The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Development

  • ‘We are striving for even development in Abia’

    ‘We are striving for even development in Abia’

    Abia State Governor Theodore Orji spoke with Associate Editor TAIWO OGUNDIPE and Assistant Editor Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie in Umuahia, the state capital, on the activities of his administration, insecurity, succession battle and other issues.

    There have been some criticisms about the conditions of infrastructures in the urban areas in Abia State in recent times. What are some of the things you have done or you are doing in terms of urban renewal generally in the state?

    The entire state, especially the state capital and other commercial centres of the state are wearing a new look in terms or urban renewal accompanied by massive infrastructural development. In Umuahia we have moved the industrial market or timber market to Ikot-Ekpene Road. We now have a new cosmopolitan motor-park and the mechanic village located elsewhere to free the city centre from clogging. However, the transferof markets from the city centre and other allied services have aided our desire to develop commercial centres that drive rapid development outside the state capital.

    For instance, the relocated market at Ubani-Ibeku on Uzuakoli-Isuikwuato road has driven massive traffic that gave rise to the huge housing estates that run into thousands of housing units. As a matter of fact, property development along the axis is unprecedented and other ancillary services have not had it this good. This is what we intend to replicate in all the senatorial zones of the state.   We are not only serious about developing the human capital but also commerce and industry to complete our people’s entrepreneurial spirit.

    What do you have to say about the persistent criticism that it is only in Umuahia that you have concentrated the significant projects in the state? For example, some are alleging that there is none in the Isuikwuato Local Government Area among others.

    In terms of road and infrastructural development, in Isuikwuato Local Government Area we have five roads under construction apart from the one the NDDC is constructing. In this same local government we have built a modern school and we have renovated three schools. The former Chief of Army Staff, General Azubuike Ihejirika helped in bringing a military school and a language school that we have there now. Isuikwuato is like an urban area now; the place is highly urbanised. If there is any local government that should complain about neglect in terms of project, Isuikwuato should be out of it.

    Nevertheless, we make sure that these projects are evenly distributed. I cannot go to any other place and build a Government House; this has to be done in the state capital which is Umuahia. I cannot also go to any other place to build the International Conference Centre we are now building in Umuahia. It has to be in an urban area just like the one you have in Abuja.

    You have to bear in mind that Umuahia is the capital city of Abia and it must look like a capital city. If you go around the country the capital cities always look different. Here in Abia we are saddled with two major cities: Umuahia and Aba. Aba is not the capital, but the commercial centre, and things that are required to be there are not things that are required to be in Umuahia.

    We make sure we spread development to every part of the state because the whole state voted for me. If you don’t get rural education, you get water; if you don’t get water, you get health centre or construction of roads or empowerment for the people.

    There is no local government where they’ll say they have not benefited from those things I have mentioned and other things I have not listed. We have an even spread of development in Abia; we are not marginalising any local government.

    What do you have to say about the roads that seem hard to mend and construct in Aba? Why do you think Aba has remained a big challenge?

    Well, this issue did not start with me. Aba has been like that right from the time of  Mr.Sam Mbakwe (the first civilian governor of Imo State).  It was from Aba that Mbakwe started his political journey. Is it not the same Aba that made him weep? But today he is seen as a hero. After Mbakwe, how many governors have come and have been able to completely solve the problems of Aba? Every governor will come and play his part.

    And I believe we have tried for Aba. If you want to get Aba right without any assistance from the Federal Government or from any international organisation, then you have to abandon all the other things you are doing in the state and face only Aba. It is not only Aba people that voted for me. If you carry all the developmental projects to Aba, it will make you famous if that is your goal. Then what about the other 15 local governments in the state? What this government is doing is to make sure that we spread development evenly. We are even giving preference to Aba. Our resources have gone into Aba more than any other place in Abia State.

    For instance, I constructed Aba /Owerri Road with N1.7 billion. With that amount I can complete all the roads in Umuahia. The problem we have here is when you put little money in a place like Umuahia it is visible, but when you put huge amount in a place like Aba you don’t see it.

    You are also faced with the issue of road, the issue of erosion and the issue of clearing the gutters. The issue of sanitation in the same Aba is a monumental one because of the huge population and the people that are not disciplined. All the drainages are blocked by the people living there. They don’t make use of the dustbins we provide for them; they prefer to put them in the gutters. Anytime it rains, that is the time they throw away their refuse; they just throw it into the moving water. And the water will just go somewhere to block the drainage and that will cause problems for the government.

    These people are commercial people who find it difficult to cue in into the law; you have to force them. That is the problem with Aba and it will continue to be there. Maybe it will be a different story if a governor would come and stop all other projects and face Aba alone. One can’t do that. If you try it here, people will stone you and ask you if it is only Aba that voted for you.

    However, we give preference to Aba because of the importance of the place as the commercial centre of Abia State. We have not neglected Aba. I believe as a governor I have tried based on the resources that I have. There are a lot of improvements in Aba. I have mended many roads and constructed new ones. Sanitation is better now. There was a time refuse overtook the express roads to the extent that El-Rufai said it to the governor that was here then. But today you cannot see any refuse on the express roads. At least, this is an achievement but people will continue to complain; journalists will continue to write because they have to for people to buy their newspapers. But what I am telling you as an insider is that Aba’s problems have been there right from the time of Mbakwe. As I said that was where Mbakwe wept and I don’t want to start weeping like him (laughs), we have passed the stage of weeping. What I do with any money I get is to give Aba the larger sum and distribute the rest smaller sum, so that you carry every person along.

    Don’t you have people in place in Aba to monitor sanitation in terms of checking the abuse of refuse disposal in the commercial city?

    Of course we do, but unfortunately some people deliberately escalate the problems of Aba knowingly. The problems we have in Aba are the problems we have in urban areas that are similar to Aba. The problems we have in Aba, if you go to Lagos, Ibadan, Kano, Rivers State you will see them. If you don’t see all you will see some.

    Instead of people to criticizing what is in their area they criticise what is in Aba and the same thing that is happening in Aba is the same thing that is happing in their own state. Aba’s problem is not a problem that is extraordinary in Nigeria, it is a problem that it is inherent; it is the same problem that is similar to other cities in the country.

    Apart from the issue of infrastructure, recently, you talked of galvanizing the traders, to turn Aba into industrial clusters like we have in some other manufacturing countries of the world, how far have you gone with the effort?

    We are on course. Despite all these things I am telling you that are inherent in Aba, we have people in this place who are ingenious. If Aba is as bad as people are painting it, why are people still living and doing their business there? That is one reasonable question to ask. Small scale industries are growing on daily basis; most of the industries that ran away are coming back. Nigeria Breweries left Aba before but it’s now expanding and retooling their factory to the tune of N16 billion.

    People are organising themselves to try out new things especially when it has to with enterprise. So, Aba is not as bad as it is being painted. We are in the business of organising things for them, they are cooperating and it is working out.

    Geometric Power is there. Prof. Barth Nnaji will soon commission the place. The power sector is thriving in Aba and you have the National Independent Power Project (NIPP) because they know the importance of Aba. That is why they have brought power very close to that place and once those things are on ground and start functioning, you will see that Aba will grow to our desired dream of the commercial nerve centre of the state.

    We have two constructions we are carrying out in Aba now: two markets, one in Osisioma and one very close to Osisioma on the express. These markets will provide an alternative for the populated Ariaria International Market in Aba that is overcrowded. The design they are making provides unique places such as where the shoemakers will stay in a cluster and can be reached by those who need their services as manufacturers and exporters. We have also made arrangement for people to come in and train them so there is a hall built as a training centre.

    Projects like these don’t come overnight. They take time like one to two years to realise depending on the speed of your development partners. But we intend to realise these projects soon, so when they come on board, you will see the difference.

    Who or what organisation is the government partnering with to deliver the Shoprite shopping mall in Umuahia and when would it be delivered?

    As a responsible government our primary function is to deliver the dividends of good governance to our people. My conviction was also spurred by the fact that people used to travel outside the state to buy quality things in major cities in the country. I went around and saw that Shoprite is in Enugu, Port Harcourt and several other places, but none in Abia and l made up my mind that we must bring it here to reduce the stress suffered by our people. What we did was to enter into partnership with a viable private company and by November the project will be delivered.

    How far have you gone with the construction of the airport in Abia State?

    We are still working on building the airport. We are perfecting the papers. We have brought in an expert, a consultant who is partnering with us. He is guiding us so that we will avoid initial mistakes.  In the interim however, we have constructed a helipad in Isuikuwato.

    What effort is your government making to tap into the tourism potential of the historical places in your state such as the Ojukwu bunker and the war museum?

    We are involved somehow, but it is principally managed by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The Ojukwu bunker is an underground building where Ojukwu lived during the Biafran civil war. It was built by a Nigerian, during the war where he lived in safety. The war museum demonstrates the ingenuity of our people as all those war machines were built locally by the people to prosecute the war.

    And Abia State remains one of the leading ingenious states in the country. And that is why we are doing well in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) examinations. We are always coming second in the overall results of the examination in the whole country. There is something about Abia and other parts of the country that need to be harnessed.

    Abia State has seemingly not recorded any case of Ebola, what measures have your put in place to contain or prevent it from happening?

    We have put many measures in place. First of all is to enlighten ourselves, and all the people living in the state on the dangers of the disease, how to prevent it, and how it kills. Ebola has brought people to be conscious of cleanliness. This culture of cleanliness has come but it will not stop  here as we need to take it to the villages where people are still not fully aware of the need to maintain personal hygiene.

    We have set up a medical committee response team on Ebola. We have also equipped them with the kits to fight Ebola, both for the local and the state levels. We have provided quarantine centre in case if anybody gets infected with Ebola. Though we don’t expect anybody to get infected, but the place is ready for any eventuality. We have also distributed hand sanitisers everywhere in Abia State.

    We are ready and we are accompanying it with prayers because you cannot forget God in a situation like this and we pray to God that we don’t experience it in Abia State. My wife has her group that prays every Wednesday to push away evil from the state.

    How are you taking care of the challenges of kidnapping in Abia State?

    Of course, we have to take care of that on a daily bases, and also sustain our efforts. There was a time that some hoodlums came into the state and they decided to domicile themselves in Umuahia. First they kidnapped one lady whose husband works in the government house, on her way home.  She was freed after three days following payment of some ransom.

    There was another victim who owned a supermarket on Lagos Street in Umuahia. Unfortunately, he died in the hands of the kidnappers because he was diabetic and hypertensive. They just dumped the man’s corps for the family after collecting ransom from them. These same kidnappers were the ones who wanted to kidnap our Agric Commissioner. They shot the man when he resisted them and he died because of bullet wounds.   In another development, they kidnapped the treasurer of National Union Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who is from this place. And I had to summon the security agents to put an end to this. I gave them a note of serious warning to them. I told them that they must bring him alive.

    All the security apparatus heeded the call and worked assiduously and discovered the den of the kidnappers.  They discovered that they were keeping their victims in Ikwuano, very close to Michael Opkara University, Abia State, inside the bush a very old thatched house with an old man who lived there. You would never suspect that the man was the one who used to keep those kidnapped with machete. When he sees someone coming, he comes out disguised as a famer to cut grass to deceive people. Three of the kidnappers were killed but before they died they confessed that they were responsible for the other kidnap cases around the state.

    The efforts we have put in place in this state in terms of security are very essential so that people who live here will be secured in addition to the safety of their property.  Since after this incident of discovering the kidnappers’ den, this place is cool, people go about and sleep quietly and comfortably. Nightlife is on here in Umuahia and Aba. We will sustain this because it is something we have to do on daily bases.

    What are some of the things you have done in terms of youth empowerment?

    In the area of youth empowerment, I believe we are doing well. That is also what has cut down the rate of kidnapping in the state. Therefore, if I should rate ourselves, I will rate ourselves 95 per cent in the sense that unemployment is a problem we know exists not just in Abia but everywhere in the country. However, we have done enough to check it

    We all know that if the strength and intelligence of the youth are not harnessed, they will use them negatively. This made us to build skills acquisition centres in all local government areas of the state. We gave money to local government chairmen to build the centres.

    We have one here in Umuahia, which the first lady of Abia State is overseeing with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Abia State. Every six months, the centres take in 500 youths and train them. There you have resident teachers in all the technical areas, such as hairdressing, shoes making, farming, sowing and fish farming, among others. They stay there for six months. Within the six months, we pay them. After six months they graduate. We give them money and equipment to go and start on their own. Anytime they are doing their induction, if you get there, because of the number of people, you would think they are writing the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB), School Certificate or Immigration job examinations. By so doing we are calming the youth and providing for them.

    What do you have to say about the controversial issue of non-Abia indigenes that were disengaged from the state civil service? 

    Currently, we are calling them back.  We have taken back over three thousand or so now. We are kind of hamstrung by the paucity of funds. I don’t want a situation where you employ people and you can’t pay them. You will be in trouble. Sadly, they are some of our people in other states that were disengaged and we are waiting for those state governments to reciprocate by re-engaging our people. That has not happened, but as a responsible government we will continue to do the right thing.

    The governor of Imo State, Governor Rochas Okorocha, expressed some happiness on the steps we have taken to re-engage his people but he has not gone beyond that to follow the path we have towed by re-engaging the people from this state. I see a conspiracy here, some people have taken it upon themselves to discredit everything we do but when we do the right things they turn a blind eye. This to me, this is the height of hypocrisy.

    You have been pushing the idea of equity, how is it working, what is happening? 

    I do know that equity is what God wants. It is enshrined by God and also by our chatter of equity, but that doesn’t mean we are excluding anybody from contesting. However, that is a direction that the party has taken but that doesn’t exclude any person. If you want to test your popularity, the field is open. Nobody will stop you if you want to buy the form. We are, however, pleading with Abians, to believe that what the party is doing is the right thing to do in accommodating all zones.

    What is the latest on your senatorial ambition?

    For the first time in history since Abia was created in 1991, I remain the only governor who is going away after his tenure and people are clamouring for him not to go and rest, but to proceed to the Senate. This ambition is championed by ordinary folks and, indeed, every strata of the society in the state, who appreciate what my administration has achieved in terms of delivering on our promises.

    I have not come out one day and told them that l’m interested in going to the Senate. If not that I stopped it, on daily basis, groups and organisations thronged here insisting that l must contest.

    The push on me is from my people. I didn’t initiate it, they did. And once it is the initiative of your people, you have to do what your people want you to do because they remain the power and power is derived from them. Once people are willing to give you the power, what problem do you have?

    A lot of people have been coming, offering assistance with the campaign. Yet I have not made any statement. You will see posters everywhere and I have commissioned nobody to print posters for me. These posters are done by people who are enthusiastic and very serious on the need to move the state forward.

  • Using ICT for national development

    SIR: Nigeria, like most developing nations, has come to recognize the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a catalyst for sustainable socio-economic development. This recognition is well captured in the National Development Plan – Nigeria’s Vision 20:2020: “The increasing globalization driven by ICT makes it imperative for Nigeria as an emerging market to irreversibly consider the application and promotion of ICT strategy to facilitate its rapid growth and development. This will involve the development of a vibrant ICT sector to drive and expand the national production frontiers in agriculture, manufacturing and service sectors. It would also require the application of the new knowledge to drive other soft sectors: governance, entertainments, public services, media sector, tourism, et cetera.”

    This is the way to go! However, Nigeria is not going to get the full potential benefit of ICT until we change our ways.

    Although there are mobile communication devices to suit every pocket nowadays, the tariffs being charged by the telecom operators are still on the high side. And what’s more, the poor quality of service remains a thorn in our flesh. They told us to talk the talk, and now we’re talking everywhere we go. But if we must talk and talk we should at least get value for our money. We are tired of carrying two or three mobile phones as if that’s the way to glow with pride.

    The National Identity Management Commission recently launched the long awaited National Identity (e-ID) Card scheme. We hope they get it right this time around.

    We are a people who hate change. Ironically, Nigerians actually like change to the extent that it suits their personal interests. They can’t wait to own the latest electronic gadgets but electronic voting can wait forever. On this side of the digital divide, whatever would help promote the transparency and efficiency of government institutions and processes hardly stands a chance.

    Conventional wisdom has it that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, there is need to align the public service with the private sector to allow for a smooth transition to a vibrant digital economy. As of today, most MDAs do not have working ICT structure. As one of its strategies for success, the ICT Ministry ought to push for the creation of ICT Department in every government parastatal. This would help provide an interface necessary for effective implementation of policies aimed at maximizing the levering potential of ICT for national development.

    Similarly, the dearth of IT experts in our public institutions doesn’t help matters. This has created a vacuum currently being filled by non-IT personnel, and exploited by private business partners alike, resulting in misplaced priorities, poor value-for-money solutions, and tasteless service delivery..

    Nigeria needs to leverage its investment in ICT to gain a significant competitive advantage in the rapidly changing global economy. As a way forward, government should provide security; expand national infrastructure such as power and broadband; encourage private sector investment in the ICT industry; deploy and ensure full utilization of ICT infrastructure on all fronts – Education, Health, Agriculture, Oil & Gas, et cetera.

    If we are serious about becoming one of the world’s leading economies in this age then we must realize that ICT is not a “nice to have” asset but a sine qua non for transforming Nigeria into a knowledge economy.

    • John Adebisi,

    Abuja

  • Ogun: Between noise and development

    In a free and fair electoral contest, all the politicians that have now made destructive criticisms their stock-in-trade will be taken to the cleaners by Senator Ibikunle Amosun. I repeat, if the 2015 poll is open, free and fair, Amosun will defeat these noise-makers in their own wards. Most of them will even lose their polling booths to Amosun. I challenge any of these politicians to an electoral contest in their own wards today; their humiliation will be resounding and rout complete in the number of votes Amosun will garner. Either in Ogun Central, East or West, Amosun will secure a landslide victory. The art of disinformation and negative portrayal of the governor will not earn them a single vote.

    I am appalled and galled by the amount of calculated lies being dished out to the public by those politicians that cannot even beat Amosun in their own polling booths.

    What they do not know is that Amosun is a grassroots politician par excellence. I do not yet know in the current Ogun of a politician that has what may be described as fanatical support of the masses than him. Perhaps, they do not know. Amosun is not the type of politician that usually announces his visit to any part of the state. He tours the nooks and crannies of Ogun regularly, and the spontaneous affection that is displayed towards the governor is unprecedented. I only recall such during the era of the Action Group and Unity Party of Nigeria.So, the noise in the newspapers by these purveyors of mendacity will not help them.

    By the grace of the Almighty and votes of the overwhelming majority of the people of Ogun who pray for the governor day and night and appreciate his selfless sacrifice to this state, Amosun will secure a landslide in 2015 election.

    I have heard this story again and again. There was a man so close to Amosun. In fact, Amosun was said to be at his beck and call. But due to the hurdles thrown in the way of Amosun in his bid to become the governor of Ogun State since 2007 by the then power-mongers, he abandoned him during his most trying moments. He believed Amosun would never become the governor. But Amosun eventually became the governor. Ordinarily, he should not forgive such a man. But to the shock and consternation of many, Amosun forgave the man and brought him into the fold. He was not the only one so treated. As Amosun usually says, “We are humans; we are not God; if God has done this for us, who then are we?”

    Amosun also accepts correction, once, like any human being, he makes mistakes. His often-quoted remark is, “He that cannot be counselled cannot be saved.” I can hardly recall a time when Amosun refused to hold the weekly meeting of the State Executive Council. In fact, he regards it as an article of faith. He firmly believes that two heads are better than one. Sometimes he holds the meeting twice weekly or even three times if a situation demands it. You also need to see the governor how he treats elders – utmost respect is the watchword; the quintessential Yoruba-man. He’s a man of peace and will continue to seek reconciliation with all as far as it is in the interest of the good people of Ogun State.

    Amosun is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. That means financial prudence is his watchword. Like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, he is obsessed with getting value for money. Human kindness flows in the heart. Most often in the rural areas, the governor will ask his convoy to stop so he can speak with a farmer or market woman. On countless times, he will buy the produce on the head of the farmer or market woman and reward them handsomely. This has been the character of Amosun long before he became the governor, and this is still Amosun. In terms of rapport with the grassroots, if anything has changed, the relationship has even been cemented, now that he is the governor.

    Rather than steal the money of the people of Ogun, like some would do and some actually did during their time, he embarked on those landmark projects that would benefit the masses of the state. Who are the beneficiaries of Amosun’s free education policy, from nursery to secondary levels? The masses, of course. By the way,it is important to mention that the last time the people of Ogun enjoyed free education was over 30 years ago, under the leadership of Chief Olabisi Onabanjo. Who are the beneficiaries of the 107km international standard Ilara-ijoun road, cutting across four local councils and hundreds of out-of-the-way villages? The grassroots, of course. Who are recipients of about 500km rural roads across the state? Who are the beneficiaries of the first international standard roads and first flyover bridges in all the three senatorial districts of the state? The masses and children of the masses who reside in these cities. Who are the beneficiaries of Gbomoro and Araya (the free health schemes)? The masses. When Amosun invested security which has now ended the era insecurity all over the state and of banks regularly closing business on account of insecurity, on whose behalf did he do so?

    I have heard the charge that Amosun is weak; that he is paying billions of naira as arrears of salaries, pension and gratuity of workers inherited from the past government rather than concentrate on his own term, from May, 2011. This is not a sign of weakness but a product of human kindness, responsive and responsible government. Yes, it is true that Amosun does not owe any worker a kobo; in fact, he pays the highest minimum wage, across board, in Nigeria. Amosun’s argument remains that if people have worked for the state, even though they were not paid by that government, he would do everything possible to offset such debts. And so, after a complete overhaul, just for example, it is discovered that the past government, owed staff of Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) N2.6 billion in salaries and allowances (just one institution alone!), and Amosun has offset about N1.5billion of the debt.  Can you imagine what state-of-the-art lecture hall that can be built with N1.5 billion? Notwithstanding, the governor recently slashed the fees of the students of the institution (and nine others in the state) by 60% after the initial reduction early in the life of the administration, thereby fulfilling his pledge to the people that “as the finances of the state improve, they all shall be the beneficiaries.”

    Whereas, these spent politicians have voted for noise-making in the media, the Amosun administration has chosen development.And if God is with you and the people are on your side, who then can be against you?

    • Soyombo writes from Abeokuta, Ogun State

  • ‘Agricultural Development Programme going into extinction’

    The National Association of Nigerian Traders ( NANTS) has decried the dwindling service of the Agricultural Development Programme (ADP) in the country, saying the service is being neglected by government.

    NANTS  President,   Ken Ukuoha, who stated this at a stakeholders consultative meeting  on the state of Agricultural extension service in Nigeria, said the ADP remains the most enduring public system of Agricultural extension in the country with direct linkage to the grassroots and small holder farmers.

    He said, “In recent times, the extension service delivery has almost gone into extinction, as the spark which the ADP was known for appears dwindling,  To some observers the ADP was abandoned as soon as the funding  meant for it from the world Bank dried up.

    “The regretable result is that today,  the current ratio is one extension agent to two thousand farm families,  and this is an impossible task to create impact. Interestingly,  policy wise,  agricultural extension service occupies a major plank in the Agriculture Transformation Agenda  of  Nigeria.”

    He said the ADP  is  a key component of the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development (CADDP) which the  Agric Transformation Agenda  domestically seeks to represent, adding that the regional level,  Nigeria is a major country upon which ECOWAS relies for the implementation of its agricultural policy, called ECOWAP, especially for the economic development and food security of her over 300 million population.

    He said it should be noted that ECOWAS accorded extension service sub-sector a significant role in the implementation of the region’s agricultural policy.

    Ukuoha explained that in  the spirit of the existing partnership with the Federal Public Administration Reforms of the Department for International Development, the Department  For International Development, (DFID), NANTS seeks to beam the policy searchlight on the status of extension service delivery in Nigeria.

    He said the goal is to monitor and engage this agricultural policy of government with a view to ensuring positive impact on the small holder farmers.

     

  • Oyo pay increase, welcome development

    SIR: The announcement of an increase in workers’ salary by Oyo State governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi few days ago elicited joy not only among the workforce but generality of the people of the state. The gesture is commendable given the lean purse of the state. The action is equally remarkable because it is about the first time in recent history of the state, when a government is increasing workers’ salary without agitation or industrial action.

    The tradition in the past was for an outgoing government to set a bobby trap for the incoming administration by increasing workers’ salary. I have no doubt that, Senator Ajimobi understands that success or failure of any administration depends largely on the support or lack of it from its workforce. This is because they are the mirror through which the masses view the government and any comment from them about the government goes a long way to determine their support for or opposition against the government. Therefore, a very important way to attract their favour is to make their welfare a priority. The state government’s policy of payment of workers’ salary on the 25th of every month and payment of 13th month salary are some of the pragmatic steps to boost the morale of the work force and encourage same to be more proactive and result oriented.  I have no doubt that the present gesture of the government will go a long way to promote workers’efficiency.

    Beyond this however, the multiplier effect of the increment on the economy of the state cannot be quantified; this is because the enhanced purchasing power of the workforce whose impact will be felt by all sectors in the state. It is hoped that the workers will reciprocate this unprecedented action from the government by continuing to give its unalloyed support for the government in its bid to improve the lots of the state and give the citizenry a new lease of life.

     

    •Adewuyi Adegbite

    Apake, Ogbomoso.

  • Dafara: Community in search of development

    Dafara: Community in search of development

    Among several communities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dafara is said to be one of those that lack infrastructure. In this report, GBENGA OMOKHUNU examines the people’s plight and what could be done to ease their suffering.

    The essence of having an area council administration is to ensure that communities under it enjoy the benefits of democracy. In most situations, the reverse is the case as people at the grassroots go through horrifying hardship if their leaders fail to take care of their well-being.

    Dafara in Kuje Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) seems a perfect example of this scenario.

    Residents of the community, which is just about six kilometres from the council’s secretariat, are not satisfied with the state of affairs. This is because the community is experiencing what they described as ‘developmental delay’ as a result of negligence on the part of the council chairman who has failed to fulfill his electioneering promises to them.

    Investigation revealed that residents of this peaceful community have been denied of necessities  that enhance their welfare.

    That they lack every amenity even when they live closer to the council’s secretariat is surprising to them. They alleged that members of the community have not benefited in any way from the council in the past three years.

    The Madaki of the community, Mr. Zaphania Tezh, who represented the community’s chief, Joseph Makeri, told our correspondent that the community is in need of government’s presence, adding that, despite that the people support the administration of the council, they are still far from witnessing development. He also said the community was experiencing challenges which include lack of potable water, electricity and access road.

    He said: “We know that the council chairman is doing his best to reach out to communities in Kuje. But we feel that since we are close to the secretariat, development should not be far from us. We really need infrastructural development in this community. That will give our people a sense of belonging.

    “Our youths also need to be empowered. In Dafara Village, we have many graduates that are jobless. The leadership of the council should come to our aid by making our people feel they are part of the government in Kuje.”

    A resident, Mr. John Iyan, said the community lacked some amenities that would have given the people a sense of belonging, adding that the leadership of the council should assist the community in the area of water, since the rivers on which the people depend for drinking and cooking are not hygienic enough.

    “We know government cannot do everything for the communities within its area. The past chairman, Hon. Danladi Zhin, did his best to reach out to communities in Kuje. But Dafara was left out in the course of providing certain amenities. We are appealing to the present chairman, Hon. Shaban Tete, to come to our rescue in providing water boreholes, transformers for electricity. It is hard to believe there is no electricity in this community that is very close to the council’s secretariat.

    “Most of our youths are graduates but they are jobless. We are appealing to the council chairman to empower youths in this community so that they will be useful to themselves and the society.

    “No matter what, our youths are still part of the leaders of tomorrow. So, they should be empowered,” he said.

    Another resident, Ismaila Matthew, said though the previous administration worked towards providing water for the community, the project failed. He also said they have not benefited much from the government apart from the primary and junior secondary schools being built.

    “Tete should fulfill promises he made to this community over a year ago. We believe that those things we lack currently could be provided if he wills. Again, the youth will have a sense of belonging if they are empowered. He should better our living condition,” he said.

    Efforts made to speak with the chairman of the council were futile as one of his aides told our correspondent to wait till when the council chief will address the press on it.

  • Lack of Proactive plan, bane of development —Danagogo

    Lack of Proactive plan, bane of development —Danagogo

    The Honourable Minister of Sports and Chairman of the National Sports Commission (NSC), Dr. Tammy Danagogo has identified the lack of pro-activeness on our developmental plan as the bane of the nation’s accelerated development.

    The Minister made this assertion yesterday, 28th August, 2014 in his Abuja National Stadium office when he received in audience a delegation from the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) led by the Director-General, Mr. Benjamin Dikki.

    Commending the delegation for the visit which is a follow-up exercise to the earlier concession of the Lagos National Stadium and part of the Abuja National Stadium the Minister stated that the visit underscores the BPE’s commitment to truly reform and galvanize the Private sector in sports.

    Dr. Danagogo noted that it is a truism that Private sector is more involved in running businesses worldwide whilst government’s role is to regulate and draw up a policy framework.

    Speaking further, the Minister reinstated that this was the cardinal point of the President’s Sports Summit convocated in 2012.

    “What you are seeking to do is in tandem with Mr. President’s vision of involving every well meaning Nigerian by opening all these stadia to Private involvement” he said.

    Consequently, the Minister pledged the National Sports Commission’s commitment to work with the BPE to deliver this laudable goal of reforming the sports sector.

    Earlier in his remarks, Director-General of the BPE, Mr. Benjamin Dikki had said his Team was at the NSC to formally call upon the Minister to inaugurate the Project Advisory Team that will undertake a comprehensive analysis of sports development in Nigeria.

    He stated that it will be counter-productive to concession the stadia without a legal backing and the regulatory framework for sports the whole exercise may likely run into a hitch.

  • Debt and development

    Debt and development

    •We are gradually returning to the dark days

    The implications of the magnitude of Nigeria’s internal and domestic debt for the country’s growth and development have been of enduring public interest. This important issue was once again brought to the fore by the President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Mr Chidi Ajaegbu. While condemning the current time lag as well as low level of budget implementation in Nigeria, he also strongly cautioned against the subsisting practice of funding recurrent expenditure with debt.

    In the words of the ICAN President, “The practice of funding recurrent expenditure through debt is unacceptable. It is tantamount to spending unearned income and therefore mortgaging the future by abating possible future economic development. This negative policy should be addressed urgently as it is unsustainable”.

    We identify fully with Mr Ajaegbu’s concern with the persistent defects of Nigeria’s budgetary process, particularly the management of the country’s national debt. Without a purposeful, disciplined and efficient budgetary system, the country’s national socio-economic and developmental objectives will continue to remain in abeyance.

    Of course, the incurring of national debt – internal and external – is not by itself the problem. In a situation of paucity of resources for rapid socio-economic development, debt can indeed be a viable vehicle for accelerating progress. This, however, presupposes that such borrowed funds are transparently and prudently utilised to boost infrastructure and stimulate the economy’s capacity for self-reliant development.

    Unfortunately, as has always been the case, there is hardly anything to show for Nigeria’s level of indebtedness as the country continues to witness so-called growth without development and the majority of her citizens sink steadily deeper into poverty.

    Figures recently released by the Director-General of the Debt Management Office (DMO), Dr Abraham Nwankwo, indicate Nigeria currently bears a domestic debt burden of N8.9 trillion while her external debt stock stands at $9.3 billion. According to him, the Federal Government’s external borrowing from multilateral institutions amounted to $3.826 billion while her loans from bilateral sources totalled $3.013 billion. On their part, state governments sourced $2.904 billion from multilateral institutions and obtained $108.9 billion as loans from bilateral sources. Even though, Dr Nwankwo sounded quite confident that Nigeria’s debt profile was still quite healthy since she has a favourable debt-to-Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio of 12.5% against an acceptable global ratio of 25%, there is still need for a lot of caution. This is why we agree with his position that the country will not engage in borrowing spree without caution despite the re-based economy that has enhanced Nigeria’s capacity to borrow.

    We recall that in October 2005, a lot of fanfare attended Nigeria’s exit from the Paris Club of debtors. The country paid $12 billion upfront to have her external debt stock of $30 billion cancelled. In a nationwide broadcast on that occasion, President Olusegun Obasanjo attributed the indefensible external indebtedness to “political rascality, bad governance, abuse of office and power, criminal corruption, mismanagement and waste, misplaced priorities, fiscal indiscipline, weak control, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and a community that was openly tolerant of corruption and other underhand and extra- legal methods of primitive accumulation”. These ills have only worsened with time, creating the strong probability that our renewed growing indebtedness will have negligible impact on national development.

    It is disturbing, for instance, that President Goodluck Jonathan is requesting the National Assembly’s approval to borrow $1 billion to fund the anti-terror war against Boko Haram even though N868.127 billion was allocated to defence in the 2014 budget. The reckless spending by public officers at all levels suggests that with greater prudence and less corruption, the country can progress with much less borrowing.

  • ‘Why I want to rule Adamawa’

    ‘Why I want to rule Adamawa’

    Hon. Jerry Kumdisi is the Chief Whip of the Adamawa State House of Assembly. In this interview with VINCENT IKUOMOLA, he speaks on his governorship ambition and other partisan issues.

    WHY do you want to be the governor of Adamawa State?

    I have been nursing the ambition for some time. I had expressed my interest in the position long before the impeachment. I had even started my campaign, although not in the open.

    I have won election three times and I have gone round the state. So, I am familiar with the problem of Adamawa. The people of Adamawa also know the kind of person I am. They know how I have represented them at the House of Assembly. I also know that I will give Adamawa a new direction, totally different from what it used to be. I believe my chances are very bright.

    You know that we impeached our governor recently. You don’t impeach someone who is doing well. If you do that, the people of the state would chase you out of your house. The former governor was out of tune with the people.

    But, you gave Nyako a vote of confidence some months ago?

    I agree that there was a vote of confidence, but we all know how that confidence vote came about. It may be of no value to begin to dissociate myself from the action because, if the House takes a decision, whether you voted for or against such a decision, it is binding on you. You are bound to be part of it.

    But, some of us didn’t agree with the confidence vote. But, we were in the minority. We didn’t have the voice to say that this vote of confidence cannot stand. The way our democracy operates is that sometimes, when some members want to get favours from the executive, they engage in praise singing. It happens in all the states.

    Why did it take the House more than seven years to realise that they needed to remove Nyako?

    Everything has its time. When things like that were going on, the governor had his own men. But gradually, those members fell out with him and joined some of us that had not been with him from the beginning.

    Is it true that members of the House were paid to impeach the former governor?

    Reward from who? What favour or reward were we looking for? As far as I know, we didn’t do it because we wanted a favour from anybody. We impeached Nyako because he was not doing well for the state.

    Secondly, as people who were supposed to be working together, he didn’t think that we mattered in the administration of the state. As our governor, we had the right to ask for certain things from him. One of such things was our constituency projects. We expected that every member ought to get it so that he or she can execute some projects in his or her constituency and remain relevant.

    But, since Nyako came to power a little more than seven years ago, he awarded contracts for constituency projects only once. I was part of it. I have been in the House since 2003. I know the governors that were there before him. I can tell you what they did and what they didn’t do.

    What was the role of the Presidency in the impeachment saga?

    Nobody induced us to impeach the governor. I am not aware of any inducement from anywhere. If you talk of those that worked with Nyako in his early years, I was one of them. But, we fell out because he didn’t do what we expected from him. Even before his ouster, there had been previous moves to impeach him.

    I was part of those who wanted to impeach him when President Umaru Yar’Adua was in power. We served him the impeachment notice then, but because he was still in the PDP and the party was one family, we were called to a meeting in Abuja and told to stop the impeachment move. We told them what the governor was doing and yet, he was not called to order by the party.

    We tried to resist the intervention, but the late President Yar’Adua asked the Vice-President, Goodluck Jonathan, to sit with us because he was traveling abroad. We agreed on certain things with the governor. He was asked to implement the agreement, while we were asked to drop the impeachment move. We did as agreed.

    When I was coming for the third term, the same Nyako denied me the PDP ticket. I went to the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and won my election. I returned to the PDP after our inauguration. It was the same Nyako that begged me because he knew that, if I was not there in my local government, he would not have won my council during his bid for a second term in office.

    He told me that he did everything he could to ensure that I was defeated in the election. He said he was sorry for doing all that and pleaded with me to return to the PDP for us to work together. Election was coming and he needed everybody around at that time to help him to win. That was how I returned to the PDP.

    Why are the mistakes of Nyako, which you will avoid, if you become the governor?

    One other major mistake Nyako made was to involve his family in government and governance. His wives were in government fully.

    His first son left the Navy where he was a commander to come and became the de facto deputy governor to his father. His children were playing one role or the other in government.

    Our Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) unit was headed by his younger brother’s son. So, his government was dominated by members of his family. The government was popularly referred to in Adamawa as ‘Family and Friends’. If you mention ‘family and friends’ in the presence of any Adamawa person, he or she will know you are referring to Nyako.

    When you involve your family in governance, you cannot change anything because they will dip their hands in so many things and places. And because you didn’t stop them, you may not have the moral fibre to prevent others from dipping their hands in places that you don’t like.

     

     

  • Vitafoam boss urges African leaders monitor socio-economic development

    Vitafoam boss urges African leaders monitor socio-economic development

    The Chairman of Vitafoam PLC, Mr. Dele Makanjuola has charged government across the West African sub-region to regularly measure the various indices that are needed for economic planning and development in the region.

    Makanjuola made this known recently at the business luncheon/ commissioning of Wellness Centre by the Business Club Ikeja (BCI).

    According to the Vitafoam boss, there is need for members of the Economic Community of West African States to continuously measure their economic policy and its effect on the society for sustainable development within the sub-region.

    While noting that although there are abundance of human, land, energy and mineral resources across the sub region, he said: “As of today, there exist a very high level of poverty and social inequalities which is all pervading with close to 60% of the population lives on less than one US dollar per day.”

    Makanjuola opined that in spite of government propagandas that there is absence of liberal economy in the sub-region, “anti market, anti-trade, pro-subsidy and pro-regulation policies of the various governments are strangulating the economies.”

    Corruption, Makanjuola observed, “is endemic across the nations, weak institutions, low morale of citizens and undeveloped sense of public service, perennial conflict within nations and between nations slow down execution of regional development projects.”

    “There is a need for structural transformation to bring about economic growth. We should take note that economic development can be achieved only through continuous technological innovation, industrial upgrading and diversification”, he said.

    Earlier in his words, the president of the BSC, Engineer I. S Tella, who applauded members of the club and especially Vital Foam Plc for the construction of the centre, said that the wellness centre is aimed at repositioning the club for revenue generation and encouraging Nigerians to keep fit.

    He encouraged members of the club to take advantage of the centre by utilising the centre rather than leave it more to the public.