The Nation Newspaper

Tag: excuses

  • When excuses and promises are not enough

    We have always found it convenient to blame everyone else but ourselves for our woes.  We close our eyes and ignore the lofty things that other nations are doing to make life comfortable for their citizens.  Our people live in fear; there is no security of lives and property. There is a huge army of unemployed youths.  It has gone so bad that some desperate youths are harvesting and selling their organs just to survive.  There is no friendly environment to invest.  Law enforcement is at its abysmal level and there is no redeeming feature in sight; although we may choose to remain in denial as is customary with us.

    We blame European Imperialism and colonial exploitation for our underdevelopment and lop-sided official bureaucracy and ethnic suspicion. We blame the military for the stagnation and distortions of our democracy. We have continued to blame the opposition and past regimes for the endless circle of corruption, unemployment and infrastructural deficit. Today, some traditional rulers are being fingered to giving security information to bandits and insurgents. Does the government truly share intelligence with traditional rulers and council chairmen, one would ask?

    We engage in ceaseless distractions fighting over political positions without an idea how to add value to the lives of our people while people in other climes harness their natural resources and talents for the good of their people. Pakistan and India both had similar colonial experiences like Nigeria but today, the two countries are nuclear powers and have gone ahead to join the league and race for space exploration. They have corruption in these countries too but what have made the difference are purposeful leadership, effective law enforcement and application of the rule of law without discrimination as to ethnicity and religion.

    How many foreign leaders and government officials from America, Europe or even Asia come to Nigeria to buy properties and hide stolen money meant for projects and infrastructure in their countries?   Our officials and their minions feel no qualms looting the treasury and stashing away their loot in offshore accounts with the money lying idle or used by those countries to develop their economies.  Most Latin American countries came under military rule at one point in their political history and have today put the vestiges of siege military mentality behind them.  For us, we are still romanticizing what appears like garrison diktat and military dictatorship in circumvention of the rule of law as a model to solve our socio-political problems.  There still remain large scale corruption, nepotism and abysmal failure of governance across all spheres of life.  We have political elite who will not let go the sectarian and clannish tendencies of religion and ethnicity that have robbed us the true Nigerian identity.

    There is hardly any country in the world that was not under the dominion of one conquering power or the other; the frontline countries of America and Britain inclusive.  After 20 years of civilian rule, we should get down to business and stop the blame game.  Our leaders should stop giving excuses and making promises but go ahead to deliver on good governance and their electoral promises.  As a nation, we seem to have the misfortune of a political leadership that is mentally lazy, preferring to go and be explaining our problems and what they are doing at home to America and Europe audience to get approval rating.   I do not know why our leaders feel compelled to go and be explaining to the Americans and Europeans that our elections were free, fair and credible.  One cannot fathom why it is an obligation to go and be explaining to the Atlantic Council of Chatham House that we are serious in the fight against corruption and insecurity. One cannot understand why it is imperative to go and be explaining to foreign governments that we are creating job and fighting unemployment.

    Our leaders owe it to the citizens of this country to give account of their stewardship and not to go on forum shopping to any foreign country or global financial institutions seeking for relevance, endorsement and looking for handout in the midst of our vast resources. They should convince us at home and tell the nation what they are doing with our natural endowment and huge resources. They should convince us that the strategy for dealing with security problems in the country is working. We should see actions in dealing with unemployment, infrastructural deficit etc.

    Since 1999, insecurity and insurgency have taken root very deeply that the state seem truly helpless.  Both the military and other security services including the police appear overwhelmed. Rather than being innovative, the military and the police prefer to manufacture catchy exercise code names and media campaign instead of carrying the battle to the domain of the bandits and insurgents.  With all the python dance and puff adder, it was perhaps only the elections duties fought like war that the security agents have fought and won. Commuters have virtually abandoned Abuja-Kaduna road due to activities of criminals who operate with the audacity of Mexican drug lords with territorial dominion. The Nigeria Police Force launched what it called Operation Puff Adder to rid the road of criminals but in less than one week in what appears to be like a road show, they have declared the road safe; same ad hoc and fire brigade approach to security.

    There are trails of tears and blood in Taraba State while Zamfara State has become a story of pathos and anathema from the scourge of the bandits.   Kaduna has remained a killing field.  In the northeast with the degraded insurgents as we are told by the government, bombs are still exploding, taking toll on vulnerable civilians while troops are still dying from booby traps, mines and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). The other day, during his First Quarter Conference in Jaji, the Chief of Army Staff was quoted as saying that the media should not give publicity to the insurgents. Well, the COAS may choose to patronize and cajole the members of the fourth estate of the realm but truth be told, he should go and destroy the terrorists infrastructure and platforms and deny them permanently of freedom of action.

    Over 100 Chibok school girls are still in captivity after five years of their abduction. We are still mired in deep security challenges across the country and the approach of the government and the security forces appear skin-deep and cosmetic; blaming opposition and promising after every incident to bring perpetrators to book.

    In some parts of Nigeria today, citizens pay protection fees to criminal groups while the security people look the other way.  Like the PDP before it, the APC led government is fixated on the campaign that they are not able to deliver on security, infrastructure and the economy due to the opposition.  If PDP failed and was clueless for their inability to handle the deteriorating security challenges and allowed over 200 Chibok schools girls to be herded away in broad daylight, the APC-led government is no less guilty in allowing the same experience to be repeated in Dapchi where the redoubtable martyr of faith, Leah Sharibu has remained in captivity.  Why would a serious country allow young school children, girls to remain in captivity without following the terrorists with rain of sulphur and thunder?

    Is the next level likely going to bring reprieve to the nation?  Are we going to see a more robust way to deal with security issues and drive the economy towards a purposeful direction? Just the other day, we woke up to see a return to fuel queue at the gas station because IMF had advised the total removal of fuel subsidy. Which subsidy again I asked myself after all we have been told before the current regulated price of N145 per litre of fuel?  Oil has remained a beast of burden of our economy and the government has ignored the maintenance of our refineries.  We have not considered building new ones for the purpose of refining for local consumption instead of this unproductive policy of giving out the crude cheaply to foreigner companies and import at a higher tariff and being exploited by the local compradors and their collaborators in government.  It is time for the government to settle down to business and stop the excuses and blame game.

     

    • Kebonkwu Esq, writes from Abuja.

  • No excuses

    •The President ought to visit the vulnerable people of Benue over the floods

    Floods are not new to Nigeria. What is not also new is our inability to respond with competence and compassion.

    We witnessed it again over a week ago when torrential rainfall submerged large parts of Benue State and subjected the lives and properties of the people to its unthinking menace. In all, at least three persons have died.

    Because of the power of western press, the devastations of Hurricane Harvey in the United States triggered more attention and sympathy even among our people than the vulnerabilities of our citizens in what many know as the food basket of the country. It also dropped on us on the festive hour of Sallah when Nigerians and officials were more inclined to the languor of a holiday than the tedium of work.

    About 110,000 were reported homeless, many villages washed away by the sheer force of the water, and farmlands and food storage facilities were destroyed. The hard-hit local governments included Makurdi, Apa, Agatu, Otukpo, Guma, Buruku, Tarka and Katsina-Ala.

    The following communities suffered the tolls from the ruthless storm. They were Achusa, Idye, Welfare Quarters, Mobile Barracks, New Kanshio Layout, Wadata Market, Wurukum Market, Gyado Villa, Kucha Utebe, Breweries, Nyiman Layout, Behind Civil Service Commission, Radio Benue, Industrial Layout, BIPC Quarters, Uniagric Road, Katungu, Genabe, Behind Officon, Uniagric Study Centre, Behind GTBank, Wadata old prison, Agboughul- wadata and Demekpe.

    Achusa lost 200 houses while 5,125 persons were displaced. In Idye, 217 homes were razed and 5,200 persons became homeless.

    The responses of the federal and state governments have attracted criticisms for the lateness in sending men and resources to the scene. The state governor, Samuel Ortom, gave a lame excuse that the critics were ignorant about how government worked. Benue State is not new to floods. It caved in under a disaster in 2012. Rainy seasons beckon any responsive government to prepare but they failed to rise swiftly to the occasion.

    The president ordered immediate response, but he was rightly criticised for not going to the scene of the disaster. His presence is not required to bring mattresses, food, water or medicine.

    It is to show the moral power of the country’s leader. In the United States, President Donald Trump was flayed for not showing up on time and interacting with the victims. He visited twice and was on television giving succour. President Buhari has done none of this. It was not sufficient to send the vice president. He ought to be there. Up to the time of writing, he had not even shown any intention to pay visit.

    Apart from being citizens, Benue State is crucial in his agricultural programme. It was wrong for his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, to excuse the president. Hear him: “Whenever there is an emergency from natural or man-made disasters, all you hear is ‘where is Buhari, what is he doing? What happens with the other tiers of government?”

    He laid the blame elsewhere. “Nigerians, at the state and local governments, should demand transparency and accountability in the management of ecological funds by their governors and local governments.

    “Without accountability by local political leaders, the Federal Government would continue to be the scapegoat for the failure of states and local governments to use ecological funds for the purposes they were released.”

    This is a copout. We realise that infrastructural gaps like the lack of dredging of the Benue River worsened the situation; it does not excuse the president and Federal Government. Now, much should be done to help the people now subjected to not only untold hardships at the moment but also an uncertain future.

  • Fashola’s bag of excuses

    Fashola’s bag of excuses

    he Honourable Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, is no stranger to Nigerians. He came into the political limelight when he succeeded Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Lagos State governor. He had earlier served as Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, succeeding Alhaji Lai Mohammed, now Minister of Information and Culture.
    Few would disagree that Fashola made some mark as governor. And, thanks to the confidence reposed in him at the federal level by President Muhammadu Buhari, he now oversees three key ministries merged into one.
    Fashola was expected to reverse the trend that translates to not less than 80 per cent of the nation’s highways in a bad shape. Power is another kettle of fish altogether, because much of the country is practically in darkness. And given the housing deficit in the country, one cannot downplay the seriousness of the task at hand.
    Some sounded a note of caution when three ministries were handed over to Fashola seemingly on a platter of gold. His tepid performance has given credence to the concerns, because, since taking charge of the so-called super ministry, Fashola has only become adept at giving excuses. Not long ago, he granted Channels Television an interview which turned out to be just another litany of excuses. He traced the challenges in the power sector to 1950 when the first electricity ordinance was passed. He also said he needed to visit all the power plants in the country in order to understand what he was expected to manage. Frankly, the honourable minister is beginning to sound like a broken record. Nigerians need stable electricity, not excuses. Fashola should proffer and implement solutions. We all know the problems. It’s not so long ago he was busy lambasting the former administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. Now he is in charge, he should act.
    This is the same Fashola who in 2014 said it would take just six months to fix Nigeria’s electricity problem. He has been in the position more than a year now, and instead of improvement, what we have is a worsening situation. There is no light at the end of this tunnel. I subscribe to the view of Senator Shehu Sani that Buhari should consider appointing a minister who is an electrical engineer with the requisite knowledge of the industry.
    During the last presidential campaign, Fashola urged Nigerians not to accept the excuse of vandalism for inability of the then government to provide regular electricity. Yet now, Fashola is singing the same song. He has been quoted as saying as long as miscreants continue to vandalise oil installations, Nigerians cannot enjoy steady power supply.
    To add insult to injury, Fashola wants Nigerians to pay more for light they do not have. He seems unaware that about 70 per cent of Nigerians are poor and cannot afford expensive utilities. Each time he is reminded about this fact, he seems to give the impression that electricity is not for the poor. There is no gainsaying the fact that the task Fashola has been given is too cumbersome for him. His endless stream of excuses betrays the fact that he needs help. He has bitten off more than he can chew.
    Allowing him to continue to oversee the power sector will only subject Nigerians to more hardship. We are suffering enough as it is, and everything possible should be done to soothe our pains.
    What of housing? We have a deficit of about 17 million in the housing sector, which can only be tackled if we build one million new homes every year. I don’t see Fashola achieving this with his bag of excuses. It is on record that throughout his tenure as Lagos governor, he did not build houses for the low income bracket or the middle class. His excuse was that there were no low-cost building materials, so he could not build low-cost houses. Let’s face it, how many Nigerians can afford to pay between N40 million and N100 million for 2/3 bedroom flats under Fashola’s LagosHoms scheme? Even if the flats were mortgaged, how many Nigerians earn N40 million in 10 years? Take for example someone who earns N200,000 monthly. If he saved his full salary for one year (which is unrealistic), he would only have N2,400,000. In 10 years, he would have saved N24,000,000. How then would he be able to afford the houses built by ex-Governor Fashola in Lagos? How many Nigerians even earn N200,000 per month in the first place?
    Back to federal roads. The Lagos-Sagamu Road, the Enugu-Onitsha Highway, and Aba-Ikot Ekpene Highway linking Abia and Akwa Ibom states – are all death-traps. The Uyo-Calabar Road, Ogbulafor-Makurdi Road and the Abuja-Lokoja Expressway – send wrong signals about us as a nation. The Benin-Auchi Road has become a haven for kidnappers.
    Most of the federal roads and flyovers in Lagos, where Fashola reigned supreme for eight years, are in a terrible state. The Apapa-Oshodi Expressway and the Ijora Bridge tell better the stories of these roads, as well as that of an administrator who is either confused or overwhelmed. Nigeria makes billions in revenue from the ports in Apapa, yet the roads are bad.
    Speaking at a pension conference last year, Fashola said: “It was difficult to get private capital into critical sectors of our economy like infrastructure. Private capital and fund managers were not going to invest funds entrusted to them in infrastructure if we wanted to use them for free.
    “As a people, we were willing to pay for these services outside our country but demanded that they be provided for free in our country.”
    Fashola forgot to add that in those societies where Nigerians willingly pay for public infrastructure, people are confident that no one is taking them for a ride.
    The minister further stated that: “If we compare the quality of service on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, where toll is paid, to the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, where toll has been removed, the choice is ours to make. Is it cheaper to drive on a road free of toll and spend five hours for a one hour journey? If you calculate the fuel burnt in five hours of standstill traffic and the stress, you will see that the toll free is not free.”
    Fashola is just playing on our intelligence. The resistance is not because people do not appreciate good service. It is that our leaders are often insincere. In most deals dressed up ‘for the public good’, the citizens are being milked dry.
    My advice to Fashola: he needs to speak less. Acting and delivering results will endear him more to the people. He should stop giving excuses because he comes across as incapable of doing the job at hand.
    All we need are results and not some bogus excuses that Fashola finds rather easy to give. He has been made the ‘prime minister’ of this administration and he should deliver, simple.
    •Odubena, a public affairs analyst writes from Lagos.

  • Presidency running out of excuses

    Presidency running out of excuses

    BY its responses to its own judicial policy, Nigeria seems uninterested in claiming either regional or continental leadership, a position previously surrendered to it by other African countries during the ideological flourish of the 1970s. Even though that ideology was not clearly and sharply defined, the country nevertheless championed the struggle for the complete decolonisation of the continent, proudly and courageously stood against foreign meddlesomeness on the continent, and portrayed an Africa that had come of age.
    Two examples illustrate this abdication. First is the judgement given in October by the ECOWAS Court of Justice that declared the detention of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, unlawful, and awarded him N15m as damages. Nigeria, which should be the number one country of example in the region in law and politics, simply ignored the ruling, apparently because the court’s rulings are not binding. Had Nigeria not even ignored its own domestic court rulings that are binding? Second is the judgement ordering the release, in not more than 45 days, of the Shiite leader, Ibraheem el-Zakzaky, and his wife, and the payment of N50m as damages to the couple.
    If Nigeria were conscious of the leadership position reserved for her by circumstances and continental political dynamics, if she had a sensible and realistic vision for Africa, especially the regeneration of its values and reclamation of its ethos, not only would Col Dasuki (retd.) be on bail on strict conditions by now, Sheikh el-Zakzaky would also be released before the 45 days indicated in the judgement ordering his release. He would in addition be housed in a temporary accommodation of his own choice, and efforts made to heal the divisions caused by the controversial Shiite crisis. Sadly, this new awareness of the country’s manifest destiny is too much to ask for, for Nigeria has little consciousness of its potentials, not to say the advantages which that leadership, if claimed, could confer far above the temporary benefits of watching its quarries pine away in detention.

  • Excesses and excuses

    It is ironic that what was designed as a medal of honour is attracting dishonour. After two four-year terms in office and an initial applause, former Edo State governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and his former deputy, Dr. Pius Odubu, are on the receiving end of applaudable boos. At the heart of the matter is an unfeeling move by the Edo State House of Assembly.

    News that the state’s lawmakers amended the “2007 Pension Rights of the Governor and Deputy Governor Law” to favour Oshiomhole and Odubu was particularly striking because of its curious complexion.  There was only one amendment to the law; but it is an amendment that speaks volumes.

    What the amendment meant was enough to trigger a protest that turned bloody as its supporters and its opponents clashed in Benin, the state capital. The amendment opposers who were members of civil society organisations (CSOs) probably underestimated the muscle of the amendment endorsers who were mightily misguided on the issue.

    A report said: “Members of the CSOs, who were dressed in black attires, were at the House of Assembly at the Oba Ovonramwen Square to show their displeasure at the amendment.” The protest coordinator, Agho Omobude, described what followed their collision with the pro-amendment group: “About 12 of our members have been injured and rushed to the hospital for treatment while three vehicles were destroyed. We don’t know what would have happened if we had not fled.”

    A defiant Omobude was quoted as saying: “No matter the threat to our lives, we would not back down. We are sending a strong message to members of the Assembly and the state government that we would not give up. We shall employ all means to continue the fight and resist the obnoxious policy of government of N200 million and N100 million housing pension to the former governor and his deputy.”

    By the amendment, Oshiomhole and Odubu would have new entitlements. A report said the bill with the subhead titled “provision of a house,” provided for  “a house in a location of choice in Nigeria of the Governor provided that the total cost of building the house shall not be in excess of 200 million naira while 100 million naira for the deputy governor.”

    It is intriguing that those who carried out this amendment feel comfortable with the additional comforts it provides for those concerned.  In the face of loud opposition to the amendment, the Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Justin Okonoboh, defended the indefensible. He was quoted as saying:  ”Some talked about the amount and I think that was quite moderate because the law says any part of the country. If you want to use 200 million naira in Lagos, it probably might just be a grant to them because they need to add money to build a befitting house in Lagos or wherever.”

    It is noteworthy that the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) not only rubbished the amendment but also demanded that Governor Godwin Obaseki should “immediately withdraw the bill, and use the funds to clear the backlog of pension arrears spanning between seven and 45 months.”

    The beauty of democracy is the separation of powers which makes it possible for Obaseki to reject the amendment and refuse to give gubernatorial assent to it. It is unclear whether the bill had an input from Obaseki, but how he responds to it will show where he stands. It does not make sense to pursue extra comforts for Oshiomhole and Odubu at the expense of the people.

    The immediate beneficiaries of the amendment, if it is allowed to stand, are the immediate past governor and the immediate past deputy governor, which suggests that the bill was drafted with them in mind. Although it is expected that there will be other beneficiaries of the amendment, the point that it was probably inspired by a desire to please Oshiomhole and Odubu is something to ponder.

    There were other details that were unamended. A report said: “Other benefits to be enjoyed by former governors in the state are, a pension for life at a rate equivalent to 100 percent of his last annual salary in addition to an officer not above salary grade level 12 as Special Assistant, a personal secretary not below grade level 10 who shall be selected by the former governors from the public service of Edo State. Former governors are also entitled to have two cooks, two armed policemen as security, three vehicles to be bought by the State Government and liable to be replaced every five years, three drivers who shall be selected by the former governor and paid by the state government as well as free medical treatment for the governor and his immediate family.”

    It continued: “Former deputy governors are entitled to 100 percent of their last annual salary as pension, a personal staff not above salary grade level 12 as Special Assistant, a personal secretary not below grade level 09 who shall be selected by the former deputy governor from the public service of the state, a cook, two policemen as security. Two vehicles bought by the state government and liable to be replaced every five years are to be provided, two drivers who shall be selected by former deputy governors and paid by the state government and free medical treatment for them and their immediate family.”

    It may be considered a redeeming feature of the Edo legislative exercise that the other lawful entitlements were unamended. But the considerations that led to the contentious amendment need to be reconsidered. Indeed, it is important to re-examine the thinking that ex-governors and ex- deputy governors are entitled to so much.

    This nonsense is not exclusive to Edo State. A report named eight other states where ex-governors are entitled to excessive benefits:  Akwa Ibom, Gombe, Sokoto, Lagos, Rivers, Kano, Kwara and Zamfara. There is an entitlement complex on the part of the beneficiaries and there is a complex sense of indebtedness on the part of those who make such benefits possible.

    Sooner or later, the excesses and the excuses for them will need to be reviewed in line with the demands of reasonableness rather than unreasonableness.

  • No excuses

    •Flood-prone states must heed warnings and take measures to mitigate disasters

    Perennial flooding constitutes one of the most destructive and disruptive natural disasters in Nigeria, regularly causing large-scale social dislocation, deaths, unimaginable hardship and serious economic havoc in terms of properties, jobs and businesses lost or dislocated. In the massive floods that devastated large swathes of the country in 2012, for instance, several rural communities, towns and cities were affected in 30 out of the 36 states, resulting in at least 363 deaths, about seven million affected and financial disaster estimated at N2.6 trillion.

    It is certainly to avoid a recurrence of this unsavoury experience that relevant weather regulation and management agencies such as the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) and the Hydrological Services Agency have issued flood alerts, warning of likely severe floods in at least 11 states from August to October, this year.

    Areas that NIMET considers susceptible to flooding in its 2016 Seasonal Rainfall Prediction include Delta, Yobe, Akwa Ibom, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Kaduna, Kwara, Nasarawa and Zamfara states. NIMET had observed, among other findings, that in the affected areas, “Soil moisture has either reached saturation or near saturation levels due to cumulative high intensity rainfall in some parts of the country in June and July … This means that floods should be expected in these areas because the soil is no longer able to absorb more rainwater in the coming weeks, which coincide with the peak of the rainy season”.

    An indication of the seriousness of the flooding expected this year are the reports of flooding in six local government areas of Kano State, which, according to the Kano State Relief and Emergency Agency has destroyed at least 5,300 houses and displaced thousands of people. Kebbi, Jigawa and Cross River states have also reportedly experienced destructive floods in 2016. That the floods could still catch some states by surprise despite the country’s experience over the years with the phenomenon, particularly in the coastal zones and river catchment areas, is unfortunate.

    This kind of laxity can only be attributed to lack of proactive long-term planning, defective enforcement of environmental and physical planning laws, inadequate public enlightenment and poor emergency response and management capacity, among others. There surely can be no credible excuses this time around for ineffective response across states to the impending floods, which they have been notified about even though there is no reason why the warnings could not have come much earlier. Even then, it is still better late than never and the affected states can still do a lot to mitigate the damage of the floods and the suffering of their people.

    Lagos provides a commendable reference point in this regard as the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) has obviously taken concrete steps to enable the mega city cope with flooding, which had caused her much havoc in the past. For instance, the agency’s head of operations and logistics, Mr Femi Giwa, revealed recently that work is ongoing on a third relief camp at Lekki to complement the two already existing at Agbowa and Igando areas of the state. Earlier this year, the state’s capacity to respond to emergencies was enhanced by the construction of a fully equipped state-of-the-art intervention unit at Cappa in Oshodi.

    Sustained tree planting campaigns to stem soil erosion, massive construction of drainage channels in areas vulnerable to flood and ensuring strict compliance with the state’s physical planning and urban renewal laws have also helped Lagos to tame the flood menace to a significant extent. Experts have advised that states likely to be affected by floods should also consider urgently implementing such strategies as controlling water flow through construction of water reservoirs, providing concrete reinforcement at critical river banks, relocation of people living in areas seasonally threatened by flood, construction of ponds and dams near river banks that overflow their boundaries and comprehensive slum grading in urban centres.

    The current very severe economic crisis that has caused so much suffering for millions of Nigerians should also inform the sense of urgency with which governments at all levels react to the looming flood catastrophe. Apart from the very strong possibility of floods wiping away farms and thus worsening the prevailing chronic food crisis, serious disruptions occasioned by floods will seriously aggravate the country’s economic woes.

  • Time to move away from excuses

    Time to move away from excuses

    Unlike the optimism of voters for change and enthusiasm of President Buhari to return a sense of order to the polity, civil servants and others in political office do not seem to be in a hurry to change from looking for excuses to mute irresponsible behaviour in government.

    One feature of the country’s culture of corruption is finding excuses not to do the right thing. This culture of impunity was not created by former President Jonathan; it just reached its pinnacle (or nadir?) under his presidency. Finding excuses not to do the right thing is also part of the culture of all categories of workers-from those in the formal sector to those in the artisanal and informal sector. Unlike the optimism of voters for change and enthusiasm of President Buhari to return a sense of order to the polity, civil servants and others in political office do not seem to be in a hurry to change from looking for excuses to mute irresponsible behaviour in government.

    The latest demonstration of excuses in our new government of change pertains to failure of over 300 MDAs to act in compliance with the presidential order that accounts of all government agencies be transferred to the Treasury Single Account in the Central Bank. Let us hear from the Accountant-General of the Federation who should know about the latest development on the presidential order: “As at today, I can tell you about 600 out of about 900 MDAs have keyed in. For the number of accounts I cannot categorically tell you because even the MDAs and indeed the federal government never knew the number of accounts. However the accounts are going on to the Central Bank of Nigeria and I believe very soon a position will be made available on the number of accounts that have been swept up.”

    Is there any better or worse way to illustrate resilience of poor governance than the statement from the Accountant-General? The AGF may have some excuse for not knowing how many MDAs there are in the country, because he is new on the job. But it is absurd that the MDAs and the federal government do not know the number of accounts. What the Accountant-General implies is that departments and agencies that keep public funds are not even sure how many accounts they have. The Accountant-General’s use of “about 900 MDAs and about 300 MDAs” in the quotation above indicates, if anything, the lack of seriousness in public service delivery. What does it take for our public servants to be able to talk in exact terms? A similar fear of exactness was displayed during the announcement of the last presidential election when one of the Returning Officers from the Eastern States had to be asked by the former INEC chair, Professor Attahiru Jega, if the man was reading from the text in front of him. Government officials, especially senior ones, should be able to talk in exact terms when and where figures are involved.

    But the uncertainty of the Accountant-General about the exact number of MDAs is not the focus of this piece on excuses. Today’s interest is about the Accountant-General’s need to convince MDAs that the presidential order on closure of multiple accounts is not directed against MDAs but for the purpose of increasing efficiency, days after the deadline to carry out presidential directives had passed. Of course, the order is directed at (and designed against) all government agencies that chose to open deposit accounts that nobody, not even the federal government has been able, according to the AGF, to count or verify.

    In normal polities, it should not have been necessary for the Accountant-General to plead with erring MDAs, days after the deadline for closure of multiple accounts: “The policy was never intended to impair the operations of MDAs; rather, it is intended to make them more efficient and to make cash available to government in a very centralised and consolidated manner. So, operations of MDAs are expected to move on as expected but MDAs must come forward in line with the directive and deadline given of Sept. 15 which has already expired. We are expecting them to come and enlist, enrol and identify users that will participate and key into their individual sub-accounts so that they can utilise their resources based on their budgets.” The president gave reasons for calling for a return to the Treasury Single Account when the directive was first made. It is important for heads of agencies to note that in a presidential system, the buck stops at the desk of the president. Heads of MDAs that are uncomfortable with the directive or unable to respond to presidential directives on time should be given the choice to resign. Nigerians are ashamed of a system that allows departments and agencies to open bank accounts the number of which may be too numerous for owners of the account to count or know.

    The claim that some MDAs are experiencing difficulties in following the presidential order is reminiscent of what many citizens believe is a staple of financial managers in the public sector: the tendency by those in charge of MDAs to keep public funds in many bank accounts, most of which are to yield personal interest for the privileged civil servants. In the era of Sani Abacha, some senior public servants including governors were believed to have put public funds in Finance Houses to produce interest for them. Some governors were even warned by Abacha against joining NADECO on account of having illegally deposited public funds in private bank accounts for personal interest. It is dangerous for the federal government to be shifting deadlines. To instil discipline in governance, the president needs to read the riot act to MDAs that had failed to meet the deadline to move all public funds in their care to the Treasury Single Account.

    Still on excuses, citizens are no longer in the loop on whether the police had finally submitted the investigation into the allegation of forgery (in the senate at the first meeting of the current senate) to the Ministry of Justice. A few weeks ago, the media was agog over the play of excuses between the police force and the ministry of justice. The former claimed to have sent to the justice department the full report of the investigation while the latter claimed that the first report sent to it was incomplete and was sent back to the police. The police shouted back that it had sent the final report back to the justice ministry. No reference was made to the mode of sending the report. But in the last three weeks, no information has been made available to the public about the location of the report of the said police investigation. As no reference has been made in the last three weeks to the existence of the report, the media may need to ask both arms of government about the whereabouts of the report of a very important investigation by the police.

    Police men on highways have again started to ask motorists to produce licence for tinted glass on vehicles imported into the country and for which owners had paid customs charges. I was stopped on Sagamu-Ore road last week. I told the policeman that the matter of tinted glass had died a natural death long ago. He told me he was not aware of any change in the position of the police on tinted glass, adding that the new Inspector-General had not made any new pronouncement on tinted glass. Should the IGP need to reassure his field officers on the highways that most countries imported to the country come with factory-built tinted glass, he should add a sentence on tinted glass to his post-confirmation speech on his policies to turn the police force around for the better. Voters for change are tired of having to live with the culture of excuses by government agencies.

    Even months after the exit of a government that did not care about laws and rules, persons accused of violating the law of the land are eager to accuse the current administration of witch-hunting or political persecution. What has happened in our country to the principle that every action has a consequence and every responsible citizen has to be ready to accept responsibility for his or her action? Individuals accused of unwholesome behaviour are encouraged by their supporters to cry foul, not about the substance of the allegations levelled against them, but solely about the involvement of their political enemies in drawing attention to their unlawful conduct. Mobilising men and women to engage in solidarity visits to courts says as much about the morality of those accused of wrongdoing as it does about supporters who choose to abandon their own jobs to accompany individuals accused of corruption or any other violation of the law to courts.

    Citizens who are used to corruption and impunity are likely to always find excuses for whatever they do. It is the levers of power in a paradigm-altering administration that will have to remain firm in their resolve to end impunity by not listening to excuses from citizens who are used to being above the law.

  • Dark excuses

    Dark excuses

    Instead of mitigating Nigeria’s power outages, govt keeps giving inexcusable reasons

    Going by the excuses that the Federal Government is giving as to why power supply remains erratic as ever in the country, Nigerians may still have to wait longer than can be imagined before their dream of uninterrupted electricity supply will come true. As with other sectors of the economy where things are either not moving, or are moving at a snail’s speed, the power sector has also become one in which Nigerians are bombarded with excuses for why they are not having light rather than undo their darkness. We have heard how rats entered one of the turbines in Kainji Dam many years ago, throwing the nation into darkness. We have been given other ridiculous reasons why constant supply of electricity has remained a pipe-dream in the country. The culprit this time is politics!

    Rising from a meeting of the Joint Committee of the National Council of Privatisation (NCP) and the Board of the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC), the Federal Government alleged that its efforts to provide constant power supply were being eroded by politically-motivated sabotage through gas pipelines and transformers vandalism. Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State and the Minister of Power, Prof. Chinedu Nebo, told journalists at the end of the joint meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo, that the activities of the vandals resulted in shortage of gas supplies to the power plants and a drop in power generation by about 1,600 megawatts.

    Although Nebo reeled out the list of such damages to gas pipelines and other damages allegedly perpetrated by the saboteurs, that is not our concern

    That all Nigerians are still reeling in darkness is a serious problem for a country whose citizens, at the best of times, have had to share about 4,000 megawatts, which is grossly inadequate for the national demand. Power supply is pivotal to whatever progress the country wants to make; it therefore should not be handled with levity. Again, this is a sector that has witnessed many failed promises since the beginning of this democratic dispensation in May, 1999; it is one in which there has been a lot of muddling up in the privatisation process as a result of which no timelines have ever been met. This is a sector that has gulped so much with little dividend.

    We are therefore surprised that the government, 14 years after, is still craving the understanding of Nigerians for the massive load-shedding that they are being forced to endure, as the government goes about the ridiculous business of ‘educating the vandals’ on the consequences of their actions.

    We have gone beyond the stage where the government will make unsubstantiated claims and expect Nigerians to bear with it. They have heard that again and again such that it no longer makes sense to them. Government is supposed to solve problems and not to give excuses. If there are vandals troubling its peace and making nonsense of its efforts to deliver democratic dividend, it is the duty of government to get such criminals arrested and prosecuted. That is part of the reasons it is in control of the security agencies.

    The government must have heard of people putting their money where their mouth is; if the government cannot protect gas pipelines, it cannot protect petroleum products’ pipelines, then, there is a serious problem. That government has lost its essence because security of lives and property is a cardinal reason for the existence of government, any government properly so-called.

    Given the stupendous amount spent on power supply in the country in the last few years alone, what Nigerians want is constant electricity supply and not wild allegations as to why this has become a mirage.

  • No excuses, NFF warns Keshi

    No excuses, NFF warns Keshi

    The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has told Stephen Keshi they expect his team to beat Liberia on Saturday and qualify for the 2013 AFCON.

    NFF director of technical Emmanuel Ikpeme made the declaration in a chat with MTNFootball.com

    Ikpeme, who led the advance party of the NFF to Calabar, said, “The federation have given the coach all he needs to give Nigerians result this weekend so there would be no room for excuses.

    “No national team coach should wait for last minute permutations to qualify for any tournament. Every national team coach should win all their matches and that is what we expect from the Eagles.

    “They should win this weekend in Calabar and save us the headache of any mathematics as regards qualification.”

    Last October, the Eagles failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup after they were held to a 2-2 draw by visiting Guinea in Abuja.

    Coach Samson Siasia would subsequently lose his job after he urged his players to go for a third goal when they were leading 2-1 only for them to leave their defence wide open for Guinea to launch a quick counter attack and score a crucial equaliser in stoppage time to eliminate Nigeria from the competition.

    A 2-1 win over Guinea on that fateful day would have qualified Nigeria to the last AFCON.

    Keshi’s contract is tied to a performance clause which stipulated he qualified Nigeria to the Nations Cup in South Africa and reach at least the last four of the biennial tournament.