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Tag: disguise

  • My suspension a blessing in disguise – Hon. Jibrin

    Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin is the former Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation. The lawmaker, who represents Bebeji/Kiru Federal Constituency in Kano State, is generally viewed in the House as a daring fighter who would stop at nothing to pursue what he believes is right. In his first interview since he returned from the 180-day suspension that was slammed on him after he accused principal officers of the House of shortchanging the nation financially, he spoke with VICTOR OLUWASEGUN on his experiences, hopes and anti-corruption stance.

     

    You are known as one of the few vocal members of the House of Representatives. What exactly drives your passion?

    First, I just want to say that I am completely different. There are a lot of vocal members in the House, but maybe my style is different from theirs. Again, I am very passionate about the country and about service. I left my business to come into politics, and what brought me into politics is to make a difference not to make money. I got into the system of the National Assembly at a very young age. I was saddled with a very huge responsibility of chairing the Finance Committee for four years and then I was appointed the chair of the Appropriation Committee. I have seen much within that period, especially the core working of the National Assembly. I understand the powers of the legislature and I am determined that those powers that the constitution gave the legislature should be used for the good of our country. That is what keeps pushing me to make a difference. And when I look back at how far one has come, it has gotten to a point in life that only a few things can put you into fear. I don’t fear anything. I always like to follow my convictions.

    You’re back before the Ethics and Privileges Committee of the House. Do you think the new charges against you are justifiable?

    Absolutely not. And of course, this is what I have been fighting in the last two years since I was suspended. I was suspended for 180 days. Of course I love to say illegally suspended. The court has declared it, so one can freely say that the suspension was absolutely illegal. And I came back to the House and many people thought that having spent 231 days on suspension, I’ll be subdued. I’ve had people say, ‘Oh yes, he has learnt his lesson!’ I just smile over it. Because what I went through in the last two years did not subdue me but strengthened me. It actually showed that I had the strength I didn’t know that I had, because it is not easy to survive 231 days in suspension, with a very vindictive people or persons, few in number, who want to get you down by every means. But I got over and out of it and came back into the House.

    When I came back to the House, I discovered that there were lots of things that were being done before that are still going on. In due course, I will give the details of those issues. For now, I will leave it at that.

    Still on the Ethics and Privileges issue…

    I don’t even want to give anyone the satisfaction of responding to that. I want to draw the line. I want to watch and see what happens. But the reality is that now, only a member who does not know his rights will be suspended. Not only me, but the rest of the legislators in Nigeria. The judge in my case did not only make a specific declaration but a general one. Even in the case of Senator Omo-Agege, it is the same. The judge said: ‘You do not have the power to suspend this person or even any member, except for a particular number of days which is specified in the privileges…’

    You are the arrowhead of Parliamentary Support Group (PSG), and some people are saying you are only using it to advance your political fortunes. What is your reaction?

    If in the course of doing the right thing good things come to you, it is fine. I have seen people who work in public service with commitment. They are not corrupt. Men of integrity served this country for years and left with nothing. And somewhere along the line, if a Good Samaritan sees them when they are out of government, he can say, ‘You were a good man in government; I’m going to give you a house’ or ‘I am going to help you make money to take care of yourself.’ And he does that. It is your good work that has come back to you. So if in the course of doing what is right, following my conscience, pursuing the cause of the Parliamentary Support Group, certain good coincidentally comes my way, I will not chase it away. I will accept it.

    But the point is that I am not the arrowhead of the Parliamentary Support Group of the House and the Senate. I am just one of the arrowheads. If you will recall, the Parliamentary Support Group was existent in the Senate. We do not have it in the House for reasons best known to one or two persons who should have taken the initiative. The whole idea of the support group is to provide a support base for Mr. President in the House. Of course, there are a bit of issues in the APC caucus. So the President needs to have a special group to provide a support base for him, because he (President) has been very vulnerable in the National Assembly and has been under all kinds of attack. Right now, we are taking signatures because we want to prove to people that the President does have support. In the last few days, you will be shocked at the number of members that have appended their signatures. The idea of the Parliamentary Support Group is not to fight Dogara or Saraki, or to antagonise them. It is only to protect and provide a support base for the President in the parliament.

    You levelled serious corruption allegations against the leadership of the House. Are you surprised nothing is being done about it?

    Everything I did and said about the issue of corruption in the leadership of the House is in the public domain. I don’t think there is anything left for me to say.

    Former Minister for Finance Okonjo-Iweala alleged in her new book that lawmakers took N17 billion to pass the 2015 budget. You were the chairman of Appropriation then. What do you have to say?

    I was the chairman of Finance then, and I will just recap my response. My position about that issue is very simple and clear. I do not know anything about N17 billion bribe. I was not a part of it or the meeting. I would have loved it if the former minister of finance had named those who attended the meeting. She only gave the statutory list of those who normally attend the ad hoc committee meeting. The members do not attend all the meetings. I was not there for the meeting as well. I did not benefit from the N17 billion. I have also invited the EFCC to investigate me to find out if I was involved in such gratification if indeed it existed.

    2018 budget was increased by over N500 billion. Would you say it was another case of padding or corruption?

    In every arm of government, there is an element of bribery and corruption. In the executive, you will see them fighting corruption. You will see people being arraigned. You will see the head of an MDA being arrested or an executive director in a parastatal being accused or arraigned. The judiciary has taken a drastic measure now of internal cleansing. The judiciary is indicting judges. The judicial council is taking unprecedented steps, sacking judges and the rest.

    When you come to the legislature, what are the measures that the Senate President and the House Speaker are employing to check internal corruption? Secondly, how have they performed in terms of blocking the loopholes? Are they saying there is no corruption in the parliament? If there is, what have they done? The least that could even be done is to protect internal whistleblowers. Majority of the House members are onlookers. Most of the members are not culpable. They have devised a means to form a budget cabal with some people in the executive arm.

    Recently, you issued a statement on behalf of the PSG that they are collecting signatures to support Buhari. There are serious allegations that the Presidency paid hundreds of millions. What do you have to say?

    President Buhari does not give anybody money, so anyone who is talking about money is just looking for an excuse. Some people are just upset that a group has emerged to support the President within the National Assembly. So there is no issue of money or inducement.

    What would you say you gained during your suspension?

    If you recall what I was saying during the 2016 crisis, I said I’ve gotten to a point in my life where what matters is a good name; a legacy. I’ve always loved the idea that long after my time, when my child is walking down the street, people will point and say, ‘Your father was a good man, a patriotic Nigerian who fought for the people of this country selflessly, even at the risk of his own life.’ I want to be remembered as someone who came to serve and give, not to take. I spent three months meeting my people one on one. I gained the privilege to be a member of the National Assembly while looking in from the outside. I didn’t know how people perceived us until I experienced that. So I have a burning desire to change lives. To have a good name is worth more than anything else in this world. Once I realised that during my suspension, it coaxed me to stick to that line of thought and continue to do the right thing.

     

  • MOVIE TITLE: Disguise

    MOVIE TITLE: Disguise

    Highly experimental and unpredictable. A Disguise that gets movie lovers wondering how far one would go to sort after facts that lie in the ambitious curiosity of a never ending quest for knowledge. We in the hood, the Crithood found this subject matter quite interesting. Sadly, it requires more than an average thinker to get past the surface of this story.

    A Desmond Elliot film that gives an impression of a Renaissance Man of our time, highly in pursuit of intellects that explains human behavioural patterns in relation to the opposite gender. Hypothetically, uses the supposed scientists as a lab rat, without his knowledge, to satisfy a quest, that literarily opens a new chapter for society on the pages of a book. How far it goes, gets you thinking about how the human society cannot be paralleled to a single ideology, as the saying goes different strokes for different folks.

    An almost standard production, that clearly was executed on a solid budget, but reflects a failure in terms of professionalism. The director understood to a large extent the implication of this story and tried to the best of his ability, to lightly interprete a somewhat complicated subject, playing on exaggerated comic actions.  Some will refer to this technique as amateurish, using phallus as a tool for laughter, in a means of treating a rather philosophical issue on an ideological basis. The actors did not do so badly. The attempt at interpretation of these characters took a total transition specifically for the male and female lead characters, which is quite commendable. Only, it was noticed a number of times, some involuntary break out of characters; most especially as regards consistency in the ‘supposed’ American accent. The locations were smartly chosen and used. The picture is definitely quality, as shots were mediocre. The editing was a let down at some point during the course of the movie, as lip sinking was terribly done in a couple of scenes. Costuming was quite commendable. It could have been a standard movie, if some errors were avoided.

    The story of Disguise is certainly not the most popular in Nollywood, as the manner of presentation could be possibly difficult to achieve, in terms of the basic requirement of professionalism in portrayal of the disguise of the lead characters. Surprisingly, didn’t do so bad in the aspect of makeup that forms the premise for the story. A potential story, different and funny, engaging but eventually lacks a level of clarity that propels a state of confusion in the mind of an average audience, who battles between having an understanding of the story, as it is being told on the large screen and eventually reconciling the conclusion with an everyday reality as opposed to the realism.

    At the end of it all, this story lets you give a personal meaning to this subject, expressed in a script that attempts to mirror society from an artistic angle; which tried to effectively portray the psychological implication of the generic individuals at certain positions, as against the opposite gender. This was perceived as a level of prejudice mostly for the male gender over the feminine gender, as truly this is not far-fetched from the case of the present reality of society. However, our verdict does not encourage the perceived gender prejudice, as it may be misunderstood by many, seeing that the movie allows an opinionated freedom to its audience. A promising storyline, an average cinematography, bad editing, above average acting, impressive makeup and costuming, an overall average movie that could have been a standard production if professionally treated. It is quite interesting to see and funny too.

  • Recession, blessing in disguise

    SIR: Nigerians would begin to smile when things put in place by the present administration comes into fruition. Nigeria is in a sorry state with many losing hope in the country due to the recession. Though the most populous black nation, we have not lived up to expectation and have not achieved the dreams of the founding fathers.

    Even as the economy is in recession, we should all be committed to reviving and restoring the country; we should remain undaunted despite challenges we are going through. I believe we have not lost all the opportunities to be a great nation and a pace setter for the black race.

    We are yet to attain some level of development. We might not yet be there but we are not stagnant and would get there definitely. Ours won’t be different and Nigeria won’t be an exception.

    It is very unfortunate and sad that nations like Singapore and Indonesia gained independence the same period with us but is doing better and have gone far ahead of us. We mustn’t continue like this. The revolution must start from the top. Our leaders must be selfless. We need visionary leaders and a dynamic political leadership. The present leaders should put in their best, put in more effort and should make judicious use of their offices to build this country, because the society you neglect today would take its revenge on the children tomorrow. They should strive for the good of Nigerians and this great country.

    I pray that this recession would be a blessing in disguise for us all. Just as a popular Nigerian artiste sang “just like raindrops falling from the sky, just like tear drops falling from my eyes, it is like a blessing, a blessing in disguise, that we fail to realize now I have to pay the price”. Everything about this recession would be a blessing in disguise.

    Nigerians should have faith, hold on and be strong; everything would be alright.

     

    • Elizabeth Ugbah,

    Lagos.

  • ‘Insurgency is a blessing in disguise’

    ‘Insurgency is a blessing in disguise’

    Dr. Shettima Kulima is the Executive Chairman, Borno State Universal Basic Education Board.  In this interview with DUKU JOEL in Maiduguri, the BSUBEB chief said the Boko Haram crisis had opened a new vista in the drive for transformation of education in the state.  

    WHAT has changed since the Boko Haram attacks on schools in Borno State?

    Sincerely speaking, Boko Haram madness has come to be like a blessing in disguise for the people of Borno State. We are not looking at the scale of destructions, devastation, carnage, maiming, the mayhems and all other concomitant problems; rather, we are looking at the positive side. While some people are using this as an escape route not to work, in the case of Borno, we are using the crisis to promote our own development.

    Can you explain what you are doing to achieve that?

    Here, I want to laud the determination, enthusiasm and political will of Governor Kashim Shettima of Borno State. When he assumed the mantle of leadership in 2011, there were three years non-accessed matching grant funds from UBEC and he quickly upset that by paying the three- yearcounterpart funds. As at now, Borno is the best performing state in SUBEB rating for 2015 and 2016 consecutively. This is to say that we have up to date counterpart funds paid to access the matching grants from UBEC. Looking at what Borno is collecting from the Federation Account and the challenges it faces at the moment, such as feeding IDPs, reconstructions of the destroyed communities, and paying this counterpart funds of N2 to N3 billion at a time like this deserves a kudos.

    Could you speak on the government’s schools for the orphans?

    The government has selected 50 girls from the IDPs camps and sent them to the Zaria Academy to study at the Junior Secondary School. We have signed an MoU with the school and they will proceed to the Senior Secondary School after three years of the Junior Secondary School. So, they are going to stay in Zaria for six years and the government will sponsor their education up to the university.The number of orphans in Borno is alarming. Statistics say over 400,000 children were orphaned by the Boko Haram crisis. The governor has, therefore, established a school for orphans. The school still under construction is made up of a 40 classroom complex capable of accommodating 3000 pupils.

    How is the government addressing the challenges at the basic level?

    One remarkable achievement of the administration after the Boko Haram crisis is the massive construction of primary schools. These constructions are not only going on, there is also the modernisation of the existing facilities. To my delight, the governor has designed a cradle as the classroom of Borno State in the next year to come and the classroom was even applauded by a Norwegian Ambassador who visited Borno sometimes ago. We have PoP in our classes and the space is expanded to carry no fewer than 50 pupils at a time.

    I understand that Borno State is building what they called mega schools. Can you tell us what it’s all about?

    Apart from the modernisation of the classroom, there is one particular feat that we have achieved in the education sector.  We have conceived this idea of Mega Schools. A Mega School is a magnificent edifice with a block of eight classrooms story building x three in a particular location making 34 classrooms at a time with an administrative block and 10 offices.

    Besides, there are two VIP toilets, which are highly modernised with each one having 16 compartments. To provide wash facilities, a solar borehole was sunk in the school to provide enough water for the pupils. Research has shown that one of the causes of female dropouts in schools is as a result of lack of wash and sanitation facilities. There is one kitchen outdoor which we use for the free feeding programme in line with the Federal Government free feeding policy in schools. We have also introduced a meal per day to boost enrolment and retention of the pupils. The schools will have also solar power to provide 24 hours light in the schools.

  • Low oil prices, blessing in disguise

    SIR: We have been so unfortunate to be governed by rulers instead of leaders; who knew only how to balkanise the country into unsustainable states and local governments that endlessly wait like helpless chicks of birds in the nest for monthly allocation of proceeds from the oil wealth. While other oil producing countries were massively  investing their oil wealth in developmental projects like converting the deserts into haven for industrial growth and development, petroleum refineries, building state of the art hospitals, schools, tourist havens, power generation, good transportation systems, heaven on earth palatial estates and pro-poor social programmes, our rulers were busy competing to see who will steal more than the other and stashing their humongous booty into local and foreign banks. Each succeeding regime struggled to make sure that they outdid their predecessors in the kleptomanic spree! This free for all scrambling for our common wealth when oil prices were in high heavens, had continued unchecked till the present democratic administration of President Muhammadu Buhari who has vowed to fight corruption even with his last drop of blood now that oil price is at its lowest ebb.

    One wonders where Nigeria would have been if the level of industrialization championed by private business men in the late seventies and eighties were sustained. There was hardly any part of the east especially Aba, Onitsha, Nnewi and many others that do not have manufacturing industries. Textile industries dotted the nooks and crannies of Kano, Kaduna, Aba, Onitsha, Lagos etc. Automobile industries existed in the east, west, north and south. These industries would have fully matured into giant exporting entities by today if the intoxicating oil money did not bemuse and befuddle our opportunistic rulers into thinking that there is no tomorrow. There were even some other government established industries such as Ajaokuta steel complex, Jos steel rolling mill, Aladja and Katsina steel rolling mills that were supposed to galvanize our industrial growth and development.

    Nigeria’s population size is one of the greatest assets any serious nation can wish for. Even with World Trade Organization’s free trade liberalization mantra, we could still protect our own developing market by patronizing made in Nigeria goods and services more so now that the exchange rate has gone into the high heavens. When the industries start working, jobs and more jobs will be created. Our industries will start running shifts to clear the already saturated market of the unemployed legion. The irritating band of okada riders and keke-Napep drivers will naturally disappear when our factories and farms starts running again.

    Regrettably, lack of political will and efficient economic policies mired by the stupendous oil wealth bemused the country into channelling her energy into wealth appropriation instead of creation. Provision of enabling environment for business growth and survival such as finance, good roads, water supply, electricity and security by the government was a responsibility they left for these industries. How then could they compete favourably with their foreign counterparts?

    My dream is that the current low oil prices will force Nigerians to change for the better by being more patriotic. That the federal, state and local governments will diversify their revenue streams, become less corrupt and work for the interest of the masses instead of devilish personal aggrandizement. Further devaluationof our currency now, will be pouring salt into a battered injury. It is usually export oriented economies that gain when they devalue their currencies. It would have been a somewhat different kettle of fish if we were exporting refined petroleum products. This government may not contain the salary increment pressure that will surely come from labour if naira is further devalued. Since oil revenue is now coming in trickles, let us help ourselves by minimizing capital flights through importing or expending only on necessities that does not have local alternatives even as the fight against treasury looters is sustained with gusto without minding whose ox is gored.

     

    • Kingsley Ike Okeke-Agulu, Ph.D.

    Jos.