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Tag: Durojaiye

  • Durojaiye: Buhari deserves another tenure

    Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye is the chairman, Board of Commissioners for Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC). Durojaiye, who represented Ogun East in the Senate during the Fourth Republic on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), spoke with reporters in Lagos on why President Muhammadu Buhari should be re-elected, the division in Afenifere and other partisan issues. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI was there.

    The presidential election is about a month away. Can you give us an assessment of the chances of President Muhammadu Buhari?

    Very robust, if Nigerians would be objective and deliver a sound judgment. I think President Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, should be given a chance to serve for a second term; they have done as much as any man can do, given the circumstances of this country. If you recollect what the country has gone through since the return of civil rule in 1999, particularly given what could have been, going by the revenue that has accrued to the country; the indebtedness of the country in many areas; the collapse of many values, including education and electricity generation. The only area I can give the PDP administration credit is that of agriculture. The administration scored more than average in agriculture in 16 years. They also did well in telecommunication in the sense that it is in their time that GSM was introduced into the country. There may be others, but those are the two that I remember. Otherwise, it was an abysmal failure. Since this administration came in four years ago, look at what has happened in the banking industry, in terms of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), that is a very good thing for the economy. The Buhari administration has done well in the area of putting the economy on sound footing. Electricity generation which is a necessity for industrialisation was at an abysmal low level when the administration came on board. Not that we are through the woods yet, but things are a bit better now, in terms of electricity generation and distribution. Then look at the area of telecommunications where I have my own experience. The sector today contributes about 10 per cent to the gross domestic product (GDP) of this country. Every quarter we contribute about three to four trillion naira. Look at what the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali, is doing. Smuggling may not have stopped, but when you look critically you will see a marked improvement. Then look at the wonderful work Babatunde Fowler is doing in the area of tax generation; there is hope for this country.

    Another quality of Mr. President that people may not have noticed is the tendency to build rather than to destroy; the tendency for continuity. I said earlier that the PDP did well in agriculture; Mr. President has continued the good work in that sector and we are all seeing the dividends today. What I’m saying is that where Buhari finds something good, he doesn’t disrupt it to massage his own ego, but rather builds on it for the progress of the country. Nigeria has been so fortunate to have Akinwunmi Adesina as the immediate past minister of agriculture and he has been followed by another minister, Audu Ogbe, who is also doing very well. By this time last year, Governor Ibikunle Amosun invited me for a function and I saw for the first time a rice pyramid. When we were growing up, we were familiar with the ground but pyramid in Kano. This is a sign of good things to come. One of the factors that have undermined our development was that most governments do not follow up on the good things that their predecessors did. They would rather stop such initiatives, so that they can award their own contracts. This is one of the negative things we experienced during the era of national planning. There is something good in the continuity of a programme or of the same party in power; you don’t just disrupt, just because you want a change. Invariably, if you look at it critically, the bulk of it is selfishness, because they are not getting enough under a particular project or government and if there is a change they would be able to get enough share of the national cake. It is this same Buhari administration that is revisiting the steel project at Ajaokuta, which is necessary for our industrialisation. There is no way we can industrialise without iron and steel; it is the basic raw material we need to make corrugated iron sheets, to make steel doors, to fabricate many things, including vehicles and the rest of it. It was in the development plan of Nigeria, but after the era of the super perm secs, who assisted General Yakubu Gowon in his administration, see what has happened to the country. So, we have not been able to put iron and steel at the level it should have been. Look at the improvement on roads. For instance, during the 16 years of the PDP, no serious attention was paid to the Lagos/Ibadan expressway, an important road that services the whole country. Not only is the Buhari administration fixing the roads, it is also revamping the railways. I understand the Lagos/Ibadan rail project has passed Abeokuta; I’m sure it will be completed in a matter of months.

    What is your assessment of the way this government has handled security in the last four years?

    You should be fair to me. You would not expect me to come out openly and criticise my own party, unless I have a major reason to do so. Those who know me know that I am always outspoken. It has been a major terrible situation in terms if security. But the Book Haran insurgency started more than four years ago and it is not a creation of the APC. If anything, the APC has done more to quell it and reduce it to a manageable level. I understand that you journalists have made some adverse contribution to the matter. For instance, I saw it in the papers that the military had a plan to make a movement, but one newspaper leaked it and Boko Haram vamoosed before the military could take a step. It is a collective effort; those of us in the communication industry have a responsibility to contribute our quota to make sure that this people don’t disrupt our progress. I believe it is a question of time before they are vanquished.

    The Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, appear to be divided over the coming election, with members supporting different parties. What is your reaction to this development?

    What is going on in Afenifere is not new. The skirmish started almost 20 Yeats ago; at least when Pa Abraham Adesanya was still in charge. It was a very hot debate, as to whether the organisation should go all out and campaign for a particular political party. There were people in the group who were senior to us who said we should go all out as a political party. But I opposed the idea and Papa Ayo Fasanmi was another member who spoke along that line. He saw the point I was making that we should not deviate from the ideas of the founding fathers of Afenifere, which translates to welfarism. Moves were made to reconcile the issue in-house. I remember that the late Governor Lam Adesina once hosted the two sides at Ibadan, in 2004, to try to solve the problem. But the reconciliation failed.  But regarding developments now in the group, I want the people to decide which of the two sides of Afenifere – those supporting Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and we that are supporting APC – is right. It is not yet time to talk; let’s go to the election first. I want to let people to know about the achievements of President Buhari and Professor Yemi Osinbanjo’s administration. When we talk of welfare, let us take a look at Marketmoni and TraderMoni ; it is a novelty for the welfare of the people. All these amount to welfarism i.e. greater comfort and happiness to the masses of the people. This is what the Yoruba call Afenifere. And that is why the “Afenifere alias Egbe itesiwaju Yoruba” strongly supports and recommends that all fellow Nigerians should vote for Buhari/Osinbajo, as well as all APC candidates in the forthcoming elections.

    Do you mean if Papa Awolowo, Adekunle Ajasin and Pa Abraham Adesanya were alive today they would support the APC?

    No doubt about it; we know what they stood for. Look at these people,  who are saying that they are the original Afenifere and all that, how many candidates do they have in t local governments of their respective areas, in the state assemblies, in the federal House if Representatives or the Senate? Go and check, 90 per cent of the politicians you will find in the above positions are members of the APC Afenifere. It is because of the arrogance I spoke of that brought about the Hon. Wale Oshun-led Afenifere Renewal group. In the end, I believe we will still come back together, but will be after the election.

    Are Yoruba elders supporting Buhari out of fear?

    Fear? Throw it away. How many people have the type of courage the Yoruba had when they confronted the former Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha (rtd) under the umbrella of National Democratic Coalition (NADECO)? Though we have some Igbo like Real Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (rtd), but they were very few; it was mainly the Yoruba and then Pa Anthony Enahoro. Those who engaged vicious military dictators this country ever had are Yoruba. I suffered more than a year in isolation. I was on a floor in a small room, given one meal a day: does that reflect fear? And when it comes to integrity, I am one of those who can beat their chests. So, the theory of fear cannot be justified by fact. I have run for the president of this country.

    Are you in support of restructuring?

    Yes, certainly, we believe in restructuring; we as Yorubas and I think the Igbos too. In fact, there are people in the North who also believe that restructuring makes sense. Restructuring is not the only thing we are asking for. We also believe the presidential system is too expensive and should be scrapped and replaced with the parliamentary system. Some of us have been asking for that right from NADECO days, because it is cheaper. So, restructuring cannot be achieved by warfare; we have to convince those who are opposed to it, to see the merits of our argument and why we need to restructure. Until they see it, it will not be easy.

  • Durojaiye: A consistent voice across generations

    The recent appointment of Senator Biyi Durojaiye as the Chairman of the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) is a poignant demonstration that the man like old wine, is getting better and becoming vintage with the passage of time. It has also shown that being resourceful, consistent and reliable with a touch of uncommon integrity is never out of style. Clearly, it’s evident also that being recognised and given the nod to direct the affairs of a Commission that is so central to the life styles of the twenty first century driven inexorably by a brazen show of zest and youthfulness is an indication that the man is a veritable voice across generations.
    In a dispassionate analysis of the key personalities that shaped the Nigerian landscape in the past four decades there are few Nigerians that can stand up and be counted in the rarefied league of Senator Durojaiye. There are also very few too who can walk their talk and speak with the courage of their convictions like him. Through travails and tribulations, he has campainged when it calls for campaign, advocated when it’s the right strategy and also agitated when it becomes necessary and relevant. He was a first among equals with the accomplishments that God has enabled him to garner on his exemplary earthly journey. He earned his stripes and he has been well acknowledged for these achievements.
    Having trasversed corporate Nigeria as a legal luminary, a banker of repute, anastute manager of men and resources and also reaching the Olympian height of an Executive Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Managing Director of the Nigeria SecurityPrinting and Mint fondly referred to as MINT, he had little or nothing to conquer other than to be an instrument in collaboration with like minded Nigerians to rescue a nation that was drifting dangerously and calamitously towards a political and economic precipice.
    An adherent of the pure form of progressivism Senator Durojaiye is a plus to the ranks of progressives not just in the South west but in Nigeria. For him, being a progressive is more than a sticker and a badge. Being a progressive is embedded in his thoughts, responses and actions. It’s what defines his character both in public an in his private engagements. It is not a license for him to get into public office like many other progressives to whom the term needs some stretching, to line his purse with the nation’s treasure or to be appointed into public office and use it as an opportunity to flood that institution with his cronies.
    Naturally, with his pedigree he was a great leader of the National Democratic Coalition NADECO, This powerful political pressure group which gained immensely from the wisdom, knowledge and strength of men like Senator Durojaiye was to offer spirited resistance to military dictatorship and to fight doggedly for the restoration of democracy in Nigeria. His participation in no doubt contributed significantly for the staying power and resilience of the group after the annulment of the most credible, fairest and freest presidential election ever conducted in Nigeria, was desrvedly won by Moshood Abiola in 1993.
    For his vibrancy, visibility and vocality he was a key target to be silenced and was eventually arrested by the military junta. His refusal to be cowed, to renounce his alliance and insistence on not capitulating, he was to suffer incarceraton, intimidation and loss of many things material for many years. However, after the darkness of the gulag came the light of release and freedom brought by another more compassionate military head of state Gen. Abdusallam Abubakar. In 1998, and not to let the forces of evil triumph he took the positive out of his incarceraton experience and launched into the deep of politics.
    Fully refreshed, revitalised and recharged following his graduation from prison, he sought to represent the Ogun East Senatorial District as a Senator. The position duly suits his experiences and mien and the odds were incredibly stacked against his opponent in the race. The victory was a due reward and a loud endorsement for steadfastness, dedication and commitment to service and being a listening ear and an available shoulder to lean on in times of trials.
    Without pandering to sentiments Senator Durojaiye was a shinning star of that senate session. He brought his sense credibility, acute intelligence, a high degree of responsibility and resourcefulness to bear on the activities of the Senate in that period. Unfortunately, in 2003, his political journey encountered a storm when the PDP in a swashbuckling manner decimated the file of the progressives, took out those with whom there is a future for the South west.
    The end of that elections marked his return to his law practice and to continue in his unchanging role of a patriot and a leader while waiting patiently for the revitalisation of the progressives many of whom as it is were gone with the tide to where the grass seems greener. He was consistently courted and even induced by the PDP in the race to shore up President Goodluck Jonathan waning image in the run up to the 2015 general elections. For the leader he is, he listened to the overtures but refused to be persuaded that there could be any good thing that is possible in the PDP again. He stood his ground with his head held high even when most of the great and notable Yoruba elders fell flat at altar of PDP money.
    It is therefore of no surprise to the initiated in the progressive cycle that Senator Durojaiye was appointed as the chairman of the NCC by President Muhammadu Buhari himself based on integrity and incorruptibility. In a brief chat with a media chief recently, Durojaiye said his major concern was on how the NCC would expand the scope of the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Country which is currently contributing just about 11% to Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to around 20% in the next two years. Beyond that he not only want to boost the nation’s revenue base, but also to provide jobs opportunities to the nation’s teaming youth population to whom this sector is ready made.
    There is no doubt whatsoever that NCC could do with a wave of the brand of progressive ideas that Senator Durojaiye is bringing with him. The Commission may have been set in its ways in almost two decades of operation but there is no saying that it has been smooth sailing and there are a couple of things that can be tweaked to benefit the Commission, the people and the nation. The new chairman will get his hands on a few of them that will leave marks that will be seen and appreciated for their significance for national development.

    •Olu Ayela is a veteran journalist based in Lagos.

  • Senate clears Durojaiye, Araraume, Sunday Dare, others for NCC

    Senate clears Durojaiye, Araraume, Sunday Dare, others for NCC

    It was confirmation of appointments galore at the Senate yesterday as two Justices were endorsed for the Supreme Court, commissioners were okayed for the Independent National Electoral Commission and board members for the National Communications Commission (NCC) .

    Not so lucky were a former Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Pastor Ezekiel Yissa Ezekiel and Aliyu Saidu Abubakar, whose nominations to the NCC board were rejected.

    The report of the Senator Gilbert Nnaji-led Committee on Communications said that only five out of the seven nominees submitted to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation into the NCC board, were considered fit for board appointment.

    Those cleared are octogenarian Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, as Chairman Governing Board, a journalist and former Special Adviser/Chief of Staff to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Mr. Sunday Dare, as Executive Commissioner (stakeholders management), Mr. Clement Omeiza Baiye, (Non Executive Commissioner) Chief Okoi Obia (Non-Executive Commissioner) and Senator Ifeanyi Araraume, (Non-Executive Commissioner).

    The nominees confirmed as as commissioners in the Independent National Electoral  Commission (INEC) are: Agbamuche-Mbu (Delta), Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu (Anambra), Ahmed Mu’azu (Gombe), Mohammed Kudu Haruna (Niger), Dr. Adekunle Ogunmola (Oyo) and Abubakar Nahuche (Zamfara).

    Dare, a Harvard and Oxford-trained media manager is a communications expert and multi-media resource person with over 20 years experience. For nine years, he was a supervisor of International radio broadcasters at the Voice of America (VOA).

    The Senate also confirmed the appointments of Justices Dauda Bage and Paul Galinje as Supreme Court justices.

    On Abubakar’s rejection, the committee recommended that “Mr. Abubakar’s response to the questions and issues raised by the Committee unveils him as a candidate who is not prepared for the demands of office such as required Commissioners of the NCC.”

    Senator Nnaji added that “Mr. Aliyu Saidu Abubakar could not produce any credible educational certificate for the Committee to verify at the screening. He obviously lacks the professional and educational disciplines provided in Section 7 (1)(a-h) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003 which stipulates the qualification for the Commission’s Board.”

     On the rejection of Pastor Ezekiel, the committee said, “Pastor Ezekiel Yissa’s background as a career Nursing Officer however, will not put him in good stead to be able to effectively cope with the dynamics of the communications sector if his nomination is confirmed.”

     Abubakar had argued during his screening that the cost of running the Senate was high and therefore should be scrapped.

     He noted that a situation where the senators were being paid huge sums as transport allowances among others amounted to economic loss to the country.

     The Bauchi State nominee also criticized the purchase expensive vehicles for the lawmakers.

     When the screening committee presented him (Abubakar) with several photographs where he was variously leading organised protests against the Senate particularly at the gate of the National Assembly, the unrepentant nominee thundered that he had no regret for his actions as he was still convinced that Senate was an avenue for wastage of scarce economic resources of the country.

    The committee had earlier pointed out what described grave irregularities in the personal records of the nominee.

    The committee noted that aside birth certificate, “there were only copies of court affidavit and police extract dated the same day, strangely after he had been nominated, claiming loss of his credentials.”

    It said that “Interestingly also, his highest academic qualification was  a one-year “Diploma in Computer” from Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University, Bauchi of-which the attached statement of result was dated 23rd September 2016, still after he had been nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    The report said, “When requested to throw more light on why he chose to present documents that were prepared shortly after his nomination and also why he believed that he was qualified to function as a National Commissioner in such a critical agency as NCC given the rigours, challenges and required expertise for efficiency of the commission, he revealed that he ‘did not bother to go for the credentials’ because according to him he “only went to school merely for knowledge having self-employed prior to the nomination”.

    Senator Nnaji told reporters after the consideration of the report “In my capacity as the Chairman I just defended the recommendations of the Committee that the Senate should confirm only five out of seven nominees for the governing board of the Nigerian Communications Commission, NCC.

    “In the course of our screening, we found out that two of the presidential nominees were not eligible and as such not fit to serve in the Board given our resolve to ensure that the communications regulatory agency is efficient and responsive relative to the prevailing challenges in the sector.

    “We assessed them based on certain parametres in line with the key performance indices put in place for the industry operators. Our decisions were basically guided by national interest.

    “Telecom network providers must be made to render services that offer Nigerian masses values for their monies.

    “So there is no way someone who does not possess the basic skills or expertise to key into our vision for a sustainable communications industry could have been cleared to serve in the board.”

  • Durojaiye, Mamora, Fasanmi blast Afenifere, YCE

    Eminent Yoruba leaders have berated leaders of the Afenifere and Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) for turning themselves into the foot soldiers of President Goodluck Jonathan in the Southwest.

    Afenifere leader Senator Ayo Fasanmi, Afenifere chieftain Senator Biyi Durojaiye and former Senate Minority Leader Olorunnimbe Mamora said the elders had no mandate to speak on behalf of the Yoruba and could not decide for them which presidential candidate to vote for on March 28.

    Leaders of Afenifere, YCE and members of the Peoples Democratic (PDP) met in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, to mobilise support for Jonathan’s re-election at a post National Conference Summit at the Premier Hotel.

    They hinged their decision on Jonathan’s willingness to implement the recommendations of the National Conference held last year.

    Durojaiye said he did not understand the criteria or the rationale for endorsing an administration that had been criticised by Afenifere leaders for marginalising the Southwest.

    “What has changed now that they want the Yoruba to overlook? Is it because Jonathan has engaged some Yoruba elements to castigate former President Olusegun Obasanjo?

    “I am amazed that some Yoruba leaders are asking our people to support a government that cannot guarantee security, that lacks good morals, that has the tenacity to hold on to power at all cost, that changes the rule of the game at its convenience, that plots to remove the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC ) Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.

    “We must be consistent with the principle of protecting the general interest of our own, which the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo stood for all his life. That principle made him more popular in death.

    “Awo is revered because of his landmark achievements in education, health and rural integration that stood him out among his peers. People should just have a rethink and stop ridiculing themselves.”

    Mamora said: “No person or group of people in Yoruba land can claim to be the custodian of the collective will of the Yoruba. The Yoruba are well educated, knowledgeable and cannot be led by the nose. They know what is good for them and how to get it.

    “The directive of the Afenifere and YCE leaders will not sway the Yoruba from voting for the candidate of their choice. They cannot be swayed by any grandstanding.

    “I know the Yoruba will vote for the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari. We are not unmindful of the alleged exchange of money here and there that is making people to act against their conscience. We are not bothered. We still have majority of the Yoruba who understand the issues at stake and will never compromise.”

    On the claim of the Afenifere leaders that only Jonathan can implement the National Conference report, the former Minority leader said: “No one can claim exclusive ability to implement the report. They should not confuse people. The implementation cannot be done outside the National Assembly.

    “It may interest you to know that true federalism and devolution of power are contained in the APC manifesto. Suffice to say that if Buhari is elected, he will ensure the implementation of the National Conference report.”

    Fasanmi appealed to the people of the Southwest to ignore the self-serving endorsements by a few in the region.

    “The people of the Southwest should be consistent with their progressive tradition, vote for Buhari who will adopt and implement policies that will benefit Yoruba and all Nigerians.”

    The YCE had earlier distanced itself from Jonathan’s endorsement by Afenifere.

    Members of the group also met with the President in Lagos recently during which they demanded good governance. The YCE President, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo, was present at the Ibadan summit.

    Afenifere leader Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who chaired the occasion, traced the history of the Yoruba struggle for true federalism to the colonial period, which he recalled eventually led to the birth of the three regional constitutions used in the three regions during the First Republic.

    According to him, Awolowo and his compatriots insisted from the start in allowing each region to move at its own pace ,which paid off when practised in the First Republic.

    He said: “We are not here because of the interest of political parties but because of the Yoruba race. Many of those shouting ‘Buhari’ today don’t know what we went through.  Our duty is to educate them about the past.”

    “It is in the interest of the Yoruba to allow Jonathan return to change the constitution.

    “The change we need is not a change of personality but a change of the constitution.”

    The National Leader of the group, Chief Reuben Fasoranti and other speakers concurred with Adebanjo.

    In his welcome address, the convener and Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko, said the programme was to map out the future of the Yoruba in Nigeria.

    He explained that the choice of Ibadan was informed by its strategic political and social importance among the entire Yoruba race.

    “We, Yoruba, are one of the most blessed in the world. This was demonstrated in the First Republc that we can lead for others to follow, hence, we are campaigning for the implementation of the recommendations of the conference.

    At the summit were former governors Adebayo Alao-Akala (Oyo), Gbenga Daniel (Ogun) and Peter Obi (Anambra);  former  PDP governorship candidate in Osun State Iyiola Omisore; Oyo PDP governorship candidate Teslim Folarin; Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the president Dr Doyin Okupe; retired archbishop of Methodist Church, Ayo Ladigbolu; Sen. Hosea Agboola, Chief Olu Falae, Alhaji Yekini Adeojo, factional leader of the Odu’a People’s Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams; Sen. Femi Okunronmu, Prof. Dupe Olatunbosun; Chief Shuaibu Oyedokun; PDP National Secretary Prof. Wale Oladipo; Chief Abiola Ogundokun; Chief Isola Filani; Sen. Lekan Balogun; Chief Richard Akinjide and his daughter who is the minister of state for the Federal Capital Territory, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide; Dr Kunle Olajide, Dr Frederick Fasehun, Prof. Niyi Akinnaso, UCH CMD, Prof. Temitope Alonge, Prof. Bola Omotoso and Mr Tony Uranta.