The Nation Newspaper

Tag: cut

  • ‘Cut interest rates to assist skilled graduates’

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) member in Lagos and a House of Representatives aspirant has advised governments and banks  to support graduates of skills empowerment institutions by reducing loans’ interest rates for them.

    Martins Owodunni Iwonlanwe, who gave the advice at 120 trainees’ graduation at TREM City, Wilmer, Lagos, said it is the only way beneficiaries of such programmes could be supported since many of them have no money to start off. He scored the empowerment training, which he sponsored, high and praised the graduates for their attendance and comportment during their training.

    The trainer and Managing Director of Spotless World Skills Acquisition, Agim Immacualate, also praised the graduates saying: “I will score them 100 per cent. The trainees performed more than expected. You can’t train a person to make a cake or a pair of shoes in three days. But with this set of trainees, we did. They did marvelously well. They should keep it up. They should start something, no matter how small, even if it is N1000 they have, they should take off with.”

    Wife of resident pastor TREM City of Joy, Olodi-Apapa, Princess Favour Nkere, advised the graduates on the need to go for further training. She said:“You have acquired knowledge, go for further training. Register a company, do complementary cards to sell yourself to enable people buy your products.’’ Her husband, Rev Chinedu Nkere, prayed for them, urging them to be God-fearing in their businesses.

    A graduate of the training, Mrs Husainat Ibrahim, expressed delight with the sponsor and the trainer, saying she applied for the training and was picked without any hurdles. She promised to deploy her training in her fashion business.

  • Govt eyes 50% tariff cut for IOCs, others

    The federal Government is targeting between 40 per cent and 50 per cent reduction in non-statutory tariffs paid by International Oil Companies (IOCs) and other investors in the oil and gas free trade zones, it was learnt.

    The government plans to achieve this by next month, to mitigate the cost of operation of investors in the zones.

    The zones are Onne Oil and Gas Free Zone, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; Ibaka Oil and Gas Free Zone, Ibaka, Akwa-Ibom State; Warri Oil and Gas Free Zone, Delta State; Lagos Oil and Gas Free Zone and others.

    The Oil and Gas Free Trade Zones Authority (OGFTZA) Head, Legal Department, Mr.Wasiu Sule, in an interview with The Nation, said the non-statutory tariffs are levies and other charges, which operators are paying in the zones.

    He said the government frowned at the charges because they are exorbitant, adding that the development informed its decision to reduce them to 40 per cent and 50 per cent to foster growth.

    Sule said: “OGFTZA, in line with its goal of regulating the zones, has taken some steps to review the tariffs downward. For instance, the tariffs that are currently being implemented by Intels Nigeria Limited are non-statutory and are therefore, illegal. The agency, on behalf of the Federal Government, began the process of reviewing the tariffs around May and June this year. The government is planning to conclude the exercise by December.

    “To achieve results, the government is consulting with relevant stakeholders in the industry, as well as proposing between 40 per cent to 50 per cent reduction in the tariffs for investors operating in the zones.”

    Sule, whose department is charged with the responsibility of handling the exercise, said the consultation is in line with the government’s goal of ensuring transparency and further achieve its goal of developing the oil and gas and allied sectors of the economy.

    According to him, the government is reducing the tariffs in order to make the zones more business friendly to local and foreign investors.

    Also, the OGFTA’s Managing Director, Dr.Umana Okon Umana, said multinational oil companies, the OGFTZA, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), among others, are going back to the drawing board with a view to provide new tariff structure that would take care of operators.

    Umana, who spoke during an interaction with investors in Onne, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said the need to cushion the effects of the harsh economy on the investors and further make them improve their productivity, informed the decision to review the tariffs.

    He said the plans followed protests by some licensees on the issue, adding that the licensees have kicked against the implementation of the current tarrifs regime in the industry, known as Industry Wide Standard Tariffs (IWST).

    Federal Government, early this year, expressed its desire to reposition operations of the agency for quality service delivery. It also launched its roadmap, marketing brochure and website at Onne, Rivers State. The roadmap seeks to measure economic and social progress in the oil and gas free trade zones.

    Others are enhancing service delivery, improvement on the ease of doing business and automation of its operation in order to create an enabling environment for operators and further sustain their investments.

  • OPEC members support output cut extension

    OPEC members support output cut extension

    Ecuador Oil Minister José Icaza Romero has said the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and other oil-producing countries would discuss a six or nine months extension to output cuts when the Organisation meets today.

    According to Reuters’ report, Icaza Romero told reporters that “Six and nine months are both proposals on the table. We will support the majority, probably the nine months.”

    Asked whether deeper cuts would be discussed, he said: “Not at this point, I don’t think so.”

    OPEC member countries meet today in Vienna, Austria to consider whether to prolong the deal reached in December in which OPEC and 11 non-members, including Russia, agreed to cut output by about 1.8 million barrels per day in the first half of 2017.

    Also the United Arab Emirates supports extending oil output cuts for another term, the Energy Minister Suhail bin Mohammed al-Mazroui said, saying ahead of an OPEC meeting he was optimistic about meetings held between Saudi Arabia and Russia.

    “We are optimistic about the statements and the meetings held between the Saudi-Russian sides,” he stated, adding that the previous extension had helped to balance the market and maintain average prices.

    The UAE supports “the extension of the agreement for another term,” he said.

    Mexico also threw its weight behind extension of production cut. According to the Mexican deputy secretary for hydrocarbons, Aldo Flores-Quiroga, Mexico supports an extension of OPEC’s supply cuts as a way to stabilise oil markets and bring fresh investment into the country’s growing energy sector.

    Aldo Flores-Quiroga said he believed members of OPEC should and would continue plans to coordinate oil production cuts into at least 2018. He did not say whether he preferred a six- or nine-month extension, which OPEC members are debating.

    “Stable markets help provide a stable framework for investment, and that helps Mexico,” said Flores-Quiroga, who assumed his post last summer.

    Mexico, which is not in OPEC, has seen its oil industry atrophy in the past 50 years due to underinvestment and hostile regulation of foreign partners.

    Constitutional changes in 2013 have slowly begun to attract capital to the second-largest Latin American economy, but low oil prices have hindered Mexico City’s efforts.

  • ‘Want to cut your nails? Get an expert’

    ‘Want to cut your nails? Get an expert’

    A Podiatrist, Dr Bodunrin Oluwa, has advised Nigerians to engage professionals in taking care of their nails.

    According to him, many people do not take “proper care of their feet, and when they do, they do not get professionals to do it for them.”

    “It is worrisome to see some people calling on some street boys to do nail-cutting and cleaning for them. This can cause infections for them. And for those that get unprofessional treatments from salons, more damage is done. A podiatrist is the best person for the job. He is the trained foot care specialist.

    “For example, non-professionals won’t know why your nail is lifting from the nail bed but a podiatrist will identify it as a case of onycholysis. People who wear their nails very long or wear fake fingernails are more likely to have onycholysis, a painless separation of the nail from the nail bed. Also known as nail lifting, it can be a sign of the skin disease psoriasis or a fungal infection,” Oluwa said.

    He said a podiatrist, also called chiropodist, is a doctor of podiatric medicine (DPM).”Podiatrists diagnose and treat conditions of the foot, ankle, and related structures of the leg. Podiatrists care for people of all ages, treating any foot problem. The common disorders include bunions, heel pain/spurs, hammer toes, neuromas, ingrown toe nails, warts, corns and callous. Bone and joint disorders, such as arthritis, soft-tissue and muscular pathologies, as well as neurological and circulatory diseases are other conditions that can be treated. As well as assessing the foot function and correcting abnormal function with orthotics or footwear modifications,” he explained.

    Oluwa said, those who visit the podiatrist regularly can avoid many potential problems because the doctor  can recognise the problems before they occur.

    “Diabetics in particular should visit a podiatrist. A chiropodist is a primary health care provider educated exclusively in the assessment, treatment and prevention of foot disorders. Diabetics, for instance should visit a chiropodist as regularly as once a month due to their susceptibility to develop ulcers and lessened ability to heal quickly. The majority of ulcers caused by diabetes occur on the lower leg and foot and if they are not looked at by a professional in the early stages of development, infection can occur and even lead to amputation.

    According to Oluwa, the nine common foot problems are:

     

    Diabetes

    Poorly controlled diabetes can affect the supply of blood and nerves to the feet. Nerve damage reduces the feeling in the feet and poor circulation may result in injuries and infection taking longer to heal. Regular examination of foot pulses, testing of reflexes, vibration and pressure sensitivity by your podiatrist will help detect any changes early.

     

    Fungus infection

    Tinea refers to a group of fungal infections affecting the skin or nails which thrives on warm/moist environments, such as the feet. In the skin it can have the appearance of peeling/blistered skin and the nails may become discoloured yellow or white.

     

    Bunions

    Certain foot types can make your feet prone to bunion formation. Bunions are a progressive disorder which begins with the leaning of the big toe towards the second toe, which creates the characteristic bump on the side of the foot. Orthotics and footwear advice can reduce the production of a bunion and relieve the pain.

     

    Corns and calluses

    These are the most common foot problem. As we stand/walk/run, our feet carry up to three times our body weight (during running). Pressure placed on the foot can become unbalanced which results in friction on certain areas, such as the balls of the feet and heels. The body may respond to pressure by producing thickenings in the surface layer of the skin called calluses. If the pressure gets concentrated in a small area, a ‘hard corn’ may develop. ‘Soft’corns form between toes where the skin is moist as a result of friction or inadequate drying. Ill-fitting footwear is a common cause of corns and calluses. Your podiatrist is able to gently remove the calluses and corns.

     

    Heel pain

    Heel pain has many causes but it is usually the result of faulty biomechanics (i.e. the way we walk). Two common causes of heel pain are Heel spurs and plantar fasciitis. Heel spurs result from strain on the muscles of the foot resulting on a bony growth under the heel. Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of the long band of tissue that connects the heel and the ball of the foot. Heel pain may be aggra-vated by shoes that lack support, excessive rolling in of the feet, jumping and running on hard surfaces.

     

    Biomechanics / Orthotics

    To treat chronic foot pain your podiatrist will assess the anatomy and function of the foot and lower limb. The treatment may include specific exercises and the prescription of orthotics to correct/improve the functioning of the feet. Orthoses are inserts to reduce foot pathology. There are many types of orthoses – ranging from off the shelf generic devices through to custom devices where a plaster cast and prescription based on a biomechanical assessment are made.

     

    Pronation

    Pronation (rolling-in) is the movement of the foot when it comes in contact with the ground to absorb the shock from the ground. Excessive pronation is where the foot pronates beyond the limits. This can cause increased stress on the muscles, tendons, ligaments of the foot and lower leg. Pronations commonly affect the knees, hips and lower back. Over pronation can be corrected via the use of orthotics which helps improve the gait function.

    Ingrown Toe Nails

    Ingrown toe nails can occur due to incorrect cutting, poorly fitting socks/shoes, trauma, picking nails or nails that grow deep into the sides of the toe. Surgery is required when the ingrown nail repeatedly gets painful with or without infection. A nail wedge resection is performed under a local anaesthetic to remove the offending piece of nail and the area is treated with a chemical to inhibit nail growth in that area.

    Warts

    It is commonly known as plantar warts or verrucea pedis on the foot due to their location are a viral infection that commonly affects children’s feet. Warts are extremely contagious and easily spread in moist areas such as swimming pools, gym change rooms / showers. Warts can become painful due to their weight bearing location. It is recommended to seek treatment early as they can easily spread and become a chronic problem.

    Oluwa advised on a foot care: “Wash your feet daily and dry thoroughly. Don’t share footwear. Wear cotton socks and shoes made of leather or natural materials – not synthetics, sandals are good. Change shoes daily to allow them to dry out – it takes up to 24 hours for footwear to dry out. See your podiatrist, if symptoms don’t resolve.

  • Fed Govt should simplify taxes, cut fees

    Fed Govt should simplify taxes, cut fees

    The Federal Government should simplify taxes and reduce fees involved in laying fibre optic cables to encourage development of infrastructure for the technology industry, Google’s Manager in Nigeria,  Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor, has said.

    Ehimuan-Chiazor told Reuters, that boosting the technology industry will help diversify Nigeria’s oil-dependent economy, which is now in its second year of a recession caused mainly by low crude prices.

    The Budget and National Planning Ministry said in March the government should encourage local production of technology hardware to reduce dependence on imports and generate foreign exchange. The government aims to create 2.5 million new technology jobs in 2017-2020 via a state-run training programme.

    “The private sector can play a very strong role,” Ehimuan-Chiazor said, adding that internet service providers regularly complained that multiple taxes at the federal and state level raised the cost of expanding the required infrastructure.

    “Where the government can help is just removing some of those obstacles – for example, bringing down right of way fees and removing this challenge around multiple taxation,” she said.

    Right of way fees are the charges paid when securing permission to lay cables. A reduction of fees by Lagos state government helped bring fast broadband to Yaba, a district of commercial capital that is now Nigeria’s technology hub.

    Ehimuan-Chiazor said Google had laid fibre optic cables in Uganda’s capital Kampala and in Abidjan in Ivory Coast, but said it had no similar plans in Nigeria. A spokesman for the Communications Ministry could not immediately be reached for comment.

  • Labour vows to resist salary cut

    The Federal Government’s decision to reduce salaries of public servants in some agencies, where their salaries and allowances are far above the threshold of National Salaries and Wages Commission has not gone down well with organised labour.

    Already, organised labour is set for a showdown with the government, as various unions disclosed to The Nation that they are not ready for any reduction in salaries and allowances of their members, particularly at this time of recession.

    Labour is also irked by the government’s plan to increase tax revenue, in view of the dwindling economic resources.

    Already, evaluation and grading department officers of the Salaries Commission are said to have gone round the country to compile data on such agencies.

    Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, said last week that a circular had been issued on the approved template for the computation of operating surpluses of agencies.

    She added that there would be non-allowable expenses in the computation of operating surpluses, including salaries and staff loans in excess of approved scale by National Salaries and Wages Commission; moneti-sation of medical and other allowances; business class travel for officers other than Chairman and CEO.

    Also, salaries of some ministries and agencies were drastically cut last month with explanations that there was a new formula for determining personal income tax of workers.

    However, labour leaders, who spoke with The Nation kicked against the alleged unilateral reduction in the salaries of workers in the federal public service and warned that the move would be resisted by organised labour.

    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) President, Comrade Boboi Kaigama, and the National President, Association of Senior Staff of Banks, Insurance and Financial Institutions (ASSBIFI), Comrade Oyinkansola Olasanoye, frowned on what they described as the unexpected and unilateral reduction in workers’ salaries and asked for immediate refund of the money deducted.

    Comrade Kaigama said: “We kick against that and we ask the government to refund such deduction. We don’t know how they came about that. Workers have not been notified why, and about any increase in taxes. We call on them to refund Nigerian workers their money.”

    On the big disparity between the salaries of workers in the core ministries and some government parastatals, who are on the same level, the TUC president asked: “Is it now they are seeing that? “

    He noted that world over, it operates like that; those agencies have their pay package different from that of the core ministries and can’t equate it. He said if government wants to bridge the gap, it should increase the salaries of workers in the core ministries. “This is no time for reduction of salaries. We will kick against it and resist it”, Kaigama stated.

    On his part, Comrade Olasanoye said it was wrong for the Federal Government to reduce workers’ salary without due negotiating with their representatives.

    She said: “Actually, the Federal Government can’t reduce salary without informing the labour unions in the public sector. It is completely wrong. It was the same government that declared that the economy was in recession.

    “Government can’t take such a unilateral decision. Maybe they have met with the unions and other representatives of workers in the affected ministries and agencies. Maybe they have presented documented facts to their representatives on why it was important to reduce their salaries.  That I cannot say for sure, but government is bound to engage stakeholders before taking any decision that will affect workers’ welfare.”

    She noted that the government could only do such, having put in place basic amenities such as good health insurance for the workers, good housing scheme and others. She emphasised that ASSBIFI under her leadership will not support any move that will endanger workers’ welfare in any sector.

    However, the President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said he was not sure that the salary deduction story was credible. He added that the Congress had neither received any formal information about it nor confirmed it.

    Wabba said: “I am not sure it is credible. I asked the Chairman of Joint Council and that of the Federal Capital Territory of the Congress this morning, but they said the information was not credible enough.

    “We need to act on credible information and the FCT Chairman and the Joint Council Chairman are the right people to know, but we have not received any formal information on that. Salary is a right of workers and nobody can unilaterally cut it or reduce it. I enquired from them and they communicated back to me.”

    Also, the National Secretary of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Comrade Shuaibu Usman Leman, in a release titled: “Stop these deductions,” described the action as “not only callous, but also ill-advised and uncalled for.”

    He lamented that in this period of economic recession, the Muhammadu Buhari administration that was elected based on its ‘change’ mantra cannot afford any confrontation with poor workers that supported the advent of the administration. He, therefore, urged for caution.

    There was an outcry by the Federal Government staffers last week when a memo addressed to all members of staff, titled: ‘Reduction in November 2016 Salary’, stated the cut in the salary.

  • Osun debunks PDP’s allegation of pay cut

    Osun debunks PDP’s allegation of pay cut

    The Osun State government has said it is not cutting salaries as speculated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    It urged the PDP to bury its head in shame as the architect of the various belt-tightening measures which Nigeria must adopt to ensure its survival.

    The government said it was laughable for the PDP to think that it made any expose out of its mischievous statement when it accused the Rauf Aregbesola administration of cutting workers’ salaries and introducing other measures.

    In a statement by the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Office of the Governor, Semiu Okanlawon, the government said while there was no attempt at reducing salaries, it was working on measures to keep the state afloat. It accused the PDP of creating an economic crisis during its 16 years of misrule.

    The statement reads: “If the PDP thought it made any news of the removal of overtime allowance of some staff of some government agencies, it must be deceiving itself.

    “If not mischief, how does that translate to cutting of salaries and retrenchment of workers? This is because there is no measure being taken that is not an outcome of rigorous deliberations with workers and other critical stakeholders.”

    The government urged Nigerians to ask the PDP the basis of its unfounded allegations and other tantrums, adding that in no way will the party be excused from the economic woes the country now faces.

    The statement said whoever failed to admit that Nigeria was facing serious economic crisis must be living in the moon, adding: “It is no longer news that the economy of Nigeria and most of the world is in crisis, especially those depending on oil.

    “If the PDP wants to be honest, can the party exonerate itself from the economic morass Nigeria finds itself  today? Even before the unfortunate decline in the sale of crude at the international market, Nigeria endured a most horrendous case of bleeding in the economy.’’

  • Oyo workers vow to resist salary cut

    Oyo workers vow to resist salary cut

    •NLC denies agreement with govt

    Members of the organised labour movement in Oyo State, under the umbrella of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), have opposed any move by Governor Abiola Ajimobi to cut workers’ salary.

    They vowed to use available means to resist this.

    Governor Ajimobi yesterday told the people in a programme on Splash FM that the labour leaders agreed with the government that workers’ salary should be cut, following the state’s dwindling resources, at a meeting last Monday.

    NLC Chairman Mr. Waheed Olojede described the claim as false.

    Olojede, who expressed surprise at the claim, said there was never any such meeting with the governor where salary cut was discussed.

    Warning the government to desist from any step that would cause disaffection between it and the workers, the NLC chairman wondered how the labour would enter into an agreement with the governor on salary cut at a time the NLC was agitating for salary review.

    His words: “Today, the Oyo State governor featured in a radio programme and informed the public that he held a meeting with labour leaders and that we agreed on salary cut because of the present economic situation and the state’s dwindling resources.

    “The message got to us as a very big surprise because at no time did labour hold a meeting to negotiate with the government on workers’ salary cut.

    “It is true we held a meeting with the government last Monday, but it was convened to discuss the bailout loan, which the Federal Government has released to Oyo State.”

    The NLC boss said the agenda of the meeting, which was attended by the governor, the head of service and other officials, was based on the Federal Government bailout to states and how soon the arrears of workers’ salary would be paid.

    He said: “We went to the government to know how much was it and how it will be spent to clear the arrears of salary. At that meeting, the government told labour that soon, they would access the funds from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and as soon as the fund came, they were prepared to spend the money for the purpose for which it was meant. That is the clearance of allowances, salary and pension arrears.

    “We also agreed at that meeting that since the federal allocation committee held a meeting in Abuja and released allocation to the states, payment of April salary of officers on GL 13 and above should begin immediately, while we await the bailout fund to clear May, June, July and August salary. That was the position at that meeting.

    “It was a big surprise today (yesterday) when the governor said he had discussed with us and we agreed that he should cut workers’ salary. We say no to this and that there is no agreement between us and the governor that workers’ salary should be cut. This is also to inform employers of labour that the last NEC meeting of labour held on August 6 resolved that the law that guides minimum wage allows it to be reviewed after five years of implementation.

    “The minimum wage was approved in 2011. The national headquarters of the NLC is preparing to call for a review of the wage. So if the NLC is agitating for an increase of workers’ salary, why should any government talk of salary cut? To us as labour in the state, this proposal is not acceptable. It is anti-labour, anti-social and unacceptable.”

  • Pay cut for public officers

    All things being equal, a new salary and allowances structure for public officers in the country will come into effect in a matter of weeks now. The new regime which will see to the downward review of the current takings of national assembly members and sundry public officers is dictated by the desire to align them to the nation’s subsisting economic and political realities.

    The Chairman of the Revenue, Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission RMAFC, Mr. Elias Mbam said last week after meeting President Buhari that the new slashed pay structure would be released in September. According to him, “we are presently reviewing the subsisting remuneration package and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today. We expect that before the end of next month it will be ready”

    The disclosure by the RMFAC boss should not come as a surprise. Before now, especially since the coming on stream of the current administration, agitations have been rife for the slashing of the salaries and allowances earned by our law makers. The widely held belief has been that their pay packages were out of tune with subsisting economic realities. And with the slide in the price of oil in the face of the increasing inability of state governments to pay workers’ salaries and allowances, it became obvious that something had to give way.

    There was also this rush to cut salaries by some governors both for themselves and their political appointees. The pressure became such that the commission had little option than to set up a committee for the same purpose which outcome is the reduced salary structure that is expected to be unfolded soon.

    Against this background, there is everything to expect that the new pay structure is a foregone reality. What is still left to conjecture is the percentage of the previous pay that will be affected by the cut. For now, there seems little anybody can do since the commission is constitutionally charged with the fixing of such remunerations. So it is not an issue the national assembly or other public officers have a choice over.

    But beyond the powers of the RMFAC to fix wages, its rationale in arriving at the previous wage structure cannot pass without some scathing remarks. This is because, the very reasons it is offering for the cut have always been there. What had been lacking was a proper understanding of the situation when the previous bloated regime was being approved. Fluctuations in oil price are nothing new as our governments have had to contend with them overtime. Also the changes in patterns of oil production and serious efforts of some advanced countries to find alternatives have never ceased.  So at the time the previous structure was being worked out, such realities should not have escaped a serious regulatory body. After all, in each of our yearly budgets, such changes are usually anticipated and provided for in terms of lower benchmarks. In other words, it is not enough for the commission to raise its hands up with the impression that the fluctuations in oil prices were beyond it when it was fixing the previous regime. If it failed to anticipate such changes, it has itself to blame.

    That such remunerations are being reviewed now is an admission that something was not got right by the commission in its previous undertaking. The current downturn of the economy consequent upon the fall of oil in the international market could be a factor. Persistent outcry from the larger public on what is generally regarded as the outlandish pay of law makers when considered against the living conditions of our people is cited as another reason.

    There is also the body language of the current administration that appears not to admit of financial wastages as another possible reason why the commission had to hasten action in this regard so as not to incur the wrath of the powers that be. All these may have combined in facilitating the new pay regime. The rationale is that the monies that would be saved from the cut would be meaningfully deployed to other sectors of the economy to catalyze development. You cannot fault such an argument, it would seem.

    It is one thing to come out with a reduced pay package for public officers but a different kettle of fish for whatever savings that will accrue from it to make substantial difference in the total funds available to the government. You may well find out that such cuts will have the net effect of further impoverishing the lawmakers and thereby laying them susceptible to dipping their hands into public funds. It is better you are not exposed to good living than after being exposed to good life, the source of sustaining it is suddenly cut off. That may turn out as the unintended outcome of the coming reduction. That is the main issue to watch.

    But then, the salaries and allowances of the lawmakers and other public officers are not the real sources of the wealth some of them are known to be parading about. Much of the illegal monies they make come from unseen sources. And from those unseen sources, a lot of monies do change hands. A lot of smart stealing has been going on in the exercise of oversight functions and may continue unless adequate measures are taken to police such areas. That is in part why you hear of the scramble for juicy committee positions and other strategic assignments. There is nothing juicy about any position except the high prospects they offer for stealing. So we may be arming the legislators to resort to self- help if we come out with a regime of remunerations that they can barely survive on.

    With the wage reduction and plugging of all loopholes for stealing public funds, we may have gone to great lengths to chart a new course for probity and accountability in public offices. But that is not all. We are yet to find answers to the huge security votes at the beckon and call of presidents and governors. Much of the drain in our public coffers is recorded in this area. It is not surprising the high number of former governors that are facing serious charges of financial impropriety. Armed with immunity, they line their insatiable pockets until they are full to the brim. The kind of funds associated with former governors in and out of office has become a serious scandal. Something urgent must be done about the way governors use security votes.

    These are the real issues to worry about. So what difference does any cut in the salaries and allowances of a governor make when he can from under his table spend billions of Naira without a hoot. There may have been some cogent reasons for providing for such votes. But in our own circumstance, such reasons are often exploited for very self-serving ends.

    More importantly, something must be done about the prohibitive cost of running elections in this country. The financial demands on politicians during elections have to be checked. So if we succeed in making the lawmakers live within their means, something must be done to exorcise the idea of demanding money from them by the electorate before exercising their civic obligations. There has to be an overall attitudinal change for the new pay regime to serve its desired purpose.

  • Centenary City, centenary cut

    They touted it as a city to be built on virgin land; a city on the hill, so to say. But not comparable to the holy city of Jerusalem, which the Bible talks about. However, the promoters of the Centenary City had a similar city in mind; a city that will blow our minds and punch a hole in our pockets. In the pockets of those that can afford it, that is.

    The Centenary City was conceived as a monument to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates from which present day Nigeria emerged. It was a lavish celebration on which billions of naira were spent. Then Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim, was at the helm of the planning committee.

    Abuja was virtually locked down for this once in a lifetime ceremony, which started in February, 2014 and ended  in February, 2015. The idea behind the city’s conception may not be bad, but was it done with the purest of motives? This is the question now being asked amid the controversy over the city’s status. The Centenary City is not just a city, but a city within a city carved out of the capital city of Abuja. Some villages were sacked for the city. These are the villages of  Baruwa, Kpaikpai, Gosa, Daiynna, Toge and Ruga.

    Eventhough these communities initially kicked against the acquisition of their land for the project, they later acquiesced after being compensated.  Then Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Bala Mohammed,  also initially reportedly refused to buy into the project, claiming that the city is not captured in the Abuja masterplan. He also later changed his mind and signed the certificate of occupancy (C of O) following orders from above. Whether it was done on orders from above or not, the time for asking questions is here. And those behind the project are afraid that they may be called upon to give account.

    Questions could not be asked in the past because we were under a government of anything goes. Former President Goodluck Jonathan was and still is a happy, jolly fellow, who did not want anything to disrupt the good life he was having in government.  He allowed his lieutenants a free hand to do whatever they liked as long as his own interest was not affected. And some of these lieutenants used his name to perpetrate evil under the guise of working in the national interest.  To rebuild the nation, we must probe the sordid deeds of the past to deter our future leaders. Otherwise, we will continue to move around in circles – all movement and motion.  But they would have none of such probe; they want us as a people to pretend as if nothing went amiss under their watch. We know that a lot went wrong under Jonathan. The former president also know that many things went wrong under him, but he did not have, as they say, the liver to act.

    With the Buhari administration determined to clean the Augean stable, these yesterday men have been running to the Abdulsalami Abubakar-led peace committee to help save their necks. The panel’s brief, I beg to say, does not include interfering in the due process of getting past public officers to account for their stewardship. The panel has done its best by getting President Muhammadu Buhari and former President Jonathan to accept the outcome of the March 28 election. It should not see this selfless service as a licence to dictate to the Buhari administration how to run the country. The panel has no hold over Buhari because it brokered peace between him Jonathan before the poll. If the government has decided to probe Jonathan, so be it.

    Didn’t Jonathan tell the world before leaving office that he was not afraid of being probed? His plea, however, was that the probe should be extended to the governments before his. That was only a suggestion, which the present government can either accept or reject. His suggestion is not binding on Buhari. If Jonathan is so much interested in the probe of the governments before his, why didn’t he initiate it? He should not use this as a ploy to accuse the Buhari administration of witch hunting him. Why should the government do that? He needs not be afraid if his hands are clean.

    The truth is there was nothing clean about the Jonathan administration and this is why those who served in it are jittery about being probed. No amount of blackmail should stop the Buhari administration from going ahead with the exercise. One of the projects that should be looked into is the Centenary City. Was due process followed in the acquisition of the vast land for the project? Were the displaced villagers duly compensated? How did it acquire its free zone status when it is not purely a commercial venture? Are such projects worldwide given such status? How do they acquire it? The project looks good on paper, but deep down it smells of a scam. Like everything Nigerian, some people have used it to con us. They have made a cut from the project and will still make more, if the government does not act fast to stop them.

    There is something fishy about the Centenary City. If not, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Vice Chairman, Southsouth Cairo Ojougboh will not be crying foul. To Ojougboh,  the Centenary City, which is expected to be completed in 10 years, is a scam. Why? He submits : “It is an elaborate scheme cunningly conceived to defraud the government and the good people of Nigeria”. Ojougboh should know because he was Nigeria Export Processing Zone Authority (NEPZA) Chairman when the city acquired its free zone status. Could the Centenary City have got that status without the NEPZA chairman’s knowledge? That is impossible except if it was done behind his back. If this is so, those who did it should answer for their actions.

    Ojougboh, who is enraged that Anyim has taken him to court over the  matter and also organised a protest, which he calls ‘’a show of shame’’ against him,  insists that the project is “crime personified” because its C of O was obtained under false pretence. He adds that it was cunningly contrived to look like a public private partnership (PPP) management. The city, he maintains, was also “cunningly incorporated as a free zone without any authority whatsoever to do so. It is public knowledge that the only agency with the authority to designate any area as a free trade zone is NEPZA, where I served the nation as chairman. It is, therefore, inevitable that being a man of conscience, who would have no traffic with impunity or corruption, I would reveal this scam to the authorities and the general public.

    “The Centenary City is indeed a project devised to trick the authorities into giving a huge chunk of land to one man under the guise of PPP”. What do those asking the present government to let sleeping dogs lie say of these allegations? Swept under the carpet? Is that what will ensure that the peace we now enjoy endure? No, it will rather shatter it because where there is no justice, there can be no peace. If we want peace, we should embrace justice first. Otherwise, what we will have, will be peace of the graveyard.

    As for me, I cannot wait for Ojougboh to make good his promise to initiate “legal proceedings by way of sending petitions to the appropriate authorities as regards this issue”. It is only those whose hands are not clean that will be afraid of the impending probe of the past government, an exercise which many Nigerians are eagerly waiting for. Heavens will not fall over this probe whether some people like it or not.