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Tag: David Mark

  • Presidency, Assembly not in supremacy battle, says Jonathan, Mark

    President Goodluck Jonathan and Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday canvassed stronger collaboration between the Executive and Legislature in the country

    Jonathan and Mark underscored the fact that the Executive and Legislative arms of government are not in any supremacy battle as erroneously assumed in some quarters.

    Both spoke at a two-day conference on Executive-Legislature relations with the theme “Strengthening Executive-Legislature collaboration in governance.”

    The conference was organized by the Office of the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, in Abuja.

    Jonathan who was represented at the event by the Vice President, Arch. Namadi Sambo noted that the conference was part of the effort in the advancement of good governance and development in the country.

    He added that it underscored the need for harmony in political purpose between the Executive and the Legislature.

    While Jonathan insisted that the executive and legislature are not in competition or in a battle for supremacy, Mark on his part said that there is no competition between the two arms of government.

    Mark emphasized that both arms of government are on the same wavelength, the only difference being that sometimes, they view things from different perspectives.

    He said that it is the minor difference that sometimes gives the impression that there is friction.

    But the Senate President was quick to add that “this difference is necessary for democracy to survive because if you allow excess power in one direction, we all know the result; there would be tyranny, there would be misuse of power and abuse of power.” 

    Jonathan said that he looked forward to the conference because of its significance in his governance philosophy.

    The President noted that he is a strong believer in consensus building and cordial relationship between difference arms of government.

    The conference, he said, is another avenue to continue to promote the common agenda of transforming the country’s political, economic and social progress.

    He noted that it is generally agreed that no perfect form of government exists for now, saying however that “there is no better alternative to democracy where people are allowed to freely elect their representatives through the ballot which gives democracy clear advantage over other forms of government.”

    He said, “As elected representatives of the people of Nigeria, we hold power in trust for them and we must exercise this power responsibly and to their benefit.

    “Power, I must emphasis, belongs to the people, not to those who the people elect.

    “That is why no matter the form or level of power entrusted in us, we have a duty to put the people first in all that we do.

    “We often talk about the principle of separation of power in order to emphasize that every arm of government is constitutionally independent of one another with accompanying concept of check and balances as required by the presidential system of government.

    “My understanding is that while separation of power means every arm of government operates independently, checks and balances implies that the three arms of government are interdependent, they need one another to function optimally.

    It is not about subjugation or subordinating one arm to the other. Rather, it is about being partners in progress.”

    Jonathan noted it is gratifying that in a few years of the country’s democratic practice, Executive-Legislature relationship has made appreciable progress.

    Though he recognized that there had been sour times and challenges he said the level of understanding, maturity and cooperation has certainly been on the rise.”

    “I note that the relationship thrives when complementary, not when competitive and we just have to improve on this,” he said.

     

     

  • Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate orders investigation into Baga mayhem

    Senate President David Mark on Tuesday directed the Senate Committee on Defence, Police, National Security and Intelligence to investigate the mayhem in Baga, Borno during a military face-off.

    Mark gave the directive following a point of order raised by Sen. Maina Lawan (ANPP-Borno) on the mayhem in Baga.

    More than 180 persons had been reportedly killed and hundreds of houses destroyed in Baga town during an assault between the military and insurgents in the area.

    The senate president said that the Senate would not apportion blame yet on who was responsible for the death of several civilians during the assault.

    “The number of people who are being named to have been killed regardless of who did it is totally unacceptable, that number is just too much.

    “Just as Sen. Magoro and Salihu will say fighting in built up area is a very difficult operation.

    “That notwithstanding, there must be standard rules of engagement and those rules of engagement will not include mass killings or extra judicial killing of any form.

    “But I do not want any debate on it because there is already a committee that has been set up by the executive to probe it.

    “But we in the legislature will set up a committee to investigate the facts and whether the reports we got are correct or not.

    Mark appealed to those who would appear before the committee to have the courage to come up and testify.

    “The problem is not setting up a committee, it is whether people will come and give evidence before the committee but I urge Nigerians who know the facts to appear before this committee,’’ he said.

    Mark gave the joint committee two weeks to report back to the Senate and later invited the legislators to observe a minute silence in honour of the victims of the attack.

    Earlier, Sen. Lawan described the level of destruction in his senatorial zone as “outrageous’’ and warned of ongoing humanitarian crisis in the area.

    He demanded full-scale investigation into the incident in Baga community and called on concerned agencies of government and individuals to come to the aid of the surviving citizens.

    “My zone the Borno North Senatorial district is today a no-go area for normal operations of government, be it business or social.

    “In particular, I wish to draw attention to several national dailies in the last three or four days and very wide an extensive coverage of all the international electronic media.

    “These news items are largely true and still coming closer home, my hometown of Baga is today in total ruins with 180 to 200 human lives lost and numerous others unaccounted for.

    “More than 2,000 homes destroyed, 62 cars and 284 motor cycles and tonnes of food stuff destroyed.’’ he said.

    Lawan continued: “At this stage I would not want to enmesh in the blame game on whether it is the multinational joint task force or the JTF or the insurgents that carried out the atrocities.

    “But it appears the killings bear the hallmark of Odi (killings), however whoever did it, that level of atrocity is outrageous, unacceptable and condemnable in any civilised society even in societies at war,’’ he said.

    Lawan also thanked President Goodluck Jonathan for setting-up the amnesty committee toward resolving the insurgency in the northern part of the country.

    He however advised that “the ultimate solution to this urgency is a genuine dialogue that must necessarily address the immediate and remote underlining causes of the insurgency.

    “Two years ago, I said on the floor of this Senate that boots and bullets cannot solve the problem, let’s put our thinking caps on and take advantage of this amnesty initiative and face the problem headlong,’’ he said.

  • Should oil theft attract death penalty

    Should oil theft attract death penalty

    While inaugurating the Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill, Senate President David Mark suggested death penalty for oil thieves and pipeline vandals. But some lawyers believe that capital punishment will not solve the problem, just as it has not solved armed robbery. For them, the existing laws should be enforced, Precious Igbonwelundu reports.

    Senate President David Mark has called for the death penalty for oil thieves and illegal bunkerers to stem pipeline vandalism.

    He spoke while inaugurating the Senate Joint Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), noting that capital punishment was most suitable for oil thieves who have made the country lose so much revenue.

    The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has, on various occasions, released statistics showing the havoc the vandals cause.

    A report said between August and October 2012, the NNPC System 2B pipeline transporting petroleum products recorded 774 break points from Atlas Cove to Ilorin.

    The report said there were 118 break points to Mosimi; 421 ruptured points from Mosimi to Ibadan; 50 vandalised points from Mosimi to Ore and 122 break points between Ibadan and Ilorin.

    The effect is that conveying petroleum products across the over 5,000km of vast network of pipelines has become a nightmare.

    The attendant dangers has not stopped the perpetrators. There have been a series of pipeline explosions that have claimed hundreds of lives and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.

    In May 2006, about 150 people died at Abagbo Village, Eti-Osa Local Government Area (LGA), while scooping petrol from a vandalised pipeline.

    Forty- three others were given mass burial in the same area in 2007, as a result of pipeline explosion caused by vandals.

    Similarly, scores of Nigerians, including women, children and the aged, were reportedly killed in different explosions, while scooping fuel from a vandalized pipeline in Arepo.

    In its quest to address the menace, the Federal Government has constituted a taskforce on petroleum monitoring which includes men of the Armed Forces, the Police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), to guard pipeline areas and arrest illegal bunkerers and vandals. But this seemed not to have yielded much fruits as the illegal activities increase daily with the perpetrators getting deadlier.

    The security agencies have also been accused of conniving with the vandals to steal oil. Where vandals have been arrested, no one has ever heard of a successful prosecution or conviction of the criminals to serve as deterrent to others.

    This is despite the fact that Chapter 353 of the Laws of the Federation, 1990, provides for a maximum of 21 years in prison for anyone convicted of pipeline vandalisation or oil theft.

    There is also the Petroleum Production and Distribution (PDD) (Anti-Sabotage) Act of 1975. Could it be that these laws are not stringent enough? Will death penalty stem vandalisation of pipelines?

    Lawyers, who spoke on the issue, noted that such vices are the least of Nigeria’s challenges. They called on the legislator to rather make corruption a capital offence. They accused the government of insensitivity to the plight of the citizens, which has left vulnerable and unemployed youths with no other option than to fend for themselves.

    Although they described pipeline vandalisation as a heinous economic crime that deserves stringent sanctions for offenders, the lawyers blamed the government for non-enforcement of existing laws on economic sabotage.

    They differed on the recommendation of death sentence for oil thieves and vandals by Mark. Some of them maintained that such laws were already in existence but underutilised.

    Those who spoke on the issue included Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Norrison Quakers; constitutional lawyer Dr. Fred Agbaje; Lagos based lawyers Dr. Frederick Banjoko and Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa and Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch, Sahid Owosile.

    Quakers said the statement accredited to the Senate President was “borne out of emotion and concern for the plundering of our common wealth as a nation and as a people”, just as he noted that death penalty will not address the problem.

    ‘‘Many Nigerians at the top echelon of the military, government and private individuals are involved in plundering our common wealth with impunity, bearing in mind that the various laws in the petroleum sub-sector such as: The Petroleum Act 1969; Oil Pipeline Act 1956; Oil & Gas Pipelines Regulations 1995, among others, regrettably, do not provide or carry heavy penal sanctions.

    ‘‘Section 4(1) of the Petroleum Act Cap P10 1969, says a person must obtain licence from the Minister to sell, store or distribute any petroleum product in the country. Then 4(6) went further to provide a penalty upon conviction, of two years in prison or a fine of N2,000 or both as well as the forfeiture of the petroleum products in respect of which the offence was committed. The same thing applies for Section 13(2)(b)(iv) of the Petroleum Act, which provides a fine not exceeding N2, 000 for any person who acts without the appropriate licence.

    “Section 26 of the Oil &Gas Pipeline Regulations, 1995, provides for the punishment for any person who contravenes the regulation on pipeline building. Such an offender will be liable upon conviction to a fine up to N500, 000 or imprisonment for a term of six months or to both fine and imprisonment.”

    Quakers said the provisions of Sections 4, 6 and 13 of the Petroleum Act, 1969, were not strict enough and adequate to tackle oil bunkering and pipeline vandalisation compared to the higher sanction for failure to build a pipeline in line with the laid down regulation as provided for in Section 26 of the Oil & Gas Pipeline Regulations.

    “Although there have been talks from all sides that death penalty should be imposed on offenders involved in bunkering and vandalism, I am of the view that such provision would not deter the offenders from continuing with these acts. I agree to an extent that stricter punishments should be meted out such as life imprisonment and forfeiture of wealth amassed or acquired from illegal bunkering activities, if the government will be courageous enough to stamp its authority in imposing stricter sanctions on persons found liable regardless of how highly placed they are.

    “The thought of being locked up for a long time in the prison should help in curbing pipeline vandalism. Proactively, proper surveillance machinery should be put in place and monitors connected to a central computer system should be used in detecting any leakage or bust on any of the pipelines in the country. Once this is in place, any form of tampering will be immediately and easily detected and proper actions taken to prevent the destruction from escalating to a disaster.

    “Pipeline vandalisation and oil bunkering are also financial crimes because they rob the state of its resources. They should be treated as economic crimes and the Economic and Finance Crimes Commission (EFCC) by its enabling Act is empowered to investigate and prosecute before courts of competent jurisdiction such persons or offenders.

    “As we have always maintained, there are enough laws covering the field, and as a country we must never appear to be helpless if only our enforcement and prosecutorial agencies will step up to their responsibilities in the face of clear and unambiguous enabling legislations which can be deployed conjunctively in stemming the tide of illegal bunkering which has also encouraged foreign participation,’’ Quakers said.

    Agbaje noted that the Senate President in the recommendation said nothing new. He added that there was a legislation under the Laws of the Federation, 1990, that provides for death penalty or a prison term of not more than 21 years for pipeline vandals.

    He blamed the government for the under utilisation of the PPD (Anti-Sabotage) Act of 1975, blaming the connivance of the various agencies as well as the lack of political will by the government for the upsurge in vandalism.

    ‘‘With due respect to the Senate President, he has not said anything new by recommending capital punishment for oil thieves and pipeline vandals. What he said is in consonance with what the PPD Act says. So, it was an oversight for him to repeat what has been provided for in the law.

    ‘‘His recommendation is borne out of verbosity. In as much as he has reminded Nigerians that oil thieves constitute economic sabotage and deserve the heaviest capital punishment, he must also be reminded that we also need death penalty for looters of treasury, particularly political office holders and top civil servants, who have nothing else to do but loot us dry. And such death penalty must start now.

    ‘‘That is the only way the recommendation of the Senate President can be meaningful to average Nigerians. As far as I am concerned, the law is adequate. I am in total agreement with that law because the activities of these vandals, who are highly connected, are affecting our general interest.

    ‘‘My worry is not with the law but its under utilisation. If the provision of the PPD Act has been followed, with one or two people convicted and executed, others would have learnt their lessons.

    ‘‘But the government has not shown any activism towards the fullest implementation of the petroleum laws. In spite of the series of pipeline vandalisations and arrests of suspects, how many convictions have been secured?’’ He queried.

    According to Agbaje, the government has been engaged in media ground standing as against effective prosecution of vandals. He said because there is a liturgy by the government as well as a growing connivance between suspects and the relevant agencies that is why pipeline vandalism has thrived.

    “An example is what happened recently at Ikorodu, where members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) allegedly arrested some vandals, only for the police to go there and kill NSCDC men and by so doing, freed the vandals.

    “Government must show seriousness in the arrest and prosecution of oil thieves including the very highly placed ones. I agree that most judges may not want to deliver death sentences on criminals when they have alternative options, but even 21 years in prison as provided by the PDD Act is enough punishment for anyone convicted of the offence,” Agbaje said.

    To Banjoko, there is no aversion to such a proposal if it is intended to discourage the growing dangerous practice which has caused havoc to the nation’s resources. He noted that the penalty for such crime is death in the country’s statute.

    He said: ‘‘I do not know if such crime does not already attract death sentence in the nation’s statute. It amounts to economic sabotage, and I believe it should attract capital punishment. Honestly people should be discouraged from acts capable of crippling the nation’s economy.

    ‘‘The state should also learn from this that it arises from an aversion to the current unjust distribution pattern of the national wealth. Today, the few in the corridor of power enjoy the national wealth more than the rest of us outside. There should be a change of tactics. Corruption in public space should be tackled.

    ‘‘Mark and others, who have been in the corridor of power for decades, should be ashamed that fraud and corruption are still common among public office holders.

    ‘‘Mark and others should know that laws, on their own, do not effect necessary changes, but the willingness of the people to appreciate the justice behind the law.

    ‘‘The Senate President and others cannot continue to enjoy the benefit of a system that shut the poor majority out from benefiting from the national wealth and yet want them to be subjugated by mere enactment of laws.

    ‘‘What I am saying is that politicians and public officers should change from their greedy and kleptomanic nature. It is only then that we can begin to agree that those who seek to help themselves to the national wealth through any means, illegal bunkering inclusive, are truly enemies of the state, and hence should be classified as economic saboteurs,’’ Banjoko added.

    Owosile described the recommendation as taking the country backward. He insisted that the problem was not the existing laws but the enforcement of such laws. The NBA chairman disagreed with the death penalty recommendation, noting that it won’t yield positive result.

    ‘‘It is like going back in time. Let us appreciate one thing, Law is culture. In our own society, our morality surpasses our legality. That is why, often times, when punishment is too high, the deterrence expected does not come because nobody wants anybody to die.

    ‘’At the end of the day, it won’t work. We have gone past the period of death sentence. You remember the case of Bartholomew Owoh and the rest of them in 1984. That incidence was a big smear on the administration of General Muhammed Buhari and General Tunde Idiagbon because at that time it was military fiat and they exercised their fiat to kill those people, which backfired.

    ‘‘Why should anybody take us to that level again? It is not fair. It is not proper. The world is shifting from absolute deterrence to subtle jail term. So how can we go back to death sentence? And all these talk about subsidy fraud, they are not sincere about them, they are not at all. The laws that are existing; how have they enforced those ones before talking about death sentence? I do not agree with them at all,’’ he said.

    Adegboruwa said death penalty in any part of the world can never be deterrence to criminal activities. ‘‘In Nigeria today, offences like murder, armed robbery, coup, or mutiny carry death penalty, but till date, armed robbery is on the increase. Abating oil theft is not a matter for sentences and convictions. Those involved in illegal oil bunkering are mostly beyond the law because they are highly placed.

    ‘‘Empty legislations will not curb incidence of illegal oil bunkering, unless there is the will power by the government to clamp down on the powerful oil thieves. The remedy to a crime of such nature would be to strengthen existing institutions, such as the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the Nigerian Navy, to monitor and regulate bunkering.

    “It is common knowledge that most of these big oil thieves utilise the proceeds of their illegal acts to even fund campaigns and elections of some political big-wigs. So, the fight should begin from empowering the requisite institutions, which will in turn put up resistance to the activities of these dubious Nigerians. Their duties must, however, be carried out without interference,” Adegboruwa said.

     

  • David Mark at 65: Still marching  on

    David Mark at 65: Still marching  on

    Perhaps George Bernard Shaw was right when he wrote about life to wit; “this is true joy in life; the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy . I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die for the harder I work, the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no ‘brief candle’ to me . It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations”.

    George did not have Nigerian Senate President, David Mark, in mind when he made the above observation about life, but x-raying the life of service, sacrifice and commitment to the ideals of nation hood of the latter, he unarguably fits into the description . For David Mark, life represents  the totality of the value he has been able to add to his family, his community, and  the nation at large.It is in living life to the fullest, not for the sole benefit of the self but to the larger advantage of the many.

    On April 8, 2013, Senator Mark will reach the milestone of 65 years on earth. He would have reached the rank of statesman per excellence.

    Born in the nondescript and sleepy village of  Akpegede in Local Government Area of Benue State in the 1948, Mark seems to have been destined for the top. After completing his primary school at St. Francis Catholic Practicing School, Otukpo, Mark proceeded to the prestigious Nigerian Military School, Zaria, where he laid the foundation for what turned out to become an eventful and indeed accomplished career in the military.  After graduation from the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Zaria, Mark’s professional skills in the military were further sharpened in some of the most elite military training institutes in Europe, Asia and America. What began as a childhood fancy to appear in crisp military camouflages turned out to become a fulfilling career where Mark’s leadership credentials stood as an invaluable asset to all formations that he had the privilege to serve, not the least of which was as Military governor of Niger state and later, Communications Minister.

    But whatever exploits Mark achieved during his sojourn in the military pales to insignificance compared to his remarkable stewardship on the political turf. Agreed, battles fought in military combat can be ferocious and deadly. Yet they appear simpler when compared to political battles. In the former, the battle lines are fairly clear and the enemy is more often than not, known. For the latter, the enemy is more often than not, the seemingly innocent neighbour next door, the apparent political ally or the ubiquitous godfather. Here there are no battle lines, no clear enemies and the theatres of war are so fluid as to be indistinguishable. It goes without saying therefore that political battles are more difficult to prosecute, and far less easy to win. It is against this backdrop that we can safely say that winning political wars demands much more than brawns and the quality and quantity of the arsenal in the armory.  It demands a lot of political savvy, prime amongst which is the ability to command followership. And this is where David Mark’s leadership credentials have buffeted the grand posturing of his political opponents and traducers.

    When Mark, on the return of democracy in 1999 decided to try his hand in partisan politics, many looked upon him as just another ex-military man seeking to satisfy yet another craving for power and relevance. But as we would suddenly realise, here was a man whose heart was out there with the people, the common men and women in the streets. Mark had no illusions about the toughness of the task he was about to undertake, but his eyes were trained on the objective-to first win the people’s hearts, then votes; which comes with a huge opportunity and privilege to represent his Benue  South Senatorial District in the senate. This, again for Mark was just a means to an end-the opportunity to serve and add value to the lives of his constituents.

    The rest, as the old saying goes, is now history. Mark contested the election and won a seat to the senate in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011. Expectedly and characteristics of politics in our clime, virtually  the elections were acrimonious, bitterly fought and won, to state it mildly. To be sure, they were those who felt that going into the senate, or any political office for that matter was “a turn-by-turn” arrangement, where people “will come and chop”, as we say in local parlance in this part of the world, and give way for others. That is why even when his opponents were trounced resoundingly at the polls, they thought victory and the peoples’ mandate could be secured through the back door- the law courts.

    But Mark had a dream, a vision and mission in the National Assembly- to redefine the parameters of leadership where service to the people is the cornerstone. It is this new vision of leadership that Mark espoused in his first two terms in the senate, ‘marking’ him out as one of the most outstanding lawmakers of the 4th and 5th senate. It therefore left little to the imagination, when in 2007; Mark contested and received the overwhelming mandate of his colleagues to lead the senate as its president in an open, transparent and democratic process. That election was significant in several respects, not least of which was the rebirth of true democracy in the senate.

    That was the first time in a long while that the leadership of either House of the national legislature emerged through a democratic process. There is the tendency to miss the huge significance of that epochal event, but it bears mentioning that the sanity, stability and the now entrenched democratic culture prevailing in the senate today is a direct result of that seemingly innocuous democratic exercise. And we must never miss the point, again that David Mark was, and remains the symbol of that transformation. If our memory does not fail us, we would recall the chicanery that was the hallmark of legislative practices and procedures pre-David Mark’s ascendancy to the leadership of the Red Chamber of the National Assembly. It therefore speaks loudly to the astute leadership qualities of the senate president that the several hurricanes and tsunamis that use to sweep with profound regularity in the upper chamber, and had brought to a premature end to the vaunting proclivities of many a senate president have become a welcome bygone since Mark assumed office in 2007.

    As senate president, David Mark has always pursued the pan-Nigeria agenda. The senate under his leadership has earned a reputation for itself for standing up for the ordinary citizen on the street through the passage of laws and motions that aim to improve the material condition of their existence and stabilize the polity. In this wise, two critical interventions of the senate at a time of grave national peril bear some mentioning- the  invocation of the Doctrine of Necessity in the wee hours of the late Yar’Adua presidency to rescue Nigeria from the abyss and the mediatory role it played during the conflagration spurned by the fuel subsidy removal earlier in 2011. In a country so used to holding the national legislature to blame for all manner of ills plaguing the nation, the role of the Senate in the situations under reference was not only a welcome and most desirable breathe of fresh air, but more poignantly gave strong indication that we are not doomed after all. No one can quite reasonably argue that the resolution of those epochal crises were a mere happenstance. To the contrary, the strong leadership provided by the senate president during those trying periods played more than significant role in the final outcome of those events.

    As Mark turns 65 today, our only hope and prayer is that the Almighty God continues to endow him with the needed strength and wisdom to carry to logical conclusion at the end of his term, the radical transformation and evolution that the 6th and 7th senate has come to witness under him. Needless to add that all the accolades and recognitions that are daily being bestowed on the president of the senate are well deserved. But more poignantly, there are a call to  spur him  for  further dedication and selfless service to our  fatherland in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

    * Paul is a media aide to the Senate President, David Mark

  • Patience Jonathan’s thanksgiving service

    Patience Jonathan’s thanksgiving service

  • Jonathan to miss AFCON final

    Jonathan to miss AFCON final

    President Goodluck Jonathan will not be available live in South Africa to cheer the Super Eagles when the team takes on Burkina Faso in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations on Sunday.

    Instead, the president will send a delegation to represent him in Johannesburg, South Africa, for the epic soccer duel, futaa.com reports.

    The president had promised the players and officials of the Super Eagles that he would be in South Africa if they qualified for the finals of the tournament, but that is not to be anymore.

    This was confirmed by the Presidential Spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, who tweeted that the president will be in London and Paris for other official engagements, but has sent representatives to cheer on the team.

    Abati also revealed that members of the Super Eagles will be hosted to a dinner reception on February 12 in Abuja.

    He wrote: President Jonathan sends high-powered delegation to South Africa to support the Super Eagles ahead of AFCON final on Sunday.

    “The delegation that will be led by Senate President David Mark includes Governors Peter Obi and Isa Yuguda of Anambra and Bauchi States, Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade, Ambassador Bashir Yuguda and Prof. V. Onwuliri.

    “President Jonathan due to official commitments in London and Paris will not be in Johannesburg to lead cheering for Super Eagles as he would have wished.

    “He has charged the delegation to ensure the Super Eagles are properly motivated and in best possible spirits to record a resounding victory on Sunday.

    The President will host the team to a dinner reception on Tuesday, February 12 at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja by 7 pm.”

     

     

  • Corporate manslaughter bill divides Senate

    The Senate was yesterday divided on a bill to make corporate bodies culpable for their willful acts of negligence or dereliction of duty, which lead to the death of a person.

    The bill, entitled: ‘A Bill for an Act to make provisions for the offence of corporate manslaughter’, was sponsored by Senator Akpor Pius Ewherido (Delta Central).

    It seeks to create offences of corporate manslaughter to make corporate bodies, entities and agencies culpable for their acts of negligence, dereliction of duty and or gross incompetence, which lead to the death of a person.

    The bill also makes provision for accessory to corporate manslaughter for persons, who, while working with corporate agencies, fail negligently to perform and or sabotage their employers, which results in any event causing the death of a person.

    Ewherido noted that it is his contention that the provisions of the bill fall within the definition of killing in Section 308 of the Criminal Code, which provides that: “Except as hereinafter set forth, any person who causes the death of another directly or indirectly by any means whatsoever, is deemed to have killed that other person.”

    He argued that the provision of sections 316 and 317, which created the offences of murder and manslaughter relevant to Section 308, only addressed one arm of the definition of killing in the section.

  • QUOTES OF THE DAY

    QUOTES OF THE DAY

    QUOTES OF THE DAY, OCTOBER 12, 2012

    Everybody has gone on training. It has never happened in five years. The mood here is very sad, and those at the board meeting are running away from everybody, so we don’t really know what went wrong.

    Anonymous Keynote Bank staff on the resignation of the Managing Director of the bank, Oti Ikomi.

    At the risk of sounding like a broken record, may I re-emphasise that we must pursue attitudinal change concomitantly with constitution review.

    Senate President David Mark on the 1999 Constitution review at a public hearing in Abuja.

    Despite allegations of widespread security force abuses, the Nigerian authorities have rarely held anyone accountable…further solidifying the culture of impunity for violence.

    Human Right Watch on the state of insecurity in Nigeria.

    Since I was born, I have witnessed ocean surge once but nothing can be compared to what we are seeing today…

    Pa Rufus Ignatius, a 70 year old man on the flood that recently ravaged Oguta Lake in Imo State.

    I must say that I was embarrassed by the entire scenario, because my wife does not deserve it. She should not have been abducted for any reason, because she chose to stay with my children in my home town  doing her legitimate business to support me at the home front. So, if she was kidnapped to get at me, she does not deserve it.

    -Najeem Salaam, Osun State House of Assembly Speaker on his wife’s abduction in Ejigbo, Osun State.

     

  • Nigeria a failed state: Mark disagrees with Chukwumerije

    Nigeria a failed state: Mark disagrees with Chukwumerije

    Senate President, Senator David Mark on Tuesday sharply disagreed with Senator Uche Chukwumerije over the latter’s assertion that Nigeria is a failed state.

    Mark noted that contrary to Chukwumerije’s declaration the country has a lot of things to be proud of.

    Chukwumerije had in his contribution to a motion entitled “Congratulations to Nigeria and Nigerians on her 52nd Independent Anniversary” described Nigeria as a either a failed state or on the verge of failure.

    The motion was sponsored by Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East) and 108 others.

    Enang said in his lead debate that the Senate should noted that on Monday, October 1, Nigeria marked her 52nd Independence Anniversary, having attained Independence from Britain on October 1, 1960.

    He further noted that “steadily and gradually in Nigeria , the nation is developing its domestic production capacity as an Independent nation”.

    He urged the Senate to resolve to congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan and the people of Nigeria on the 52nd Independence anniversary of Nigeria .

    In his contribution Chwukwumerije said: “I want to draw attention to the scanty way the mover of the motion summarized the achievements of the nation before moving on to congratulations.

    “That scanty way in itself says a lot.

    “In three dry sentences he summarized what he saw as Nigeria ’s achievements. In saying that I want to draw attention to what we can say in a more blunt way.

    “Before putting it in a more blunt way let me first refer to the very first speaker here, Senator Abaribe (Enyinnaya) who used the analogy of a human being who is 52 years old and gave the impression of someone that has gone beyond even maturity.

    “But I think he is being very generous to Nigeria . To make my point on this I want to draw the attention of my colleagues to a general view of international affairs.

    “In Turkey , it took General Atatuk only 21 years to transform Turkey from a feudal state to highly modernized state that has remained till today.

    “South-East Asia countries, it took them 30 years to move from undeveloped ex-British colonies to what they are today, Asia Tigers.

    “One of them took our own palm produce and turned it into an export market.

    “It took South Korea 18 years to move from a very dependent country to one of the world’s top today.

    “It took China exactly 48 years to move from a slum status derided by the West as the begging bowl of Asia to a super power.

    “Taking the development of this country into considering for the last 52 years, you will come to understand why I said the first speaker was being very generous when he compared us with a 52 year old human being.

    “If a country that took ordinary palm nuts from us some years back has turned it into its main export product, how will you describe the country from which it was taken that is today importing all those things.

    “I can only describe that country in one word: that Nigeria is either a failed state or on the verge of being a failed state.

    “You will agree with me that a country that cannot meet the basic expectations of her people has failed in every way in meeting the basis of a social contract.

    “So we must start therefore by accepting that objective reality that as of today Nigeria is a failed state or nearly a failed state.

    “But it has tremendous potential to move to something. I believe that Nigeria is a sleeping giant.

    “All the vital signals around the corporate body politics of Nigeria indicate that Nigeria is going to move into the top of regional power in Africa and a formidable regional power in the world.

    “I therefore say that as we are moving towards that we have to be able to look back as they say in African proverb and ask ourselves from where the rain started beating us in order to be able to correct ourselves to be able to realize the fullness of this potential ahead of us.

    “I just want to draw attention to two issues. One: I don’t know of any country in the world that moves forward by following a path that leads to mediocrity and failure.

    “A country that has to move forward must aim at excellence, aim at healthy competition.

    “I think one of the greatest difficulties facing this country, one of the greatest anti-growth handicaps facing this country is what we call Federal Character and the second thing is the issue of corruption.”

    But Mark disagreed completely with Chukwumerije.

    The Senate President noted that rather than describe the country as a failed state, Nigerians should congratulate themselves for still being one united nation “that one alone is an achievement.”

    He said, “There is no gain saying that we are not where we would love to be, certainly, we are not there but that is not to say that we have not made progress at all.

    “We have made some considerable achievement and for that, we need to show gratitude to God.

    “We need to pray and work, not just pray, prayer alone will not solve the problem we need to combine both of them.

    “More than anything else, we need the political will to take our policies to logical conclusions either at the executive level or legislative level, whether it is at the federal, state or local government levels.

    “Unless we are determined to politically pursue the decision we have taken that are of benefit to this country, we will still be where we are in another 20, 30 years because the political will is lacking in so many areas.

    “I do not agree that Nigeria is a failed state; we are not on the way to being a failed state either.

    “We may not have done well but to say we are a failed state is going the extreme of it and I disagree completely with that in my candid opinion.

    “We have challenges, there is no doubt about that but I believe that with political will, we will meet those challenges.

    “It is at every level. Most times, when we are going on the road and there is traffic, people will drive by the foot path, is that a failure of leadership?

    “Every Nigerian has something to do. When people do the wrong thing and they are not caught and dealt with according to the law, they continue to do it.

    “At every level, we must know that we have leadership role to play.

    “When things begin to go wrong, we must have the courage to speak out before it gets too far.” Mark stated.

     

     

  • Fed Govt to scrap agencies next year

    Fed Govt to scrap agencies next year

    •Fuel subsidy scheme to be restructured

    Some federal agencies will go next year, it was learnt yesterday. The Federal Government has also initiated steps to streamline the management of the subsidy scheme in the next fiscal year.

    This is contained in the 2013-2015 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy paper submitted to the Senate by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The government’s fiscal policy was read by Senate President David Mark, on the floor of the Senate yesterday.

    It said pursuant to sections 13, 12 and 11 of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, the preparation towards submission of the 2013 Budget to the National Assembly has begun with activities leading to the preparation of the 2013-2015 MTEF and Fiscal Strategy paper.

    On the scraping of agencies, it said reduction in the size of government would be achieved through stricter rationalisation of available resources, including sustaining the reduction of overhead votes.

    The MTEF said in furtherance of the reform agenda, the Federal Government would also “rationalise the large number of agencies based on the recommendations of the Oronsaye Committee.”

    The MTEF said the figure for overhead decreased from N536 billion in 2010 to N266 billion in 2012.

    It said overhead expenditure is expected to reduce in 2013 to N230 billion or 4.67 per cent of total expenditure.

    The paper said: “In addition, other measures that are being implemented including deferring the procurement of administrative capital: the establishment of a Treasury Single Account (TSA) to manage cash balances better, reduce corruption as well as inefficiency in allocation of resources.

    “Government has also introduced the Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS) to make the process of budget preparation and execution more efficient and transparent.”

    It said that the focus of government will continue to be on completing ongoing projects, particularly those with high rate of return.

    On fuel subsidy, it said that in the light of the huge amount paid on petroleum subsidy last year, the Federal Government has initiated steps to streamline the management of the subsidy scheme.

    The restructuring, it said, will include strengthening the audit and verification process to improve its governance, transparency and accountability.

    It said these are expected to yield full results next year, while the Subsidy Re-investment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P.) instrument will continue to be used as an intervention window to mitigate the impact of the partial subsidy removal.

    The document said as “government continues consultations regarding future policy on subsidy, some amount is being provided for petroleum product subsidy in the 2013 budget.”

    It said in recent times, the recurrent expenditure profile has tended to crowd out capital expenditure.

    The increase, it said, can be attributed largely to the rising personnel cost resulting from the increases awarded to civil servants, medical personnel and Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) staff since the 2009, as well as the implementation of the Minimum Wage Act 2011.

    It described the personnel cost increase as a sensitive issue saying only a holistic approach can generate a viable and sustainable solution.

    It said that the diversification of the economy is a critical objective of government “as our over-reliance on oil revenue has hampered the growth of the non-oil segment of the economy.”

    On debt profile, it said that as at June 2012, the total external debt stock stood at $6.0 billion.

    The Federal Government share of the debt, it said, was $3.8 billion (63.3%), while the 36 states and FCT accounted for the balance of $2.2 billion (36.7%)

    Similarly, it said that domestic debt for the same period stood at N6.15 trillion, bringing the total debt to N7.11 trillion which is 17.8 per cent of GDP.