postgraduate supervision allowance.

    In a statement, the Registrar said: “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) University of Jos branch on Thursday 22 October, 2015 forwarded to the Vice Chancellor, a letter informing him of embarking on a strike action which it described as total, indefinite and comprehensive. The letter did not state the reasons for embarking on the strike action.

    “However, management will want to inform all staff, students, members of the public and other stakeholders that ASUU University of Jos had been dialoguing on two issues with management – the disbursement of earned academic allowance and the payment of Postgraduate Supervision Allowance (PSA).

    “On the disbursement of academic allowance, council set up a technical committee chaired by a former ASUU chairman to resolve the lingering issue. Council also directed the implementation of the report believing that it will put to rest the issue of disbursement of earned academic allowance.

    The Registrar also accused the union for being economical with the truth about the number of academics affected by the unpaid allowances.

    “The ASUU University of Jos, without notice, reported management to its national headquarters alleging that 681 members of ASUU were being owed earned academic allowance. Efforts to make ASUU submit the names for verification and reconciliation was resisted, claiming that the lists was contained in the council committee’s report. This is not correct. There was no such list in the council committee report chaired by the former chairman of ASUU.

    Dandam also noted that the university has been paying the PSA gradually to the workers involved.

    “On the issue of payment of Postgraduate Supervision Allowance, the ASUU University of Jos protested nonpayment of the allowance from 2004 to 2009 and 2013 to 2014. Management drew the attention of ASUU EXCO that the matter was being processed as the claims were being forwarded in batches to bursar for payment. As at the time management met with ASUU executive, nine members of staff had been paid. As at 15th September, 2015 when the Federal Government directive on Treasury Single Account became effective, an additional 50 out of 150 staff have been paid while 68 have been processed and ready for payment. ASUU is aware that for the past six weeks, no federal university of ministerial department in this country has had access to any fund from the Treasury Single Account apart from salaries.

    However, as the strike lasts, the students are at the receiving end. They now have to prepare to prolong their stay in the school beyond their calculation. The most hit by the strike are the Postgraduate students who thought of rounding up their academic program by December 2015. They are lamenting that their academic programme will be extended to 2016.

    A parent, Mr Samson Dusu said of the closure: “No one is happy with this strike, the university management and ASUU don’t always consider the interest of other stakeholders while taking decision for strike, it is not in the interest of any parent for their children to stay longer than four years for a degree program. But in Unijos, you only know when you enter, you can never tell when you will graduate due it incessant strike action.”

  • Kwara plots way out of financial crisis

    Kwara plots way out of financial crisis

    The Kwara State government is working out ways to resolve its financial crisis. The drastic reductions in the federal allocation to state governments as a result of sustained fall in crude oil prices in the global market has posed huge financial challenges to many states in the federation, Kwara being one of them.

    Determined to overcome these challenges, the state governor Abdulfatah Ahmed signed into law the bill establishing the Kwara State Internal Revenue Service (KWIRS). The law empowers the agency to collect and manage revenue on behalf of the state government and its local councils.

    Determined to expand the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) base of the state, Governor Ahmed gave the Service a target of N2 billion for the state every month, as against the monthly average of N700 million it currently generates.

    This according to him would make the state less reliant on allocations from the federal government.

    He said that the monthly federal allocation that comes to Kwara had dropped from N2.2 billion to N1.4 billion, adding that the monthly wage bill of the state is fluctuating between N2.7 billion and N2.8 billion.

    The agency apart from its primary function of collection and management of revenue is also expected to promote policies and actions that will check and block all revenue leakages.

    The agency is also expected to carry out constant checks and balances on finances of the various ministries, departments and agencies in the state, the governor charged.

    Based on the the successes recorded by the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) and Ogun State Internal Revenue Service (OIRS), the state government recently invited the representatives of both agencies to share their experience in revenue collection and management with the officials of KWIRS.

    It was gathered at the meeting, the officials of LIRS and OIRS shared the scope of their operations with their KWIRS counterparts.

    They also talked about what they have been doing right that has helped revenue collection and tax administration in their respective states. KWIRS is expected to adopt e-payment for revenue collection as no cash payment will be allowed.

    Curiously, the establishment of KWIRS has generated a lot of furore, as many Kwarans view it as a euphemism for another round of heavy tax burden on individuals and businesses.

    The governor has dispelled such insinuations, saying that it was primarily set up to ensure efficiency in revenue collection and management.

    Said he: ”The Kwara State Internal Revenue Service will not impose fresh taxes on individuals and businesses in the state. The agency is only authorised to assess and enforce payment of due taxes, levies, fees and charges in the state. KWIRS will make revenue collection and management more efficient.

    “Given the reality of the present day where the country’s financial earnings from the sales of crude oil has depleted due to a sustained decline in world oil price, expanding IGR base of a state is one big deal that must be taken seriously to ensure the proper and effective running of the state. It is paramount for states to generate more funds to do more projects.

    Against this background, Governor Ahmed has been meeting with various stakeholders in the state to solicit their collaboration and support for the state renewed IGR drive. The first set of people he met were the chairmen of local government councils in the state. There are sixteen local councils in the state and the largest of this council generates N200, 000 as its monthly revenue, it was discovered.

    During the meeting, he charged the council chairmen on the need for them to increase revenue generation in their respective councils.

    He said “obviously, there is a need for us to significantly increase our revenue to further meet the yearnings of our people. I, therefore, challenge you to fashion out innovative means by which you can generate more revenue in your respective councils, as we have a responsibility to increase the quality of life of our people.”

    Also, the governor met with Directors of Finance and Supplies (DFS) in all ministries within the state. At the meeting, it was gathered that the governor told the directors to brace up for the new challenges and work together with the state revenue agency in meeting its targets.

    He also underscored the importance of civil servants to key-into the new scheme of tax administration in the state.

    In another meeting with the heads and bursars of the state-owned tertiary institutions, Governor Ahmed was said to have urged authorities of the institutions to support the state government’s drive in expanding its revenue base.

    He added that no form of blackmail and misinformation would deter his administration from implementing measures that would boost the state IGR.

    His words: “While it is common for some people to resist change, the best interest of the people must prevail at all times. No form of blackmail and misinformation will deter our administration from implementing measures that will boost the Internally Generated Revenue of the State.”         He has therefore directed all the nine state-owned tertiary institutions to open a single revenue accounts for fees and other payments in a pilot exercise that have been extended to all revenue generating agencies in the state.

    He also instructed to close all other revenue accounts maintained in commercial banks across the state. The aim is to enable the government to monitor the management of the institutions’ finances.

    The governor was said to have assured the institutions will continue to receive budgeted funds from the state government at the appropriate time and that the government only desire is to ensure efficiency in revenue generation and management, stressing that the State could only survive the current economic crisis in the country though an enhanced internally generated revenue system.

    Governor Ahmed added that heads of tertiary institutions in the state have an opportunity to demonstrate their managerial skills as they migrate from inefficiency in revenue generation to levels of sufficiency.

    He added that all ministries, departments and agencies are also barred from opening bank accounts or obtaining bank loans without authorization from the office of the Accountant-General.

    Ahmed called on banks to key into the government’s new revenue drive and avoid any actions capable of contravening the new revenue law, saying the government will not hesitate to review.

    Governor Ahmed also tasked traditional rulers in the state to help sensitise their subjects on the issue, describing traditional rulers as symbols of an institution that once thrived on taxation.

    The governor noted that it was important that key stakeholders like the traditional institution assisted the state revenue generating agency in ensuring that the people of the state comply with the increased revenue generation drive by paying taxes.

    “No society can develop and thrive without a robust system for collecting, managing and utilising tax renewed for collective benefit. Consequently, increasing our Internally Generated Revenue is the only way to reduce our dependence on unstable federal allocation”.

    “We also need to raise the necessary funds for infrastructural development and empowering our people, especially the youths. I call on you to be at the forefront of our drive to raise revenue to build higher quality schools, more hospitals, better roads, ensure more reliable electricity and create an environment conducive to our people’s prosperity,” the governor said.

     

  • Community in crisis over New Yam rituals

    Some youths in Ossah, Umuahia North Local Government Area, Abia State have been in “protective custody” after they were said to have beaten up two traditional prime ministers who were performing rituals ahead of the community’s New Yam Festival.

    The traditional prime minister of Uzzi/Akpizu community Mr Friday Nwoko and his Eziama/Mgbaja counterpart Sunday Igbokwe were also said to have been stripped naked by the youths, a development which incurred the wrath of elders.

    One of the victims Igbokwe, said, “This happened on the 3rd of September 2015 when Nwoko and myself went to the village square connecting the three Ossah communities Uzzi/Akpizu, Uhabiri-Umuchime na Amonso and Eziama/Mgbaja to pour libation so that the Iri-ji festival which was supposed to hold the next day will be successful. We were performing the ceremony when some angry youths barged into the venue at Orie-oji and started beating us without mercy with machetes and when you consider my age which is 77 years, it means those boys wanted to kill me and my colleague.

    “All my life I have never seen this type of humiliation, as they stripped us naked and asked a woman take pictures of our nakedness, we were not doing anything wrong, as it is the duty of the prime ministers of the three communities in Ossah to go to the Orie-oji square to perform the rites before any festival is held in these communities.

    Igbokwe pointed the finger of accusation on a traditional ruler from one of the communities.

    One of the traditional rulerss, Eze Iheanyichukwu Ezeigbo of Uhabiri-Umuchime na Amanso community attributed the crisis to a misunderstanding among the three traditional rulers of the villages that make up Ossah community.

    The traditional ruler said that Ossah community has two festivals which the three communities celebrate: Ekpe festival and Iri ji.

    Eze Ezeigbo said that before the festivals three traditional rulers of the three communities authorise the prime ministers to perform the rituals before the festivals.

    He said, “We are surprised over what happened during this year’s ceremony, when news got to us that some youths from the community had beaten up the prime ministers who were performing their rightful duties and while we were trying to find out what happened some military men invaded the community.

    The arrested youths were said to be held at the Federal Prisons, Afara, Umuahia pending investigations into their alleged involvement in crisis.

  • ASSBIFI ends internal crisis

    ASSBIFI ends internal crisis

    The intra union crisis rocking  the Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI) and Union Bank /United Bank for Africa (UBA) Units of ASSBIFI was been successfully resolved on August 1.

    The crisis which started 11 years ago, immediately after the national delegation conference held in Benin city, was as a result of the outcome of the election which was not accepted by both the leadership of Union Bank and UBA.

    Speaking during a meeting of the leadership of the group held at the ASSBIFI office, Alausa Ikeja, the National President of ASSBIFI, Comrade Olusoji Salako said the two units, both  Union Bank and UBA were very formidable members of the association and they actively participated at the 2004 national delegates conference but were aggrieved with the outcome of the election and therefore stopped attending activities of the national body.

    “There were some well meaning friends of the association that tried to settle the dispute so that ASSBIFI would remain one. There was a  step in this direction in 2007 at Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja when an agreement was duly signed as out of court settlement by parties. Despite this move, the dispute remained unresolved

    “Indeed, we would like to say that the resolution of the crisis on August 1, 2015 was made possible mostly because of the disposition of the current leadership of Union Bank and UBA units, who discovered that it was sheer foolhardy to continue the litigation at the detriment of our teeming members who have been at the receiving end since 20014 ,” Salako said.

    Salako said the court upheld the  agreement signed by both parties in 2007 and that the agreement have been duly implemented now. He added that the units have been remitting their check-off duty with effect from August 2015.

    Salako said the resolution will makes ASSBIFI stronger so as to be able to fight for their members.

    He said for instance, the issue of casualisation and unreasonable target setting will be look into by the association.

  • Niger Delta students’ crisis deepens

    Niger Delta students’ crisis deepens

    The crisis rocking the Niger Delta Students’ Union Government (NIDSUG) may have taken a new dimension, following the accusation against an official of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), who allegedly ‘financed’ the union president’s impeachment. EMMANUEL AHANONU reports.

    The last may not have been heard of the Niger Delta Students’ Union Government (NIDSUG) crisis, which culminated into the purported impeachment of its president, Obada Akpomiemie. Four weeks after parliament members of the union allegedly removed Obada, what transpired behind the scene has started to emerge.

    •Obada
    •Obada

    Some members of the union have alleged that the parliament’s members were induced to unseat the embattled president. A special assistant to the chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was alleged to have “financed” the impeachment.

    To justify the impeachment, it was learnt that some members of the union executive and parliament were asked to write petition against Obada, following his rift with the NDDC official (name withheld) at the inauguration of NDDC Hostel at the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU) in Abia State.

    The process was, however, described as “kangaroo panel” by state coordinators of the union, who said Obada remained the president. They said the Senate President, Chimdi Obiarandu, did not have the right to preside over the parliament sitting, because his election was declared inconclusive.

    Obada said his disagreement with the NDDC official led to the crisis. He said: “The problem started when I complained about action of some people, who are preventing us from meeting the NDDC chairman, Sir Bassey Dan Abia. Each time we wrote to the NDDC boss, one of his Special Assistant would throw the letter into a trash bin. He has been feeding his boss with wrong information about our union.

    “We saw a good platform at MOUAU to tell the NDDC boss of our plight. But, when the official sensed I would expose him, he altered the programme agenda and removed the item reserved for students’ opinion. So, we embarked on a protest to draw Dan Abia’s and Governor Okezie Ikpeazu’s attention to the alteration, which the Special Assistant saw as an affront and swore to deal with me.”

    His opposition to NDDC’s inconsistencies, Obada said, led to the inducement of the parliament members to disorganise the union.

    The co-ordinator of the union in Rivers State, Maxwell Othemidia, a final year Chemistry Education student of Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), said the impeachment of Obada was null and void, saying there was no sitting.

    Asked if he was aware of the parliament members’ inducement, Maxwell said: “When you see a bird dancing at the middle of road, its drummer is close-by.”

    Chimdi denied any inducement, saying Obada’s impeachment followed a petition by members of the union. He said some of the parliament members were being owed their sitting allowance, adding nobody gave them money to impeach the president.

    Genesis Jeremiah, the union’s pioneer president, said NIDSUG’s problem started and ended with the union’s complaint against NDDC. He said the NDDC official met with the parliament members at LandMark Hotel five days after Obada led a protest at MOUAU to contrive the president’s impeachment.

    Genesis, who claimed to be at the meeting, said: “When I barged into their secret meeting, I saw the NDDC official giving members of the parliament instructions. He was surprised to see me with others. I confronted him on why he wanted to cause crisis in the NIDSUG, he replied that members of the union were having a meeting and he decided to greet them,” Genesis said.

    The Vice President, Bariture Mgbee, corroborated Chimdi’s position, saying Obada was invited to answer allegations against him but said the president did not show up.

    Juliet Manyo, treasurer of the union, said: “I am ashamed of the ongoing crisis. Some so-called students’ leaders have been compromised by politicians to kill the union. I was offered a bribe but I declined, because I was not elected to destabilise the union. They are victimising Obada because he is fighting for the interest of all Niger Delta students.”

    The union Clerk, Chinenye Aniogwu, a student of Delta State University (DELSU), also accused the NDDC official of intimidating the union leaders. “It is clear that they want to intimidate our members with their sudden wealth; we cannot be intimidated,” she said.

     

  • Buhari hails Obasanjo over Guinea-Bissau crisis resolution

    Buhari hails Obasanjo over Guinea-Bissau crisis resolution

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commended President Jose Mario Vaz and the people of Guinea-Bissau for the peaceful resolution of the recent political crisis that left the country without a government for 37 days.

    Buhari equally applauded the laudable role played in the resolution of the crisis by his Special Envoy, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo who was also adopted by ECOWAS as the regional body’s Special Envoy on the political dispute in Guinea-Bissau.

    The President, in a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, thanked Chief Obasanjo for a job well done and commended the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government for its steadfast commitment to peace, security and progress in Guinea-Bissau and the entire West African region.

    He welcomed President Jose Mario Vaz’s acceptance of the solution to the recent political crisis proffered by Chief Obasanjo and congratulated Mr. Carlos Correia on his emergence as the new Prime Minister of Guinea-Bissau.

    He urged President Vaz and Prime Minister Correia to work together harmoniously to move their country forward as envisaged by authors of the Guinea-Bissau constitution which splits the executive arm of government into the Presidency and the Premiership.

    President Buhari implored all stakeholders in the development and progress of Guinea-Bissau to desist from any further actions that can jeopardize the stability of the country and its democratic future.

  • Plateau gets panel to resolve Fulani, Berom crisis

    The Plateau State Government has set up a 14-man committee, seven each from the warring Berom and Fulani communities, to reconcile their differences and ensure lasting peace.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Jos, the state capital, Governor Simon Lalong said: “We decided to select seven representatives from each of the groups to enable them resolve their differences. The peace committee is already working and it has gone very far.”

    The governor said the committee was at the behest of the warring groups after meeting with them separately and collectively.

    He said: “We met the two groups separately, listened to them, before we met them together, where we gauged their feelings toward each other.

    “From what they said, they appeared to have resolved that government should allow them to work out a peace process from among themselves without any external interference.

    “They have poured out their minds, and you will be surprised at how open they have been to each other.

    “Honestly, they all want to live in peace. They are tired of the violence and want to live peacefully because they have seen and felt the consequences of the lingering violence.”

    Lalong said government’s involvement in the peace talks had been supervisory.

    He said: “The committee is chaired by a government representative. The secretary is also a government representative. We did that to free the atmosphere for the talks to proceed without distractions over who should chair or lead.

    “We also believe that such stance had smoothened the flow of the talks because they feel equally treated and are confident that no one is being treated as a minority in the talks.”

    The governor urged the warring communities to embrace peace, adding that the consequences of the instability had been very disastrous to all groups.

    Lalong said: “They are farmers and herdsmen who need freedom to enter the bushes to farm and graze without the fear of being attacked or ambushed.

    “The restrictions to cattle movement and distractions from farms have brought untold hardship to them and they appear anxious to put that experience behind them and embrace each other.”

    The governor said the government was ready to parley with any group or community to ensure the return of peace on the Plateau.

    He noted that peace was crucial to the state’s development and growth.

    Lalong said: “We want a better state. We want to grow as a people and we want development projects.

    “We also want our Irish potatoes and poultry farms to flourish and buyers to come in from inside and outside the country. We can’t get such dreams to reality if there is no peace and if the impression is created that Plateau is not safe.”

  • Crisis looms over planned varsities’ downgrade

    President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to reverse the downgrading of four new universities of education to colleges of education.

    Workers of the four universities (Federal University of Education, Kano; Federal University of Education, Zaria, Adeyemi Federal University of Education, Ondo and Alvan Ikoku University of Education) which were upgraded in May have also called on the Acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education Mrs Hindatu Abdullahi, to withdraw the letter she signed (dated August 19, 2015) ordering the reversal.

    The workers, under the auspices of the Joint Trade Unions representing Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) Non-Academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT), faulted claims that the institutions were hurriedly elevated in the twilight of former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration for political reasons, noting that they had been running undergraduate programmes in affiliations with various universities for decades.

    Chairman of the Joint Trade Union, Dr Abubakar Haruna, told journalists at a briefing in Abuja  that the four institutions had requisite infrastructure and had made enormous progress during the transition process, such as inauguration of senate, appraisal and placement of staff, curriculum and academic brief.

    Urging President Buhari to let them be, Haruna said allowing the institutions to operate as universities would boost teacher education in the country, and is in line with international best practices.

    He said: “We are aware that some unscrupulous elements within the academics of the colleges have, for their own personal interest, teamed up to overthrow the upgrade of the institutions.

    “They are trying to do so by misinforming Mr. President on the circumstances which led to the emergence of the colleges as universities.

    “We urge Mr. President to step in and address this issue because some individuals are trying to take advantage of their closeness to the presidency to truncate the good intention.”

    Haruna vowed that the unions would work against the planned reversal of the institutions by going on a one week warning strike, the third in the series, to draw the government’s attention to the union’s position.

    “If there are flaws in the upgrade, they could be corrected while the transition goes on; already, there is draft bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly. We have started 2015/2016 admission process in line with the National Universities Commission (NUC) and JAMB directives.

    “We do not have problem with NUC because as it were, we have been having free flow communication with the commission; they still consider us as universities; we are still on their list and template.

    “Our only concern is the recent letter, which emanated from the office of the acting Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, which is quite contrary to the practice of issuing circulars.

    “That letter has a lot of flaws-for every circular to be out, there must be a reference point to the memo that gave that directive,” he said.