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Tag: democracy

  • Group calls for participatory democracy in Bayelsa

    Amb. Sokari Afiesimama, the President of Rescue Nigeria Mandate Mission (RENIM), a socio-political group, has called on the citizens of Bayelsa to ensure participatory democracy during and after Dec. 5 governorship election in the state.

    He said participatory democracy, in which all citizens would be actively involved in all important political decisions, would enhance the expected speedy socio-economic growth in the state.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, he said President Muhammadu Buhari had demonstrated the practice of participatory democracy by presenting credible Nigerians to serve as ministers.

    He also urged the APC political leaders in Bayelsa to ensure broad participation by mobilising the grassroots to win the governorship election.

    Afiesimama, who is also the National Publicity Secretary, Coalition of All Progressives Congress (APC) Support Group, said the coalition, in conjunction with RENIM, had prepared a proposal on youth and women empowerment.

    According to Afiesmama, the coalition will also propose special service scheme to the incoming state government to pay attention to pensioners’ issues.

    “In the proposal, RENIM recommends strengthening of the electoral process, paying attention to the plight of the down-trodden, emphasis on employment generation, security and focus on the Niger Delta region development, among others.

    “We believe that if Chief Timipre Sylva wins the election, he will approve and implement the proposal and it will validate the commitment and loyalty of the youth to him,’’ he said.

  • Expectations, indignation and democracy

    A CNN interview of Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson fired my imagination for this write up. Obviously Carson is no run of the mill candidate just as Donald Trump the front runner of the GOP  to whom Carson  is a close  second is, and  both are not politician. Yet  that has not been a disadvantage as polls show that both are riding on a crest of indignation  by  the US  electorate  against the dismal  performance of politicians in running or ruining the American government or American dreams or both.

    Today  I  recall elements of the Carson interview and ponder his electability as a US presidential  candidate even as I have no iota of doubt on his capability to function effectively if  elected   as a US president judging from his performance from  that same interview. I  will  proceed to compare that  with the high expectations of Nigerians with the Buhari Presidency in the wake of the running battle of legitimacy with the leadership of our senate on the eve of the senatorial confirmation of ministers sent  to the senate. I  will  then look at Russia’s  President Vladmir Putin ‘s  successful foray of returning the world to the era of  Cold War diplomacy with his launching of rockets on ISIS  locations in Syria  from Russian warships  stationed in the Capsian  Sea while the US and EU watch in despair, amazement and sheer diplomatic and military  paralysis.

    I  start with a  brief analysis of the personalities of the world  leaders I have mentioned here as an anchor to my perceptions on the topic of the day. Ben  Carson is a world renown neuro  surgeon, a black man and the first doctor to successfully separate  twins joined at the head.  He  has America’s  highest honor – the Medal  of Freedom and has 15 honorary doctorate degrees to  his credit. He is a  scholar’s delight in terms of academic achievements which  have a great and direct bearing on his articulation of issues and events – which  also  have earned him  respect  generally  but  also envy and indignation from  those who cannot reconcile his color with his great talents and  admirable  sagacity.

    Donald Trump the American property  billionaire and Republican  front runner is an all American  success story but the Republican Party establishment do  not want him as their candidate. But  Trump is brave, brash, articulate and stunningly rich such that he is proving unstoppable for the GOP, which traditionally in the US is the party of the rich.

    Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is of a different mode from  both US Republican presidential  candidates  He  has been elected and  he came to  office with great expectations  from Nigerians on how to sanitise their socio political and economic  environment. His reputation for fearlessness in doing the right thing has  made him the natural and expected  motor to clear away the sickening odor and refuse of corruption that has characterized Nigeria such that an American author wrote a book  titled‘A Culture of Corruption ‘which is about how 419  has become a way of life  in Nigeria.

    Russian President Vladmir Putin on his part has shown that lackadaisical diplomacy cannot be allowed to endanger world peace and security.   He  has stolen the thunder or is it miaowing of the US and EU by  taking up the vacuum of vacillation created  willingly by the US in the Middle East  by backing the Bashar Assad regime  in  Syria militarily to  the consternation of traditional US allies like Saudi Arabia and the wealthy Gulf States like Qatar, Kuwait and Oman.  Putin  has recreated a global  balance of terror 15  months  to the end of the Obama presidency and has made Obama  to look like one of the most impotent lame duck president of contemporary US  history simply  by siding Assad on the excuse of trying to make the world safe by  attacking a common enemy such as ISIS. Putin has used the perfect excuse to return Russia as a world power and his timing and execution has shown that he is a far better master of the pot pourri  of modern diplomacy than those who scoff at his tactics and invoke international  law as if inaction  and blatant dithering and handwringing will ever deter murderous terrorists and religious  militants.

    Let  me  now address the interview that Ben Carson had as  a presidential  candidate on CNN and the expectations of Nigerians  on the Buhari presidency and the spat with the Senate respectively. First  the Ben Carson interview by Wolf was more interested in nailing Carson to what he had said on the campaign trail which were considered controversial. These included his saying that a Muslim cannot  be US president, that Obama is not a black man  or  a Christian and that if  Americans had guns they  would not be killed randomly by gun toting crazy  Americans. His explanations were that he had been quoted out of context and I find his answers quite  illuminating even though the questions were like a mousetrap set to nail his presidential  bid.

    Carson said Islam is a way of life governed by Sharia and that would make it unconstitutional for any American practicing it to be US president unless and until he has renounced it.  He  said he believes Obama  is a black man and that the publisher Rupert Murdoch who said he is not was not a racist. On  Obama being a Christian he said since Obama has said  so he believes him. On  gun ownership Carson wrote in his new book that if Jews had guns in Hitler’s  Germany he would have been deterred from slaughtering 6m Jews in the Holocaust and he[ Carson]  stood by that. He  went  further to elaborate that recent killings in the US have been in gun free zones and advocated a mechanism to be put in place whereby those being attacked can make effort collectively to attack their real or potential killers instead of just mopping or running away.

    To  me Carson’s  explanations make great common sense and are indeed truisms which, expect one wants to be mischievous, can not be said to be controversial  but the US media  has made it so. The reason may be tied to the gay issue because Carson is  Seventh  Day Adventist Christian who  believes marriage should be between a man  and a woman although he respects the rights of gays and lesbians. On  Obama’s blackness Jesse Jackson once apologized for saying that Obama was not the type of Blackman expected to be US president ostensibly because he was raised by his grandmother,   a rich white banker  with Irish ancestry. That  really again was  what Rupert Murdoch was referring to when he said  Obama was not a real black  man and I do not see any racism in that. He was just alluding to Obama’s upbringing and orientation which  have played  a great part in  his presidency which Carson insisted has not benefitted the Blackman in the US in any way.  On  diplomacy  Carson said if elected he would call Russia’s Putin to order and given the US non policy on the Middle East which  he said had given rise  to ISIS I do  not see any controversy in that either.  Whether  Carson wins his party’s  nomination  or  not he has proven that his presidential  bid has clout and that it is quite possible for the US to have a credible and acceptable  blackman  as US president after Obama and that to me is commendable and desirable.

    Let  me round  up with the politics of approval  of the president’s men in our  senate. My  view is that the exercise  is a litmus test of  not only the integrity  of our separation of powers but also the fibre of our fight against  corruption. Certainly  the  Senate  will want to make a meal of the exercise but  Nigerians are  watching and they are not amused because the Senate is not  a soccer pitch to  cheer  goals or  a theatre  of Nollywood. The  ministerial  screening is a serious business and given the manner of the emergence of the Senate leadership, the asset  declaration trial of the Senate president and the police investigation of the senate leadership election rules,  Nigerians are watching to  see how the three issues will affect the screening of ministers. My advise is that the Senate  should do its duty without any  haggling or bargaining  over the three issues  and the Presidency  should stick by its list without any expectation other than a strict screening of its nominees by the Senate. This  is the expectation. of Nigerians otherwise the screening may   be – like Anthony Enahoro said when he proposed  self government for Nigeria –  the beginning of a chain of events the end of which no man knows. Again  long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

  • Africa: ‘Decisive Moment for Democracy’

    WASHINTON, DC — Last May, I shared in an extraordinary moment. I had the privilege, together with many leaders from across Africa, of bearing witness to the first peaceful, democratic transition of power between two parties in Nigeria.

    I traveled to Lagos earlier this year to emphasize that for the United States, Nigeria is an increasingly important strategic partner with a critical role to play in the security and prosperity of the region. I also said that it was imperative that these elections set a new standard for democracy across the continent.

    There is no question that this is a decisive moment for democracy in Africa. Later this month, four countries – Guinea, Tanzania, Côte d’Ivoire, and the Central African Republic – are scheduled to hold presidential elections, and soon after we hope to see elections in Burkina Faso. People across Africa must seize this opportunity to make their voices heard; and leaders across the continent must listen.

    The challenges are real. For decades, poverty, famine, war, and authoritarian leadership have held back an era of African prosperity and stability.

    These and other challenges should not be underestimated, but neither should we ignore the gains that are being made.

    In Africa, as elsewhere, there is a deep hunger for governments that are legitimate, honest, and effective. We should have no doubt that progress in democratic governance will lead to gains in every other field about which we are concerned.

    In Burkina Faso, brave and determined citizens twice asserted their will in successfully opposing efforts to curtail the democratic process: last year, when the former president sought to alter term limits and extend his 27 years in office; and again last month, when Burkinabes rallied against a failed attempt to seize power by elements of the Presidential Security Regiment.

    In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, we have seen citizens speak out, sometimes at great personal risk, to push for transparent, timely, and credible elections.

    And we have seen that same hunger for democracy outside of Africa. Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Panama all recently held inclusive, well-organized elections that brought new leaders to power and strengthened democratic institutions.

    The challenge in Africa’s upcoming elections is to meet this demand for democracy and live up to the standards that Africans expect and deserve. The countries scheduled to go to the polls vary widely in their history and circumstances, but each has an opportunity to enhance its democratic credentials and advance economic growth and shared prosperity.

    Côte d’Ivoire can put a difficult and violent election in 2010 firmly in its past and resume its position as a regional leader.

    Tanzania is preparing for its fourth transition of power between elected Presidents since independence. By respecting the Tanzanian constitution’s two-term limit and stepping down from office, President Jakaya Kikwete is creating a dynamic and healthy competition among potential successors.

    Guinea is emerging from the scourge of Ebola, but its citizens are also calling for an electoral process that allows their voices to be heard.

    Meanwhile, the transitional government in Burkina Faso is working towards cementing its commitment to democracy through timely and transparent elections.

    Elections are vitally important, but make no mistake: elections cannot be the only moment for citizens to shape their future. People must be able to engage with their government and with their fellow citizens in political discussion and debate not just on Election Day, but every day.

    Just as important is respect for term limits. No democracy is served when its leaders alter national constitutions for personal or political gain. Furthermore, a losing candidate owes it to his or her country to accept the outcome and play a constructive role in finding and implementing solutions to shared challenges.

    A free, fair and peaceful presidential election does not guarantee a successful democracy, but it is one of the most important measuring sticks for progress in any developing nation. The countries soon holding elections have an opportunity to bolster their democratic credentials and to bring an entire continent closer to realizing the firmly held – and eminently justifiable – aspirations of its people to have their voices heard.

    The United States remains committed to helping make those aspirations a reality.

     

    • John Kerry, a former U.S. Senator from Massachusetts who chaired the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been the U.S. Secretary of State since 2013.

     

  • Buhari and the burden of democracy (2)

    Penultimate Tuesday, this columnunder the above title, explored the constitutional imperative for a federal executive council, despite President MuhammaduBuhari’s reluctance, as expressed during a media interview, in France, recently. Last week, the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefiele,warned that Nigeria was headed into a recession, by 2016, unless urgent measures are taken to remedy the national economic crisis, made more challenging, by the implementation of the TreasurySingle Account (TSA), as directed by PMB.Because the unviable directive by Mr President,apparently arose from his fidelity to the provisions of the 1999 constitution, I decided to do a part two, under the same title.

    Section 80(1) of the 1999 constitution, provides, “All revenues or other moneys raised or received by the federation (not being revenues or other moneys payable under this constitution or any act of the national assembly into any other public fund of the federation established for a specific purpose) shall be paid into and form one consolidated revenue fund of the federation”. Again, section 162(1)of the constitution, provides: “The federation shall maintain a special account to be called “the federation account” into which shall be paid all revenues collected by the government of the federation, except the proceeds from the personal income tax of the personnelof the armed forces of the federation ….”

    In ordering the TSA, which has obviously backfired, the President, was giving effect to the provisions of the 1999constitution, mentioned above. As this column has severally argued in the past, the makers of the 1999 constitution, in their desperation to create a united Nigeria, over centralized the socio-economic and political powerof the country, in the hands of a central government. The result is the incongruity of creating a federal republic of Nigeria, with a substantially unitary constitution. This anomaly also accounts for the wretchedness of the federating units, and the resultant economic quagmire of our country.

    Part of the challenge facing the government of PMB is to untangle the country, from all the unnecessary and over centralized laws, institutions, practises and beliefs, which impede our federal system, in other to release the social, economic, and political potentials of the federating units.To show that the makers of the constitution may not have fully comprehended the import of asking that all accruals, be paid into a single account, without allowing for the deduction of costs and incidentals, at source, by any of the federal agencies, which had collected the income, theywent ahead to compound the absurdity, when the constitution also charged in 162(3) that, “Any amount standing to the credit of the federation account shall be distributed among the federal and state governments and the local government council in each state on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by the national assembly”.

    As I have also previously argued on this page, only a spendthrift, would insist that all his income must be shared, without any savings. Yet, because the constitution has so provided, in section 162(3); the state governors have been in court to force the federal government to share the sovereign wealth fund, and the excess crude account, of course on the mantra that those savings are unconstitutional. While the state governments have a point, they however do not search the constitution for answers, as to why they operate as near never-do-wells, and as to why most of them with bowels in their hand, need to prostrate before the federal government, for so called bailouts, each time they face financial crises.

    But the permanent solution also lies in the constitution.This would involve the expansion of the economic activities of the states, while reducing the redundant economic prerogatives of the federal government. On this, many commentators, including this writer, have argued in favour of the reduction of the items in the exclusive legislative list, to the benefit of the concurrent and residual legislative list; so that state governors would engage in economic activities, instead of seeking the friendship of the President and the national assembly, to allow them borrow more money, without worrying as to how the money would be paid for, by the future generation;more sonow with recessionstarring the country in the face.

    Perhaps, it is now a matter of urgent national importance, for the President to raise his economic team, to meet thechallenges ahead. In making his choices, it is hoped that the President would seek out an economist, instead of an accountant, to lead the charge. For even though one is not an expert in this area, one can correctly guess, that what our nation needs is economic expansion, and the reflation of the economy strictly for productive purposes, even as the President pursues accountability in government.So, PMB must find a way to reflatethe economy, starve excessive liquidity squeeze, and deal with the constricting impact of the TSA,by raising a strong economic team.

    In steering the nation away from this potential economic recession, the federal, state and local governments must be wake-up to the scary level of unemployment, which is partly responsibility for the increase in violent crimes across the country. One way out would be to resort to the use of direct labour, in the execution of public works. PMB would hopefully realise that his fight against corruption is disempowering a lot of economic vandals, and there is the need to create alternative economic opportunities,to absorb those willing to work.While some of the provisions of the constitution may act as impediments to the immediate inauguration of virile economic activities, the President must seek ingenious ways, to stimulate and spread economic activities across the country

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari and the burden of democracy

    Buhari and the burden of democracy

    No doubt, President Muhammadu Buhari has had a challenging learning curve, since he was sworn in as president, over a 100 days ago, on May 29;particularly whenever he speaks to the press. As a former military dictator, PMB is indeed finding it difficult, to appreciate some of the incandescent nuances of democracy. But in fairness to the President, while some of his words has given his opponents something to sneer at, he has so far, acted within the confines of his executive powers. His recent statement, on France24 channel, that,”the Ministers are there, I think, to make a lot of noise”; falls within such challenge. Brutally frank, PMB is yet to appreciate that as a politician, certain things are better left unsaid.

    With that statement, Nigerians now have an insight, as to why the President has been taking as much time as he can, before naming his ministers.PMB, obviously considers the Ministers, as possessing strong nuisance value. While many Nigerians, disappointed by the poor performance of previous governments, despite the huge number of Ministers, with impressive credentials, may sympathise with the President; our constitutional democracy, grantsintrinsic responsibilities, to the council of Ministers. So, while PMB and hisvice president, may have worn the presidency, they are under compulsion, to appoint ministers, to complement the President’s executive powers.

    So, PMB was not right, when in that interview, while accepting that he will name his ministersbefore the end of September, as earlier promised, however said, “I think the question of Ministers is political”. Indeed, the question of ministers, is constitutional. While Section 5 of the 1999 constitution, which provides that the executive powers of the federation, “shall be vested in the President and may, subject as aforesaid and to the provisions of any law made by the National Assembly, be, exercised by him either directly or through the vice president and ministers of the government of the federation or officers in the public service of the federation”, (emphasis mine) may appear tenuous, there are other unambiguous provisions, in the constitution, that compelsthe president to constitute a cabinet.

    Speaking generally, the President has discretion, in determining thecomposition and nature of his executive council; but he must constitute one, assection 147(1) provides: “There shall be such offices of Ministers of Government as may be established by the President” (emphasis mine). The section further provides in sub-section (3) that “Any appointment of ministers, under subsection (2) of this section by the President, shall be in conformity with the provisions of section 14(3) of this constitution: provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid the President shall appoint at least one minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state”.

    Another constitutional provision that compels the President to inaugurate the body of ministers, is section 148(2), which provides that, “The President shall hold regular meetings with the vice president and all ministers of government of the federation for the purposes of: (a) determining the general direction of domestic and foreign policies of the government of the federation;(b) co-ordinating the activities of the President, the vice president and the ministers of the government of the federation in the discharge of their executive responsibilities; and (c) advising the president generally in the discharge of his executive functions other than those functions with respect to which he is required by this constitution to seek the advice or act on the recommendation of any other person or body”.

    Again section 150(1) of the constitution provides: “There shall be an Attorney Generalof the federation who shall be the Chief Law officer of the federation and a minister of the government”. Another compelling provision for a federal executive council is section 144(1)(a), albeit an ominous one, for an incapacitated president, which provides: “The president or vice president shall cease to hold office, if – by a resolution passed by two-thirds majority of all members of the executive council of the federation it is declared that the president or vice president is incapable of discharging the functions of this office”; subject however to a medical examination, as provided in the constitution.

    In the face of these provision, the constitution of the body of ministers or executive council, is a constitutional imperative, and not merely a political decision. PMB is however politically correct, when in that interview, he posited that “People from different constituencies want to see their people directly in government, and see what they can get out of it”. That is the purport of section 14(3) which provides that “The composition of the Government of the federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies”.

    In his first 100 days plus, it is generally believed that PMB’S presidency has been able to restrain the haemorrhaging of our common patrimony. That is an achievement. But as the President learns the intricate and divergent pull of democracy, I commend to him, the words of Justice Louis D. Brandeis of the United States Supreme Court, in Whitney v California, to wit: “In government the deliberative forces shouldprevail over the arbitrary; that freedom to think as you will and to speak as you think are means indispensable to the discovery and spread of the political truth, that without free speech and assembly, discussion would be futile….”

     

  • Democracy sliding under Buhari, says Metuh

    Democracy sliding under Buhari, says Metuh

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said no amount of blackmail and diversionary tactics by the All Progressives Congress (APC) will deter it from exposing the deliberate agenda, already in motion, by the present administration to destroy the nation’s democracy and impose a dictatorship in the country.

    The party said by resorting to insults, threats and personal attacks on its leaders, instead of responding to issues of emerging fascism raised by the PDP on Saturday, the APC and the Federal Government further confirm their intolerance, disdain for democracy and frenetic appetite for totalitarianism.

    PDP National Publicity Secretary Chief Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday, said Nigerians await answers to issues and would not be hoodwinked by the antics of APC’s spokesperson, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, whose cleverness in using insults, personal attacks and wild allegations to divert attention is well known.

    “While we understand the nervousness of Alhaji Lai Mohammed to remain relevant, especially in the face of desperation for an appointment, this administration must come to terms with the fact that democracy requires accountability, adherence to the rule of law and constitutional order, and not the crass infractions, executive arrogance, intolerance and undermining of the legislature; the symbol of the sovereignty of the people, which we now witness under the APC.

    “The question is, has the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government not exhibited all the trappings of despotism, including ruling without a constitutional component of a cabinet, persistent abuse of power, corrupting of democratic institutions, quest to appropriate the National Assembly, in spite of the principle of separation of powers; invasion of state government and personal houses, injecting confusion into the judiciary and hounding of individuals perceived to be against its interests?

    “What is APC’s position regarding the anti-democratic statement by the President, who, in an interview, during his visit to France, expressed his reluctance to appoint ministers, in addition to his disparaging allusion to cabinet ministers as noise makers? Does this not smack of totalitarianism?

    “How else can one explain the relentless interferences in the activities of the National Assembly, a separate and independent arm of government, in addition to the bitterness with which the Presidency and the APC hold the duly elected leadership of the Senate, simply because it is not occupied by their preferred candidates?

    “If not for a possible ulterior motive of appropriating the federal legislature as a means to undermine its statutory role of checks and balances and set the stage for dictatorship, what other reasons could there be for the current fixation on the leadership of the Senate by the APC and the Presidency?

    “Nigerians are still waiting for APC, a party which prides itself as a progressive platform, to respond to the widely condemned invasion of Akwa-Ibom State Government House by the Department of State Services (DSS), under the direct instructions from the Presidency. Is it not part of the plot activated for possible forceful takeover of PDP states and impose a one-party administration in Nigeria?

    “What about the July reprehensible invasion and sealing of Rivers local councils by the federal-controlled Police, who also barred members of caretaker committees that were duly appointed by the state government to take charge of the councils?

    “In the same vein, how else can one explain the undue interference of the DSS in the activities of election tribunals in PDP controlled states of Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, Abia, Taraba and others where electoral officers are being harassed, intimidated and detained, ostensibly to influence judgments against the PDP?’’

  • PDP faults trial, says democracy on quick slide

    PDP faults trial, says democracy on quick slide

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    According to the party, the trial signalled a quick slide in the nation’s democracy and defining moments in the nation’s history.

    Saraki is standing trial for alleged false declaration of assets when he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011.

    A statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, expressed concerns over what the party described as the “prevailing executive intolerance, the undermining of the institution of the National Assembly and the overall threat to the survival of our democracy.”

    The party said Saraki’s ongoing trial, even when an Attorney General has not been appointed, did not follow due process.

    It alleged that the presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) could not hide their aversion to the emergence of Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.

    The statement said, “The PDP says with the unfolding of events; the deliberate infractions and crass abuse of power by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government, it is no longer in doubt that the nation is on a quick slide into fascism and official terrorism.

    “Whereas the PDP totally supports the fight against corruption, while reposing confidence in the judiciary to protect and preserve its sanctity, we note with grave concern, the politically induced controversies within the judiciary as a result of the part being played by agents of the executive, especially the question of due process with respect to the roles statutorily vested on the person of an Attorney-General, who is yet to be appointed, regarding proceedings in the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

    “We note this dangerous trend because the Presidency and the APC have not hidden their aversion to the election of Senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President respectively, even as the fact of various moves to oust them from office, including the recent unsubstantiated allegations of forgery and harassments by the federal controlled security agencies are in the public domain.

    “We call on Nigerians to be aware that the fixation on the leadership of the National Assembly is part of a major step towards the appropriation of the federal legislature, so as to undermine its statutory role of checks and balances and set the stage for dictatorship in the land.

    “Part of this script is to commence a major onslaught against federal lawmakers perceived to hold divergent views to those of the Presidency, irrespective of party affiliations, a situation that would ensure a subdued legislature.

    “The President Buhari-led regime has exhibited trappings of despotism, including ruling without a constitutional component of a cabinet, persistent abuse of power, undermining of democratic institutions, invasion of state government and personal houses, injecting confusion into the judiciary and hounding of individuals perceived to be against its interests”.

    The party expressed worry over what it termed the relentless onslaught against democratic institutions, especially the growing tension trailing “the quest to annex the National Assembly”

    It further described as a mockery of reasoning, for President Buhari to condemn the recent coup in Burkina Faso while his government continued to violate the provisions of the constitution of his own country.

    The statement continued, “Also, similar machineries have been activated for possible forceful takeover of PDP states, a plot which played out in the recent act of terrorism against democracy, in the invasion of Akwa-Ibom State Government House by the Department of State Services (DSS), under the direct instructions from the Presidency.”

    The party also listed what it called the “reprehensible invasion and sealing of Rivers local councils by the Police” saying, “We invite the international community and the civil society to note that our nation is facing a defining moment for the survival of democracy. Nigeria has come to a point where citizens, irrespective of political affiliations, can no longer freely express their views. “

     

  • ‘Amaechi remains hero of democracy’

    The Rivers State All Progressives Congress (APC) has said former Governor Rotimi Amaechi remains a hero of democracy.

    The party noted that there is a gang-up against the former Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) by some desperate people who are bent at ensuring that the former governor does not get into the cabinet of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    But it assured that the gang-up would fail.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, by its Chairman Davies Ikanya, through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Public Affairs, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, APC noted that Amaechi played major roles in bringing about the current change in Nigeria.

    The party said: “These retrogressive forces, led by Governor Nyesom Wike, are so afraid of the shadow of Amaechi to the extent that they are willing to go to any length to ensure that he is not accommodated in President Buhari’s cabinet.

    “They have, for months, mounted a relentless campaign of calumny against Amaechi, thus biting the finger that once fed them. This is not only shameful but also a clear sabotaging of the greater interests of Rivers State.”

    APC said the former NGF chairman performed well in office and ensured real transformation of Rivers, without looting the treasury, as being insinuated in some quarters.

    The party urged Wike to focus on the development of the state, instead of chasing real or imaginary enemies, pending when he would be sacked by the election petitions tribunal sitting in Abuja, as a fallout of what it called the sham April 11 poll in the state.

    It said: “We learnt with shock how Wike reportedly (planned) …to celebrate the non-appointment of Amaechi as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) by President Buhari and that he has set up a committee to bribe and influence the Senate to reject Amaechi, in case President Buhari nominates him as a minister.

    “We wish to advise Wike …to desist and stop trying to play God. We are confident that he can never constitute a stumbling block to Amaechi, if President Buhari wishes to nominate him to serve his fatherland in any capacity.”

    The party berated those claiming that the former governor was so shocked by his non-appointment as SGF that he went to London to recover, while Amaechi was in Port Harcourt.

    It described the efforts to rubbish and diminish the ex-NGF’s chairman as an exercise in futility.

    APC said nobody could deny the role Amaechi played in sacking the corrupt administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and installing the current Buhari’s government.

    The party urged Amaechi to be steadfast in his support for the Buhari’s administration, which it said he put his life at risk to make possible.

    APC urged the supporters and admirers of the former governor to be patient and allow the President to conclude his appointments, before passing any valid judgment.

     

  • ‘Impunity in Senate threatening democracy’

    ‘Impunity in Senate threatening democracy’

    •Unity Forum’s spokesman writes Saraki, Ekweremadu

    THE senator representing Kano North and Chairman of the Publicity Committee of the Unity  Forum, Barau Jibrin, has warned against impunity by some lawmakers.

    Unity Forum is the group of senators supporting Senator Ahmed Lawan for the leadership of Senate.

    The senator, who made the observation yesterday in an open letter to Deputy Senate President Ike  Ekweremadu  and Senator  Muhammed  Danjuma Goje, said impunity was threatening the nation’s democracy.

    He said: “Unless the rule of law is restored in the Eighth Senate, the foundation of impunity and double-talk being played out in the Senate is capable of derailing the Buhari administration.”

    Jibrin  noted that the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Ekweremadu as Senate president and deputy Senate president had affected the nation’s democratic values and direction.

    He regretted that “the Saraki-Ekweremadu group, in their desperate political ambition, which manifested a few days before the June 9 betrayal, suddenly turned upside down the time-tested values of democracy and leadership they had professed publicly and privately”.

    He noted how Ekweremadu,  in a paper, titled: Leadership in the National Assembly, he presented  in  Abuja at the Induction Certificate Course on Legislative Studies for the Eighth National Assembly on April 27, espoused party supremacy, particularly as it affects the appointment of the principal officers of the Senate.

    Quoting from Ekweremadu’s paper at the lecture, Jibrin said: “The offices and functions of officers of the Senate, for instance, are enumerated in Chapter 6 of the Senate Standing Orders. Thus, in addition to the Presiding Officers captured therein, Sections 25 to 32 provide for the following Offices: 1. Majority/Senate Leader; 2. Minority Leader; 3. Deputy Majority  Leader;  4. Deputy Minority Leader;  5. Majority/Chief Whip;  6. Minority Whip;  7. Deputy Majority Whip; and 8. Deputy Minority Whip.

    “However, whereas the entire members of the House elect the Presiding Officers, whether in the Senate or the House of Representatives, the above listed offices are party affairs and are supplied by the affected parties, accordingly. Generally, as the titles imply, the posts of Majority Leader, Deputy Majority leader, Majority/Chief Whip, and Deputy Majority Whip are supplied by the party with majority members in each house of the National Assembly while the reverse is the case for Minority Leader, Minority Whip and their deputies.”

    Calling Ekweremadu’s attention to his comments about developments at the National Assembly, Jibrin said: “…Lately, you made an unfair remark that the National Assembly was not a party secretariat when our great party (the All Progressives Congress, APC) insisted that its supremacy and wishes in the matter of who occupied leadership positions be respected.”

    He added: “It is not only the flouting of the rules concerning the party’s latitude to present the leadership of its Senate caucus that Senator Ekweremadu had provided support for, but he had also provided support to Senator Saraki to flout the ranking rule in the legislature, unlike what he explained at the same public gathering inter alia:

    “Ranking Rule: Both the House and Senate Standing Orders lay emphasis on legislative experience or Ranking Rule. In the Senate for instance, Order 2 provides: ‘Nomination of Senators to serve as Presiding Officers and appointments of principal officers and other officers of the Senate or on any parliamentary delegations shall be in accordance with the ranking of senators.

    “In determining ranking, the following order shall apply: 1. Senators returning based on number of times re-elected. 2. Senators, who had been members of the House of Representatives. 3. Senators elected as senators for the first time.’

    “This rule, though not law in itself, is a parliamentary norm, even in the United States of America (USA), and has been variously upheld by the courts. It is protected by Section 60 of the 1999 Constitution’.”

    He noted that the parlous situation foisted on the Senate by impunity and double-talk would persist until ”we see to it that the rules you have enjoined others to breach are asserted”.

    Jibrin reminded Saraki  and Ekweremadu that ”as they remain in the Eighth  Senate,  wanting to make laws for the people of Nigeria, they must  themselves obey the rule of the game”.

    On Goje, who was Gombe State governor, the senator said he could not understand his sudden change from being an adherent of the rule of law and a party disciplinarian.

    Jibrin said: “Senator  Goje  told me, among others at the  Aminu Kano House at  Asokoro, Abuja, before the  purported inauguration of the Eighth Senate what we already  knew, that the appointment of principal officers of the Senate is in the purview of the concerned political parties that have their members in the Senate, guided by ranking rule of the Red Chamber.”

    He added: “But I was surprised to hear Senator  Goje insisting on the floor of the Senate that the so-called zonal caucuses should appoint the principal officers instead.

    “I wonder which part of the Senate’s Standing Order  Senator  Goje relied on to make his  assertion.”

    Jibrin urged well-meaning Nigerians to resist the desecration of the Eighth Senate  through impunity.

    He said the development   could undermine the sanctity of the Senate, the present administration and ”our entire democracy”.

  • Our Girls;  PMB: SOS at Mowe/Ibafo by JBerger; End ‘DRACONIAN DEMOCRACY’ in State, LGAs

    Our Girls are still missing since April 15 2014. More suicide bombers every day.

    President Buhari must engage Julius Berger about the failure of the Mowe/Ibafo-Lagos expressway causing 40km, five hour, five lane wide traffic jams every Sunday evening. It took four hours to jet to Lagos on Saturday morning, July 11. The problem is bad road sections which almost stop traffic, lack of pedestrian flyovers with thousands crossing the road daily and lack of laybys for domestic passenger vehicles in the towns of Mowe and Ibafo.

    Nigeria has had 1999-2014 the ‘The Democracy Years of Plenty’ or ‘The Democracy Years of the Locust’ – the locust being the greedy and corrupt political, administrative and contractor culture. This created a monster which consumed all we produced and borrowed more to steal and even pay salaries. The years 2015-2019 will be ‘Years of Famine’- financial famine. ‘We the people’ are forced to pay for the thieving and mismanagement signalled by the fall by the 50% in the dollar-from N150 to N232 in nine months, the 50% fall in oil prices and the 50% reduction in demand for Nigeria’s oil due to distance, new nearer markets, foreign political discrimination against Nigeria and reduction in oil demands by America from the rise in shale oil. This is lack of disaster planning.

    Nigeria failed to save adequately during the Years of Plenty. Remember the political outcry against the Sovereign Wealth Fund and the Excess Crude Account, by gluttonous governors greedy for more to spend on thin air and not salaries? Today, both federal and governors have nothing! And salaries are owed, mostly due to ‘diversion’ and corruption. What a tragedy and travesty of Nigeria’s inheritance? If Nigeria was a bank, it would have collapsed and the thieves would be in jail for financial crimes and the money restored to government coffers. A ‘Confession’, saying ‘Sorry’ without ‘Restitution’ is unacceptable. Of course there was a trust issue between states and the Federal Government which has managed to keep 52-4% of the budget. Such trust issues include inter-party suspicion, unfair federalism, uneven access to Ecological Funds and corruption.

    About now the federal government, governors and chairpersons of LGAs and their ‘hooligans’ have begun to seriously plan, against the ‘financial drought’. They are planning to substitute for the lost ‘oil money’ revenues by ‘drilling’ the local population to extract what was lost in oil prices and corruption. Even the corrupt have the need to feed their greed. ‘Buhari fiscal discipline’ cannot be in everybody’s heart, eyes and bank account. The Nigerian citizen is a mini-LGA while struggling against the corrupt uniformed officer in all colours white to black. Many Nigerians have been held, intimidated, insulted and robbed by armed robber ‘official’ thugs with LGA ID cards at a LGA roadblock -a scam.  This and excessive government taxes on the few with violent harassment of the rest have generated a massive citizens’ anger. This pain is aggravated by the natural inclination of any UNSUPERVISED uniformed or authoritarian personnel to have attitude, aggression, arrogance, abusive language and violence with malicious vindictive seizures of signboards, goods, vehicles, motorbikes etcetera with destruction, loss or even theft of seized items or release for a bribe.

    Governors and pension fund handlers do not all have clean anti-corrupt hands. The huge cost of tax consultants and the fate of the money raised have left many citizens disappointed. The Extended Family is the oldest NGO and ‘Bank’ charging ‘No Interest And No Security’ in Africa though irresponsibly unrecognised in academic, economic and tax circles. Africans look after the Extended Family. Yet there are no ‘Personal Tax Reliefs’ covering unemployed family members, parents and families of deceased members. These characteristics of African society support systems are unrecognised even by African Tax which takes ‘TAX TEMPLATES’ directly from the World Bank, Woe Bank, and the IMF, ‘International Morticians Funeral Fund’ who as Europeans, look after only their nuclear family. ‘Be thy brother’s keeper’ is a reality in Nigeria and only a church charity matter in Europe because of the support systems of the dole and incapacity handouts. In Nigeria we have no such safety nets but are denied tax rebates for substituting for government social network failures. This is one area where ‘A HOME-GROWN TAX SYSTEM IS NECESSARY’ giving reliefs for extended family members and activities.

    The drive for IGR, Internally Generated Revenue, must no longer be devilish resulting in more Draconian Democracy. This is the time for ‘change’ in the way government treats its people. The people did not steal, government agents did.

    The hallmark of Draconian Democracy is deliberately and unreasonably inflated demand notices and bills and hyper-inflated fines. This is a quadruple crime of 1] Abuse of office; 2] Official intimidation; 3] Attempt to steal under false pretences, and, 4] Extortion. This amounts to a Human Rights Criminal Offence requiring a monitoring body against any official proved to be extortionist. Such officials should be exposed, demoted, jailed and sacked and denied pensions.

    Nigerians expect a change in ridiculous corruption-driven taxation demands and utility bills, ‘crude, rude letters’, ‘demand notices’, intimidation and attempts to extort. State assemblies and the National Asembly (NASS) should quickly enact a LAW AGAINST UNREASONABLE/STUPID TAXATION, IRRESPONSIBLE OVER-BILLING OR IRRESPONSIBLE BACKDATING. This may aim at forcing the government and its agencies to give their bills for vetting to A CONSUMER PROTECTION TAXATION/BILLING OMBUDSMAN appointed by civil society. This ombudsman may arbitrate disputes.

    ‘The drive for IGR, Internally Generated Revenue, must no longer be devilish resulting in more Draconian Democracy. This is the time for ‘change’ in the way government treats its people. The people did not steal, government agents did’