The Nation Newspaper

Tag: good governance

  • ‘Nigeria needs good governance, not restructuring’

    ‘Nigeria needs good governance, not restructuring’

    The President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Ayuba Wabba, spoke with reporters in Lagos on the clamour for the restructuring of the polity, the controversy over governors’ security votes, and the plight of workers in the face of the current economic recession. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI was there.

    What is your take on the clamour for restructuring?

    For the organised labour, we look at Nigeria as one. A big part of the challenge we are having in this country is not about restructuring; it is about good governance. Many other countries that were at par with us before have surpassed us; and part of the frustration Nigerians are having is that our system have not been able to deliver, especially to meet our expectations as citizens. Even if you restructure without good governance there will be crisis. The NLC is not in support of any idea that will polarise us. We will only support an idea that will promote cohesion, unity and harmony. The NLC is a pan-Nigerian organization and we will always advance issues that will unite us, and not issues that will divide us.

    Are you support of scrapping of security votes, to enable state governments meet up with their obligations?

    Security votes should be abolished. What do these governors do with billions of naira they collect monthly as security votes? More so, the money is not even accounted for; security votes negate principles of transparency and it promotes corruption. If a state is not at war, why should a governor collect N1 billion monthly as a security vote? This is nothing but corruption, another avenue for looting. Rather than just lament about the evils being perpetrated against workers by the political elites, we have resolved to educate workers. The leadership of the NLC is now enlightening workers now about the enormous power they wield using their hands, through the ballot box. What do I mean by this? We are now telling workers that they can also use their voting power to remove bad leadership. The population of Nigerian workers is over 10 million and how many of these politicians got elected with 10 million votes?

    How many states are defaulting in payment of salaries and pensions?

    It is very unfortunate that workers and pensioners are the worst hit by the recession. The situation could have been better managed, if our political leaders, especially state governors, had got their priorities right. But, they do not accord payment of salaries and pension the priority it deserves. Let me state here categorically that the Federal Government has been making efforts to assist the states with regard to payment of outstanding salaries and pensions being owed workers. In the first tranche of bail-out given to the states by the government, more than 26 states benefitted. But the irony of it all is that the more Federal Government gives them bail-outs, the less you understand what the states do with the money. A lot of states have been diverting bail-outs meant to pay outstanding salaries and pensions to other things, and this is why we are in the present situation. If governors have not been diverting the bail-outs, the issue of owing workers’ salaries and pensioners would have become a thing of the past. This is why the NLC is now insisting that before Federal Government gives further bail-outs, the states must be made to account for how the previous ones were utilized.

    There was a report recently about how a governor diverted three million dollars from the bail-out fund to build a five-star hotel in Lagos. This is very unfortunate. This shows the high level of irresponsibility being displayed by our political elites. It shows clearly that the issue is not about the availability of resources or not; it is about governors getting their priorities right. Many states owe workers salary arrears and pension, but Kogi State is the worst. The state government owes workers between eight and 15 months’ salary arrears. The state government hid under the verification exercise it did to delete some workers names from its payroll. But, the workers affected are not ghost workers; they are bona fide civil servants in Kogi State. The so-called verification exercise was a sham; it was a ploy to reduce the state workforce. The NLC is not taking this issue lightly with the government. During the last May Day celebration, the workers protested against this injustice by the state government. What is happening today in Kogi State is a big threat to the survival of workers and pensioners. The situation in Kogi State is peculiar. I don’t know why workers and pensioners there are being treated like that. With the way things are going, with series of other social upheavals like kidnapping, abduction, armed robbery and other vices being recorded almost on a daily basis, Kogi State is gradually falling into what some people will describe as a failed state.

    In the Northcentral zone, Benue State is also another bad case. Benue is one of the states that diverted the bail-out meant to pay workers salaries, according to the ICPC. About 10 states are defaulting in the payment of salaries and pensioners. Bayelsa State is also on the list of debtor states. The state owes pensioners, teachers and civil servants. In the case of Osun State, the state has been paying workers on the basis of percentage and that has also brought pains on workers. The same thing applies to Oyo State. Ondo State also has accumulated salaries that have not been paid.

    Jigawa State is one of the states that does not owe. It is interesting to note that the state has not collected any bail-out from the Federal Government. The state pays salary and pensions of workers as at when due. So, you can see that it is a matter of state governors not according payment of workers’ salaries the priority it deserves.

    Do you have an idea of the number of workers and pensioners that have died as a result of being owed by state governments?

    It is difficult to give an exact figure, because we don’t have a reliable data bank. But, definitely, many workers and pensioners have lost their lives as a result of being owed. Even at verification centres set up by some state governments, several workers and pensioners have lost their lives while waiting on the queue to be verified. Even at a time in Kaduna, several workers lost their lives when there was a bomb explosion near one of the centres, but where some of these tragedies occurred, including that of Kaduna, the NLC has insisted that the families of the workers that lost their lives must be compensated. We will continue to fight for these workers and pensioners until their families are compensated.

    How true is it that the NLC has asked the Federal Government not to release a fresh tranche of N500 billion bail-outs it promised states?

    Yes, we insisted that the state governors should give account of how they used the first bail-out. We have found out from both EFCC and ICPC reports that some state governors actually diverted the bail-out. This is not only unpatriotic, but very shameful. Some of them put the money in fixed deposits, where they now collect huge interests, while workers continue to wallow in hunger. Some of them awarded bogus contracts that don’t have meaning or relevance to the life of citizens. This is why we insisted that the Federal Government should not release another bail-out without accountability being followed. Those governors that had earlier received the first bail-out should be made to account for how they utilized it before they are given another one.

    How realistic is your demand for N56,000 minimum wage, in view of the current economic recession?

    I said it earlier that the issue of payment of salaries and pension as at when due is about states getting their priorities right. Secondly, the recession is not an excuse at all. All over the world, economies bubble and also get burst. Everything is about planning and having foresight; these are what our leaders’ lack. In 2011, we signed a minimum wage of N18,000, but it was mutually agreed that after a period of five years that there would be a review – this was mutually agreed to by all parties. If you also look at the present economic challenges, inflation is soaring with the attendant results – some of these include high cost of goods and services, what all these mean is that N18,000 is no longer realistic.

    Nigerian workers are passing through very difficult times. You are also aware that during the same period, the Federal Government increased the price of fuel, a commodity that determines the price of nearly every other commodity in Nigeria. Fuel price was increased from N86 to N145. Not only that, electricity tariff was also increased by more than 50 percent and workers salary has remained on the same spot. So, how do you expect workers to cope with these challenges?

    What has been the government’s response?

    The Federal Government has agreed in principle. A technical committee to work out the detail has been set up, and the NLC participated fully. The report of that committee has been transmitted to the Presidency. We are expecting that the Federal Executive Council to approve the recommendations of the committee. The ball is in the court of the Federal Government.

    There are fears that the factional crisis in the NLC might hamper the negotiations…

    We don’t have factions in the NLC. The union is one united body. Those people you are even referring to have openly stated that they are not a faction of the NLC. Convention 144 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which Nigeria has ratified, explicitly states that the most representative labour centre would negotiate on behalf of the Nigerian workers, and today NLC is the most representative labour centre in the country; there is no dispute or controversy about that. That’s why NLC and TUC have come together to negotiate on behalf of the Nigerian workers. Nigerian workers know their true leaders.

    All through history, workers do not get anything on a platter of gold; it has always been through struggle that our demands are met. But we will not relent until we get what we want for Nigerian workers.

     

  • Ambode tasks media practitioners on good governance

    Ambode tasks media practitioners on good governance

    Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, yesterday told media workers to live up to its major responsibility of advancing the cause of good governance while calling for a convergence between all stakeholders in the industry.

    Ambode, who spoke at the opening ceremony of the Biennial Convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) held in Ikeja, Lagos with the theme, A Nation in Recession: Whither the Nigerian Media?, commended the guild for its outstanding accomplishments and contributions to the growth and development of the media and free speech in Nigeria. According to him, “Your role in this pursuit of resilience, therefore, is to lend the needed support in bringing our noble efforts to public consciousness. With your vital partnership, we are hopeful that other governments can borrow a leaf from the Lagos Model and translate same in their respective domains to promote good governance to the greater benefit of humanity.

    “There is a convergence among publishers, editors and journalists and the Nigeria Press Organisation can create that platform in which the whole essence of driving the selfless nature of good governance can really be achieved.”

    Ambode also urged the guild to do much more on censoring what is published on the front pages of their various newspapers, noting that the reports go a long way in shaping both local and foreign perceptions.

    “You are really the real drivers of good governance, because good governance is really the convergence of leadership and followership and you communicate it the most. So, sometimes, when you look at the kind of job you are doing it’s not really for the pay, it’s for the selfless service that you allow the society to come over and above anything else.”

    Speaking on recession, the governor said that contrary to the view held by most people, recession was not a crime but a period that calls for government at all levels to rearrange its expenditure and give more priority to capital expenditure.

    He said the current recessionary climate not only taught some hard lessons but presented a new challenge as well as an opportunity to think outside the box to change Nigeria’s story from “business as usual” to “business unusual”.

    Ambode also said that despite the shortfall of federal transfers occasioned by the dip in oil prices, his administration made conscious decisions to partner with the private sector through Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) to bridge the funding gap to deliver key/strategic infrastructure projects, especially the Fourth Mainland Bridge; Oshodi Transport Interchange; Badagry Deep Sea Port; Lekki Free Trade Zone, and Lagos Smart City projects, among others.

    Earlier, the president of the NGE, Mrs. Funke Egbemode, said the convention afforded members to rub minds and fashion out strategies that would help to stabilise the nation’s economy and also the media industry .The event which attracted the who’s who in the Nigerian media industry also saw the guild conduct elections into various offices.

     

  • ‘Ekiti deserves good governance’

    ‘Ekiti deserves good governance’

    Ekiti State is said to be one of the poorest in the country. But, an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant, Mr. Adekunle Esan, says, with the right leadership, the state has no business owing workers’ salaries. LUCAS AJANAKU met him in Lagos.

    Are you satisfied with the way Ekiti is being governed?
    No, I am not. If I was, I would not be running for governorship position of the state. The top government functionaries of Ekiti State are not doing the right thing. There is rampant manifestation of gross mismanagement, greed, corruption, ineptitude, lack of direction, misappropriation and zero evidence of tangible people-oriented development in the state. The current administrations keep embarking on white elephant projects such as the proposed Ekiti State airport; the uncoordinated claim of dualisation of some roads that has no direct impact on the welfare of the common people and others. These are nothing but avenues to syphon the commonwealth of the state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government  is a good example of government by deceit. The judiciary has been rendered ineffective. The law enforcement agencies have not been allowed to perform their statutory functions effectively due to the overbearing attitudes of the chief executive who carry himself around like an emperor. He is a serial manipulator. He is the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary.
    How could the state have been better governed?
    Ekiti State is known as Fountain of Knowledge, not only by academic standards but by moral standards by the good people of Ekiti. What we lack presently is leadership with a vision to harness the human and material resources within the state towards meaning development. We lack industries yet we are blessed with natural resources such as clay at Oye, laterite and columbite at Ijero, aluminum and bauxite in Ido/Osi. The government has failed to attract foreign investors to the state because it has not created an investment-friendly environment. The government has not strengthened the judiciary and made law enforcement and security a top priority of the administration. Justice should be delivered, and be seen to be delivered, fairly and quickly without fear or favour. There is no zero tolerance for corruption. All these will change when my administration takes over. We will priotise industrialisation and incentivize investors to set up factories in the state. Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the engine room of modern economies. Cottage industries will be encouraged to create jobs and grow the economy. These companies will be expected to give back generously to the community in programmes and projects that will enhance the living standards of our people.
    We will priotise and solve the immediate challenges facing our people which include food security, regular and uninterrupted payment of salaries, assistance to the aged in reducing the burden of educating their wards from primary through secondary school  levels by removing the current burden of fees imposed by the present regime.
    Is Ekiti State the poorest in the country?
    On the face value and considering current economic indices, the answer is yes! However when we consider that Ekiti has one of the highest rates of literacy in the country and it is blessed with resources; we have to say Ekiti is not the poorest state in Nigeria. Our problem is lack of appropriate development blue prints and the lack of a result-oriented leadership with the political will to execute them.
    How can the state improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)?
    The IGR is determined by total generated revenue from taxes and dividends from state investments. The state has to be run like a big business organisation to avoid over dependency on the Federal Government. We shall seriously source for investors at home and abroad and secure partnerships with viable private sector organisations to generate market based-income for the state. There also has to be more people and businesses working in the private and public sectors of Ekiti. For income tax revenue to increase, there has to be sufficient incentives for workers, common initiative groups, and companies to locate or relocate in the state. One of such incentives will come from my proposed Ekiti Clean Energy generation programme that will be a signature program of my administration. We should be able to solve the problem of electricity supply in Ekiti once and for all within my first tenure in office. The IGR will also increase when more people are put to paid jobs. This will be the resurgence of the middle class which is the engine of every dynamic economy. Better wages means increased income for the state. The middle class has disappeared over the years through successive failures of present and past administration to build the middle class.
    There appears to be cracks in the All Progressives Congress (APC). How is the party going to rally ahead of the next election?
    I don’t agree with you because every dynamic organisation like our great party APC must have disagreement and challenges from time to time. What we need today is capable and forward looking leadership to transform such problems into stepping stones. I think I will be a peace maker and based on my neutrality. I hope to be a credible unifying force within our party in Ekiti State.
    Did you see what happened in Ondo being replicated in Ekiti?
    I don’t want to speculate on problems. Ekiti State is a unique state with different political realities. Lets get to the bridge before we cross it.
    What are your political aspirations for 2018?
    I want to ask the people of Ekit to give me a chance to serve them as their next governor. Please note, I did not draw myself into the ring for personal political gains, but for the difference i hope to bring to the table. I will honestly be vying for the position of governor in Ekiti through the force of positive ideas and not the argument of force.

  • Ambode: Consolidating good governance in Lagos

    Ambode: Consolidating good governance in Lagos

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has surpassed the expectations of Lagosians in the last 20 months in many respects. The security challenges he faced initially when he came on board had led many observers to dismiss the governor’s campaign promises as idle talk. But gradually he is transforming the state. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE reports.

    Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State has not left the people in doubt, about where the administration is heading. Lagos has witnessed tremendous progress since he took over the reins of power 20 months ago.

    The tempo of development in road construction, housing for the masses, market and commerce expansion, continuation of the light rail project, beautification of streets, provision of health facilities and hospitals, agricultural expansion, security, lighting up major streets, wooing investors and exploration of oil in commercial quantity has changed the status of the state.

    Against this background, Lagosians have hailed the governor as one the most progressive-minded chieftains of the party that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC) could showcase  on its scorecard.

    Under the governor’s leadership, Lagos has been acknowledged as a fast-growing economy in terms of infrastructure and capital.

    Lagos is better assessed when the torch is illuminated on the following projects:

    Roads

    The proposed megacity project requires good network of roads. To realise this, new roads are coming up, while bad ones are being rehabilitated in prime locations, as well as the grassroots.

    During his campaign and flagging of the administration, Ambode made it clear that 114 roads would be constructed annual across the state. Under the scheme, the Ejigbo-Ikotun road which was a nightmare to motorists and other road users has been fixed. Other terribly bad roads rehabilitated include: the Mosan Okunola road, the Oshodi-Isolo road, the Bariga-University of Lagos road, the Mile 2-Orile Iganmu road, the Ajegunle-Marine Beach road, the Apapa-Ijora Causaway road and the Ikorodu-Ojota road.

    The Abule Egba-Abeokuta road, which is currently undergoing construction, is expected to harness the potentials of the international link of the axis, through the Owode-Idi-Iroko road, Ogun State. The Lekki-Epe Expressway and other major roads now toll gate to raise money to maintain the road. The government has constructed flyover bridges at Ajah, Ojodu-Berger and other Lagos suburbs. Observers believe this will reduce the rate of accidents suffered by pedestrians when crossing the roads.

    Residents of Apapa have also been thanking the governor for rehabilitating their major link road. The Apapa road was a source of sorrow to those who have one transaction or the other to carry out in the industrial area. The heavy-duty vehicles plying the road do not only cause damage to it, but also impede easy flow of traffic. Under Governor Ambode’s watch, the administration has rolled out new operational rules for heavy-duty vehicles, to ensure that they do not infringe on the rights of other road users.

     

    Security

    Following the upsurge in criminal activities at the outset of the administration, security has been a top priority for Governor Ambode. With the prospects of Boko Haram and Niger Delta militants invading Lagos, the governor has put the security personnel to task.  Though some militants accepted responsibilities for the attack at Ikorodu, Ambode quickly rose to the occasion to nip the unpleasant development in the bud. He acquired 10 armoured tanks, three helicopters for aerial surveillance and policing. He also acquired 15 armoured personnel carriers (APC), dozens of Isuzu trucks and others safety gadgets, to aid the operations of security men in the state. Some residents of the riverine areas of Ikorodu who had relocated, because of the threat from the militants, were encouraged to return, because of government intervention.

    Today, any kidnapper caught in Lagos will face summary execution when convicted. The new law has been hailed by observers. Other states have been understudying the Lagos security template, to check criminality in their domain.

    To boost security at the grassroots, the government plans to recruit 5,000 personnel for its Neighbourhood Watch initiative. They are expected to earn N25, 000, with other allowances. The governor said the gesture will assist in policing and returning sanity to troubled communities.

    Ambode said: “There is a law that has just been passed, the Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Corps Law 2016. In line with the resolution taken by the Lagos State House of Assembly, we will go all out to make sure the agency is activated.

    “All our neighbourhoods will be covered. We will provide all the necessary equipment and resources to ensure that we establish what we call community policing and that is the way to go.”

     

    Disability allowance

    Those living with disability have not been abandoned by the government. The administration has floated an empowerment fund of N500 million, to the disabled members of the society a sense of belonging. The money is meant to assist them to acquire skills and enable them set up venture that will enhance their standard of living. The disabled had been abandoned to their fate in the past.

    The governor said: “We will roll out all our empowerment programmes to assist all the youths, artisans and the needy. People living with disability will start getting support from government quarters.”

     

    Domestic violence       

    The governor has also been insisting that women are treated with dignity and respect. To this end, the war against domestic and sexual violence team was constituted. It was charged to campaign against all forms of misdemeanor that will portray women in low esteem and treated as inferior species.

    Nigerian women suffer untold degradation and molestation almost on daily basis. The campaign has enhanced the prestige of women in private and public places. He has equally matched the deal with appointment of women into key positions.

     

    Health

    The health sector has also been receiving the deserved attention of the administration since it came on board. The administration has commissioned no fewer than 20 mobile care unit ambulances. Other 30 ambulances were deployed to hospitals across the state.

    As a result, the mobile care units have been saving lives daily, especially those of victims of road accidents. The intensive clinical service rendered by the unit is being applauded by the public. They said the service provided by the unit is comparable to those obtained in advanced societies. The governor has approved the recruitment of paramedic staff and special medical coordinators, to ensure that 24-hour services are available in General Hospitals and Primary Health Care (PHC) units.

     

    Agriculture

    Farming also received a boost under the present dispensation. Through Ambode’s foresight, the administration has been making impact in the area of agriculture. The government has established commercial farms in areas like Epe, Badagry and Ikorodu.

    To sustain plans to feed Lagosians, Lagos and Kebbi State entered into an arrangement to produce rice for the teeming population in Lagos. The Lagos-Kebbi rice, otherwise known as LAKE Rice, was sold to Lagosians during the yuletide season at affordable price. The rice deal brought relief to many homes groaning under the recession.

    The administration’s efforts in the area of agriculture have been commended by analysts. They believe that such arrangement will further cement the relationship between people from the north and those from the west.

     

    Improved revenue

    The recession notwithstanding, the state has been raking in more money into its internally generated revenue (IGR) purse. This has turned out be one of the saving graces of the state last year. As at December 16, the state raked in N287 billion in IGR, which is a whopping N19 billion more that what was generated the year before. The governor gave credit to Lagosians for their dedication to civic responsibilities.

    He said: “The tax payers are the ones giving the little energy that we have and even though when they say Nigeria is in recession, somehow Lagos has been able to do it and it is because people are paying their taxes.”

     

    Education

    To ensure that those living in poor communities of the state have unrestricted access to good education, the administration upgraded schools in those areas. Schools in Ijora-Badia, Ajegunle, Amukoko, Okokomaiko and Makoko slums benefitted from the education programme. It went further to launch a free adult education programme, to take care of the illiterate adult communities that wanted to better its lots.

    The governor said the 552 centre would increase to 1000 and that 1000 teachers would be engaged to drive home government plans. The courses at the centre include: fashion designs, soap-making, bread-making, furniture, bricklaying and masonry.

    The Lagos State University (LASU), the College of Education Ijanikin, the Lagos State Polytechnic and other higher institutions in the state have witnessed relative peace, due to government commitment to enhanced learning environment. Teachers, principals and school administrators received their promotion, while fresh ones were employed.

     

    Oil exploration

    Lagos under Ambode joined the league of oil-producing states in the country. The emergence of Lagos as an oil-producing state would make it the undisputable largest economy in the country. Experts have even posited that Lagos has a larger economy than some African countries.

    The Group Executive Director of the Dangote Industries Limited, Mr. Devakumar Edwin, said it was a good development that Lagos is now a proud oil-producing state. Other companies have indicated interest to partner with Lagos to tap into the oil project. The venture will result in employment generation for Lagosians and other Nigerians.

    The executive director said the discovery of oil in Badagry would be a lot more attractive for investment, when prices begin to rise at the international oil market.

     

    Transportation

    The transportation system has also been enhanced under Ambode. He commissioned new luxury buses to ply routes such as Ikorodu-Mile 2, Lekki-Ajah and other highbrow areas of the state. The improvement resulted in employment for drivers, bus conductors and transport administrators. Members of the Road Transport Workers Association of Nigeria, Lagos chapter, recently urged the governor to build bus stops across the councils to cater for the need of commuters.

    The light rail project started under the past administration is moving according to plan. The waterways are also being integrated into the transport network, as more ferries are joining the existing commercial fleets. Thus, Lagosians are now making more use of the waterways to beat the traffic jams usually experienced in the metropolis.

     

    Housing, drainages

    The administration has also reformed the existing Rent-to-Own mortgage scheme, which is intended to make many Lagosians landlord. The Commissioner for Housing, Gbolahan Lawal, said the scheme is aimed at making housing more readily affordable and accessible for Lagosians.

  • NASS vows to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty

    NASS vows to protect Nigeria’s sovereignty

    The National Assembly has vowed to defend Nigeria’s sovereignty and interest against foreign interference.

    This is coming against the background of concerns expressed by the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative and other Civil Society and Human rights organizations on what they described as undue interference by the republic of Iran in Nigeria’s internal affairs.

    The Senate gave the assurance when they received members of the Coalition for Good Governance and Change Initiative and other CSOs who led a protest march to the National Assembly.

    The protesters who were received by Sen. Emmanuel Paulker, (Bayelsa central and Chairman Senate committee on petroleum, upstream PDP) and Sen. Yusuf Abubakar, (Taraba central APC) expressed concern over the radicalization of IMN members by Iran.

    Addressing the protesters, Sen. Paulker said Nigeria is a secular state and nobody would be allowed to impose his religion on others. He assured that the National Assembly will move fast to quickly address the issue.

    He said: “We will protect Nigerians against any foreigner that will come under any guise to destabilize this country. We have taken notice of what you have stated. In fact the Senate president specifically asked me and my colleague to come out here and address this issue. So we will go back to the Senate and look at it intensively.”

    Speaking earlier, National Coordinator of the group, Ogenyi Emmanuel urged both chambers of the National Assembly to pass resolutions asking the Federal Government to outlaw the IMN nationwide.

    Ogenyi expressed worry that Nigeria is under threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is flooding the country with the terrorists it had trained and empowered under the cover of being Shiite sect members.

    He said: “These Iranian representatives in the country operate under the name of Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), which has disavowed the secular state prescribed in the constitution. IMN has emphatically declared that it does not recognize the Federal Government of which the National Assembly is the third arm of government.”

    Ogenyi drew the attention of the lawmakers to online video of IMN members performing military drills and practicing combat skills, warning that what the country is dealing with here is not just a band of adherents but several cells of heavily radicalized youths that have been convinced to see suicide attacks as the path to martyrdom.

    He said the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kaduna State government in the aftermath of last year’s clash between the IMN and the military offered great insight into the true identity of the extremist group.

    According to him, during the commission’s public hearing Nigerians recounted how they experienced the horrors dispensed by the IMN in Zaria, Kaduna state which was its enclave.

    Ogenyi said the findings of the commission provoked the outlawing of IMN by Kaduna state government, but said sadly, instead of waking the sect up to the rejection of its extreme views, its members have rather scattered farther afield to other state in what some expert see as preemptively activating a domination agenda that is not different from the approach adopted by the world’s worst terrorist group, Boko Haram.

    He said: “There is need for Nigeria to act fast. The National Assembly must activate what is an equivalent of the doctrine of necessity. It will take time for all the remaining thirty five states and the FCT to outlaw this extremist group but the National Assembly can save the country.

    “It is on this note that we are demanding that both chambers of the National Assembly pass resolutions asking the Federal Government to outlaw the IMN nationwide. Our Federal lawmakers must also demand the severance of diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran for exporting terrorism into our country, for radicalizing our youths, for flooding our land with weapons, for intruding into our national affairs and threatening our sovereignty and for being a threat to our nationhood.

    “The country must also close its diplomatic mission here while Nigeria closes ours in Tehran. As practical step, the Senate should not confirm any ambassadorial nominee for that country while exercising the budget for Nigeria’s embassy there.

    “We will observe in the coming days to see what actions the National Assembly will take on our demands. Once we see our federal lawmakers commence work in earnest to address this IMN threat to our collective safety, we shall support in any way possible.”

    Ogenyi said the CSOs will hold daily protests at the premises of the National Assembly if it fails to act fast and do the needful.

    He however expressed confidence that the “National Assembly will act in the interest of their constituents who do not want to be wiped out by IMN fanatics.”

     

  • Ambode hailed for good governance

    Ambode hailed for good governance

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has been hailed for his exemplary leadership and good governance.

    The President, Patriotic Christian Leaders Forum (PCLF), Dr. Adefunmilayo Akitoye-Braimoh, who spoke in Lagos at the annual intercessory prayer summit organised by the forum to pray for peace and progress, said Ambode distinguished himself as a good administrator by giving the people democracy dividends, despite the recession.

    Akitoye-Braimoh, a senior special assistant to ex-Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola on Religious Affairs (Christian), urged Nigerians to be calm and optimistic, as the country’s future was bright.

    The woman, who spoke on the theme: ’Spare Thy People O Lord’, taking her illustration from Joel 2:17, said “despite our sins, God will forgive us if we repent and forsake them, because He is merciful.”

    She said the programme was organised yearly to pray to God “for His intervention in our affairs so that He will guide our leaders to rule us well.”

    “This is not the first time we are organising this prayer. We did so during the tenure of former Governors Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Fashola and they were successful,” Mrs. Akitoye-Braimoh added.

    The Bishop-elect of Methodist Church Nigeria, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, prophesied that God would save Nigeria from the jaws of evil doers, irrespective of the antics of Satan, because “He created Nigeria for a purpose and the purpose will be fulfilled. If our leaders can properly manage the resources of the country, Nigeria will be one of the best countries in the world.”

    The event was attended by personalities, including the wife of former Lagos State Governor Fashola, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, wife of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, Mrs. Nike Obasanjo and others.

     

  • Atiku rallies support for good governance

    Atiku rallies support for good governance

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has reiterated the need for the mass media to promote good governance and anti-corruption campaign.

    He said this when the management personnel of the Atiku Media Office (AMO) visited him at his Asokoro residence in Abuja, to felicitate with him ahead of his 70th birthday anniversary and the 10 years of the establishment of the Atiku Media Office.

    The chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) noted the role of the media in partnering with progressive-minded politicians to end military rule and dictatorship in the country.

    He added that the fourth estate of the realm has a more entrenched role to play to ensure that democratic tenets remain intact and not assailed by anti-democratic forces.

    Acknowledging the pioneering role his media office has played in the past 10 years and continues to play in the promotion and sustenance of democracy in Nigeria, the e- vice president, however, observed that the media office was a creation of necessity to challenge executive recklessness of that era.

    “When I created the Atiku Media Office in 2006, many people thought I was crazy. But I knew that I needed an institution to respond to the lies that were peddled about me by the same government that I served as the number two person.

    “So, yours is an office that started off to challenge executive recklessness and a defender of democratic ideals. I am satisfied with the way you have carried out your mandate in the past 10 years. The Atiku Media Office has evolved to become a respectable media institution in Nigeria.

    “But your mandate has also evolved beyond the promotion of Atiku Abubakar. I will urge you to continue to be a promoter and enabler of democracy, good governance and support anti-corruption initiatives, especially as being championed by the current administration.

    “Many people don’t know how damaging bad governance and corruption can adversely affect the fortunes of a society. And at the Atiku Media Office, it is your responsibility to work in concert with others to educate the people and defend these ideals at all times.”

    The media office’s coordinator, Mazi Paul Ibe, paid tribute to Atiku for his uncommon zeal in the promotion and sustenance of democracy and good governance in the country.

    Ibe reminded Nigerians that the travails of Atiku arose from his opposition to the ill-advised Third Term agenda.

    In recognition of his immense contributions to communication for the promotion of democratic values and ethos for nation-building, the APC chieftain was presented with the “Quintessential Pacesetter Award” by Ibe on behalf of the management and workers of AMO.

  • NECA blames rising unemployment on lack of good governance

    NECA blames rising unemployment on lack of good governance

    The Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) has blamed the upsurge in unemployment on lack of pervasive development and absence of good governance.

    NECA’s Director-General, Olusegun Oshinowo, who spoke in Lagos, at the launch of an initiative profile, ‘virtual office’, by its sister’s body, Network of Entrepreneurial Women (NNEW), said Nigeria was a developing country with untapped opportunities, waiting to be harnessed.

    He argued that if Nigeria got its act right, the country should not be looking for manpower to support the economy, adding that until Nigeria realised that her problem is not majorly unemployment, it would continue to treat the symptoms rather than the disease.

    “How can a country with large arable land have graduates of agriculture that are unemployed? How can a country, which is the biggest exporter of crude oil in Africa and sixth in the world, have graduates of chemical engineering and geology that are unemployed? The two do not really connect,” he said.

    Oshinowo said the country’s problem was not unemployment, but failure of good policies to promote meaningful development in all strata of government.

    The virtual office, which is a space utility facility with full application that includes professional live communications, is designed to meet the growing demand of Small and Medium Scale Entrepreneurs (SMEs) for affordable office space.

    Having recognised that not all start-up businesses would have the means or the resources to acquire its own office space or facility to start-up, Oshinowo said they need a workplace environment to utilise their vocational skills, stating that if the business environment has not been friendly to sustain existing businesses and encourage new ones, they may not have a place to utilise them.

    “We need to get our priority right. It seems like a marathon kind of approach, which will eventually lead to the resolution of our usual employment. We have got to take a step along that way by prioritising meaningful development, good government policies, encouraging good governance in all strata of government. If we fail to do that, whatever other measures we take to solve unemployment would not lead anywhere,” he said.

    A member of NNEW Governing Council, Mrs. Fayo Williams, noted that good governance is essential to the development of the economy and people of Nigeria.

    According to her, Nigeria needs a lot of inter-agency cooperation with a marshal plan that would help the country harness its human and natural bountiful resources.

    “We need to get the economy going, using the SMEs as a launch pad, making them feel welcome and helping them overcome some of the hydra-headed issues to make them more relevant now in the 21st Century,” she said.

  • Bello reiterates commitment to fight corruption

    Bello reiterates commitment to fight corruption

    Kogi State Governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello has reiterated the commitment of his administration to make anti-corruption a “governance culture” in the state.

    The governor who stated this in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Petra Akinti Onyegbule, said that his administration will enthrone a systemic decimation of corruption in the state.

    Bello carpeted corrupt leaders as “anti-people and anti-development”, calling on the people of the state to key into the anti-corruption drive of his administration.

    He stated: “We are prepared to lead by example. Our government is putting in place institutional framework that will make corruption a sociological leprosy. We have given government officials our blueprint as our social contract with the people of Kogi State.

    “An indispensable pillar of our New Direction Agenda is good governance. Good governance is about synergy between our government and our people to do things right and govern with probity, accountability and transparency. We must always strive to achieve development.

    “My administration will not only fight corruption in the system, but also in the minds of the citizens, in the minds of school children. I have directed the ministry of education to ensure we have anti-corruption clubs in our schools.

    “Corruption is a thing of the mind. We must change our orientation against ill-gotten wealth. Our society must stop honouring those who steal monies meant for road construction, drugs in our public health institutions and quality education in our schools”.

    He warned public office holders to refrain from yielding to the temptation of corruption, saying his administration will not only expose corrupt officials, but also ensure that they are prosecuted.

    He said it has become necessary to probe into why contracts failed in the state, saying any contractor who had been paid must return to site to complete their jobs.

  • Edo poll: APC’s victory testimony of good governance, says Okorocha

    Edo poll: APC’s victory testimony of good governance, says Okorocha

    Imo State Governor and Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Rochas Okorocha, yesterday saluted the “doggedness and courage” of the Edo State people for choosing progressive governance, which he said the All Progressives Congress (APC) represents.

    The governor, who was reacting to the victory of the APC candidate, Godwin Obaseki, in the just concluded Edo State governorship  election,  noted that the landslide victory recorded by the APC was a testimony of the performance of the party in the state.

    He also congratulated the outgoing governor, Adams Oshiomole, for laying a solid foundation that gave the party victory at the poll

    According to him, “ the margin with which the APC candidate won the election was an obvious indication that Edo people had refused to go back to Egypt and decided that the progressive light lit by the Adam Oshimole administration in the state should remain aglow.”

    He further commended the people of the state for “endorsing progressive governance and also aligning with a progressive party,”  urging other Nigerians still believing the propaganda of the opposition to follow the Edo example.

    The Governor  also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for doing a good job in the Edo governorship election.