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Tag: crisis

  • Uncertainty as Edo Assembly crisis enters sixth week

    Uncertainty as Edo Assembly crisis enters sixth week

    The  crisis rocking the Edo State House of Assembly enters its sixth week today, amid anxiety among residents.

    Last week, two lawmakers- Emmanuel Okoduwa and Kingsley Ehigiamusoe- were suspended for aiding the four suspended lawmakers to break into the Assembly complex.

    Residents are apprehensive of another police blockade of major streets leading to the Oba Ovoramwen Square when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, led by the impeached Deputy Speaker, Festus Ebea, resume sitting.

    The PDP lawmakers held their plenary in the unkempt  chamber at the Assembly complex after they broke the armoured door and iron protector.

    Six persons, including two former Assembly workers, Omoregbe Osagie and Okoh Godwin,  who were sacked for certificate forgery, were present at the PDP lawmakers’ plenary.

    The hopes of the PDP lawmakers were dashed last week, when the Court of Appeal asked them to obey court orders.

    The Federal High Court, presided over by Justice Mohammed Lima, granted an interim order restraining the police from preventing or continuing to prevent the plaintiffs, including Assembly workers, from accessing the premises and their offices, pending the hearing and the determination of the motion on notice.

    Justice Lima restrained the police from preventing the workers engaged by the Assembly from continuing the renovation of the Assembly.

    He, however, denied the prayer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to restrain PDP lawmakers from holding plenary or carrying out legislative functions, pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

    The judge held that the lawmakers’ prayers were within the jurisdiction of the State High Court”.

    What is perhaps certain is that the PDP lawmakers might continue sitting alone as the Assembly workers have been ordered to resume duty at another location, pending completion of renovation work.

    A proposed solidarity strike by Organised Labour was put off last week after the Assembly workers assured labour leaders that normalcy has returned to the Assembly.

    The Chairman, State Parliamentary Association of Nigeria, Shugaba Aliyu, said the workers only recognised the legitimacy of Igbe as the de facto and de jure Speaker.

    He said: “Our members don’t see any need in embarking on any industrial action on account of threat to our personal safety. If anything, our only prayer today is that the renovation works at the Anthony Enahoro House be expedited so that some of our members who have relocated to the old legislative chamber can return to their desks in the office by the Ring Road.

    The suspended PDP lawmakers have said they were not in contempt of any court order since their appeal was before the Supreme Court.

    Ebea, who spoke at a briefing yesterday, said they have respect for the rule of law and that they have appealed against the ruling of the Court of Appeal.

    He said they could not be in contempt when they have appealed against the ruling.

    “We have filed an appeal at the Supreme Court for stay of execution for interim order. Until a judicial pronouncement is made by the court one cannot be said to be in disobedience to any interim order.”

  • Minister hopes for swift resolution of crisis

    Minister hopes for swift resolution of crisis

    AFTER the Plateau State High Court in Jos, which granted the injunction that restrained the Aminu Maigari-led Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) board and congress from controlling the affairs of Nigerian football sat yesterday, Nigeria’s sports minister Tammy Danagogo says he hopes the crisis engulfing Nigerian football will soon be over.

    Nigeria is already suspended from any international football activity by world football governing body, FIFA ‘on account of government interference.’

    The court on July 2, granted an injunction in respect of a suit filed by Ebiakpo Rumson-Baribote, owner of Nembe City Football Club in the Nigerian Premier League which placed the NFF president, Maigari, his executive board, and members of the NFF congress as defendants and restrained them from running the affairs of football in the country.

    A congress was called in the aftermath of the court order, which purportedly dissolved the Magari-led NFF board and confirmed Lawrence Katken as the acting General Secretary following his appointment by the sports minister, which FIFA deemed as ‘government interference.’

    But Danagogo, a doctor of law, says he is hopeful the crisis will be resolved after the court hearing. “I am very hopeful that these issues will be sorted as soon as possible, we sincerely hope all of these will be gone soon,” he said.

    Danagogo has come under criticism from some Nigerians, who faulted his swift appointment of a sole administrator for Nigerian football, with some accusing him of fuelling the crisis, but an aide to the minister told SL10 that: “The minister cannot been seen to disobey a court order, that will be him being in contempt of court. The court order compelled him to appoint the most senior civil servant in the NFF as sole administrator on an acting capacity, and that’s exactly what he did.”

    Meanwhile, a member of the NFF congress, who is also a defendant in the suit, Magaji Kapaka says it is very possible for the issues to be resolved and for FIFA to lift the suspension on Nigeria if the case is withdrawn.

    “It all depends on the plaintiff, if the case is withdrawn or discontinued, and the NFF board and congress is reinstated, then we can have the suspension lifted.”

    “It is quite unfortunate that we have to go through this again, I hope it is resolved soon, but it all depends on the plaintiff,” Kapaka stated.

    FIFA has already warned that if the board and congress of the Nigeria Football Federation is not reinstated by the 15th of July, the national women’s U-20 team will be disqualified from the FIFA women’s U-20 World Cup in Canada which starts on August 5.

  • Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Crisis as North threatens to quit National Conference

    Mistrust deepens

    Knocks for state creation proposal

    A Major crisis has broken out at the National Conference —the talkshop that is believed by the authorities to be the magic pill against Nigeria’s ailments— with the North threatening to pull out.

    The North’s  delegates have protested to the Conference’s Chairman, Justice Idris Kutigi and his deputy, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi.

    Their demand: nullification of all resolutions so far taken through voice vote, which they said did not reflect the views of delegates.

    They insisted on “a proper ballot process” and queried why the conference’s leadership refused to use ballot boxes and papers already with the secretariat.

    They accused the leadership of alleged “floundering” on resolutions.

    The Northern Delegates Forum( NDF) hold an emergency meeting at Gombe Jewel Hotel  in Abuja to determine whether to go ahead with the conference or boycott it.

    The displeased delegates met with Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi at the weekend.

    Those who represented the Northern delegates are ex-Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Coomasie, Prof. Anwalu Yadudu, Senator Khairat Gwadabe, Mohammed Kumalia; and Mohammed Bello.

    It was learnt that the delegates were angry over the conference voice vote resolutions on state police, rotational presidency, adoption of six geopolitical zones, deletion of local government from the Federal Constitution, nature of federalism  to be adopted by the country, among others.

    A source said: “After last Thursday, session, the Northern delegates issued a communique rejecting all resolutions/ decisions so far taken by the National Conference because they came about through voice vote.

    “They alleged that sometimes, when the nays had it, the leadership will turn the result for the ayes.

    “They then sent the delegation to Kutigi and Akinyemi to revisit the resolutions by allowing members to vote through the ballot process.

    “They are demanding outright voting process on all issues to make the resolutions true reflections of the choices of delegates. They asked for the reopening of all issues.”

    It was gathered that Justice Kutigi and Akinyemi pleaded for understanding and assured the delegates that their complaints would be examined.

    “The leadership agreed that without physical counting, there was no way it could determine the real resolutions of delegates,” the source added.

    A member of  the National Conference, Dr. Junaid Mohammed, confirmed the anger of Northern delegates.

    He said: “This protest was not the first time that delegates from the North will raise issues with the leadership of the conference. But the audience with Kutigi and Akinyemi last Thursday was the icing on the cake.

    “I think Kutigi and Bolaji are behaving as if they have  an agenda. Before we started, we had to adopt our rules. The government came up with a recommendation that for a resolution to subsist, it will require the consent of  75 per cent of the delegates.

    “But, in the course of debate at the conference, it was reduced to 70 per cent. We agreed to bring down the threshold after two or three attempts at a consensus. Unless we have a physical count, there was no way to determine that all the resolutions allegedly taken had the consent of  70 per cent of the delegates.

    “ Any time there was a voice vote, the leadership gave a wrong verdict. For instance, while considering the report of the Committee on Restructuring, I stood up to raise observation on the voice vote  but  it was not allowed. They get the ayes and the nays of the North wrong.”

    The South’s delegates, The Nation learnt, have vowed not to allow a revisit of the resolutions already taken.

    A delegate from the Southwest, Comrade Yinka Odumakin, said: “The rules of the conference say the conference cannot revisit any issue which decision has been taken.”

    Another Southern delegate said: “Those who met Kutigi did not actually represent all Northern delegates. Those aggrieved were mostly from the Northeast and Northwest. Why are they trying to arm-twist Kutigi or intimidate Akinyemi when they were part of the resolutions at the conference?

    “I can tell you that delegates from  Northcentral or Middle Belt are not with these Northern delegates mounting pressure on the conference’s leadership.

    “We are expecting stormy sessions as from Monday but Southern and Middle Belt delegates are ready for these Northern delegates. The battle line is certainly drawn.”

    The concluding sessions of the Conference, which begin today, are likely to be stormy.

    The gap between northern and southern delegates has widened.

    Northern delegates, led by Yadudu, last week accused the conference leadership of working in concert with some southern delegates to rubber stamp an already prepared constitution.

    Akinyemi’s explanation that the conference secretariat had nothing to do with the “new constitution”, our correspondent learnt, did not satisfy the northern delegates.

    Meetings of southern and northern delegates were held at the weekend in Abuja.

    The aim of the “secret” meetings, our correspondent gathered, was to enable the two sides perfect their game plans on how to handle the controversial conference committee report on Devolution of Power.

    Northern delegates have rejected resolutions and decisions reached on Thursday from the report of the conference committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government.

    Some northern delegates were also not happy that a state was approved for the Southeast geo-political zone to bring it at par with others.

    Alhaji Magaji Dambatta from Northwest had argued that an additional state should not be “dashed” to the Southeast zone.

    But Chief Olu Falae told delegates that “we were all dashed states by the military”.

    Falae added that “in dashing the states, the military forgot the Southeast”.

    Falae’s stand foreclosed further arguments on the issue but some northern delegates who waited for the voting to shoot down the proposal were disappointed when delegates overwhelmingly voted in favour.

    The Devolution of Power committee, which was chaired by a former Inspector General of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Coomasie and co-chaired by a former Akwa Ibom Governor, Obong Victor Attah, made recommendations on resource control, revenue sharing formula, indigene/ settler problem and state police, among others.

    Sources at the meeting of the northern delegates told our correspondent that the delegates insisted that the leadership of the conference “must cause delegates to rescind Thursday’s resolutions, if the conference is to go on”.

    Southern delegates, on the other hand, are said to have resolved not to give in to the “antics of the North to always have their way in issues of national importance”.

    One of the southern delegates told our correspondent that Professor Yadudu who is allegedly “spearheading the breakup of the conference does not mean well for the country.”

    The delegate said, “We know very well that they are meeting. We are also meeting. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday sessions will determine the overall outcome of the conference.

    “We are determined to do the right thing but delegate should think that he can railroad his wishes and desires on other delegates. It will be fire-for-fire.”

     

  • Rector crisis rages despite Jonathan’s endorsement

    Rector crisis rages despite Jonathan’s endorsement

    Oko in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State used to be a quiet and peaceful community. Not anymore. A sharp knife has severed the cord of unity and peace. The community has fallen apart.

    The awful situation resulted from the squabble between the traditional ruler of the kingdom Igwe (Prof.) Laz Ekwueme and his subjects over one of the members of the community, Prof. Godwin Onu who is the Rector of the Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

    While the monarch and some of his subjects, including the town’s President-General, Ike Nwammuo, are fighting for the removal of the Rector, the youths of the community and some members of the executive of Oko Progressive Union (OPU), are against the professor’s ouster.

    In the circumstances, things are no longer at ease in the community of former Nigerian Vice-President, Dr. Alex Ekwueme who championed the establishment of the institution 22 years ago.

    Some members of the community have been at daggers-drawn with the management of the Polytechnic, which is being spearheaded by Igwe Ekwueme and Ike Nwammuo.

    The situation has sparked several protests from the youths led by Evangelist Hilary Tochukwu Ezeokafor.

    Those who favour his removal say the Rector is not qualified to be the head of the Polytechnic, because he studied Political Science which is not part of the curricula of polytechnics.

    Another complaint is that Onu allegedly instigated all the crises the community has witnessed since his assumption of office as the Rector, even as they further alleged that he induced the youths with money and impersonation of leaders of the community.

    They also maintained that, being the host community, they should know who heads the institution, insisting that the community should be represented in the institution’s governing council.

    They also accused Prof. Onu of harbouring enormous hatred and animosity for the community despite the support he enjoys from the people.

    More worrisome to the community is the alleged clandestine moves by the Rector to relocate the institution to his community, Ezira in Orumba South Local Government Area.

    Before now, the community and the institution had engaged in serious battles over Masquerade Week which resulted in heavy protests within and outside the school.

    During one of the protests on March 26, 2012, some students and youths of the community were injured.

    To ensure that Prof. Onu was removed as Rector of the institution, there have been several petitions to the Supervising Minister of Education, Chief Nyesom Wike and to the Presidency.

    However, the snag here is that the community is unaware that, as a result of the transformation of the institution under Onu’s leadership, Prof. Onu’s second four-year tenure had been signed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The approval for his second tenure was in October, 2013 before the expiration of his first tenure on March 4, 2014.

    However, the National Legal Adviser of Oko Progressive Union (OPU), Chief Uchenna Okonkwo-Okom had maintained that “renewing his tenure before the expiration of his first is illegal, ultra vires and of no effect.”

    Speaking with reporters in his palace, Igwe Ekwueme said he had continued to receive threat messages from some groups to the effect that if anything goes wrong in Oko community, he would be arrested.

    He said though he had not been arrested by anybody, the harassments and intimidations from certain groups were embarrassing to his person.

    The monarch further said some of the security agencies had not seen him for over a year; he questioned the rationale behind their interest to see him now saying, “I’m afraid of this situation”.

    On whether Dr Alex Ekwueme is aware of the situation in Oko Polytechnic or in support of their agitation for the removal of the Rector, Igwe Ekwueme said the former Vice-President supports Prof. Onu’s removal.

    “Ekwueme is on the same page with the community. You know he is a humble man and he does not really throw his weight around,” he said.

    However, Igwe Ekwueme pleaded that the Supervising Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike, the Senator representing the zone and the member representing Orumba North and South Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives to intervene on the matter.

    The youth leader, Evangelist Ezeokafor told our correspondent that the youth are disappointed in some people’s roles in the crisis.

    He said the Rector has not committed any crime that could warrant anybody to call for his removal, adding that “he had carried the community along since he assumed duty over four years ago.”

    He commended President Jonathan for endorsing the Rector’s second tenure, which, according to him, had made members of the community proud.

    “His massive infrastructural development in the school and the help he has rendered to Oko community, especially the youth, were unprecedented,” he said.

    The Public Relations Officer, Oko Progressive Union (OPU), Nwafor Jeremiah, said members of Oko community are not interested is renewing Prof. Onu’s tenure, but are interested in allowing the man to finish his work in Oko.

    He condemned the call by the traditional ruler and the President-General of OPU for Prof. Onu’s removal, adding that the executive of OPU would not support it.

    He emphasised that the community had not deliberated on Prof. Onu’s removal, saying, the monarch and his cohorts were on their own.

    Mr Sopuluchukwu Onwuka, a lawyer, who is the National Assistant Secretary of OPU, told our correspondent that the monarch’s selective judgment had ruined Oko community.

    Onwuka said Oko community has a constitution that guides it, adding that it stipulates the functions of the monarch and that of the union.

    The public relations officer of the institution, Mr. Obini Onuchukwu, described Prof. Ekwueme as a father figure, the mentor, a role model and the landlord in the community and therefore should allow the Rector to concentrate on the task of developing the institution.

    Noting that “call for his removal is borne out of politics and selfishness,” he added: “it is the idea of those falling angels who do not want the success of Oko community and the institution.”

    Onuchukwu reminded the monarch that the way he had been championing the removal of Prof. Onu may equally boomerang on him because he is the Chairman, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) Kaduna.

    He said: “I am disappointed in the calibre of people calling for the removal of the Rector. They do not know that the President had renewed his tenure for another four years.”

    On the Rector’s achievements, Onuchukwu said he has improved the academic standard of the institution as well as embarking on massive infrastructural development of the institution.

    Okonkwo-Okom said: “The community has concluded that continued stay of Prof. Onu as Rector, Federal Polytechnic, Oko does not augur well for the Polytechnic, will retard the pace of its development. His continued stay has been rejected by the entire staff, students and the host community. Therefore, his tenure should not be renewed but should be terminated forthwith.

    “All staff unions in the Polytechnic have vowed to continue their strike if Prof. Onu is allowed to return as Rector under whatever guise.

    “On our part, Oko community has resolved to occupy the Polytechnic if Prof. Onu returns and would not vacate the premises until he is removed.

    “He is notorious for engaging in excessive use of police might to enforce his unpopular policies and programmes. We hereby humbly notify the government that Oko community will not be prepared for the return of Prof. Onu unless he is prepared to shoot all of us to clear his way,”

    It was gathered that the bone of contention in the area is award of contracts to individuals.

    “Why should anybody seek for contracts from the institution? Since the Rector’s tenure, he has transformed the institution and anybody that comes in now should identify the area as institution of higher learning and not like a glorified secondary school,” the source said.

    The crisis between the community and the Federal Polytechnic Oko has become upsetting so much so that if the Federal Government, former Vice-President Alex Ekwueme and other stakeholders did not intervene, there may be much turmoil that may destabilise both the community and the institution.

  • Crisis of institution in Nigeria’s leadership equation

    Anthony ‘Lee’ Iacocca, the American businessman, titled his 2007 bestseller Where Have All the Leaders Gone? In the book, Iacocca was concerned about the role of leadership in the governance equation of any organisation. In his case, he worried about the lack of direction that characterised the political situation of America. The same worry resonates everywhere that governance fails to meet expectations. This anxiety about leadership is not diminished especially when we consider the relationship that ought to be in place between politics and administration that determines the trajectory of good governance especially within a democracy. The significance of Iacocca’s question is essentially the stress it places on the role of leadership in the evolution of institutions and overall institution building. Where this force is absent, such a state is not going anywhere.

    Before my argument is subsumed in nuances, let me state it upfront. I subscribe to the perspective that the future of any nation and the rate of its real development are signalled by the kind of institutions it puts in place. A nation is therefore as good as its institutions or what it makes of them. Leadership effectiveness is thus a function of how effectively the institutions carry the weight of governance and service delivery. The first test for a transformational leader then becomes the priority it places on institutional reform and the building of basic soft infrastructure which s/he will take advantage of to deliver, ultimately, the development outcomes that will in turn translate into good life and prosperity for the teeming masses.

    Leadership is a critical issue that straddles much of the ongoing research in the human sciences, especially political science, sociology, policy development and public administration. Achebe’s The Trouble with Nigeria is a short but decisive articulation of the leadership predicament in Nigeria. We all have something or the other to say about the role of leadership in nation building. Yet, leadership cannot be the omnipotent variable that explains everything; it needs some explaining itself. Within the discourse, the fundamental debate basically surrounds the causal link between leadership and institutions that a leader presides over. Does leadership explain institutions or it is the institutions that influence how a particular leadership behaves?

    Both sides of the divide have their unique contention. For the institutionalists, who a leader is, is a function of the kind of institutions that a state has created for itself. Leaders are therefore strengthened or weakened by existing institutions and structure to become or achieve what they are able to. Thus, a Barack Obama has certain sets of legal and constitutional limitations on his powers. And it was Obama himself who once states that Africa needs strong and behaviour-shaping institutions rather than a strong man. On the other hand, those who advocate the significance of leadership over structures argue essentially that it is actually the presence of a strong man that facilitates the creative combination of centripetal forces and cements their operational dynamics. Without such a strong man or leader, structures and rules would not become institutionalised.

    Even though I have simplified this discourse on leadership and institutions, its essence is still clear: We must choose between the agency of the strong man and the strong institutions. I think this is a false opposition. Human behaviour is so vast and complex to be reduced to an either/or distinction. On the contrary, complex issues like the administration of the human society cannot usually be resolved through one-sided analysis—one singular cause cannot explain political or administrative behaviour of the Nigerian state. A better explanation is found in how leadership and institutions interact: Nigeria’s administrative development requires a critical interaction between the strong man and the strong institution. In other words, leadership is often tasked with the fundamental task of engineering and strengthening institutional capacities which in turn determine leadership quality. Both become essential leverage for delivering developmental outcomes that transform the lives of the citizens. A structure can only be as good as the vision that guides its functions.

    Nowhere is this more urgent than in the collaboration required to propel the political and administrative leadership to a heightened awareness of pushing our institutions beyond the boundaries of low performances and poor outcomes. ‘If there is a spark of genius in the leadership function at all,’ according to Warren Bennis, then ‘it must lie in this transcending ability…to assemble…a clearly articulated vision of the future that is at once simple, easily understood, clearly desirable, and energizing.’ This vision is represented by the entire institutional dynamics that the leadership supervises and motivates. In Nigeria, this translates into the urgent need to create service delivery machinery, represented by the civil service, which serves as the arrowhead for executing the governance strategies of the government. It is in this sense that the civil service, for Schumpeter, becomes a critical complement to democracy.

    It therefore stands to reason that the synergy between these two levels of leadership—the political and the administrative—should facilitate the foundation of effective institutions which would, in turn, define the values and behavioural relationship of the leaders themselves. In this way, we can conveniently transcend the false opposition between leadership and institutions in the administrative framework. What seems certain within the Nigerian context is that the leadership problem is aggravated within an institutional anomie where decisions fail to impact the governance process and agenda. The decision making quotient of the leadership often serve as the strategic fulcrum that motivates the evolution of sustainable institutions. Thus, leadership is inextricably tied with the institutions and structures that influence it.

    The failure to propel these institutions to greater performances results, according to Jared Diamond, from four levels of administrative failures that explain why we allow our institutions to deteriorate to a point of incapacity before we recognise the need to reform them. One, the administrators failure to anticipate a problem before it surfaced; two, failure to see the problem for what it is when it surfaced; three, ignoring the problem even when properly perceived; and finally, failure of attempts to resolve the problem. In other words, the leadership factor in institutional renewal fails to utilise the problem-solving capacity of these institutions for development purposes. It is the task of the leadership to bridge the institutional gap that links decision to social policy and implementation in governance. The first incontrovertible step in this direction is the urgent need to capacitate the institutional matrix to do the right thing and to do things right. Capacitance, to use an electrical term, requires the ability to generate enough electrical charge within the civil service institution that will jolt it into development-readiness.

    The work of development has been laid out for the civil service to do. And here, the truth is that development outcome is dependent on execution relative to national visioning and strategy by a ratio of 85/15 percent. The bigger task, however, is how to execute in an efficient and effective manner that will translate development policies into development outcomes. For Jeffrey Pfeiffer, ‘A company’s…ability to generate those exceptional returns in a knowledge-based economy is dependent, in large measure, upon its ability to attract, retain, and develop the right work force—and whether it succeeds in unleashing their mental capabilities.’ If we are looking for the right leadership direction, this is the path to look at—the path of administrative capacitance. This is where to locate the leaders Iacocca was looking for.

     

    • Olaopa is Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Communication Technology, Abuja

  • Can Tukur survive crisis?

    Can Tukur survive crisis?

    As a business mogul,  Second Republic governor of Gongola State and Minister of Transport, life was rosy for Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. But as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), his tenure has been characterised by crisis. Can he hold on to the end? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the strengths and weaknesses of the party leader and his chance of survival

    Bamanga Tukur, prominent businessman and embattled National Chairman of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was in a pensive mood in his office last week.

    In the last one year, the ruling party has been battling with protracted crises. These crises are not good for a man of Tukur’s age. The 80 year-old politician pondered on the lingering crisis that has decimated the platform. Signals from the troubled chapters suggested that more troubles were on the way.

    There was no PDP National Chairman who had been insulated from crisis in the last 15 years. But the raging controversy has assumed an alarming proportion. Although the National Working Committee (NWC) had passed a vote of confidence on his leadership, he acknowledged the limitation of the partisan endorsement. Reality dawned on Tukur that his perception as the obstacle to peace in the troubled party by the aggrieved governors may soon turn the table against him. Therefore, he took a step.

    In a surprise move on Wednesday, the chairman visited the Board of Trustees (BoT) Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih in his Abuja home. Both Tukur and Anenih are founding fathers of the PDP. They are also loyalists of President Goodluck Jonathan. However, they have been working at cross-purposes. They embraced, discussed the logjam and resolved to revive the moribund reconciliation process. ‘Mr. Fix it”, as Anenih is fondly called, was said to have promised to work harmoniously with the chairman to resolve the lingering crisis.

    As the meeting was going on, the aggrieved governors were sharpening their deadly arrows. When the swords of five out of the seven governors hit the party few weeks ago, it bled profusely. Their defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC) created ripples. It was the first massive defection from the acclaimed largest party in Africa. But, the two governors who are reluctantly staying on in the PDP have been firing salvos at Tukur. Thus, reconciliation with Anenih only paled into a tip of an iceberg.

    At the weekend, Tukur’s agony increased geometrically. The governors insisted that the chairman should go. In fact, some names were suggested to the PDP National Leader, President Goodluck Jonathan, as replacement. However, at the weekend, there was another trouble for the chairman. To his consternation, 37 House of Representatives defected from the PDP to the APC. Now, there are fears that some senators may join the band if defectors.

    Since he became the chairman in a rancorous convention, Tukur has not had peace. Ahead of the national congress, governors rose against his candidature. Yet, as a party source said, he was the only aspirant the President could depend for loyalty. But, despite the fact that President Jonathan had his way, he could not prevent the volley of attacks on his anointed candidate.

    From day one, Tukur could not go along well with the National Secretary, Gen. Olagunsoye Oyinlola. The National Executive Committee (NEC) was divided. Oyinlola complained that Tukur’s Chief of Staff, Abu Fari, was an interloper doing the work of the national secretary by proxy. Following the confrontation, Fari was shoved aside. But it was not the end of the matter. When party chieftains in the protested the congress that threw up the national officers, the agitation, which was backed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), led to the resignation of some national officers.

    Tukur survived the purge. But preparations for the next congress created rift between him and many PDP governors. A section was bitter over the suspension of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and later, Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko. Although Wamakko’s suspension was suspended, Amaechi was not pardoned. Wamakko said that the chairman had erred, warning that his activities will injure the health of the party.

    The PDP went into its supplementary convention in distress. A section of the party led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje formed the New PDP, which has now fused into the APC. Prominent chieftains were summoned before the National Disciplinary Committee chaired by the ailing Dr. Umaru Dikko. The committee had not commenced its sitting when many party stalwarts started to desert the ruling party. Although the governors had persisted in their call for Tukur’s removal, the President has refused to yield.

    The PDP National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, has dismissed the call for Tukur’s ouster as illegal, stressing that he emerged in a proper congress witnessed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). “The INEC attested to it that he emerged in a proper convention. How can you ask a duly elected chairman to leave?”, he queried.

    A presidential source said that Tukur is being perceived as the only shield for President Jonathan, who is believed to be nursing a second term. “It is a game they are playing in the PDP. Tukur is not the problem. His problem is that he is committed to the President, who is the target”, he said. Asked to shed light on the source of the discord, he added: “The President may actually declare his intention for re-election. Tukur is loyal to the President. Therefore, they believe that he is loyal to one of the candidates or aspirants in the PDP”.

    Another chieftain, who collaborated this view, said that the adversaries of the President, notably the aggrieved governors, are also eyeing the Presidency in 2015. “They too want to be President and they believe that, with Tukur as the chairman, the President will still be in charge of the party, just as the governors are in charge of the state chapters”, he added.

    Both the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) are solidly behind Tukur and the President. Two week ago, they both passed a vote of confidence on the National Chairman, urging him to team up with the President in the implementation of his transformation agenda. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his letter to the President, also exonerated Tukur, saying that he only accepted dictation from the President.

    The camp of the former President in Ogun State are unhappy with Tukur for recognising the State Executive Committee headed by Adebayo Dayo, an engineer, instead of the factional executive led by the eminent politician, Senator Dipo Odujinrin. But, Tukur had explained that he only obeyed the court’s ruling on the Ogun PDP leadership tussle. He said he could not have ignored the court judgment, having vowed to return the party to the path of integrity, discipline, rule of law and party supremacy.

    In Adamawa State, Tukur and Governor Murtala Nyako have been at loggerheads. There is a sort of ego war between the two Fulani brothers and neither was ready to sheath his sword. Nyako’s group had accused the national chairman of projecting his son, Awa, for the governorship in 2015. Initially, Tukur objected to the objection against his son’s ambition, saying that he is an adult who can decide for himself. However, when he persuaded the younger Tukur to defer his aspiration, the discord generated by the ambition did not vanish.

    However, a source said that crisis brew between Tukur and the PDP governors because they resented the reforms introduced by the chairman. Tukur’s advisers have furnished him with the information that the governors would ultimately become his albatross because they constituted a powerful cult. He was told that past national chairmen fell because the governors did not want them or the President instigated them against the chairman. In fact, they warned him against falling into the same trap like Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo, who did not survive his quarrel with the governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime. Therefore, he decided to liberate the office of the national chairman from the jaw of the governors.

    Tukur introduced the on-line membership registration and payment of dues by members at the ward level. It is an innovation that could aid aggressive mobilisation of party members. The former chairmen relied on the governors for money for running the party. Therefore, with on-line registration, Tukur sought to assert his independence by relying on the party members, whose dues would now be used for running the party.

    The chairman also attempted to sideline the governors by canvassing for the sponsorship of the party by the Federal Government. The governors felt slighted. A source said: “The reforms initiated by Tukur were in good faith, but they were damaging to the personal interest of the governors. Tukur and President Jonathan were governors in the past. They know that the governors are the leaders of the party at the state level. They control the party across the states. But they do not want the President to control the party at the centre.

    “Tukur’s on-line registration of party members meant that the party secretariat will have access to all party members across the wards. This may disrupt the governor’s plans to rig primaries at the state level”.

    The heat is on. The forces against the chairman are not relenting. They are unanimous that Tukur should go in the interest of the party. The chairman is in the eye of the storm. But the President is also sensitive to the danger of letting down a dependable ally. Will Tukur step aside? Will he survive the crisis? Time will tell.

  • Africa’s new crisis

    Africa’s new crisis

    In the summer of 2012 France warned its allies that al-Qaeda was taking root in northern Mali and could establish a base for jihadist extremism across north Africa. Its warnings proved correct. The crisis became so acute that France was forced to lead a military mission to Mali this year to halt the complete takeover of the state by jihadists.

    Now France warns that another state, the Central African Republic, is falling into anarchy. Last week Laurent Fabius, French foreign minister, declared that the CAR was in “total disorder” and “on the verge of genocide”. His warnings must be taken seriously by the international community.

    The CAR is a far smaller state than Mali with a population of just 4.6m. Its people are predominantly Christian, with a Muslim minority comprising up to 20 per cent of the population.

    Last March, a rebel group called the Séléka, which comes from the predominantly Muslim north, ousted the CAR president, François Bozizé. Since then the country has become lawless as Séléka’s banditry has provoked raids and reprisals between Christians and Muslims. A huge population displacement has happened, involving 620,000 people. State institutions have collapsed. The country has a humanitarian crisis.

    The outside world is beginning to take note. The six-nation Economic Community of Central African States has deployed a 2,500-strong peacekeeping force in the CAR. But there are reports it is struggling to do its job.

    As a result, France is pressing the UN Security Council to pass a resolution next month that would pave the way for a stronger African Union force to keep the peace. Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary-general, last week said he supported the establishment of a UN peacekeeping mission with as many as 9,000 troops, if conditions allowed. Humanitarian groups such as Amnesty International are urging more immediate action.

    The world needs to keep a strong focus on the CAR. Experts say the sectarian conflict between Christians and Muslims could grow to appalling levels. The country is also becoming the kind of ungoverned space that risks becoming a haven for Islamist extremist groups.

    The UN, France and the US cannot afford another failed state in Africa. They need to ensure there is an effective response to this crisis and a swift restoration of law and order. The recent warnings about genocide cannot possibly be ignored.

     

    – Financial Times

     

  • ‘Cause of crisis in financial, capital market’

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has identified lack of customer sophistication as one of the causes of the crisis in the financial and capital market.

    CBN’s Deputy Director/Head, Consumer Education of the Consumer Protection Department (CPD), Hajia Khadijah Kasim, made the disclosure at a news conference in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

    She reiterated that when the present management of the CBN assumed duty in 2009, the financial system was virtually on the brink of collapse.

    Kasim noted that the apex bank introduced reforms to sanitise and stabilise the financial system, with consumer protection included as a cardinal component of the reform programme.

    She said: “The CBN is putting a lot of structures in place to ensure that consumers get maximum benefits from financial services provision, which would ultimately result in not only enabling people take charge of their financial well-being, but also enhance economic development.

    “We must increase awareness and understanding of financial products and services, enhance efficient usage of financial resources and empower Nigerians with the requisite knowledge to make informed choices and take effective actions that will enhance their financial well-being.

    “By so doing, we are able to empower them with the confidence to participate in the formal financial system.

    “It is only when the vast majority of the Nigerian population is financially literate that they can come on board the formal financial system, thereby contributing to financial stability.”

    The CBN boss also stated that the apex bank had developed the Financial Literacy Framework (FLF), which articulated a multi-stakeholder approach to the delivery of financial literacy across all segments and sectors of the society.

  • Averting football management crisis

    While we relish the superlative performance of our under 17 boys in the ongoing FIFA Under -17 World Cup taking place in the United Arab Emirates(UAE)we cannot but also acknowledge that so far, within the domestic scene we have also witnessed the end of a season filled with interesting intrigues as some will succinctly put. Moreover, there seems to be a new drama within the domestic administration of football in Nigeria

    This drama if not carefully managed has the potential to expand and become more of a crisis hence, my decision to advice and counsel all concern while also calling the attention of those in authority to quickly intervene before we begin to experience another round of brouhaha within the administration of football locally

    Nigeria is currently in the spot light as far as world and continental football is concern and it is only expected that we show some level of maturity in managing our domestic affairs. With the advent of the worldwide internet connectivity, one will be shocked to know that a pronouncement on any tabloid or media channel is received round the globe in a matter of seconds.

    Last week, I was away for a short training on Sports Law and to my greatest surprise one of the resource persons who is a Professor of Sports Law made mention of the scandalous results recorded in Nigeria Amateur League in which case two clubs recorded outrageous scores during one of their league matches. Although, decisive action have been taken against these clubs and their officials , the issue is that the Professor was as informed about the issue as would have been any Nigerian that follows football yet he had never visited Nigeria all his life.

    That is the effect of negative publicity and how far it can go when we consider the reach of the World Wide Web. We have in the last two years or thereabout, enjoyed relative peace within the management of football in the local space called Nigeria and to such an extent these peace has created an enabling environment for football managers to concentrate on doing the needful the resultant effect of which has produced great results for Nigeria and once more have also announced the rebirth of football in Nigeria

    My concern today however, is on the latest news about the dissolution by club owners of the league management company whether they are right or wrong is not my focus but mine is for there to be a process that will address all that is needed to be addressed before we plunge again into another rounds of crisis in football management.

    Let me say that the process of change has a principle that has been tested and trusted and it has also been developed into what is referred to as the change theory whereby a systematic approach is followed towards effecting the needed change. As much as I will not want to commence a lecture on change management I think it is expedient that I give some tips for those in authorities who care to intervene in this matter as a guide to their approach.

    Firstly, we must understand the change theory that there are three steps or what is referred to as categories namely the Comfort Zone, Stretch Zone and Panic Zone. In effecting any change we must understand that human beings don’t always welcome changes because they prefer to remain in their comfort zone whether good or bad. Hence, there is the natural tendency that a sudden change will push people into panic and this is considered as the state of the panic zone. While in the panic zone their reactions will be counterproductive to the desired change as they will revolt against the change agent and this I must say is considered by behavioral scientist as a natural human phenomenon

    Hence, for any change to be effective there must be adequate consultation with all stakeholders, none should be excluded, there should also be education and comprehensive enlightenment on the expected benefits of such change if and when implemented, and there must be consensus by all parties which will be the outcome of an extensive negotiation involving all parties. It is important that we note, that negotiations are in various forms. We have collaborative and coercive negotiation however, we should adopt the collaborative form of negotiation so as to be on the same page with all. All cards must be placed on the table no tricks and no secrets.

    If the above is followed then we will not have the lingering problems in our sport because from what I know we are often not patient enough to discuss and convince people in a negotiating table we are still stereotyped in our manner of approaching issues that we seldom recognise the rights and privileges of the other parties involved. There is a popular saying from where I come from that you can’t slap a child and ask him not to cry.

    My appeal today therefore, is for all football stakeholders in Nigeria not to take the current peace and unity we are enjoying for granted because without peace, we are only inviting anarchy and these will not do our football any good. Let everyone come together and finally fashion a way forward for our football management in Nigeria. It is not a rocket science and it can be achieved if there is genuine sincerity of purpose on the part of all concern. I wish Nigeria and its football stakeholder’s good luck.

  • Identity crisis

    Identity crisis

    • President Jonathan’s call that a national citizens’ data base be pooled by 31 December 2014 is good, but …

    President Goodluck Jonathan spoke the minds of many Nigerians when he ordered all government agencies needing citizens’ data should hook on to the centralised data bank, which the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) is building. He also gave a target of December 31, 2014, for the NIMC to complete the current registration exercise.

    The president did well by putting a halt to what appears some malady on the data gathering front. The situation in which the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), Nigeria Police, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) and Nigeria Population Commission (NPC), would embark on varied data gathering, some of them at the expense of the citizen, is undesirable and absolutely unacceptable.

    In one of those schemes, the FRSC even unilaterally cancelled binding legal agreements, by purportedly abrogating national drivers’ licences before their due date, for a new updated one, just like it did in the case of car registration plate numbers. In its own case, the Police also started – before it stopped – its own Biometric Central Motor Registration scheme. In both cases, citizens were burdened with undue expenses.

    Still, it is only fair to note that these multiple registrations, in search of data gathering, were caused by the absence of a national data base, in which biometrics of every citizen is captured. That absence was itself caused by the failure of previous attempts at national identity card projects, under Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo as military head of state, under President Shehu Shagari and under Obasanjo as civilian president. On these three occasions, the schemes failed, with billions of naira going down the drain.

    It is with such previous failures in mind that everything must be done to make the current exercise a success. On that score, NIMC is expected to capture all eligible citizens latest December 31, 2014. Perhaps the NIMC would have preferred an open-ended deadline, particularly given the fact that citizen registration is an open-ended event, taking in newly born citizens while the dead ones exit. Still, a deadline of one year and two months would appear fair, other things being equal.

    That is why the commission must ensure it makes a success of this current exercise. As the president said, multiple registration for data is not only expensive, it is inefficient. If indeed resources are scarce, that would appear a double jeopardy. It is better, cheaper and more productive, therefore, to invest in one fool-proof scheme, and build a pool from which other data-thirsting agencies could drink from.

    But if the present exercise must succeed, there must be more publicity and enlightenment. Indeed, NIMC should crank up its publicity blitz as if the exercise is closing in but a few months, enlightening citizens on how to register, where to register and possibly how long registration takes. That way, the target is likely to be achieved.

    The benefits of a central biometric data base are many. To start with, it would generate social security numbers imperative for planning and other social security schemes. It also acts as control to census exercises, which in these climes, have also been too controversial, therefore making planning a nightmare. With adequate citizen registration, it would be more difficult to manipulate census figure; and the Nigerian economy would be better for it.

    Nigeria must get the national identity card scheme right this time. It is the least the country can do if it ever wants to get its planning right.