The Nation Newspaper

Tag: governance

  • Okonjo-Iweala and governance in Osun

    Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy has a knack for cutting superfluous controversies. Though highly self-opinionated, her coruscating brilliance is not in doubt. She speaks candidly on any aspect of economics that catches her fancy. One may have deep reservations about her soaring prognosis on the Nigerian dodgy economy and even dislike the somersaulting policies of the government she is a part of; certainly one can’t deny that the former World Bank technocrat often ardently means whatever she gives voice to. It is in this context that I view her recent remarkable appraisal of governance in Osun State. This should remind us of the useful lesson evident in the idiomatic expression that it can be counterproductive to throw out the baby together with the bath water. The minister’s considered utterances sometimes embody unassailable facts.

    I commend Okonjo-Iweala for adding her notable voice to those of many others who have conscientiously spoken about the unprecedented improvement evident in the socio-economic condition of the State of Osun since the advent of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s administration. Media reports quoted the Finance Minister as saying that Aregbesola is a model for good governance, having demonstrated clearly that good governance in Nigeria is feasible. She made the remarks in the address she read at a two-day workshop organised by the World Bank in June at Iloko-Ijesa for volunteers in the Federal Government’s Youth Empowerment and Social Support Operation (YESSO). It must be remembered that the unimaginable success of the Osun Youth Empowerment Scheme (OYES) necessitated the existence of YESSO. About a year after the introduction of the scheme in Osun, the World Bank reportedly began to study the programme and later submitted that OYES provided a practical platform for mass employment. It recommended the idea to both the Federal Government and states in Nigeria.

    In the said address read by her representative, the National Coordinator of YESSO, Peter Papka, Okonjo-Iweala rightly observed that the initiatives of the ACN government in Osun gave comforting assurance that it is very possible to level the perilously imposing mountains of youth unemployment across the country.

    Hear her: “You [Aregbesola] have demonstrated that good governance is possible with your programmes. You have demonstrated that youth development is possible. Your programmes so far have demonstrated that you are a good example of government and governance”.

    These are no patronising sound bites, for when the minister says “programmes” she guilelessly speaks of the numerous sustainable O’initiatives of the state government, which continue to undeniably redefine the social and economic conditions of the people of Osun.

    That the State of Osun comes first as the state with the least unemployment woes in Nigeria is a reality that can no longer be ignored by those who incessantly carpet its government. Before Aregbesola became governor, those of us who live and make our living in Osun know that the state was a haven of youth unemployment, infrastructural decay and economic stasis. Poverty stalked and menaced the people. But that is no longer the case. The transition that has been witnessed in the state for the past two years now has soothing evidence of concrete transformation. Youths whose lives were steadily wasting away have been rescued, given training in useful skills and empowered to start small businesses. Farmers have their own happy stories to tell. Under the aegis of the Osun Rural Enterprise and Agricultural Programme, agro-allied businesses have received a massive boost. With the computer tablet, free school uniforms, free daily feeding for pupils in Elementary Class 1-4, building of ultra-modern schools across the state, and increase in funding, the education system of Osun as we used to know it has changed significantly. Infrastructural development enjoys adequate attention now. Old roads are being rehabilitated and newer ones are springing up. A few weeks ago I read in the papers that all the nine state hospitals are already being renovated. That is in addition to the marked changes in healthcare services. Indeed, great things are taking place in Osun. Those who can’t hear see them; those who can’t see hear them; and hardly is there a single household in the Land of the Virtuous that doesn’t benefit from the policies of the present government.

    One other way to test for the genuineness and effectiveness of the policies of the Aregbesola administration is to invoke the methodology prescribed by the seasoned British economist, Dudley Seers. According to him, to understand whether a state or country is developing or not, three main questions need to be asked: First, “what has been happening to poverty?” Second, “what has been happening to unemployment?” Third, “what has been happening to inequality?” He contends that if we notice tangible declines in all of these key areas, doubtlessly the entity – state or country – can be said to be in an era of development. However, he cautions that if one or two of those core issues have an organic tale of misfortune, or if the three are becoming more unbearable, it would amount to sheer lunacy to describe that misery of biblical proportion as development.

    Surely, Okonjo-Iweala had issues of unemployment, poverty, and inequality in mind when she lauded Governor Aregbesola as an exemplar of good governance. The capacity of the Osun people to live dignified and meaningful life has been (and is still being) made possible through a consistent and focused implementation of programmes that squarely address poverty, unemployment, and social injustice. This is a fact that a high-ranking PDP apologist has affirmed dispassionately. And I see this as another clinical deconstruction of the two-for-one-penny fable of secession and islamisation that some calcified minds who could not stand the vision of Aregbesola wickedly spawned against him but to no avail.

    •Awopegba writes from Iloko-Ijesa, Osun State.

  • ‘Only good governance can restore security’

    The security situation in the country is getting worrisome by the day; kidnapping is on ascendency. People blame security agents for this. What is your reaction to this?

    Well, when you talk of this problem of security and security agencies, it pains me. How much do you pay the average Nigerian police man. What is their take home. The State Security Services (SSS) men, how much do you pay them, the soldiers, what is their living conditions in the barracks in the first place. The salary of the average Nigerian police man cannot take care of the man and his family for two weeks. In many police stations in this country, they don’t even have stationery to take complaints from complainants. When you get to such stations, they will ask you to bring money for them to buy writing materials to take your statement, is this how they will provide you with security. So, when you look at all these, you begin to wonder why there won’t be insecurity in the country .Some of them will prefer to go and serve in oil producing states, some of them even bribe their ways to such places because they believe that if they go there, they will see bunkering, follow ships and other such illegal activities where they will make extra money. This is where they believe they can make ends meet.

    How do we get out of this?

    The starting point is electricity supply, let us have light. There are so many micro-economic activities that people engage in to eke out a living such as welding, barbing saloons , hairdressing and so on. These activities do not require a lot of money to start and sustain, but they need electricity to operate. The moment we have light in this country, some of those social vices will disappear. Power supply will reduce the money these people spend in providing services, they do not need to buy generators and fuel them. They will be gainfully employed and this insecurity will disappear. Look, nobody wants to be a thug, people engage in thuggery because they have no hope elsewhere, if they are gainfully employed, who will like to kill himself being a thug for some other person. These are the causes of insecurity in the country, it is because the government is not alive to its responsibilities.

    The menace of insecurity in the country is growing everyday. Just last week, the family members of a Supreme Court Justice were released by kidnappers at a cost yet to be ascertained. How do you think we can overcome this challenge?

    It is very unfortunate that our value system has been eroded and devalued. It has really gone. It has gone in the sense that our leaders have neglected their work. They have not done what they are supposed to do to develop the economy, create jobs and employment for the people. Because the leaders have not done what they are supposed to do, the youths do not see a bright future, many of them do not see a tomorrow and because they do not see a tomorrow, many of them take to crime. They are forced to take to crime to survive, because of the gulf between the rich and the poor, the haves and the have nots, those who have are high up there and those who do not have are down there in the bottomless pit. You can also see the high level of corruption in the system, the high level of primitive acquisition of wealth where people now steal public funds in tens of billions of naira and so on. All this money he does not need. Some of them will hide all these money abroad. When they die, the money will go into foreign hands; they cannot be recovered and they will be lost. These are the monies that would be used to develop the country. Some of the youths will graduate from the universities with good grades but for years, they will keep roaming the streets without jobs while their counterparts who came out with lesser grades are employed with big pay simply because they have godfathers. When they get such jobs, they cannot perform because they don’t have the mental capacity to do that, they get there and start fumbling and stealing fund believing that corruption is the best way to survive.

    As a former General Secretary of the Bar, which areas of NBA constitution will you like to be amended in the efforts to alter the NBA constitution to meet the challenges of the 21st century lawyer?

    I will like the NBA to model its constitution after that of the International Bar Association (IBA) where you make the Sections more vibrant, like the Section on Legal Practice (SLP), the Section on Business Law (SBL), Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) and so on. Everybody cannot be on general practice, we cannot put all our eggs in one basket, jack of all trades and master of non. Professionalism is the way to go in modern law practice, so if it is petroleum law you want to practice, pursue it , not today you are on rent tribunal, tomorrow you are on environmental law, no it cannot work like that. Pursue one area of law practice that is when you will have the opportunity to develop to your optimal best that is what should concern the NBA and not about elections and contest for offices. Nobody is a professional politician in the NBA, the objective of the association is to assist its members to realise their own goals, to achieve their best and assist the judicial system to administer justice equitably in the country so that we can have an efficient, effective and virile judiciary in the country.

    You did a certificate course on Asset recovery. What is it about and how has it enhanced your service delivery to your clients?

    Well, what happened on that certification on assets recovery is that we researched and found out that as at then, assets recovery was not practised that much in Nigeria, but it is more relevant to Nigeria because everything that we did in that with money and issues of how monies were being stolen, tax evasion and so on. For instance, you see how somebody may steal like N30 billion, put it in small small accounts in over six banks in funny businesses. If you want to trace this, what are the modalities, the techniques you will employ in doing it. That is actually what the certification is all about. Though this offence is committed all over the world, it is prominent in Nigeria because that how most of our prominent politicians siphon money out of the country. With this kind of training, it easy to trace some of these funds, we have had some collaborations with the Ministry of Justice we have done some jobs for them and have been able to recover a lot of funds for Nigeria. The Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has done his best along that line, we have really recovered a lot of money for the country. We have also done very well with other anti corruption agencies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), we collaborate with them and recover the stolen monies which have been invested in other businesses

    As a member of the Disciplinary Committee of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, what is actually the cause of the crises in the state?

    What is happening in Rivers State is politics. People have been feeding Nigerians lies that President Goodluck Jonathan is behind the crises and this is absolute lie, without foundation and highly vexatious. This is aRivers State local affair. The people in politics are playing the game of politics. Yes, I belong to the PDP, am a member of the party in Rivers State. We said that our state chairman of the party was cheated in the last elections and because of the injustice done to him, some of us, my humble self, the Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike, stood by them to reclaim their mandate to address the injustice and they have reclaimed their mandate.

    So, what is the cause of this hue and cry in the State?

    The problem that arose from this is that the other faction does not like what has happened. They believe that power has shifted and they now, because they have access to the press. They painted the problem as if the President is the one pushing us. But the truth is that this matter was in court and nobody said anything. It was after we won the case that the issue of President Jonathan came up. When the matter was in court, why didn’t somebody say that President Jonathan has helped us to go to court or is helping the other group to wrestle power from them? They were in court with us, everybody brought his case to court they thought that they would win, we also thought that we would equally win. At the end of the day, the court of law decided the matter amd gave judgement on the matter, they have appealed against the decision, so why should they now continue to mention Jonathan, Jonathan, it is because they don’t want Nigerians to know the truth of the matter.

    What is the truth about the crises which they don’t want Nigerians to know?

    The problem has to do with Obiakpor Local Government Area; after this judgment, the governor and members of the State House of Assembly connived and sacked constitutionally and duly elected officials, the chairman, the Vice-chairman, and the 17 councillors that they accused of committing fraud. The salient point in this whole matter is that there was nothing before the House in respect of this matter, there was no petition, there was no complaint, nothing whatsoever concerning the alleged fraud. The law states that there must be a petition before the House to that effect, you table the petition before the House, the House will set up a committee to go and investigate the allegations. Nothing like that was done in this case, somebody just came and said that there was an allegation of misappropriation of funds and you just sack the entire executives.

    What is the provision of the Local Government Law in Rivers State to this effect?

    This is the most worrisome part of it. There is a Local Government Law in Rivers State. The law provides that when the chairman, his deputy and councillors are suspended. That the head of personnel management will preside over the council affairs pending when the matter is resolved in court, but instead of complying with this law, the governor and the House went and appointed a caretaker committee which is against the Local Government Law and Nigerians are not talking, there is nothing wrong in this thing and they are crying that somebody is pursuing them, who is pursuing them, they did this because that is the Local Government of the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, they did this to spite him. So, how can anybody blame this on the President. It is a local affair. Go out there and see how people are rejoicing over the court judgment. Somebody was behaving like an emperor without recourse to the provisions of the law, but today, the court has intervened and given life back to the people.

    A section of Nigerians have criticised the President for declaring a state of emergency in the three states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa without first gazetting the instrument and requisite approval from the National Assembly. Others contend that the emergency ought to be total with the demolition of democratic structures in the affected states. What is your reaction to this?

    The state of emergency was late in coming because nobody will be happy when a whole part of his country is taken over by terrorists and made uninhabitable. Life no longer mean any thing to them, it does not really matter how many people that were killed in a day. I lived in Maiduguri for many years, I did my National Youth Service there, it was indeed a very peaceful town.

    I saw how the place was destroyed, how it was depopulated and eventually made to look like a war zone. The inhabitants of the affected states do not deserve that kind of treatment at all because they are very good people.

    We have all seen the results of the president’s action he was elected as the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces to protect the lives of Nigerians. Though his action was late in coming, it is better late than never. He actually deserves the support of all Nigerians to restore peace and normalcy to the country. We have seen how about five Local Government Areas have been recovered from those people. You can equally see that the military, in performing their functions in the affected States have been very professional, nobody has accused of gross human rights violations and they are attacking the camps of the insurgents, they have shown high level of professionalism and we request them to continue like that so that rights of innocent Nigerians are severely trampled upon in the pursuit of the insurgents.

    What is your view on dismantling democratic structures in the affected states?

    The National Assembly has approved the state of emergency and whatever people are saying about it is inconsequential. If he had dismantled the democratic structures, people would say, why did he dismantle them. But he has allowed them to work hand in hand. He even said the emergency may not last more than six months so that life can return to normalcy in the affected states which we are all praying for. Those in the affected states need our support and prayers so that they can live a normal life.

     

     

  • Birth of Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance

    Birth of Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance

    A  few weeks after his inauguration as executive governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola sent me a text asking me to set up a centre for the study of Awolowo’s ideology. He also asked me to cost everything pertaining to the new centre except the building which he said was in place on Ikirun Road, Osogbo. I immediately went ahead to write a 17-page blue print for the centre.

    In February 2012, the governor called me to find out the name of the centre which I gave as Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance.

    The following day, he announced the establishment of the centre, which he said would be headed by me. By that time, we had met only once, and that was when he was in Ado-Ekiti to attend the lecture his colleague, Dr Kayode Fayemi, commissioned me to deliver on Chief Awolowo’s social and political philosophy. I now realise that, as a great disciple of Awolowo, Ogbeni Aregbesola had to attend that lecture. When he became governor, he invited me to his office at Aregbe’s House, Osogbo, where we talked after I had given him three of my published works: Awo as a Philosopher, Awo: The Last Conversation, and Africa Philosophy: The Demise of a Controversy. I did not know what went on behind the scene but I was pleasantly surprised when he publicly announced that I would head the Awo Centre.

    Thereafter, I was appointed as Director-General and Chief Executive Officer, effective from 1st of May, 2012, for a period of five years by a person I met only once but whom I had sent a congratulatory text which included my appreciation of his revival of Awo’s legacy as I observed, with a great administration, that the UPN’s anthem was played at his inauguration as Executive Governor of the State of Osun.

    It is important to know that Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola’s love and interest for Awolowo was probably influenced by his father when he was a school boy at Ikare- Akoko where he grew up. His father who traded in articulated Bedford lorries on Jubilee Road and his brother, who owned the then popular Aregbesola Motors, were staunch members of the Acton Group and Awolowo’s loyalists in Ikare-Akoko. I was then in Victory College, Ikare. Like the Olaitans and Adagunodos, the Aregbesolas were also from Ilesa as businessmen resident in Ikare-Akoko. As a son of an Action Group politician, he grew up with it and his father’s influence on him has persisted till today.

    For a man whose interest and love for Awo started from youth and has grown up with it without a break, he has harboured his interest in Awo from Ikare-Akoko to Osogbo until he became a governor and seized the opportunity to externalise his undying interest in Awo by establishing the Centre in Awo’s name. This, in short, is the genesis of Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance founded by a consistent Awolowo loyalist and disciple.

    The Centre becomes imperative at a time the African continent is beset with three notable problems: leadership, management and corruption. Selfish, corrupt, fraudulent, deceitful and autocratic leaders have often emerged in most of the African countries, especially Nigeria. These leaders are known for mismanaging and scandalously squandering the resources as well as looting the government treasuries. Nigeria, which is blessed with all kinds of natural resources: oil, gas, iron, tin, gold, bitumen, marble, coal and fertile land most suitable for agriculture in addition to human resources, is wallowing in abject poverty as a result of bad leadership, poor management and bad governance. Thus, the country is beset with serious social, economic, political and security crisis in the last few decades, but most conspicuously in the last 14 years.

    Apart from high integrity, some of the qualities associated with good leadership include: self discipline, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, justice, equity, egalitarianism, probity, honesty and high sense of responsibility. This is where a proper study of Awolowo and his philosophy and ideology is in need of special attention. Apart from his resourcefulness in the management of men and natural resources, the above qualities and virtues have contributed immensely to Awolowo’s successes in life, and especially during his regime as premier of the old western region of Nigeria where he demonstrated his philosophical idea of the Regime of Mental Magnitude.

    His love for education and socio-economic development for an egalitarian society (life more abundant, prosperity for all) will forever be remembered by his admirers and foes alike. Hence, after his life, he became “the best president Nigeria never had”, the “main issue in Nigeria politics” and “a great philosopher of 20th century Africa”.

    The establishment of Awo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance is one of the best ways by which the legacy Obafemi Awolowo left behind could be preserved and maximally utilized by present and future generations to foster integrity education, Yoruba culture and values, ethics, religious tolerance and, above all, the art of good governance in Nigeria in particular, and Africa in general, especially as Awo believes that Africans must be capable of governing themselves in freedom and virtue.

    Also, the establishment of such a centre is long overdue, coming up 25 years after Awo’s death in 1987. The centre will, indeed, be a great resource centre for academia, politicians, policy makers, administrators, managers both in the private and public sectors. The new Centre will play a leading role in strengthening African Philosophy, especially African Social and Political Philosophy and Ideology as powerful tools of good governance, using indigenous knowledge, culture, models and skills, subsidized by relevant knowledge, culture, models and skills from the outside world.

    The broad goal and objective of the Centre is to provide an avenue for the study of the philosophy, ideology, achievements in political engineering, political life as well as public and private lives (physical and spiritual) of Jeremiah Obafemi, Awolowo with a view to understanding the man and the secrets behind his numerous successes and how he overcame the challenges he met on his way.

    Some of the specific goals include (1) exploratory work into the philosophy (including social and political philosophy), speeches, lectures, ideology, thoughts and writings of Obafemi Awolowo (2) In-depth study of his philosophy that “every man”, irrespective of caste, creed or colour, is “a potential genius” and its derivation that “man is an instrument of change.”

    It is expected that there will be a series of seminars involving internal and external speakers, workshops and annual distinguished lectures, all of which will be open to the public and show-case the life, philosophical thoughts of Awolowo on administrative competence, social and political engineering, the art of good governance, self discipline, education, law and morality, integrity, accountability, transparency in public service as demonstrated by him, especially as Premier of the old Western Region of Nigeria, and his brief services to the nation as Federal Commissioner for Finance and Vice Chairman of the Federal Executive Council in General Gowon’s administration. His track records, his numerous books and other writings, speeches as well as scholarly publications on him and his works will provide research materials for teaching, seminars and workshops in the Centre.

    – Professor Makinde is the DG/CEO, Awolowo Centre for Philosophy, Ideology and Good Governance, Osogbo, Osun State.

     

  • IMPOSITION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY: A DANGEROUS TREND IN THE ART OF GOVERNANCE

    IMPOSITION OF THE STATE OF EMERGENCY: A DANGEROUS TREND IN THE ART OF GOVERNANCE

    It is now abundantly clear that President Jonathan has finally bared his fangs confirming what was widely speculated. By declaring a state of emergency in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, he has intimidated and emasculated the governors of these States. We are witnessing a dangerous trend in the art of governance and a deliberate ploy to subvert constitutional democracy.

     

    The body language of the Jonathan administration leads any keen watcher of events with unmistakable conclusion of the existence of a surreptitious but barely disguised intention to muzzle the elected governments of these states for what is clearly a display of unpardonable mediocrity and diabolic partisanship geared towards 2015. Borno and Yobe states have been literally under armies of occupation with the attendant excruciating hardship experienced daily by the indigenes and residents of these areas. This government now wants to use the excuse of the security challenges faced by the Governors to remove them from the states considered hostile to the 2015 PDP/Jonathan project.

     

    Let me be quick to say that this administration will be setting in motion a chain of events the end of which nobody can predict. Experience has shown clearly that actions, such as this one under consideration, often give root to radical ideologies and extremist tendencies, a direct opposite of the intended outcome of unwarranted and unintelligent meddlesomeness. The present scenario playing out in the country reminds one of the classical case of a mediocre craftsman who continually blames the tools of his trade for his serial failure but refuses to look at his pitiable state with a view to adjusting.

     

    It has become crystal clear, even to the most incurable optimist, that the country is adrift. That the ship of the Nigerian state is rudderless is clearly evident in the consistent and continual attacks ferociously executed by elements often referred to as the insurgents in some northern states of the federation, particularly Borno and Yobe states respectively. Indeed, no part of the country is immune from the virulent but easy attacks, veritable indices of a failing state. Unfortunately, the tenuous and uncoordinated approach adopted by this government betrays a grossly incompetent disposition which stands at variance with current realities in the country, nay the international community where acts of terrorism are engaged and contained. No Governor of a state in Nigeria is indeed the Chief Security Officer. Putting the blame on the Governors, who have been effectively emasculated, for the abysmal performance of the government at the centre which controls all these security agencies, smacks of ignorance and mischief.

     

    Terrorist acts are perpetrated routinely and the government at the centre appears incapable of stemming the tide of the horrendous crimes unleashed on the hapless populace. The considerable ease, with which lives and property are destroyed on a daily basis, should excite deep introspection on the part of a government truly desirous of finding a lasting solution. The Constitution provides that the safety and welfare of citizens shall be the primary purpose of having that structure of any political leadership in the first instance. This Government, through acts of omission and commission, has fallen far short of expectation. It actively encourages schisms and all manner of divisive tendencies for parochial expediency. Ethnicity and religion become handy weapons of domination. Things have never been this bad.

     

    The response to the pervasive chaos in the Northern region of the country has been militarisation, mass arrests and extra judicial killings by the Joint Task Force, JTF, a convenient euphemism for an army of occupation seemingly set loose on the people of the localities concerned. The tenor of the State of Emergency declared by the Federal Government yesterday portends danger for the polity. The full militarisation of security operations in these states will compound the already tense situation. Both local and international media are awash with news of reckless attitudes of the invading forces. The fact that security operatives are killed cheaply and reprisals from the state find expressions in organised pogroms in the immediate communities is sure evidence of a government which lacks basic understanding to appreciate the enormity of the current security challenges. If development is about the people, all measures put in place for the sustenance and maintenance of the super-structure of the society must take into cognisance local contents.

     

    It is evident from the grim experiences in recent times that this government has failed, or does not know that it is necessary for it to avail itself of the benefits accruable from exchange of ideas and notes on the latest in terms of technology and human resources among nations of the modern world, especially those which have been fighting terrorist organisations over the years, on the most effective mode of combating this menace. Technologically advanced countries of the world will never discard the idea on the need for the establishment of an effective local intelligence outfit. Our suggestions along this path have always been met with suspicion and acerbic criticisms from both the informed and the ignorant alike. A government which stoutly defends its opposition to the decentralisation of the police force from its present over-centralised command structure is already experimenting with all manner of means patently extra-legal.

     

    The massacres of local communities attendant upon the attacks on security agents by unknown elements will further alienate the people who should, ordinarily, partner with the government in securing their immediate environments. An army which invades a community maiming, raping and killing defenceless civilians will end up radicalising the youths whose parents and young ones have been wiped out most cowardly and recklessly. This government should concentrate more on encouraging the development of local intelligence which will, inexorably, lead to the practice of true federalism. Adopting the use of excessive force against those perceived as harbouring terrorists does not portray this government as possessing the wherewithal to find abiding solutions to the lingering security challenges.

     

    The President’s pronouncement, which seeks to abridge or has the potential of totally scuttling the constitutional functions of Governors and other elected representatives of the people, will be counterproductive in the long run. A State of Emergency already exists in the states where JTF operates. Residents of these communities live in constant fear. Their rights are violated with impunity under the guise of searching for terrorists in their respective domains. Hiding under some nebulous claims which border on the intractability of the security challenges posed by Boko Haram or some acclaimed traditionalists who have killed some policemen to render ineffective the constitutional powers vested in elected Governors and other representatives of the people, perceived as not amenable to manipulation for the 2015 project amounts to reducing serious issues bordering on the survival of the country to partisan politics.

    Let all those who love this country genuinely advise the federal government not to tinker with the mandates of these Governors under any guise. It is a potentially destructive path to take. If security of a society is about the protection of lives and property of the citizenry, the involvement of the people is a sine qua non to effective intelligence gathering. Any measures put in place which alienate the people, in particular their elected representatives, should be considered as fundamentally defective by every right thinking person in the country.

     

  • Why bad governance thrives, by CJN

    Why bad governance thrives, by CJN

    RISING violence, abuse of constitutional provisions and disrespect for the rule of law are responsible for bad governance, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Aloma Mariam Mukhtar, has said.

    The CJN noted that internal displacement was becoming a common phenomenon nationwide as against what was the practice in the past.

    She blamed the trend on increasing cases of communal crises, political and religious violence; forced eviction and flooding.

    The CJN spoke in Abuja yesterday at the opening of a workshop on “Refugee Law” for judges and Khadis, organised by the National Judicial Institute (NJI).

    Justice Mukhtar argued that although it was necessary to address the needs and welfare of victims of social strives and natural disasters – refugees and internally displaced, it was better to avoid situations that produce such vulnerable groups.

    Her words: “This is an area where the political class must be up and doing. And I hold the view that good governance, respect for fundamental rights of citizenry as stipulated in the Constitution and strict obedience to the rule of law will promote peace rather than internal displacement and refugee crisis.”

    NJI Administrator Justice Umaru Eri said the workshop, the first of which was held last year, was intended to contribute to the development of Refugee Law in the country.

    He praised the country’s efforts in the enactment of laws to protect refugees and internally displaced persons.

    Eri expressed delight that the country has ratified the basic international instruments on the protection of refugees at the international and regional levels.

    He said: “Nigeria has also gone further by enacting the National Commission for Refugees Act 1989 Cap N21 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 mainly to safeguard the interest and treatment of persons seeking political asylum in Nigeria and other matters thereto.

    “This has further been complimented by the establishment of a commission to address refugee matters in Nigeria.”

    States’ Chief Judges; Grand Khadis of Shariah Courts of Appeal and Presidents of Customary Courts of Appeal are participants at thefour-day workshop, which has “Addressing the needs and welfare of refugees and internally displaced persons” as its theme.

     

  • Aregbesola: Raising the bar in governance

    Aregbesola: Raising the bar in governance

    As the 2014 gubernatorial election draws closer in Osun State, the signs are that it will not be business as usual for political gladiators jostling for the gubernatorial seat currently occupied by the incumbent governor Rauf Aregbesola. Not only has the governor shown that he is a leader that makes things happen, he also discovers resources in places one thought were barren.

    The truth of course is that Aregbesola continues to create opportunities in places where many cannot imagine exist. He takes something average and makes it exceptional. Rather than make excuses, he always finds a way to make things happen by his numerous programmes that have lifted Osun to the best among the states in Nigeria. A state that was noted for poverty and underdevelopment has since climbed the topmost ladder among the states that have reduced poverty among its citizens, coming first in terms of environmental friendliness, and leading among the states that were involved in rural development using the six point integral action plan as compass.

    Former President of America President Bill Clinton once declared in 1983 at his gubernatorial inauguration that “education is the key to our economic revival and our perennial quest for prosperity. We must dedicate more of our limited resources to paying teachers better; expanding educational opportunities in poor and small districts; improving and diversifying vocational and high technology programs…. Without competence in basic skills for our people cannot move on to more advanced achievement.” The governor obviously took the charge to heart when at the inception of his administration, raised primary school basic funding grants from N74 million (spent by the ousted regime for eight years) to N424million a year

    Today, the Aregbesola administration feeds over 250,000 elementary pupils daily with about N400 million monthly. Secondary school funding grants has been raised from N117million to N427 million per year. Thirty percent tuition fees reduction for tertiary institutions were carried out to the appreciation of parents and students, indigene bursary award was raised from N3000 to N10,000. Additionally, 98 UNIOSUN medical students were sponsored to Ukraine, just as 750,000 pupils were kitted with school uniforms free of charge. A number of state of the art elementary, middle and high schools are being built all over the state, in various stages of completion. Tablet of Knowledge (Opon Imo) is on its final practical test in three schools in the state, to be ready for distribution to 150,000 students and teachers in all the senior secondary schools in the state free of charge.

    The implication of these achievements for would be gubernatorial candidates and their political parties is that the benchmarks already set by the incumbent will have to be met and those who aspire to defeat him will not only promise to do what he has done but demonstrate the capacity and record of achievements to surpass him.

    The second huddle that the aspirants will have to clear is ability to create employment opportunity to surpass that of Aregbesola who has now employed over 50,000 youths from the state. Numbered among these are the 20,000 employed within his first 100 days in office. Of the number, 18,000 are now fully engaged. The second batch of 20,000 youths came on board this February, while about 10,000 others were recruited into the state civil service either as teachers, doctors’ engineers and other professionals. Those aspirants must be ready to go beyond rhetoric but meet their promise with action it is then that the people will give them a consideration. It is important to recall that this OYES has earned the state an award by the World Bank which also recommends the scheme to the federal government.

    The third huddle to be scaled by the other gubernatorial gladiators is in the area of agriculture. Governor Aregbesola has shown that the land is fertile enough not only to feed the state but the nation. It is no longer news that the agricultural revolution in the state has started yielding results. The farmers and their friends will forever remain grateful to the governor for providing them with N1billion support for the cooperatives. Indeed, 1,765 hectares were cleared for farmers to make farming easier, 28 cooperative groups were supported to plant 17 kilometres stretch maize, 10,000 capacity cattle ranch were established at Oloba, Iwo and has also been recognized by the World Bank. Bee- farming, the first of its kind is already on at Oyan.

    The farmers that benefited from these projects and assistance will not want to lose the governor that supports them, and the aspirant that will defeat their friend will not only promise but must have been tested and trusted by the people.

    On road infrastructure, the previous government of Oyinlola Olagunsoye built 553 kilometres of roads in 90 months. Governor Aregbesola in 24 months has done 513 kilometres of roads, apart from the 218 kilometres being done by the local government authorities in the state. The people will not compromise on the man that has opened up rural areas and has since received the recognition and backing of the World Bank as the best among the four states under the supervision of the World Bank supported Rural Access Mobility Programme (RAMP).

    In the area of peace and security, it is on record that no security outfit existed until this government came on board. The administration successfully set up the Swift Action Squad (SAS), equipped them with initial five Armoured Patrol Cars and 25 Patrol vans, state-of-the art multi-force, security control centre, mega police stations and community policing network.

    The social ethos of Omoluabi is transforming the state from the violence-prone state in the pre-Aregbesola era to a peaceful one to underscore the fact that the virtuous status of the state is not mere rhetoric but the ideals that has unified groups.

    Today, the aged, especially those who have no relations to cater for them are being taken care of under the administration’s social welfare programme. The critically vulnerable elders, numbering 1600 are on monthly allowance of N10,000. Some are being looked after in the hospitals in the state. Others receive home-based medical care. The mentally challenged are not left out as some of them are now restored back to normal health and returned to their communities. So those who want to serve Aregbesola a quit notice should be reminded about these benchmarks. For no matter the tirade and negative propaganda, issues that benefit the people will be the basis for success at the polls and not cheap lies, diatribes and blackmail. Aregbesola has given the people of Osun the dividends of democracy. It is for his opponents to show their stuff and their antecedent to let the people make their choice. This is the hallmark of democracy.

     

    • Obaditan writes from Osogbo, Osun State

  • Formidable opposition good for governance – Ali

    Alhaji Sidi Ali, a former Senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has called for formidable opposition to enhance good governance in the FCT.

    Ali who made the call on Monday at Gwagwalada in the FCT commended steps taken by opposition parties in the country to merge and form a stronger opposition.

    He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that administering the FCT without credible opposition to ask questions where necessary was not in the interest of democracy and the territory’ residents.

    “Looking at successive ministers appointed for the FCT over time, I cannot remember at any time where there is strong opposition to checkmate the administration of the territory.

    “In either this minister or past ones, I have not seen strong opposition that has raised questions on how finances of the territory were being expended,” Ali said.

    He called on Area Council Chairmen and other political office-holders, particularly those from opposition parties, to ensure that questions were asked where necessary to enhance accountability and good governance in FCT.

    “As far as I am concerned, the merger of opposition parties in the political arena of the country is a welcome development, not for just the political parties but for the entire country.

    `This is because governance without credible opposition is always weak, slow and associated with all sorts of vices since there is always no room for checks and balances.

    “I look at the coming together of these parties to form a formidable opposition as a good check for whichever party that is in government,” the former senator added.

  • ASCON holds workshop on governance

    ASCON holds workshop on governance

    The Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Topo, Badagry, Lagos State, has held a three-day workshop for workers of houses of assembly and state houses of assembly service commission. The aim was to define their roles and attain more harmonious relationship. The talk shop which was held between Monday and Wednesday this week, featured participants from local government councils, state houses of assembly and houses of assembly service commission.

    According to ASCON Director-General, Ajibade Peters, the idea behind the workshop is to encourage equality and harmonious relationship among the bodies to make for effective governance for the benefit of the nation.

    Ajibade said: “They (participants) are meeting on the roundtable which means on equal basis. We have speakers, parliamentarians, and members of the (House of Assembly) commission; and while exchanging ideas across the states, the discussions become richer. It’s a learning forum- the more you put down your own idea and knowledge you have acquired over the years, the more you also tap from others. We hope in the end, the rules and regulation among them will be sharpened”.

    At the flag-off of the workshop on Monday, Peters said, ASCON, rather than stick to the conventional curriculum approach, it adopted a more interactive style for the participants, to encourage cross fertilisation of ideas.

    “This methodology is richer than curriculum because all stakeholders are here to redefine their roles. So if you encroach on my duty, I should be able to tell you.”

    As a foremost management development institute (MDI), Ajibade said aside trainings, ASCON organises from time to time, its ultimate aims is to demystify governance as this is the only way to true nationhood.

    “ASCON has played lots of roles in the governance of Nigeria; we are looking at a situation where governance is solved on the basis of much easier. That is the ultimate for any nation committed to developing politically.”

    One of the participants Chief Wole Mogaji Chairman Lagos State HOA Service Commission said the HOA Service Commission which came into existence not quite long in Nigeria appears to be running in collision course with National Assembly members in terms of its functions.

    With the emergence of the commission, there has been a conflict in terms of functions between house of assemblies and states house service commissions. The commission itself came up as a product of the assembly because without the assembly, we can’t have the commission. But more importantly, the essence of the commission is to allow the legislative arms to focus more on their law-making aspect, while the administrative arms will be removed from them to the commission. With this, they will have a better and effective legislation in the interest of the country, and the only way I believe this can be achieved is to have this kind of exchange of ideas where issues are discussed objectively.”

    Another participant, Muhammaed Sani Ladan, Chairman Kaduna State Service Commission hoped that in the end, the forum would enrich participants’ knowledge, remove the bureaucracy that seem to have clipped the commissions’ wings.

    At a time last year, there was a directive from the National Assembly, that we would be harmonised, that every assembly service commissions would be given autonomous to move further. But until now, we have to liaise with our state government to get other facilities. But if we are autonomous, all we have to do is to join the assembly and the legislature.

    “But on the long run, we will be able to understand the structures without unnecessary bitter conference among the commissions because most commissions are still very young, and the powers that are being enjoyed before, they (HOA) are the ones controlling it. So they are reluctant to change.

  • Governance meltdown in Kogi

    Governance meltdown in Kogi

    SIR: The emergence of Governor Ichalla Wada in the highly doctored electoral heist of 2011 has aggravated adversely, the virus infected-politics of my dear state.

    As it stands today, if performance is the yardstick to measure a working state, Kogi State is at best, comatose. Keen watchers of the unfolding scenario have attributed the non-performance of the governor to the litany of court litigations against him, while others have traced the seemingly lacklustreness to the massive debt he inherited from his godfather predecessor, Ibrahim Idris. Why is it that the financial position of the state is still enmeshed in mystery? Or, is ex-governor Idris still in charge as being insinuated in some quarters? Wada should speak out.

    The infrastructures on ground, ranging from Kogi Polytechnic, Obajana Cement Factory, Kogi University and the once beautiful, “Confluence City” etc were conceived, initiated and executed by the ACN candidate in the last governorship poll, Abubakar Audu. Ironically, Capt. Wada, who many believe is a ‘very good man’ has hardly come to terms with what governance entails, or by extension, is burdened by the PDP’s impunity.

    Kogi is a vivid example of where nothing works: no well defined policy formulation and implementation; the 21 LGA’s are a shadow of what they should be because constitutional democracy is flagrantly abused; propagation and dissemination of poverty is at its summit; graduate unemployment is growing at geometric rate etc.

    In Borno State, Governor Shettima, inspite of the recurring Boko Haram insurgency has taken governance to another dimension. He underscored the importance of water supply by constructing 100 boreholes within his first 100 days in office. Adams Oshiomhole came like a whirlwind to sweep Edo clean of PDP’s corruption; he has since littered the entire landscape with enviable projects and restored in situ, the lost glory of the people.

    Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso just inaugurated “Kwankwasiyya pilots” where 100 Kano indigenes were sent abroad to study piloting. Inspite of the meagre monthly allocation of Ekiti, Governor Fayemi’s performance ratio far outweigh some oil producing states. Ekiti roads are a joy to behold.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola is doing the unthinkable; many thought Asiwaju Bola Tinubu had done all, but, alas, they were wrong.

    BRF’s road projects, housing scheme for low income earners; the total eradication of security threat miscreants; changing the entire outlook of Old Eko landscape to a masterpiece and his welfarristic programmes are a 21st century wonder.

    These laudable news from the less-endowed states calls for a sober reflection. The time has come for the administrators in Kogi State to brainstorm, think right, perform the required surgical operations and exploit maximally the varying opportunities for the benefit of Kogites or else posterity shall eternally write their names on the debit side of the balance sheet of political history.

    In case my memory fails me or I’m ill-informed on the state of things in Kogi, I want people who think they know to keep me abreast of the supposedly achievement(s) of Capt. Idris Ichalla Wada, since his assumption of office.

     

    • Anthony Oloniruha

    Kabba, Kogi State.

  • ‘Good governance, panacea for insecurity’

    ‘Good governance, panacea for insecurity’

    Rotary club has said installing the right set of people at various leadership positions in Nigeria would bring about an enduring peace in the country.

    Dr. Georgiana Ngeri-Nwagha stated this during a lecture by  Rotary Club of Port Harcourt, District 9140, to mark 2013 World Peace and Understanding Day, entitled “ensuring an enduring peace in Nigeria”, held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday.

    Ngeri-Nwagha observed the decay in moral and family values as main factors responsible for the increase in corruption, insecurity and unemployment rates in Nigeria.

    She also cited “decline in educational system, promotion of gospel of materialism by religious leaders, the entrenchment of culture of corruption and greed in the society and the failure of the government to cater for the welfare of its citizens and ingrained injustices and inequality in society” as some more reasons.

    Ngeri-Nwagha, who lamented lack of social and basic amenities in the communities, regretted that rather than the government addressing the main cause of kidnapping and Boko Haram insurgencies in the country, it is busy chasing shadows.