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Tag: ECOWAS

  • Malian election, a boost for democracy, says Ekweremadu

    Malian election, a boost for democracy, says Ekweremadu

    The Speaker of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, (ECOWAS), Senator Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday commended ECOWAS and the people of Mali for the success recorded so far in the Malian presidential election.

    Ekweremadu described the election as “free, fair, and credible.”

    He noted that the peaceful conduct of the poll was a boost for democracy and peace in Mali and the entire West Africa.

    The Speaker said: “The peaceful election in Mali justifies the huge human and material sacrifices made by ECOWAS and friends of the sub-region to ensure that peace and democracy are secured in the country.

    “It is a clear testimony to the capacity of ECOWAS to resolve internal crises, defend and consolidate democracy in West Africa.

    “ECOWAS Parliament is particularly proud of the government and people of Mali for the record turnout of voters and their peaceful and orderly conduct during the poll.”

    He however warned against complacency as Mali prepares for the August 11 run-off between the two leading candidates, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita and SoumailaCisse.

    “Though the job is already half done, it is not over yet as all stakeholders must work together relentlessly to ensure a peaceful, free, fair, and credible conclusion of the presidential election,” he stressed.

    It could be recalled that a clear winner could not emerge in the July 28 presidential election, the first since the 2012 military coup.

    Keita, a former Prime Minister and Speaker of the West African nation, garnered about 39.2 per cent of the 3.1 million votes to lead the other 27 candidates but fell short of the majority vote required to emerge as President.

    He faces former Finance Minister, Cisse, who polled 19.4 of the votes, in a run-off.

  • Ibinabo to address IP World Summit

    Ibinabo to address IP World Summit

    PRESIDENT of Actors’ Guild of Nigeria, Ibinabo Fiberesima, will, come December 6, be speaking at World Intellectual Property Summit at Abidjan, Cote D ‘Ivoire. This is contained in a letter of invitation signed by Muriel Nazarie, WIPO’s Regional Bureau for Africa.

    The letter invites the AGN boss to make a 20-minute presentation on the topic, Improving Actors’ Socio-Economic Conditions.

    The letter reads in part: “I have the pleasure to send your letter of invitation as a speaker for the above mentioned meeting which will take place in Abidjan on December 6, 2013. I also have the pleasure to inform you that the World Intellectual Property Organisation , WIPO, will organise, in collaboration with Cote D’ivoire, a Ministerial Meeting of Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, on Creativity And Access to Knowledge: A Social And Economic Impetus For Africa, which will take place in Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire on December 6, 2013”.

    According to the Geneva-based organisation, “The objective of this high level meeting is to address policies and strategies which need to be put in place to create a conducive framework for the economic and social states through creativity and access to knowledge and its dissemination.”

    It further stated that discussions will centre on the new historic landmark treaties recently adopted by the member states of the WIPO, namely the Beijing Treaty on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances of June 24, 2013, and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or otherwise Print Disabled of June 27, 2013; and will highlight the key to what these treaties can play in achieving these goals.

  • ECOWAS to provide humanitarian support to Mali

    The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has put in place an humanitarian support programme for Mali.

    Consequently, 20 members of its Emergency Response Team (EERT) will be deployed to Mali within the framework of a regional Humanitarian Assistance for the country with exiting political and security crises.

    The field deployment for three months beginning from November 18 would be preceded by a four-day Pre-Deployment Training (PDT) in the Malian capital, Bamako.

    The PDT is being supported by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), which is funding the training and also providing all-round flight tickets for the selected ECOWAS EERT members from their respective countries.

    According to a statement issued by the regional body, four of the ECOWAS EERT members being deployed will be seconded to the UN refugee agency, to support its voluntary repatriation and reintegration programme in Mail.

    The Malian Minister of Labour, Social and Humanitarian Affairs is to inaugurate the EERT deployment, while an ECOWAS delegation to be led by the Commissioner for Human Development and Gender, Dr. Adrienne Diop, would discuss the modalities and way forward on the ECOWAS humanitarian support with Malian authorities.

     

  • Fairs of economic revival

    Fairs of economic revival

    For years, the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) has held the Lagos International Trade Fair. This year’s, the 27th in the series, with the theme: ‘Harnessing trade potential for an inclusive economy’ has come and gone. What has this fair achieved over the years? Has it helped in stimulating the economy through foreign direct investment (FDI)? Or is it just an avenue for companies to exhibit products? Okwy Iroegbu-Chikezie reviews the fair.

    As usual, crowds thronged the Tafawa Balewa Square (TBS) venue of the 27th Lagos International Trade Fair held between November 1 and 10. They came mainly to buy goods at cheap prices. At trade fairs, it is generally believed that goods are cheaper, compared with their prices at retail shops. So, shoppers flocked to the fair to get things which they had been planning to have for long. But is this the goal of a fair? According to the organisers, the Lagos Trade Fair, like others, was targeted at Nigerian enterprises seeking wider access to internal and international markets as well as investors seeking joint-venture partners and markets for intermediate and capital goods in Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) member-countries.

     

    Objectives of the fair

    The Chairman, Trade Promotion Board of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Babatunde Paul Ruwase , said the fair was to create a platform for economic growth through a deliberate exposure of the nation’s potential to the outside world.

    Other reasons were to revitalise and diversify the economy, especially non-oil exports, accelerate development of commerce and industry and encourage patronage of made-in-Nigeria products.

    Ruwase also said the fair was to encourage agriculture and agro-based industry, the evolution of Nigeria’s trade with the outside world, focus attention on the role of the private sector in the Nigerian economy and to explore the prospects for foreign and local investments in strategic areas.

    LCCI President Mr Goodie Ibru said the theme of the fair, “Harnessing trade potentials for an inclusive economy,” was chosen to underscore the critical importance of trade and the value of inclusiveness in the economic growth process. He said, among other things, it was to stress the fact that the quality of the investment climate and sectoral linkage have a lot to do with economic advancement of the country and the welfare of her citizens.

    Ibru stressed that the trade expo was premised on the need to ensure that there are sufficient linkages in all aspects of the economy. He listed the linkages between the oil and gas sector and the rest of the economy; the financial sector and the small businesses; large enterprises and the small businesses; between our consumption and our production and between our industries and our agricultural sector.

    His words: “There is the need to ensure that our national economic management model is structured to capture maximum value from domestic spending, foreign direct investments and other economic activities and how best can this be achieved if not through a well thought out trade fair that is well structured and inclusive of all stakeholders.”

    He observed that for a developing economy like ours, protection of our industries and firms is good and desirable, but making them domestically and globally competitive is fundamental as it is the surest path to sustainable development. The LCCI chief said the trade fair couldn’t have come at a better time than now when the government endorsed the new Common External Tariff (CET) by the Council of the ECOWAS Heads of State and Government to benefit from the economic integration of the region.

    President, Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Alhaji Muhammed Abubakar, said the fair would serve as a catalyst to economic development of country. It would increase FDI in information technology, oil and gas and other strategic areas in addition to promoting the value of individual linkages and inclusive growth, he added.

    The NACCIMA boss said trade fairs provide an opportunity for policy makers to appreciate the fact that the private sector needs the appropriate policy to thrive.

    He said: “No economy is an island but every economy needs the appropriate policy to be competitive. The private sector needs to be supported a great deal by government to drive the trade potentials of the country and a well planned and executed trade fair provides the platform.”

     

    Experience from the fair

    Rusawe said the over 500,000 visitors and over 1,000 stands showed that the nation’s economy is viable and attractive to the world.

    Wondering why the economy has not grown beyond the level it is, he concluded that the nation must be doing something wrong, despite its huge resources.

    According to Rusawe, the policy makers must as a matter of urgency investigate why foreigners, especially of the Asian countries stock, come here and succeed in every area of business even with something that needs no skill as pedestrian as in retail trade while our people fail. That those who participated last year came back this year in addition to huge foreign participation shows that trade fairs are a necessity in the economic growth of any nation, he said.

     

    Exhibitor’s remarks

    The Consul-General, Arab Republic of Egypt, Abdel Halim, called for increased trade and investment relations between Nigeria and his country.

    He said Egypt’s doors were open to genuine businessmen from Nigeria, adding that the relationships would provide a platform for discussing challenges that might arise in the enforcement of the Egypt Investment Promotion Act on Retail Trading.

    According to him, the Retail Trading Act is to ensure that foreigners who engage in businesses in Egypt abide by the laws of the country.

    Halim listed investment portfolios in Egypt to include tourism, energy, agriculture and fi nancial services.

    He said the Egyptian Government had provided incentives, including tax rebates, for foreign investors. He said no fewer than 10 Egyptian exhibitors participated at the Lagos Trade Fair to showcase some made-in-Egypt products.

    “All our products are natural; our perfumes on display were without any chemical addition. Some of the natural oils are medicinal and produced under hygienic condition,” he said.

    To him, the fair was an opportunity for the Egyptians to introduce more products into Nigerians.

    Patronage at Ghana, Indonesia and India stands was good in terms of sales and investors while China Pavilion was a beehive of activities with visitors and prospective investors because of mostly the cheapness of their products.

    While some of them said the sales were poor, others said they had got people interested in continuing business relationships with them after the fair.

    One of the exhibitors at Akwa Ibom State stand, Mr Godswealth Henry, managing director, Jekon Integrated Farms Nig. Ltd., producers of RIV Pam Red Palm Oil, said his outing was impressive.

    “Visitors to our stand and patronage in terms of sales and prospective investors are encouraging.

    “I am happy to be at the 2013 Lagos Trade Fair. The idea of the Akwa Ibom Ministry of Commerce bringing us to participate is being achieved.

    “We are into edibles, that is, adding value to farm products so that it meets international standards for export.

    “Our presence at the fair is to get investors in Lagos to be able to evaluate the acceptance of the product when we start exporting them,” he said.

    Another exhibitor from Cameroon Stand and Managing Director, GIC Laboratoire Gefeh, manufacturers of herbal medicine, Mr Ngwei George, said visitors had been enlightened on efficacy of herbal products.

    “Our products are made from tree roots, leaves or seeds and we work with the Ministry of Health, Cameroon.

    “All the products on exhibition are certified by the Cameroon Government laboratories. We have different uses for cocoa seeds.

    “For example, from the cocoa butter made from cocoa seed which is medicine on its own, we produce soaps, hair creams and lotions, among others.

    An exhibitor at Abia State stand, Mr Cosmos Onyeibe, however said the sales were poor and that the stand was too small to accommodate about 17 exhibitors that came with the state government.

    “We are not happy with this year’s Lagos Trade Fair; see, this stand is too small; we are 17 exhibitors and we do not have enough room to exhibit our goods.

    Managing Director, Dusco-Designers International, Mrs Olufunmilayo Ige, a manufacturer of female hand bags, shoe and jewelry from Aso-oke and Ankara fabrics from Osun State said the state government still has a lot to do in areas of making affordable finance available for SMEs. She complained of low sales at the fair and said though she has had visitors visit her stand and appreciate her goods there has been no effective demand.

    Another entrepreneur and Curator of Genesis Arts Gallery Mr Adeyinka Fabayo from Osun State also asked for financial assistance from government to purchase the necessary machines that are capital intensive. He said the fair just like any other is good for exposure and not necessarily cash sales.

    Another entrepreneur Mrs Iyabo Oyebamiji who manufactures local fabrics also complained of low sales.

     

    Advantages of the fair

    ‘’We are excited to see business deals signed and taken to the next level which is a testament that the trade fair is a veritable ground for businesses enterprise and cooperation said Ruwase. Our efforts at putting in place a business to business meeting room at the fair was not in vain seeing the many strategic unions and engagement that came out of it.

    ‘’Many states attended the fair and displayed their products which if harnessed can take the nation to greater heights in her quest for economic prosperity, he added.

    According to him, what some of the state governments need to do is to encourage their SMEs by not only providing funding and soft loan for them, but also an enabling environment in terms of the provision of necessary infrastructure, capacity building and helping with regulatory issues.

    Rusawe said it was at the fair that the Ogun State Government disclosed that it had released N1 billion to the state SMEs to assist them in running their business. He argued that some of those the fund are meant for might not have known about it and would continue to struggle to source for funds for their businesses.

     

    Lessons learnt

    Rusawe said the announcement of President Goodluck Jonathan at the opening ceremony, on the efforts of the government concerning power generation and distribution and the hand-over of the Distribution companies (DISCO) to investors is an eye opener.

    ‘’We are in a vantage position to appreciate the efforts of the government in power generation, especially as far as the investment of the government in that area is concerned. More states have also said that they have created industrial clusters, but, unfortunately, we are not seeing the effect because when the environment is tough the poor feel it the most,” Rusawe said.

    He also noted the observations of some exhibitors and visitors and promised that next year’s event would be bigger and better.

     

    Challenges at the fair

    The most challenging part of the fair is having to construct the boots yearly and they are only useful for a week or at best two weeks. He said the chamber was clamouring for a more permanent arrangement and a purpose built complex that is suitable for trade, expos and exhibitions. Some exhibitors, however, expressed their satisfaction with the venue due to its centrality bearing in mind the poor state of the Lagos /Badagry Expressway. Some exhibitors said their challenge was poor publicity which they said made attendance to their stands poor limiting their visibility and possible sales they would have made.

    On the heels of that, Rusawe asked the Federal Government to expedite action on the transfer of the purpose-built Lagos International Fair Complex at Lagos/Badagry Expressway to the chamber as had been done for Kaduna and Enugu Chambers of Commerce.

    He said: “We are wondering why the purported concession which was adjudged to be faulty has been allowed to stand to this point in time. LCCI is impressed that government has thought it wise to go to court but not excited because the court process may drag forever.”

     

    Government remarks

    President Goodluck Jonathan said the government recognised the place of trade fairs in the economic development of the country. He said that was one reason the Federal Government was taking the legal option to take over the concessioned Lagos International Trade Fair Complex on the Lagos/Badagry Expressway because of the faulty privatisation process.

    He said his administration was poised to increase trade on three levels — international, ECOWAS and internal trade as it has realised its potential for economic growth.

    Jonathan, who was represented by the Minister of Industry, Commerce, Trade and Investment Dr Olusegun Aganga, said the government’s interest in the fair is also based on her belief that SMEs are the engine room of growth for any economy judging from the success story of the Asian Tigers.

    He noted that with 17 million SMEs, employing 32 million people, the government was on its way to economic prosperity.

    Jonathan also announced the tariff differential of 70 per cent that will make it more expensive to import when there is local alternative.

  • ILO assures Fed Govt of support in fight against human trafficking

    ILO assures Fed Govt of support in fight against human trafficking

    The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has assured the Federal Government of its support to fight human trafficking.

    ILO’s Country Director for Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone, The Gambia and Liaison Office for Economic Community of West Africa States(ECOWAS), Mrs. Sina Chuma-Mkandwire, made this known while presenting eight different publications on human trafficking and forced labour to the Ministry of Labour and Productivity, in Abuja.

    She said ILO would continue to collaborate with Nigeria on the implementation of the European Union’s (EU) funded project to enhance cooperation with the Federal Government of Nigeria on the fight against human trafficking from Nigeria to Europe under which different training manuals, reports and a code of conduct for private employment agencies were developed and printed.

    Recently, the Deputy Director-General of International Labour Organisation (ILO), Greg Vines, called on United Nation’s (UN) agencies to work towards eliminating human exploitation.

    Vines, who  addressed the Anti-Human Trafficking week in Switzerland, said the event was aimed at raising the awareness of the international community and the public on the different kinds of human exploitation that exist, such as forced labour, bonded labour and domestic servitude.

    He said: “Recognising our common goal to fighting human trafficking and human exploitation worldwide, the Geneva-based UN agencies must continue to work in the future to promote better coordination on these important issues, and fashion a coherent strategy that brings together our complementary approaches.”

    The ILO director explained that the scale and diverse nature of the problem, calls for comprehensive solutions, such as strict punishment of those who benefit from exploitation, saying that this must be complemented by good preventive measures.

    He said such measures include strengthening labour laws, providing access to skills, information and training, as well as improved victim care and compensation.

  • I don’t have a bicycle to my name

    I don’t have a bicycle to my name

    The name Baba Otu Mohammed would ring a bell to any soccer follower in Nigeria, is it the old generation or the new? Baba Otu, as he is fondly called by numerous fans, was an integral part of the Green Eagles team that reigned supreme on the continent between the late 70s and 80s.

    An outside right player with flair and speed, Baba Otu formed a strong bond with the late midfield maestro, Alhaji Mudasiru Lawal, on the field to punish opponents they confronted. Their days saw the rise of Nigerian football, which culminated in the first Africa Nations Cup victory and ECOWAS Cup.

    The aged former international was cornered in the northern state of Kaduna by The Nation’s Sport and Style reporter recently, and the over one-hour interview was interesting and revealing. Baba Otu went down memory lane, revealing, like no other, his connection with the late Muda Lawal, what made the then Eagles tick, the role of Chairman Christian Chukwu, then captain of the team, and the intimate financial status of players.

    Sadly, and though the soccer living legend is living in penury, he says in another world he would like to come back as a footballer.

    Hear him: “Let’s forget what has happened in the past. In football you don’t look back. We always look forward. What has happened before, whether good or bad, is now history. Right now you won’t believe it, I don’t have a club and I am not fighting to get a club or to get the monetary aspect of it. I just want them to put everything in the right direction so that whenever we leave the stage people will remember us that these are the heroes that fought for the game and lifted it to higher pedestal. Good name, they say, is better than riches. Let me tell you another secret: you won’t believe that I don’t have a bicycle to call my own. It is not my priority but wherever there is football you will see me there.” Below are excerpts of the interview. It is refreshingly revealing.

    Nigerian football

    Well, it has been up and down as regards football. All the administrations of football we have had in the past have witnessed ups and downs and we just need to continue to work very hard to be able to lift football in the country at all times. Sometimes it would go up and sometimes it would come down. It is at the moment on the rise and so we need to continue to do that thing that we are doing right now.

    Super Eagles

    Let me tell you one fact, it is not a matter of foreign professional players or local players making the Super Eagles team, it is a matter of a dedicated, devoted and talented bunch that is ready to do the work. During our playing days we didn’t have any professional players playing for the Eagles and we achieved good results then. So if it is the professional players that are in super form, doing well in their various leagues in Europe and elsewhere in the world, the coach in charge of the senior national team should go for them. Also, if it is from the home front that we have players with football talents and are doing impressively in the Nigerian Premier League and other leagues in the land, let the coach go for them. The best players should be paraded in the Eagles and the best players should be allowed to be in the national team. When you say home-based players, are they not professionals too?

    Green Eagles

    We should not talk about the monetary incentives as regards our playing days because we received only N2 (two naira) a day as our daily allowance. But we were even happier that we made the team and wore the national team jerseys then. Everybody at time struggled to put on that green and white jersey of the Eagles and to represent the nation. We were not talking about money at that time because at the end of a continental match we only received a hundred naira (N100) as match bonus. But we were committed and happy that out of 120 million Nigerians then we were counted among the best players to represent the country. We need that commitment in the new generation of the players in the Super Eagles because that is the only way we can take our football to a greater height. It must be spelt out to the players both local and foreign-based what it means to wear that national team jersey. It is everybody’s duty; be you a coach, football administrator, player and even journalist to make it a point of duty to make the players realise this fact.

    Christian Chukwu

    Our captain then was Christian Chukwu and he played the role of an assistant coach in the team then. He was a good leader on and off the field of play during our time. Before any match he would call us and discuss how we should play according to the instructions of our coach. He often discussed with us why we should win our match because the over 120 million Nigerians were expecting nothing but victory in our matches. Also, after the match we would sit down together to discuss the mistakes we made in the match and the positive aspects of the match. If the result was not good you won’t see anybody happy or not showing remorse. Everybody would stay indoors in our hotel to reflect the mood unlike nowadays when the Eagles will not play well or get the desired results and you will still see them loitering about in their hotel and not showing any sober mood or reflection. This has to stop and I believe the NFF and the coach are capable of handling this issue well.

    Memory lane

    My main guy then that I loved playing with on and off the field of play was the late Mudasiru Lawal. I was playing from the outside right while Muda played from the right side of the midfield then and we enjoyed our partnership in all the matches we played together. Our coaches then could attest to this fact. I miss him a lot.

    Children and football

    Yes, my last born, Abdulraheem, is highly gifted and can do anything with football. He is a better player than me if I should compare him with me when I was playing at his age. I think he is going to make it in the game and I am really encouraging him in all ramifications.

    Car freak

    Where was the money to buy cars then? The first club to give motorcycles to their players was my team, Mighty Jets of Jos. The first player to own or drive a Mercedes Benz was the late Layiwola Olagbemiro. Olagbemiro got his Mercedes from his family then. It’s not playing football that afforded him the Mercedes then. He was playing with us at Mighty Jets along with Sam Garuba Okoye, Ismaila Mabo and Sule Kekere and the Atuegbu brothers and the rest. That time, Ismaila Mabo as the captain of Mighty Jets received N120 per game while the rest of us were paid N90 per game. So, there is no way we could afford the luxury of buying flashy cars like our new generation of players are doing. But we were very happy playing weekly for our club then because we were not playing for money but for fun and happiness.

    Regret

    Let’s forget what has happened in the past. In football you don’t look back. We always look forward. What has happened before, whether good or bad, is now history. Right now you won’t believe it, I don’t have a club and I am not fighting to get a club or to get the monetary aspect of it. I just want them to put everything in the right direction so that whenever we leave the stage people will remember us that these are the heroes that fought for the game and lifted it to higher pedestal. Good name, they say, is better than riches. Let me tell you another secret: you won’t believe that I don’t have a bicycle to call my own. It is not my priority, but wherever there is football you will see me there.

    If not football, what?

    I would have been an Islamic religion scholar. Being a Muslim, I love reading my Quran.

  • Conference of Speakers of ECOWAS Parliament begins in Abuja

     Speakers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) will gather in Abuja today and tomorrow for the Conference of Speakers of the Parliament.

    The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament and also the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, said: “The Conference of Speakers of the sub-region will hold in Abuja today and tomorrow. Efforts have been made in the past to institutionalise this organisation. In fact, in 1999, on May 5, the speakers met in Accra, Ghana to create this body.

    “There were two subsequent sessions; they met in Nigeria, here in Abuja, in the year 2000 and in the year 2001, they met in Burkina Faso. And after that, they have not been able to meet again. But before the suspension or rather before they went into inactivity, the person that held the chairmanship of that body was from Benin, so we decided to appoint the present speaker of Benin to be the chairman of the organisation.”

    Ekweremadu, who also spoke on the Draft Supplementary Act of the ECOWAS Parliament on the enhancement of its powers, hinted that the Act may be endorsed by the end of the year when the Authority of Heads of State and Government of the regional body will be meeting.

  • Ekweremadu seeks more powers for ECOWAS Parliament

    The Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Parliament has made case for the enhancement of its powers to enable it to serve the sub-region better.

    It said that the enhancement of its powers was in line with global best practices, which had seen regional parliaments around the world transformed into full legislative bodies.

    The Speaker of the Parliament, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, is credited to have made the call in Abidjan, Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, at the opening of the meeting of ECOWAS Attorneys-General and Ministers of Justice which is considering the Draft Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament.

    This is contained in a statement by Special Adviser (Media) to Ekweremadu, Uche Anichukwu released in Abuja.

    Ekweremadu was quoted to have said that “the enhancement of the powers the Community Parliament is certainly not aimed at competing with the national parliaments of member States or sister organizations and organs within the ECOWAS family, but simply the powers to enable the parliament to serve the Community better, deeper, and more meaningfully.”

    Senator Ekwremadu who also doubles as the Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate was said to have listed the specific powers sought by the Community Parliament as powers to co-legislate with Council of Minister on all matters relating to ECOWAS Economic and Monetary Integration policies, exercise budgetary functions jointly with the Council of Ministers, and consider Supplementary Acts before their adoption by the Authority of the ECOWAS Community.

    Others are powers of Mandatory Assent in specified areas such as the confirmation of statutory appointees, Mandatory Referral in specified areas, parliamentary oversight functions over the activities of the organs of the Community and powers to consider any matter concerning the Community, especially on particular issues relating to human rights and fundamental freedoms.

    While also admitting the wider financial, administrative, political, and legal implications of the enhancement of the powers of the Community Parliament on the sub-region, Ekweremadu emphasized that the “the gains are worth the challenges and the sacrifices”.

    The Meeting, the statement added, which will consider the legal sufficiency of the Draft Supplementary Act on the Enhancement of the Powers of the ECOWAS Parliament in line with the Accra Roadmap for the purpose is being chaired by the Minister of Justice of the Republic of Cote d’Ivoire, Mr. Gnenena Nanadou Coulibaly with the Vice President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Toga McIntosh, and the President of the ECOWAS Court of Justice, Hon. Justice Nana Awa Daboya also in attendance.

  • EU, Nigeria partner on migration

    The European Union on Tuesday said it had begun collaborating with Nigeria and other West African countries to develop “an ordered approach” to migration through its Blue Card.

    Dr. David Macrae, the EU Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, stated this in Abuja at a media luncheon organised in conclusion of his tour to Nigeria.

    The Blue Card is an approved EU-wide work permit backed by the EU Parliament in November 2008, which also recommended safeguards against brain drain.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that it allows high-skilled non-EU citizens to work and live in any country within the EU, excluding Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom, which are not subject to the proposal.

    Macrae said that enhancing migration services would promote development in both regions.

    He said the EU had a mission from its border agency in Nigeria to implement the agreement signed by both parties toward enhancing migration services.

    He said, “We have in the country at the moment, a mission from Frontex, which is the European agency responsible for the border.

    “An agreement was signed with Nigeria in Warsaw, in January 2012 which is a move towards working closely with the Nigeria migration services.

    “When we talk about migration to Europe, people think about visas and the problems they have getting visas.

    “We want to try and develop in conjunction with the Nigerian authorities and the authorities of other West African states, an ordered approach to migration.

    “This is linked with development and we have this idea of the blue card, the Americans have the green card, which will give Nigerians better opportunities to find work in Europe.”

     

     

  • ‘Our tax laws should be payer friendly’

    Mr Chukwuemeka Eze graduated from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, in 1994 and was called to the Bar the following year. A former chairman, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN), he is a director of  many professional bodies. In this interview, he speaks on the challenges of the implementation of the Anti-Money Laundering Act as it affects the legal profession, the face-off involving the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUMUL). Legal Editor JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU met  him.

    What are the reasons for the emergence of the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUMUL)?

    Before 2004, the business environment was adjudged by the international community to be awash with unethical business behaviours, thereby making it a safe haven for money laundering and other forms of illegal business dealings. The international community in 2001, through the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), assessed the situation and placed Nigeria on the list of Non-Cooperative Countries and Territories (NCCTs).

    In response, the Federal Government constituted a Presidential Inter-Agency Committee in 2003 to address the issues raised by the FATF. The Committee opened dialogue with the FATF and initiated actions to address the identified deficiencies. One of the major achievements in the intervening period was the development of a national strategy and implementation plan to remove Nigeria from the FATF shame list. Following the implementation of the national strategy and the attendant dialogue with FATF, Nigeria was removed from the NCCT list in June 2006.

    The Implementation Plan, among other things, culminated in the passage into law of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act  2004, which for the first time incorporated as well as defined Designated Non-Financial Institutions (DNFIs) and vested the regulatory responsibility of the same in the then Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry (FMC and I).

    How did the SCUMUL come into this?

    The Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) was established in 2005 as a special unit to fight money laundering as spelt out in the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2004, which has been repealed by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2011, as amended in 2012. Although legally domiciled in the Ministry of Trade and Investment, SCUML works with the EFCC. Consequently, SCUML has the mandate to monitor, supervise and regulate the activities of DNFIs in Nigeria in consonance with the country’s Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime. The regulation of DNFIs in Nigeria could be said to be very challenging, since the sector is informal and transactions are mainly cash-based. This makes the sector more vulnerable to money laundering and financing of terrorism (ML/FT), thereby calling for a concerted effort to scrutinise the sector in the attendant challenges.

    Its mission is to serve as a structure for the curtailment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing in the DNFI sector, providing world class intelligence as regards AML/CFT issues to relevant stakeholders, and the sanitisation of the DNFI sector to create an enabling environment for the inflow of foreign direct investment.”

    The aim was to contribute to the development of anti-money laundering efforts in Nigeria. It is not sufficient to control money laundering through financial institutions. It is also important to act upon the “Designated Non-Financial Institutions” such as hotels, casinos, jewellers, estate agencies, etc.

    From all these, what is the status of SCUMUL?

    It is pertinent to state that, SCUML, is a joint project between the FMT and EFCC by virtue of its complementary role to that of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit located within EFCC.

    At the level of the Ministry, the Director of SCUML reports to the Minister through the Permanent Secretary. The Director prepares quarterly reports and forwards same to the Permanent Secretary to routinely update authorities in the Ministry on the activities of the Unit.

    At the operational level, the Director of SCUML reports to and obtains approval and support from the Executive Chairman of the EFCC on joint operational matters. SCUML provides the NFIU with Suspicious Transaction Reports (STRs) derived from evaluated Cash Transaction Reports (CTRs) in support of National Data Base on Financial Crimes. In addition, it has the potential to provide tactical and operational intelligence in support of the activities of the EFCC’s operations department.

    SCUML has its Head Office in Abuja with operations in three zonal offices located in Lagos, Kano and PortHarcourt. The administrative structure at the head office is replicated in the zonal offices. SCUML proposes to, ultimately, open operational offices in the 36 states of the federation but in a staggered fashion for administrative convenience.

    The Federal Minister of Trade and Investment is also empowered under the law (S. 25 of ML(P)A, 2011) to classify additional businesses as DNFIs as he or she deems fit for the purpose of regulation under the country’s anti-money laundering and combating of the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) regime.

    The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has taken the Central Bank and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to court over this as it affects Nigerian lawyers. Do you think  it will solve the problem?

    I have been informed reliably that NBA is in court against CBN and EFCC, but I have not read the court processes so as to be acquainted with the reliefs sought. In view of lack of adequate information on my part, my answer will be a mixed bag.

    SCUML from my assessment, so far, has a triple identity. It claims to be operationally under EFCC and actually reports to EFCC. In theory, it is an agency under the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment. On the other hand, it claims to be a member of the National Advisory Council on Designated Non-Financial Institutions against Money Laundering of which I was a member as a representative of the Chartered Institute of Taxation (CITN) between 2009 and last year.

    It should be noted that our money laundering legislation include the EFCC Act, Advance Fee Fraud Act, the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2004, which was repealed by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act 2011, as amended by the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2012. SCUML is a special purpose vehicle created to fight money laundering and combating financing of terrorist among DNFIs. Some of their regulations, however, are driven mainly by administrative discretion. Examples include the penalty payable by DNFIs for not submitting any of the statutory reports within the period prescribed by SCUML; designating a staff by a DNFBP who must be trained on how to prepare and send Cash Transaction Reports, administration of Know-Your-Client (KYC) forms and carrying out Due Diligence Test (DDT).

    Why are lawyers the target of the this law?

    In complying with these directives, lawyers may easily be preyed upon by way of arrest and prosecution, which will go a long way in denting our career. Moreover, compliance may lead to revealing the secrets of our clients contrary to some provisions of the law for example Section 192 of the Evidence Act, which provides that communication between a lawyer and his client is privileged.

    It might also lead to breach of Section 37 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which guarantees the right of citizens (including lawyers) to private and family life. This provision states that, The privacy of citizens, their homes, correspondence, telephone conversations and telegraphic communications is hereby guaranteed and protected.

    This right is further protected by Article 17 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, 1966 (ICCPR), which came into force in 1976.

    On the flipside however, NBA may be caught up by the maxim of volenti non fit injuria. On August 25, 2009, when the then Minister of Commerce and Industry, Chief Achike Udenwa, who is also a former Governor of Imo State, inaugurated Designated Non-Financial Institutions Advisory Council in Abuja, NBA was represented by Mr George Etomi and Mr. Babajide Ogundipe in the Council.

    NBA continued to participate in the activities of this Council of which SCUML is a member. Prior to this inauguration, the National Executive Committee of the NBA hosted Dr. Abdullahi Shehu, the Director-General of Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (known by its French acronym as GIABA) on February 19, 2009 and he presented a paper titled: “The role of lawyers in the fight against money laundering and terrorist financing”.

    The same GIABA director-general presented a paper on the problems of cybercrime and the response of countries in West Africa to NBA during the Annual General Conference of the NBA in Ilorin in 2007. More seriously, lawyers constitute a segment of professional businesses listed in the definition of “Designated Non-Financial Institutions” in section 24 of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 2004 and section 25 of its successor legislation, the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 as amended in 2012. Therefore, NBA can only fight the manner of implementation by SCUML and not the essence of the law on money laundering and combating of financing of terrorism.

    The Financial Action Task Force will exit Nigeria finally from the Non-Cooperating Countries and Territories (NCCT) based on the way Nigeria implements the laws against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing.

    Nevertheless, this should not be an excuse to trample on the fundamental right to private and family life enshrined in our constitution.

    How do you think we can resolve these issues?

    What will resolve the issues is for the Federal Government to revitalise through funding and organisation, the Designated Non-Financial Institutions Advising Council, and allow its constituent membership to determine the methodology of the implementation of the relevant laws by Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions. SCUML, being a member of the Council, should use such opportunity to co-ordinate with the representatives of these member bodies on the way forward through persuasion. Arrest, prosecution and payment of penalties should be long-term measures. The sensitisation on compliance should continue. SCUML will only succeed when it gives compliance a human face. The reason is that there are more than five million persons who might not have complied and it will be difficult to charge all of them to court. SCUML’s “weapon of mass destruction” will, however, be unleashed in January 2014, when bank accounts of defaulters may be frozen going by the last circular issued by the Central Bank of Nigeria to commercial banks to freeze all accounts of Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions that fail to register their businesses and professions with SCUML on or before December 31, 2013.

    Law has always been considered to be a vital element for economic development. Do you think that our laws have enhanced our economic development, how do we achieve this?

    It was Karl Marx that defined law as a superstructure upon an economic base. Law apportions to every man his due, it propels the elements of production which, if properly managed, leads to prosperity. For instance, the power sector in Nigeria was comatose. Initially, it was thought that the changing of the name of the octopus corporation that midwife power management from the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) to Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) will do the magic! But nothing changed until the enactment and implementation of the Power Sector Reforms Act of 2005, which permits private investment in the power sector. Today, there are many Independent Power Projects (IPPs) in many parts of the country. We also have the electricity generation companies (Gencos) independent of the transmission company, among others. Thus, the Act has provided the impetus for increased economic investment in the power sector which will, in the long run, transform Nigeria’s economy. Another example is the Petroleum Industry Bill, the passage of which will determine investment decisions of international oil companies in the upstream sector especially.

    As a vital element for economic development, we need to be patriotic (and avoid selfish interests) when making laws. In the same vein, laws should be regularly re-examined for amendment, where necessary.

    What is you view about our taxation laws, are they sufficient enough to assist the government to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people?

    Taxation laws suffer the same fate like other laws made in this country. It is not the number of tax laws that will deliver the dividends of democracy, but the quality of their contents. I am not comfortable with the harshness of some of the provisions of the tax laws. To be specific, I refer you to the new section 33 (1) of the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA), which provides for a Consolidated Relief Allowance of N200,000 plus 20% of gross income of a taxpayer as amounts deductible before applying the tax rate in the Sixth Schedule to the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act, 2011.  This calculation is without prejudice to deduction allowable under the Pension (Reform) Act of 2004; contributions for the National Housing Fund, National Health Insurance Scheme, Life Assurance Premium and Gratitutes.

    It is well established that the sum of N200,000 deductible from the annual income is too meagre to cover a taxpayer’s housing allowance, transport allowance, children allowance and dependent relatives’ allowance.

     

    This implies that some of the provisions are not in tune with the realities of life in Nigeria. You may be surprised to learn that this provision came into force by virtue of section 5 of the Personal Income Tax (Amendment) Act of 2011. You will agree with me that there is hardly any Lagosian, no matter how poor, who will not spend more than N200, 000 in a year on these elements. It, therefore, flies in the face why the National Assembly approved this sum in 2011 and if antecedents are anything to go by, it may take about a decade before another amendment may be made.

    The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been described as capable of revolutionising the petroleum industry and, invariably, the economy. Unfortunately, it is facing serious challenges in the National Assembly being passed into law. What is your reaction to this. How do you think we can get out of the challenges?

    The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has its pluses and minuses. A big minus is the combination of legal, regulatory and fiscal framework in one legislation. The implication is that any request for amendment on the legal framework may effect reworking the regulatory and fiscal framework. I also think that the discretionary powers granted the Minister of Petroleum in the PIB should be reduced if we must attain the rank of PETROBRAS of Brazil and other notable national oil companies in other OPEC countries.

    What are the pluses?

    On the plus side, passage of the PIB will engender increased revenue from petroleum. You know that under the Petroleum Profit Tax Act (PPTA), companies are subject to Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) under a single legislation: PPT for oil and Companies Income Tax (CIT) for gas. The PIB introduces a Nigeria Hydrocarbon Tax (NHT) and imposes Companies Income Tax on oil companies as well. Royalties will fluctuate as they are based on price of oil and cost of production. There will be limited incentives for capital investment. Only companies producing oil onshore or/and in a shallow water, which are not in a Joint Venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, would initially benefit from PIB because allowances are based on company production. This will certainly discourage further capital investments and this may explain why the international oil companies have been shouting and re-strategising, coupled with threats to leave Nigeria. On the other hand, the Host Community Fund enshrined in the Bill if well managed may result to reduced pipeline vandalisation and decrease in oil theft. The oil-bearing communities will see themselves as stakeholders in the oil production enterprise and with this sense of belonging; they would resist further economic sabotage of the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy.

    What is your view on the concept of globalisation. How about the globalisation of legal services, how do you think it will affect local practice?

    The concept of globalisation is the concept of regarding the world as a global village or as a nation without borders. This concept is a fantasy; it does not exist in pragmatic terms as the term is applied by the West when dealing with the Third World. In the North-South global equation, the developed nations will never give you unimpeded access to their jurisdictions. Nevertheless, I have a mixed approach towards globalisation of legal services. If there is globalisation in this regard, Nigeria with a population of about 100,000 lawyers will export legal professionals to many parts of Africa, especially the English-Speaking countries of West Africa and this will give our practice reasonable international content.

    On the other side, most of the multi-national companies in Nigeria will import foreign lawyers for most of their Solicitor’s work and this act will thin out the income of many Nigerian lawyers. In fact, it will be survival of the fittest. I think we should tarry a while and observe ECOWAS implement its Free Movement Protocol and Eco Currency project after which we can begin the experimentation of globalisation of services beginning from West Africa.

    Can you tell us a little about your background and what motivated you to study law?

    I was born at Mgbom, Okposi in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. I attended St. Brendan’s Primary School, Mgbom, Okposi between 1971 and 1976. After my primary education, I proceeded to Government Secondary School, Afikpo in 1976 and left the college in 1981.

    I worked briefly in Chinese Oriento Restaurant at Bauchi G.R.A. and Yankari Games Reserve, both in Bauchi State in 1982. I also worked briefly as an insurance salesman before relocating to Borno State, where I commenced trading that took me to the Yobe, Adamawa, Taraba, Niger, Lagos and Ogun states.

    Why did you leave the North?

    My sojourn in the North ended in April 1983 when I came to Lagos, stayed briefly and proceeded to Abeokuta by May 1983. I sold books and stationery in Abeokuta on the platform of Intelligence Bookshop until 1986, when I gained admission to the Federal College of Education (FCE), Abeokuta. In 1988, while at FCE, I took UME and got admission to study International Relations at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife. I had planned to abandon my programme at the College of Education and enrol at OAU, but when I went for registration for the course in September 1988, I visited the Department of International Relations to acquaint myself with the environment. I met a group of noisy students in a not-very-clean environment chatting away and arguing boisterously. I decided to visit some other departments for sight seeing. I discovered that the Faulty of Law in the campus was serene and human activity around the place was orderly. The environment was neat. I then said to myself: This is where I belong.

    And what happened thereafter?

    On that note, I decided to return to Abeokuta to take UME for 1989 to pursue a programme in law. There were two other incidents that prompted me to study law. While I was running my bookshop, in 1985, some plain-cloth policemen from Ogun State Police Command Headquarters Eleweran, Abeokuta, arrested me on the allegation that I purchased some stolen books at Onitsha Main Market earlier supplied by University Press Limited, Ibadan to the defunct Benue Educational Supply Company, Makurdi. I was detained for five days during which I was transported in handcuff to University Press Limited, Ibadan (UPL) to confirm from the management whether I actually purchased the books directly from the company as I indicated in my statement to the Police.

    What happened there?

    Fortunately, the Store Manager of the company confirmed that I was their customer and that they sold the books to me. After my eventual release on bail, Police saddled me with obtaining an official letter from UPL exculpating me from the allegation before they could close the case. During my ordeal, I was not shown any complainant and during my interrogation, I was assaulted many times by the senior police officer who, in his diatribe, accused my tribesmen as being criminals. From my experience, I saw being a lawyer as a veritable means of knowing my rights. I reasoned that I would have sued the Police for illegal detention if I were a lawyer. The other incident that prompted me to study law arose when one of my kinsmen from a nearby community, who is a lawyer mocked my community for not having even a law student. I felt like David in the Bible. I felt that I should break the jinx if for no other reason, but to prove that my community could do well in education like the nearby communities. These three pieces of experience compelled me to study law for better, for worse.