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  • 11 vie for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency seat

    11 vie for Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency seat

    The Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency in Taraba State is one of the constituencies where a rerun election would be taking place across the federation early next month. Correspondent VICTOR GAI looks at the chances of the 11 candidates vying to represent the constituency at the House of Representatives

    Next month’s National Assembly re-run election in Taraba State will once again trigger the traditional rivalry between the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP), the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the fledgling opposition party, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP). Going by the list released by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), 11 candidates will battle for the seat to represent Jalingo/Yorro/Zing Federal Constituency, otherwise known as JYZ, at the House of Representatives.

    They are Abdulrazaq Gidado, the African Democratic Party (ADC); Geoffrey Edward, the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Aminu Malle, the APC, Almajiri Leonard,  the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA); Edison Solomon, the All People’s Party (APP); Kaigama Hosea, the Labour Party (LP);  Aminu Liman, the NNPP; Sadiq Tafida,  the PDP; Babanyaya Mansu,  the People’s Redemption Party (PRP; Innocent Patrick,  the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Ahmed Habib of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

    The seat has been vacant since April 2023, following the untimely demise of Ismaila Yushau of the PDP before he was sworn into office.

    With the conclusion of proceedings, the stage is now set for the exercise which would be keenly contested between at least four candidates. The frontline contenders are former federal lawmaker, Aminu Malle of the APC;  a Jalingo Prince,  Sadiq Tafida of the PDP; Innocent Patrick of the SDP; Almajiri Leonard of the APGA and Aminu Liman of the NNPP. Of these five contestants, Malle of the APC remains the most experienced, while Tafida of the PDP is the rookie.

    Tafida, an engineer and son to the Emir of Jalingo, Abbas Tafida, won the PDP primary by defeating nine other contestants who were more politically rooted than him. His emergence could be attributed to the power play within the ruling party. The fear, however, among party supporters is that giving the ticket to the rockie an expensive gamble that could backfire.

    The emergence of a former House of Representatives member, Aminu Malle as the flag bearer of the APC in the contest has even complicated the matter for the ruling PDP. Malle scored a total of 41 votes to beat four other contestants, including Kasimu Maigari who lost the 2023 National Assembly seat to the late Yushau.

    Malle, who was Chief of Staff to the immediate past Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Idris Wase, is widely tipped to succeed the late Yushau due to his political sagacity, experience, acceptability and the relative consensus within his party. Unlike the ruling PDP where the emergence of the rookie as the flag bearer of the ruling party appears to have brought division and animosity within the fold.

    Conversely, the APC is united ahead of next month’s election. After the primary, the other APC aspirants pledged to work for the success of the party in the general election. That gesture by the aspirants was unprecedented, considering the controversial nature of the APC primaries in the state over the years.

    One of the aspirants, Mohammed Alkali, an engineer by profession, said: “We are ready to team up with him to make sure that the APC wins the election.” Another candidate, Bilyaminu Umar admitted: “This is the first time the APC would conduct a free and fair election.”

    The APC flag bearer is surprised that the party conducted a rancour-free primary. He said: “I am happy about the outcome of the primary; not because I am the beneficiary but also because,  for the first time in the history of Taraba, we were able to get a free, fair and credible election … they saw the dangers that is facing the APC in Taraba. They saw the likelihood of extinction of the party in Taraba. This is the first litmus test. They stood their ground and ensured that the right thing was done.”

    While speaking to reporters on that victory night in his Jalingo home, Malle disclosed that he and the other aspirants would hit the ground running that night on how to ensure victory for the party.

    The NNPP candidate, Aminu Liman is a politician of Fulani extraction from a popular Jalingo business aristocracy. He has been vigorously pursuing his political ambition over the years but without success. He has tasted the political waters like his counterparts in other political parties, especially in his pursuit for the House of Representatives seat. Could this be his time? It remains to be seen.

    Another prospect as far as the JYZ seat is concerned is Innocent Patrick of the SDP.  It is his ambition that is propelling him in the race, rather than popularity. The young politician is from the Mumuye ethnic group in Zing Local Government Area. He is well loved by his people, the Mumuye ethnic group who although have the population have always played second fiddle to the dominant Hausa/Fulani in the politics of the constituency.

    The same goes for Almajiri Leonard of the APGA. He emerged third in the 2023 National Assembly elections and wants to give it another shot. He is also of the Mumuye ethnic group who are likely to stand by him this time around.

    Now, as has always been the culture in Taraba, religion and ethnicity would play a significant role in who emerges as the winner. These two factors would play a role over and above political party affiliation.

    Read Also: Ondo public servants accuse Ayedatiwa of extravagant spending

    The JYZ Federal Constituency is made up of Jalingo, Yorro and Zing Local Government Areas. The Mumuye ethnic group constitute the largest in population in the constituency but the Hausa/Fulani have always dominated the politics. They always churn out bloc votes during elections, especially in the state capital, Jalingo, which is more populated than the other local governments. This usually gives any candidate from Jalingo the edge. More often than not, candidates of the Hausa/Fulani extraction always emerge from Jalingo, while candidates from the Mumuye ethnic group always emerge from Zing or Yorro with a far lesser voting population.

    Another factor that works against candidates from Zing and Yorro is their divided votes. When votes are cast on ethnic and religious lines, different party candidates from the same ethnic group are at a disadvantage because the electorate would split their votes. That is the dilemma for some of the candidates who are from the same ethnic group. For now, it is quite unlikely that any of the two, Patrick of the SDP or Leonard of the APGA would step down for the other.

    Meanwhile, although the APC has since denied the claim, there were speculations that the party and the NNPP would form an alliance in order to stop the ruling PDP. Coincidentally,  and unfortunately too, three candidates: Tafida of the PDP, Malle of the APC and Liman of the NNPP are also faced with a similar ethnic dilemma as the SDP’s Patrick and the APGA’s Leonard. The trio are Fulani from Jalingo. So, should they go into the contest without any alliance, there is the likelihood that the Jalingo vote would be split among them. This would provide an opportunity for the folks from Yorro and Zing who are not Fulani.

    Besides, there are other less popular candidates within Jalingo who are likely to dominate in their strongholds. They could serve as spoilers unless they are prevailed upon to drop their ambition for the more popular candidates.

    Finally, security is expected a play a role during the forthcoming rerun election. Jalingo and Yorro have never had it as bad as now in terms of insecurity. The level of kidnapping and banditry nowadays along the Jalingo/Yorro axis is a serious source of concern.

    Observers say the tide of insecurity might affect voter turnout and the deployment of personnel and materials to the affected areas. Traditionally, residents of Jalingo do travel to their villages to vote during elections but the worsening security situation might deter them, thereby putting some candidates at an advantage and others at a disadvantage.

  • Federal, states, councils must join forces on development, Tinubu tells governors

    Federal, states, councils must join forces on development, Tinubu tells governors

    Joint responsibility and closer collaboration between the federal and sub-national governments will foster rapid infrastructural development across the land, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, told members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) yesterday.

    The President told governors from the 36 states to do away with the federal, state, or rural road classifications, but join forces on development.

    Tinubu spoke when he hosted members of the NGF at his Ikoyi, Lagos residence. The Forum was led by its chair, Kwara State Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman.

    He seized the opportunity of the visit to update the governor on the step he had taken on the N27.5 trillion 2024 Appropriation Bill.

    The President told the governors that he had a review meeting earlier in the day with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, and the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Atiku Bagudu.

    The review, he said, centred on certain elements in the Appropriation Bill.

    Presidential spokesman Ajuri Ngelale, who dropped the hint in a statement, gave no details on the tripartite meeting on the budget.

    Read Also; Be decisive in tackling building collapse, Architects tell Sanwo-Olu

    The said the president emphasized the need for joint responsibility and closer collaboration between the federal and sub-national governments to foster rapid infrastructural development in every part of the nation.

    It reads: “I want us to discard federal, state, or rural road classifications. We must regard development as a joint responsibility. Let us prioritize our children. The school feeding programme must return quickly… beginning from the local government to the state and federal governments.

    “We must be ready to protect our children and prepare them for the future.”

    Abdulrahman reaffirmed state governments’ support for the bold decisions and reforms initiated by the Tinubu-led administration.

    “These are challenging times. It is not a walk in the park. Removing fuel subsidies had a great structural effect on the economy of the states. But we are confident that we will overcome these challenges and bounce back better,” the Kwara helmsman said.

  • Federal lawmaker: ‘I campaigned on Okada, defeated opponent driving SUV’

    Federal lawmaker: ‘I campaigned on Okada, defeated opponent driving SUV’

    People’s warped notion that one must be rich and ride in big cars for one to win elections is being invalidated by contemporary events. Ordinarily, a motorcycle operator cannot flex muscles with one that has spent 20 years as a lawmaker. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE examines how an okada rider floored a member of the House of Representatives in the February 25 Presidential and National Assembly election

    The late Ayinla Omowura, the popular Apala genre musician, who reigned in South Western Nigeria in the 70s, probably never envisaged that a day would come five decades after in the North Western state of Kaduna when one of his philosophical lines would be put to test and proven wrong.

    Omowura though, was speaking in a parable when he said: “…oni keke nba pijo sare….” describing it as stupidity, for a bicycle rider to race with a Peugeot car.

    Everyone who listened to his song then would agree that such a scenario is laughable, considering, not only the technology gap between a bicycle and a Peugeot car but also the economic gap between owners of both.

    The choice of a Peugeot car in Omowura’s message was deliberate because Peugeot 504 was then noted for its speediness.

    When Sport Utility Vehicles (SUV) became the choice car for the rich, a motorcyclist has proven that it is not stupid to race with a jeep, figuratively speaking.

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    The Kaduna race between a motorcyclist and an SUV rider was practically and philosophically didactic judging by the lyrics in the Apala song. It was a race between ‘Okada’ and Jeep, a race between the rich and the poor, a race to the National Assembly for the Kaura Federal Constituency.

    Until the results of the February 25, 2023 National Assembly elections were announced, many did not see it coming that an ‘Okada rider,’ Donatus Matthew would defeat Gideon Lucas Gwani, a stay lite in the National Assembly and a principal officer in the 9th House of Representatives.

    Gwani, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmaker who was defeated by Matthew, worked as an Architect and consultant prior to joining politics.

    In 1999, he was elected into the Kaduna State House of Assembly where he served as the Deputy Speaker until 2003. He became a member of the House of Representatives in 2003 when he was elected on the platform of the PDP to represent Kaura Federal Constituency at the National Assembly. He was re-elected in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019.

    During his 20 years stay in the National Assembly, Gwani was chairman of several House of Representatives Committees and rose to become the House Minority Whip before being ousted by an Okada Rider, in a kind of David and Goliath contest.

    Matthew himself apparently believed Ayinla Omowura’s theory, because the 2023 House of Representatives contest was not something he had long prepared for. In fact, he was practically pushed into the race in the course of mobilising his constituents for the presidential ambition of the former Anambra State Governor and candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi.

    In one of his interviews after the February 25 presidential and National Assembly elections, Matthew said: “I joined the Labour Party to work for the presidential candidate then. But later on, in the course of events, many people suggested that we should go into the contest, which I reluctantly accepted. However, after due consultations, people insisted that I should come for service and that triggered my interest. That was the simple reason I contested.”

    Matthew, one of the two candidates of the Labour Party who won House of Representatives polls from Kaduna, is a one-time Councillor in his Kaura Local Government Area. He is proud of his humble beginning as a commercial motorcyclist (Okada rider), a job he said has helped him economically and politically.

    Demonstrating how his ‘Okada’ helped in his race to the National Assembly, the Labour Party candidate said: “The wrong idea people had was that one must have money and that one must have a big car; that is wrong. So, they focused on those who had money and big cars.

    “So, that was why many people could not understand that I was campaigning because they knew I was an okada rider and I don’t know if my movement on a motorcycle was what made them think that I was not campaigning. But, as far as I am concerned, we took our time; we went around, we met with people, and begged them for their support. We solicited their support for which we glorify the Lord.

    “Before I became a counsellor, I was an ‘Okada’ man. I have been using a bike to sustain myself and I am proud of that. Even now, I have colleagues who are still doing it (riding Okada) and I think there’s nothing wrong with that.

    “Riding Okada is just like any other business that puts food on the table. Okada riders are a unique set of people in every society. When a visitor visits a town or community, they are the first contact to convey passengers to their destinations. They also help in identifying people with negative intentions.

    “My experience helped me to meet and interact with people from different backgrounds. I have lived most of my life in Kagoro. As you grow from one level to another, you learn how to assist others. I have visited almost all the nook and cranny of my constituency and I am aware of their peculiar challenges.

    “That will guide me on what to do for my people. In the course of my experience as an Okada rider, I gained knowledge of what’s called human existence. I was a supervisory counsellor in my local government area before I contested for counsellor and won,” he said.

    However, the keenly contested election, where he was never considered a threat to Matthew polled 10,508 votes, to defeat the incumbent Gideon Lucas Gwani who polled 10,297 votes. The second runner-up and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) scored 9,919 votes.

    The Labour Party candidate attributed his victory at the polls to the people who desired change,

    “Honestly, in my case, what led to my victory was a collective decision of the people of Kaura, especially the youth who seriously needed that change and who believed in me. They put their trust in me; they came out en masse and stood by me. I am grateful to them.”

    He said people thought he was not campaigning because they didn’t see the traditional flamboyance that characterises typical campaign scenes in Nigeria.

    “Everybody has their understanding of what a campaign is. Nobody will go into a contest without going out to campaign. That is one. Two, who are they campaigning to? We are grassroots politicians and the people at the grassroots know us. So, we do not come from any other place and go around telling people this is who we are or this is what we want.

    “By mere declaration that someone like me was joining the contest, there were people all over the area that could say one or two things about me. So, I had the people, I had the masses. All I needed to do was to go round and thank them and tell them to join and help me in the quest and that was what we did.”

    Though he accepted the outcome of the polls initially, Gwani later challenged Matthew’s victory at the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Kaduna. In his petition, the former House of Representatives Minority Whip asked the court to invalidate the election of the Labour Party candidate on the grounds of alleged irregularities that characterised the February 25 National Assembly election in Kaura Constituency.

    The tribunal, on Friday, July 28, the three-man panel chaired by Justice F.A. Fiberesima ruled that Gwani did not have the right to determine for a political party who should sponsor its candidate, other than who should fly its flag and how it should go with its elections. It, therefore, dismissed Gwani’s petition for lack of merit. It went further to award N1.6 million damages to Donatus.

    The triumph of this ‘Okada’ Rider against a Nigerian politician who has had a grip of power for 24 straight years, cannot just be likened to the Biblical story of David and Goliath, it is a practical example of rising from grass to grace on the one hand and falling from grace to grass on the other.

    Like his counterpart in Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituency, Ekene Adams Abubakar, who also contested on the platform of the Labour Party defeated Yakubu Umar Barde of the PDP. Barde is another lawmaker who has served in the House of Representatives for 20 straight years. Donatus Matthew’s victory can be attributed to the Obidients movement.

    The LP Presidential campaign of Obi, which came to be famously known as ‘Obidients’ gained acceptance in the Christian-dominated Southern part of Kaduna State. People of Southern Kaduna like other Christians of the Middle-belt, had some resentment about alleged Hausa/Fulani dominance.

    So, they saw the coming of Obi as a way of preventing Atiku Abubakar, another Fulani man, from taking over from Buhari, and a credible alternative to the APC, which they believed had not done enough to stop violent attacks and killings in their communities.

    But for lack of political structure to match the established PDP and the ruling APC, Labour Party would have won more state and National Assembly seats from Southern Kaduna. What, however, worked for Ekene Abubakar Adams and Donatus Matthew of the LP, was that their election held same day as that of Peter Obi. If the election had been held after the Presidential polls when Obi had lost, the old order would have continued in Kaura and Chikun/Kajuru Federal Constituencies.

    Now that there is an attempt to invalidate his victory at the tribunal has met a brick wall, Donatus Matthew, a graduate of Philosophy from Saint Albert Institute and father of four said he will carry all members of his constituency along, irrespective of party, religion, creed or dialect.

  • Corruption war: Federal, state auditors-general offices have failed, says Justice Salami

    •Retired jurist seeks Audit Act, commission

    FORMER Appeal Court President Justice Isa Ayo Salami yesterday recommended the insulation of the federal and state auditors-general from legislative and executive arms to check incidents of corruption.

    The retired jurist also suggested the establishment of Audit Act and Audit Law for the Federal and state auditors general in addition to making provisions for the report of the auditor-general to be considered.

    Justice Salami made the recommendation at the national conference and annual general meeting of the Committee of Heads of Internal Audit Departments/Units in Nigerian Universities (CHIADINU) at Kwara State University (KWASU), Malete, Moro Local Government Area, Kwara State.

    He said: “Office of the Auditor General of the Federation and its state counterparts are expected to play key roles in our fight against corruption. The primary functions of these offices at both federal and state levels are to nip corruption in the bud; frustrate commission of the offence before it rears its ugly head. However, some of the offices have failed to perform the roles ascribed to them.

    “The main reason for this impression of these institutions is traceable to the Constitution and their respective state and federal enactments as well as dearth of qualified personnel. This challenge is rooted in lack of insulations of the offices from the executive arm of government it is established to audit. By the same token, the internal audit departments of the various universities are not insulated from or independent of the various vice chancellors they are meant to audit.

    “The public account committees of the National and state assemblies with our most recent experience may not augur well or be salutary. In their respective stead, I would respectfully suggest establishment of a commission with both the accountant-general and auditor-general as members with a retired auditor-general or reputable or seasoned accountant from private sector as the chairman.”

    He raised the alarm over current level of corruption, saying that the country is heading for a doom, if it fails in its continued fight against corruption and corrupt people.

    Justice Salami emphasised that Nigeria was at a threshold of monumental disaster, if drastic measures were not taken to “avoid the holocaust” that corruption could bring.

    Read also: Falana urges NLC to lead workers on anti-corruption war

    Justice Salami, who said government and individuals should promote culture of high regard for dignity of labour and integrity, said sense of integrity was gradually being eroded from professionalism.

    Also delivering a paper on “Fight against corruption: The role of internal auditors”, Auditor General for the Federation Anthony Ayine said that corruption is a major governance challenge in Nigeria.

    Ayine, who said that corruption, a global phenomenon, was becoming endemic in Nigeria, added that an estimated $2.6 trillion was stolen through corruption every year- a sum equivalent to more than five per cent of the Global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the United Nations.

    “The effects of corruption to the socio-economic and political system of the country and the attendant poverty and misery it imposes on the citizenry have been so depressing over the years. This prompted establishment of institutions like the ICPC, EFCC, code of conduct bureau, bureau of public procurement and others.

    “It is however, my strong belief that if the audit function had been operating efficiently and effectively, there would not have been for all these additional anti-corruption agencies,” he said.

     

     

  • Expert blames federal, state, local govts for PRA 2014 non-compliance

    Governments at the Federal,  state and local level have remained a problem to the successful administration of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), a pension expert, Ivor Takor, has said.

    Takor, a lawyer and Executive Director, Centre for Pension Right Advocacy, said several acts of noncompliance with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2014 call for the Civil Society, which include the labour movement, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Industrial Unions to take action against the government.

    He noted that while Lagos, Kaduna, Edo and a few other states must be singled out for commendation for implementing the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), many other states are yet to comply with the law.

    He stressed that Lagos stood out as the face of the CPS even better than the Federal Government, adding that the CPS is running smoothly in the private sector as workers who retire from the sector are paid as and when they retire.

    Takor said: “The challenge of the scheme is in the public sector; federal and states, where workers for some years now are not being paid as and when they retired. The crisis facing Federal Government retirees emanated from the fact that the Federal Government has not been funding the Retirement Benefits Bond Redemption Fund Account in the Central Bank of Nigeria as it ought to. The bulk of retirement benefits of employees, who were in employment before the reform in 2004, is in the accrued rights. For example, benefits from date of their first employment, up to June 2004, the date of the commencement of the Contributory Pension Scheme.

    “The second issue militating against employees in the federal public service is that of delays in the remittance of contributions into the Retirement Savings Accounts (RSAs) of employees and implementing the new rates of contribution of 12 per cent and 8 per cent for the employer and employee respectively, which came into effect from June 2014. These are acts of noncompliance with the provisions of the Pension Reform Act 2014.

    “As at the last count, only about 10 state governments have either enacted pension laws or are at various stages of enacting pension laws for their employees. More disturbing is the fact that even those that have enacted their own pension laws, thereby keying into the CPS, operate the schemes in default of their own laws. Is anyone, therefore, surprise that most states government are owning their workers’ pensions for upward of 2 to 3 years, while those that pay, pay what they like not based on any law?

    “Lagos, Kaduna, Edo and a few other states must be singled out for commendation for keying into and implementation of the Contributory Pension Scheme. Without any fear of contradiction, Lagos State stands out as the face of the Contributory Pension Scheme even above the Federal government.”

    “I call on the Civil Society, which include the labour movement, represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and the Industrial Unions, to have a major role to play as they remain the voice of the voiceless of this nation. The movement therefore, has to organise and mobilise the full potentials of its vast membership to stand united against the deliberate pauperisation of workers and their families by the predatory political ruling class and the vested interest of unregulated capital by ensuring that the pension rights of workers in the public and private sectors are protected.

     

  • Federal, states, local govts share N701b

    The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) yesterday shared N701.022 billion to  the three tiers of government as federal allocation for May, 2018.

    The figure was described as “an improvement from N626.8 billion shared in April” by the Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Finance, Dr Mahmoud Isa Dutse .

    While addressing reporters at the end of the FAAC meeting in Abuja yesterday,  Dr Dutse said the Federal Government got N289.045 billion, states got N181.963 billion, while the Local Government Areas received NN137.327 billion. The 13 per cent mineral revenue for oil producing states stood at N49.756, while the cost of revenue collection and Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) refund N42.932 billion.

    Dutse also disclosed that the Excess Crude Account (ECA) balance now stands at $1.911 billion after N24.5 billion savings was added to it. Itvwould be recalled that the Federal Government had withdrawn about $1billion from the account to purchase aircraft to tackle insurgency in the country.

    Also, an additional N11.269 billion was received from NNPC after April FAAC and it was distributed accordingly. “We are having discussion with the NNPC to reconcile figures and will be resolved soon,” he said.

    From the breakdown of the Net Statutory revenue; the Federal Government received N276.535 billion representing 52.68 per cent; states received N140.262billion representing 26.72 per cent; Local Government Areas received N108.136billion representing 20.60 per cent; while the Oil Producing States received N49.756billion also representing 13 per cent derivation revenue.

    Furthermore, from the available revenue from Value Added Tax (VAT), Federal Government received N12.510billion representing 15 per cent; states received N41.701billion representing 50 per cent while the Local Government Areas received N29.190 billion also representing 35per cent.

    The Technical sub -Committee of FAAC at the end of the meeting indicated that the gross statutory revenue received for the month was higher than the N480.599billion received in the previous month by N132.458 billion. Crude oil export sales volume increased by 64 per cent when compared with the 7.72million barrels from the previous month, resulting in increased revenue from Federation Crude Oil Export Sales by $226.90million.

  • ‘Refund N43b Anambra spent on federal roads’

    ‘Refund N43b Anambra spent on federal roads’

    The National Coordinator of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) Media Warriors Forum, Chinedu Obigwe, has urged the Federal Government to reimburse Anambra State the N43 billion it spent on federal roads.

    Obigwe, in a statement to reporters yesterday in Awka, said if this was done, the government would use the money for other projects.

    He hailed Governor Willie Obiano for completing 40 roads before the rainy season.

    Obigwe said the governor’s surprise visit to project sites was commendable, describing him as a hardworking administrator.

    He said indigenes and residents would remain grateful to him for redefining governance.

    “With the achievements recorded by Obiano during his first term, there is no doubt that he will use his second tenure, which will begin on March 17, to consolidate on those achievements and turn Anambra to New York of Nigeria,” Obigwe added.

    He advised the people to support and encourage him to transform the state.

  • NECA rejects Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016

    NECA rejects Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has rejected the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2016, sent to President Muhammadu Buhari  by the National Assembly. NECA urged the President to withhold his assent.

    The Bill seeks development and promotion of fair, efficient and competitive markets in Nigeria. It will also facilitate access to safe products by citizens and protect consumers’ rights.

    NECA accused the National Assembly of surreptitiously inserting 0.5 per cent tax on companies to fund the establishment of a planned Commission/Agency, which will undertake responsibilities under the law.

    NECA also contended that the  0.5 per cent tax on private companies was neither in the draft nor discussed at the public hearing of the bill. It described the development as fraudulent.

    In a statement by its Director-General, Mr. Segun Oshinowo, the body said: “While the private sector welcomed and, in fact, actively supported the introduction of a dispensation where an institution will exist to promote fair, efficient and competitive markets in the Nigerian economy, at no time, during the public hearing on the Bill, did we discuss the imposition of 0.5 per cent profit after tax on all companies operating in Nigeria, as a source of funding the Commission. This provision was not contained in the draft bill that was exposed to the public.

    “So, what could have been the source of this obnoxious provision that seeks to further drain life out of a struggling and comatose private sector that is still laboring under the unbearable weight of multiple and overlapping taxes and levies? This surreptitious insertion is a fraudulent act, which we seriously frown at.”

  • Dissecting Nigeria’s federal structure

    Dissecting Nigeria’s federal structure

    A recent public lecture organised by the Yoruba Tennis Club under the theme ‘Federalism: Myth or Reality – The Nigerian Experience’ brought together scholars, elder statesmen, traditional rulers and many Nigerians that are worried about the way the country has been drifting in recent times. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI was at the event. 

    After decrying the weak foundation on which the Nigerian federal system of government is built and the relationship between the centre and the so-called federating units, a one-time Director-General of the Nigerian Law School, Dr. Kole Abayomi, has called for fundamental changes in the constitution, to make the county the ideal federation envisaged by its founding fathers.

    Abayomi who made the remark in a public lecture he delivered at the Yoruba Tennis Club, Lagos, recently said his ideal concept of federalism is one where the power of centre and the federating units are equal and coordinate, with certain functions such as foreign affairs, security and currency surrounded to the former.

    He said: “Power must be shared in such a manner, so as not to make the units weak and the centre too powerful. Nigeria practices a unitary system of government disguised as federalism and most of the states are not viable.”

    In the preamble to the lecture titled Federalism: Myth or Reality – The Nigerian Experience, the former Director-General said at independence in 1960 the country had three regions that were working very well. He said the defunct Midwest State was created to satisfy the clamour for minority interest.

    He added: “Today, Nigeria has 36 states and most of them are not viable economically and financially; they depend on the support of the Federal Government. They go cap in hands every month, begging for funds. That to me is an insult in federalism. It is understandable if the Federal Government steps in when you have a natural disaster, but what is obtainable today is that the states virtually depend on the centre to survive.”

    Abayomi said it is unfortunate that many states cannot pay salaries today and the Federal Government had to step in, by giving them bailouts. From this arrangement, he said the country is gradually moving from a federal system of government to a unitary system.

    Abayomidiscussed three provisions of the constitution extensively: the Presidential System of Government, Federal Character and presidential appointments. He confessed that though elder statesman, Alhaji Femi Okunnu, and himself were members of the committee that recommended the presidential system to the country prior to the Second Republic, but he is fed up with it.

    He said: “The Westminster model is still the best. A revert to this system of government will do us some do; it is less expensive. Alhaji Okunnu and I ignorantly supported the change from the parliamentary system to the presidential system. We adopted a foreign phenomenon without understanding what made it work in America. To me, the system is very expensive and festers corruption, because there are many more mouths to seal.”

    The lecturer said the principle of Federal Character was introduced as a laudable idea to make appointments balanced, to assist states that are backward. He said in some cases, it has become an instrument of promoting nepotism. “Though very laudable, the principle of Federal Character is not justiciable, because there are other provisions that are not consistent with it,” he added.

    On appointments, Dr. Abayomi said the constitution empowers the President to appoint principal officers of his kitchen cabinet as he deems fit. He said President Muhammadu Buhari probably appointed almost all members of his security team from a particular ethnic group, because of the issue of trust.

    He said it is unfortunate that people first identify themselves as belonging to their ethnic groups, regions and religions, before seeing themselves as Nigerians.

    The legal luminary also frowned at a situation where people from certain states are giving quit notices to Nigerians from other parts of the country to vacate their states or face the consequences, saying in an ideal federal set up, people are free to live and work in any part of the country they wish. He said because of tribal and religious sentiments, life is no longer safe in Nigeria.

    He said until Nigerians awakened national zeal and national consciousness, by emphasizing those things that unite them, rather than the ones that divide them, they will not realize the change they desire. His words: “We must develop a culture of nationalism; without that, no other change can carry us anywhere. We must never admit that anybody from anywhere is superior to us. Nigerians should be free to live in any part of the country. We must insert these principles in our constitution.”

    Abayomi advocated for devolution of powers, saying the current 36-state structure is uinwieldy and wrong. He said: “I would advocate for devolution of powers to the states. The six geo-political zones should be used as federating units. During the First Republic, the regions had powers and such powers were used to develop various parts of the country.

    “There should be fiscal and economic restructuring; the current system is retrogressive. But would the political elite who are feeding fat from the current system allow us to effect the change?”

    Two discussants made contributions on the subject, after Dr. Abayomi’s presentation. They are: former Federal Permanent Secretary, Dr. Olayiwola Ogunbambi, and legal practitioner and public affairs analyst, Mr. Dele Farotimi. Ogunbambi said: “The problem is not about devolution of powers, but the fact of the matter is that the states are too many, too unwieldy and unviable, to be able to compete with the Federal Government. This is coupled with the escalating cost of governance.”

    The former Permanent Secretary said the states are not the federating units, because for convenience the military merely created centres of command, in consonance with their traditional command structure. He added: “To qualify to be called federating units presupposes that they have existed independently on their own, like the Greek City States, before the emergence of the federation.”

    Ogunbambi said as a first step towards going back true federalism, Nigerians must create a people’s constitution. He said the National Assembly would be compounding the problem, if lawmakers believe that with their periodic constitutional amendments of the 1999 Constitution that they are helping matters.

    He added: “Our lawmakers are too selfish, too myopic and too fixated on the 2019 general elections to give Nigerians a constitution that would address the issues on ground. I don’t know whether the narrative about restructuring is the path to progress. We must revisit the whole concept of constitution making.”

    Before he started his contribution, Farotimi apologized to the elders in the audience, because he was going to say may not go down well with them. He said Nigeria was built on a quicksand and that there are a lot of dreamers who continue to believe in a country that is designed to fail.

    His words: “We have a lot of dreamers in Nigeria. My father’s generation built the country on lies. When we talk at this stage whether Nigeria is a federal state or not, we are not being realistic. The Federal Republic of Nigeria died in 1966. The second coup of 1966 destroyed Nigeria.”

    He said though the young idealists who executed the first coup committed a grave error when they assassinated leading politicians in the defunct Northern and the Western Region, but it was the second coup that destroyed the foundation on which the country built.

    The legal practitioner said today Nigeria is a country with multiple levels of citizenship, as a result of the second coup. He added: “Every system operates on a design and it produces what it is programmed to produce, which in this case is corruption.”

    Farotimi who was also a former student union leader said before independence some wisemen came together and agreed a federal structure and a parliamentary system of government was best suited for the country. But decades of military rule, he said, destroyed everything.

    He believes that the hegemony of those that have kept Nigeria down is coming to an end, with events that are being witnessed in the country in recent times. He added: “Whether we like it or not, at some point, we are going to be forced to have the discussion that we have been running away from.”

    In his remarks, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, who was the special guest of honour, commended the Yoruba Tennis Club. He said the club is concerned about Nigeria’s progress and that it should not relent.

    The monarch said Federal Character is good, “but it should not be at the expense of people’s safety and security.” He said even though the country wants to achieve equality of states, there should be fiscal federalism, so that all states can develop at their own pace.

    On his part, Alhaji Okunnu, who was the moderator, argued that Nigeria’s federalism died in 1979, when a new constitution institutionalized the unitary system that was introduced by the military. He said the 1979 Constitution spoke from two sides of the mouth on local government, by making it a federal matter, under the guise of giving it autonomy.

  • Ministry warns communities against erecting bumps on highways

    Ministry warns communities against erecting bumps on highways

    The Federal Ministry of Works, Power and Housing on Tuesday warned communities located near federal highways in Nasarawa State against erecting bumps without approval.

    The Federal Controller, Ministry of Works, Power and Housing in Nasarawa State, Mr Wasiu Adetayo, gave the warning in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lafia.

    “Normally, for you to fix bumps on a federal highway, you need to take permission. We always reject such request because it is not done.

    “They will come with various excuses such as vehicles killed their people and so on, but by the time you fix such bumps, it is no more express.

    “That is not to say I am exonerating drivers who speed recklessly but the fact remains that we don’t allow speed bumps.

    Read Also: Ministry strengthens fight against child labour

    “So, what they do is to wake up one morning and fix bumps without permission and the bumps they fix cause more accidents which they are trying to prevent,’’ Adetayo said.

    He said it was strange that most of the communities were erecting bumps without the knowledge or approval of their traditional rulers and preventing their demolition aggressively.

    “It got to a stage that the controller cannot just go out and say he wants to demolish illegal bumps. They will attack him.

    “So, we now propose to the headquarters that we have to use uniformed men to assist us because eventually it will get to a stage where we will go out and demolish these bumps.

    “We also discovered that to approach this issue, we need to carry the traditional rulers along,” the federal controller said.

    NAN