The Nation Newspaper

Tag: governance

  • Politics, Governance & Human Development

    From its essentials, Politics is about attaining and using power in public life to be able to influence decisions that affect society. In principle, that should be a worthy cause, but what we have experienced with most of our politicians in Africa and other third world countries is the crude politics of mediocrity, greed, insensitivity, hate, nepotism, and confusion. They base their campaigns on problems that are on ground, but when they get into office, they start complaining about those same problems they pledged to tackle and on which platform they were voted into office. What did they expect to meet? Indeed, we seem to have missed the road on how to use politics to better the lives of the people.

    Leadership is the most crucial factor in development – be it for a small family unit, business enterprise, institution or geo-political entity like Nigeria or its constituent states. Leadership is not just an insignia for display, but all about performance – producing results and fulfilling a mission in the interest of the led.  It is the responsibility of the leadership to harness our abundant human and material resources for the common good.

    Across the world, Good Governance is acknowledged as the basis for meaningful and sustainable development.  Due to failure of real politics in Nigeria, the country has been inflicted with a battered economy, corruption, mismanagement, infrastructural decay, mass impoverishment, and worse of all, a palpable citizen apathy and mistrust of Government. Good Governance is about the people whose well-being is the primary responsibility of Government. Good Governance is common sense; not rocket science. It is part of this mis-governance that led the country into recession – our inability to save for the rainy day.

    Some reports say that inflation in Nigeria is coming down, but that is not entirely correct because there is a strong link between inflation and demand. The current situation in our dear country is that majority of our people do not have money to purchase their basic needs. When people stay away from acquiring their basic necessities, they do not have “effective demand”.  Responding to that situation, those with the stocks may be compelled to reduce their prices in order to stay in business. That also does not reflect effective demand.  Using this scenario to claim that inflation is coming down is totally debatable.

    Similarly, the public could be told that a country indebted to the tune of about 20 per cent of its Gross Domestic Product [GDP] is not under any financial threat. This may appear so if the money so borrowed is being effectively utilized for production or the real sector. Alas, if the borrowed funds are for consumption – like payment of salaries, overseas vacations and chartered flights — the country is not only under financial threats, but in serious crisis. Flowing from this, how do we explain the situation where a country’s total external debt of US$32 billion was cancelled in 2008, but ten years later becomes freshly indebted to the tune of US$70 billion? It is mind-boggling, to say the least. The matter is further worsened by the fact that there is no tangible project to show where the funds so borrowed were invested or utilized. Such is the alarming trend that the International Monetary Fund [IMF] has cautioned Nigeria to watch it or end up in the path that Greece plunged unto a few years ago.

    Largely due to gross infrastructural deficit, Nigeria has missed out being part of an association of major emerging economies. Formed in 2006 with the acronym ‘BRIC’ – comprising Brazil, Russia, India & China — the group was joined by South Africa in 2010 to make it ‘BRICS’.  The acronym was coined by the then Chief Economist of Goldman Sachs, Jim O’Neill with the prediction that they would grow faster than the developed countries and play an increasingly important role in the world. Looking at the performance of those 5 countries, that prediction is being proved correct.  It is also sad to note that Nigeria – by virtue of its large economy and huge consumption market – was the preferred potential African country to join the association. While we present potentials, South Africa boasts of such infrastructure as power, roads, railways and the like in good enough shape to be accepted.

    Essentially, the Treaty among BRICS – signed in 2014 – facilitates their co-operation for socio-economic development, mutual financial assistance, project support and international trade. Indeed, those with the knowledge of real international business should be able to estimate what Nigeria lost by missing such an opportunity. Meanwhile, some 8 years after its ‘Brother’ African country became a member, that esteemed status and tremendous benefits still elude Nigeria.  One common thing about this countries is the progress they are making on all indicators of  human development index.

    The Human Development Index [HDI] refers to the quality of life enjoyed by citizens of any country in focus; and one of its measures is Per Capita Income. In a recent assessment by a UN agency, Nigeria was rated a lowly 152 out of 185 nations covered.  Similarly, on an official invitation to Nigeria, the global philanthropist, Bill Gates noted that the Government’s Economic Recovery & Growth Plan [ERGP] did not accord human capital development a decent place. He succinctly advised the nation’s political leadership to rise to the responsibility of promoting the welfare of the people, especially the grossly-neglected teeming youth population. But, rather than respond positively to the realities before us, we engage in unproductive retorts and distractions that do not add value to the economy or the citizenry.

    One of the surest ways of  rediscovering ourselves as a country is by telling the truth, acknowledging that we have not done very well, especially when juxtapose with other countries. Every Nigerian – literarily-speaking – must be held responsible for the cumulative failures of our leadership over the years. The ‘rascality in governance’ is not only the fault of the leadership, but to a great extent that of the followership. While conveniently refusing to hold their leaders accountable, Nigerians tend to celebrate mediocrity and impunity in governance. The leader is a reflection of the led. Our leaders are thrown up through poorly distillation process.

    The Chinese method of rating their leaders is simple – show us what you have done in the past before we entrust you with a bigger responsibility. If a man has not created anything, he cannot manage anything. We have to see those who want to lead us today and ask them questions on their pedigree and performance. We should no longer allow people to come from nowhere to assume leadership; else we will go back to the same mess.

    Capacity in governance is not a function of age; and neither is integrity or even educational qualifications. One of the leading States in the USA is California; recently adjudged the fifth biggest economy in the world. The Governor, Jerry Brown will be 81 years old this May. He has the capacity and is doing very well. On the contrary, we have seen young leaders in Nigeria widely regarded as a calamitous failures.

    Youths constitute a large proportion of our population and their future is in jeopardy. They have to take back their country, especially through active participation to elect good leaders.  However, it is not just about “youths” taking over, but increasingly participating in choosing their leaders and the governance process.

    We have to instil responsibility in governance. Why should a leader owing workers & pensioners spend millions of Naira decorating streets for Christmas when people are hungry and nobody is questioning the rationale behind that? How can people charter flights to social events with public funds when regular tickets will take them there conveniently, and yet the people that own the funds keep quiet? What of people who owned practically nothing when they got into public office, transform into owners of palatial mansions and expensive cars, and a ‘Man of God’ goes to pray for him that his source of income will multiply when he knows the person has stolen public money? And worse still, the people will be chorusing ‘Amen’ to such prayers instead of informing the Police to arrest thief.

    We have no other country apart from Nigeria. You must rise up to the desired change. The society we abuse today will take revenge on us tomorrow. There is no way we can lift our Human Development Index from its current low level of 152 out of 185 nations to any appreciable level if we continue to celebrate those that misappropriate public funds without asking them appropriate questions and holding them to account on good governance.

    Given purposeful & committed leadership, the basic needs of majority of Nigerians – as elsewhere – are attainable. These needs include: peace, progress, security of life & property, decent healthcare & social services, affordable housing, equity & justice and operational infrastructure. They should be the raison d’être of governance.

     

    • Excerpts of a Presentation by the former Governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi to an International Conference held at the Claretian Institute of Philosophy [CIP], Maryland-Nekede, Owerri.

  • Governance, risk mgt, others crucial to business

    Organisations and institutions that failed to adopt governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) will find it difficult to grow and expand, an expert has said.

    The Managing Director of Infotech Risks Security Limited, Salman Akorede, who spoke during a press briefing in Lagos yesterday to announce the forth coming workshop on Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG), GRC said the forum is designed to position organisations and individual profesionals for global competitiveness.

    He said  OCEG is a global, non-profit think-tank that serves to inform, empower and advance the interest of its over 70,000 members on governance, risk management and compliance.

    He regretted that one of the problems facing company compliance in Nigeria is the absence of a strong GRC framework that supports reliable achievement of organisational objective with a risk focus while acting with integrity.

    He said: “GRC identifies reasons why organisational targets are not met. OCEG is how to rectify the risks identified. GRC must be adopted in the face of ever-increasing uncertainties, laws; multiplying regulations, industry standards and more. GRC is the solution to this challenge.

    Principled performance is a GRC mechanism that helps you reliably achieve your objectives, address uncertainties, while acting with integrity.”

    He said GRC would help achieve break traditional information silos, stressing that every organisation, including public and private institutions should adopt and implement GRC.

  • Governance, risk mgt, others crucial to business

    Organisations and institutions that failed to adopt governance, risk management and compliance (GRC) will find it difficult to grow and expand, an expert has said.

    Infotech Risks Security Limited, Managing Director Salman Akorede, who spoke at a briefing in Lagos to announce the forthcoming workshop on Open Compliance and Ethics Group (OCEG), GRC, said the forum was designed to position organisations and individual profesionals for global competitiveness.

    He said  OCEG is a global, non-profit think-tank that serves to inform, empower and advance the interest of its over 70,000 members on governance, risk management and compliance.

    He regretted that one of the problems facing company compliance is the absence of a strong GRC framework that supports reliable achievement of organisational objective with a risk focus while acting with integrity.

    He said: “GRC identifies reasons why organisational targets are not met. OCEG is how to rectify the risks identified. GRC must be adopted in the face of ever-increasing uncertainties, laws; multiplying regulations, industry standards and more. GRC is the solution to this challenge. Principled performance is a GRC mechanism that helps you reliably achieve your objectives, address uncertainties, while acting with integrity.”

    He said GRC would help achieve break traditional information silos, stressing that every organisation, including public and private institutions should adopt and implement GRC.

    On the importance of GRC, he said  it would optimise returns and values from investment, saying it helps accelerate reporting for more rapid decision-making and business improvement.

     

    He maintained that GRC detects exceptions in real time to respond immediately and reduce damage, explaining that it replaces manual penetrative controls with automated detective controls, which increase efficiency and traceability.

    He stated: “Improved risk and control assurance in the same or less time than previous approach. Reduce costs, including internal audit costs and those associated with unaddressed control deficiencies. Achieve a more robust, more effective auditing process. Expand internal audit coverage with minimal incremental cost. Shorten audit cycles.”

  • Benue, Ortom and Governance Failure

    Certainly, Nigerians now know there is a serious leadership deficit in Benue state. Since Governor Samuel Ortom assumed the mantle of leadership of this agrarian state in May 2015, peace and progress have eluded the 42-year old state very pathetically.

    Whether it is by fate, ill-luck or design, what is incontestable is that Benue has wobbled from one calamity to another, in the last three years under Gov. Ortom. The people are tormented, traumatized and oppressed in multiple ways by a government which is overtly very insensitive to the feelings of the masses.

    And the afflictions are multifarious. If flood is not displacing thousands of people in the state; armed militia allegedly sponsored by the state are visiting the people with mass killings or deaths resulting from months of unpaid salaries and pensions. Before the pain is absorbed, workers who are alive are branded ghost workers and sacked.

    At every point, Benue peoples have found themselves groaning under the leadership of Gov. Ortom. Even the burden of the Israelites under King Pharaoh was not as heavy as what Ortom and his cohorts have inflicted on the people of Benue.

    Unfortunately, the people cannot point to any development project initiated by the Ortom administration in the three years of his government. But what has arrested his mind is how to retain power beyond 2019 and he has indulged in very subterranean destructive plots against his own people.

    And to complete the circle of evil of Benue, Gov. Ortom until, yesterday, he planned the sale of the few surviving government companies and industries under some phoney deals. It took the sustained pressure of the people for him to rescind the decision. But his mind is still on it, as he said, the decision is suspended to allow for wider consultations with stakeholders.

    But of all the tribulations of the state, the herders and farmers crisis appear to be the most stubborn fly to kill. And it has steadily assumed the character of terrorism. But to the less critical mind, especially Gov. Ortom’s acolytes, the official rehearsals’ and veil provided by Governor in the guise of the implementation of the anti-open grazing law is enough justification to trumpet his innocence.

    But beyond the veneer, the shadows in the prolonged herders/farmers crisis unearth very frightening images of state complicity and even sponsorship of the mass killings of its people.

    The Army’s arrest of a Boko Haram suspect and leader of the Benue State Livestock Guards Aminu Yaminu or Aliyu Teshaku is gradually divulging some vaunted secrets on the spate of killings imposed on Benue state.

    It is still a mystery why Gov. Ortom would find anybody with Boko Haram links worthy of appointments as his special aide. So, preliminary investigations by security agencies indicate that Aliyu Teshaku is the mastermind of the recent killings in the state, including the attack on a Catholic Church in Mbalom, Gwer East LGA of the state, in which at least 16 worshippers’ were killed, including two catholic priests.

    And security agents have further established that before Teshaku’s unexpected arrest, he had completed plans with his terrorists kingpins in Bauchi, Borno , Yobe and Nasarawa states to visit t Benue with more severe carnages. More chilling and baffling is the speculation that N1.6 billion is allegedly found in Teshaku’s personal account. This cannot be ordinary co-incidence.

    Nigerians who are keenly interested in what is happening in Benue state would recall that despite the stagnation of development in the state and Gov. Ortom’s failure to pay salaries and pensions. He has always explained it as paucity of funds. But the EFCC is trailing him and some of his aides over the alleged withdrawal of N18 billion from the treasury for no apparent reason.

    The EFCC is reportedly investigating the Governor and some of his aides over the withdrawal of N18.830 billion deposited in GTB, UBA and First Bank accounts’ by Messers Oliver Mtom, Aorga Emmanuel and Ochoga Peter. And the report further alleged that the three aides confessed to the EFCC of undertaking the withdrawal of the stupendous amounts on behalf of the Governor.

    And suddenly, Teshaku who is arrested in connection with the Benue killings is alleged to have a colossal sum of N1. 6 billion in his personal account. Teshaku has no known business or source of income. And his total emoluments as a Governor’s aide cannot allow to accumulate such fortune in his bank account. So, one can conveniently guess the source of his funding.

    Agreed, other states in the federation are also under the spell of killings. But the case of Benue is exceptional and it is safe to guess that the anti-open grazing law and mindboggling corruption thriving in the Ortom government are the prime reasons oiling the killings.

    Before the arrest and confessions by Teshaku, others had alleged that Gov. Ortom has initiated killings, hired and armed militia. But it was not taken seriously

    The arrest of the nine JTF members in January offered the first clue. The suspects confessed during interrogation that they were hired by Gov. Ortom and indeed, paid monthly stipends by the same government. It explains why the killings’ have refused to extinguish because people are making huge political capital out of it.

    Therefore, Ortom merely used the anti-open grazing law as a spark or cover to keep the state in perpetual conflagration and torment to divert attention from his irredeemable failures. But the arrest of Teshaku and his confessions’ have again lent credence to the allegations.

    Herders and farmers have always had crisis or disagreements which are settled amicably between the parties without external interferences. It is curious that the current crisis rocking the state, which started in December 2017 has refused abate.

    In the recent revelations by Teshaku, it can reasonably be inferred that the state actors, led by Gov. Ortom know their complicity in the crisis. And it appears they are working day and night to upscale the drama of mass killings, to permanently sway attention away from their inadequacies in governance.

    But nemesis is a deafening conqueror, which comes knocking when one least expects. Gov. Ortom is shocked that Teshaku could ever be arrested and the confessions he is making would certainly unveil the whole truth in due course.

    With the exposure of Ortom’s seeming complicity in the killings, it is only wise for the Governor to surrender himself to the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICC) for prosecution for allegedly instigating mass murder of innocent people. He should not wait to be told. The time to quit office and do the needful is now.

    Agada PhD is a Benue citizen and contributed this piece from Festac Town, Lagos.

  • Awujale’s lecture to discuss civil society, governance

    The Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Oba Sikiru Kayode Adetona Professorial Chair in Governance in the Department of Political Science at Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) in Ogun State, has said its second annual lecture will hold on May 10 at Ijebu-Ode.

    The lecture is part of activities commemorating the birthday of the Awujale of Ijebu-Ode, Oba S.K. Adetona.

    This year’s lecture will look at the civil society and governance in Nigeria’s fledgling democracy.

    The BOT Chairman Olatunji Ayanlaja (SAN) said: “The professorial chair will keep striving for the enthronement of transparency and good governance in Nigeria.”

    He added that the professorial chair-holder, Prof Ayodele Olukotun, will deliver the annual lecture, titled: Civil Society and Governance in Nigeria’s Evolving Democracy, 1999-2018.

    A statement by the consultant, Eze Kenneth Obasi said this will further awaken public consciousness on the need for all hands to be on deck to achieve the noble objective of Oba Adetona in endowing the chair.

    The inaugural lecture for the endowment of the professorial chair was held in May 2016, while the maiden annual lecture took place last year with governance and media discussed by the professorial chair-holder, Prof Olutokun, under the topic: Governance and the Media in an Emergent Democracy: A Study of the Role, Record and Changing Profile of the Nigerian Media 1999 – 2017.

     

  • Governance of near failed state

    Governance of near failed state

    The story goes that at the best of time, the Nigerian Airways carried over two million passengers every year in the early 1980s with about 30 relatively new airplanes. However, 20 years later, the airline had stopped operations and saddled with completely dysfunctional aircrafts with others seized by creditors because of debts of over $80 million at today’s price. This compares very badly with the experiences of South African Airways (1934), Ethiopian Airways (1945) and Kenyan Airways (1997) that are still fully operational and profitable up till today. It is the same story with the Nigerian Shipping Lines which was established at independence and had 24 relatively new and well-functioning ships in the late 1980s but by the middle of the 1990s, the shipping lines had to be liquidated and the ships sold or seized by creditors.

    This is the story of many public institutions in Nigeria. And, with a misplaced policy environment, many public commercial enterprises like the Nigerian National Paper Manufacturing Company Limited at Iwopin, Nigerian Paper Mill, Jebba and Nigerian National Newspaper Manufacturing Company in Oku-Iboku, Ajaokuta Steel Company, Delta, Oshogbo and Katsina Steel Mills, to mention a few, have all gone into extinction. They all suffered from bad management and lack of conducive environment attenuated by lack of functional infrastructure like power, good roads, rail system and so on.

    Furthermore, another malaise in the Nigerian system is that we are a nation of churches, mosques and petrol stations. The three most common activities of average Nigerians today, particularly in the southwestern parts of the country are regular attendance at churches, even on work days and mosques as well as opening of petrol stations even in residential areas of cities. As an applied economist, I will like to add a development angle to this observation, particularly, pertaining to the spread of churches and mosques all over urban and rural areas of the country. In this regard, it negates one of the recommendations of UNESCO, that pre-school and primary schools should be located in the neighbourhood where people live to enable housewives, nannies walk young children to schools with minimal efforts. In Nigeria, it is not uncommon to find such schools located randomly in distant places with children at tender ages crossing busy urban roads to and from schools endangering their lives. What we also find in the Nigerian environment are churches and mosques located in neighbourhoods where people live in order to ease the attendance and financial contribution of worshippers. From the foregoing, it appears that priests and imams are better planners than our public-sector managers in the ministries of education who have no plans for the proper location of schools – always hinging our hopes on divine interventions.

    Going back to the public service, there are evidences to show that allowing the private sector to provide, hitherto, public services can work in this our seemingly chaotic environment. The case of the phenomenon of the mobile system of telephony in Nigeria comes readily to mind. The traditional system of telephony in the country was based on analogue technology and the landline system which came into existence in the 1930s. And for the first 70 years, Nigeria could only boast of about 700,000 lines of which only 400,000 were operational by 1999, serving a population of about 120 million people making the country one of those with the lowest tele-densities in the world by the year 2000. However, since the advent of the GSM telephony in 2001, the benefits of the new technology are obvious, bringing Nigerians together and allowing seamless communication across urban and rural areas with over 100 million active lines, a far cry from the 400,000 active lines some years ago. The GSM system is driven and managed by the private sector, saving government billions of naira in federal allocations and generating billions in tax revenues and creating millions of direct and indirect jobs – unlike the days of the highly lethargic NITEL where telephone technicians were “kings” running rings round customers.

    The current hot topic in the Nigerian labour market is the phenomenon of strikes in the public universities. Happily enough, the issue this time is not a strike against poor salaries but poor funding for infrastructural development in areas of research and facilities. As an active participant in the university system from being a student at the University of Ibadan to being a retired professor in the same university, all over a period of almost 50 years and having experienced the university system in more advanced societies, the problem with the public university system is our inability to “think” and “to do” appropriately so that we administer and manage the university system planlessly but as with other public enterprises we hope things will work out well hinging our hopes on divine intervention. For example, in my days at Ibadan, shortly before the 1967-70 Civil War, the total population of students was about 3,000 – resident in six hostels in the main campus. There were electricity and potable water supplies 24/7 and the air-conditioned reading rooms in the hostels were opened 24/7. Each student room had a maximum of two occupants. A large percentage of the expatriates and Nigerian lecturers were trained largely at the universities in Oxford, Cambridge and London. In fact, many courses ran on the same syllabi as those in these world class universities. My roommate, for example, was a chemistry major. His supervisor was a graduate of Oxford. He ran a final-year chemical test for 2160 hours non-stop like his colleague in Oxford because Ibadan then enjoyed electricity and water supplies 24/7. The University of Ibadan was at its best with fully functional infrastructure for learning.

    Nineteen years after I left Ibadan, my son came in and by then I was a lecturer there and one of the Hall Masters of the Hall I resided as a student. Incidentally, my son was allocated to the same hall. However, the situation was different as the room I shared with another student then now housed my son and six other colleagues. There was no running water in the bathrooms and toilets and electricity was epileptic. In his chemistry laboratory, six students shared the space designed for a single student. Experiments were not performed as required because of lack of chemicals and water so that results were only imagined. That is still the situation today.

    The take away from foregoing is that Nigeria’s public universities operate below par because funding is inadequate. Unlike in advanced countries where universities’ tuition fees and endowments are the principal sources of revenue for running universities. Nigeria’s public universities are fully funded by government with students paying pittance or nothing as tuition fees. This is the dilemma in Nigeria’s public universities today and if it continues, the higher education system will collapse as our public primary and secondary school systems. The problem is that our public-sector managers, the bureaucrats and political class do not apply their intellect in thinking through our problems before throwing money at the problems and initiating actions that governments cannot fund on a sustainable basis. We are under the illusion that we are rich because of oil but if we seriously study what it takes for us to develop the resources we have are actually very limited for our needs. We therefore need good planning and intelligent governance schemas unlike the haphazard ones, we do now use to solve society’s problems in Nigeria and relying on wishful thinking of divine intervention.

     

    • Akinyosoye, a retired professor of Applied Economics and Data Management is immediate past Statistician-General of the Federation.

     

  • NSE launches corporate governance index

    NSE launches corporate governance index

    The Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) has launched a Corporate Governance Index (CG Index), which will track the performance of prequalified companies, using their market capitalisation, free float and corporate governance rating scores.

    The CG Index will be reviewed on a bi-annual basis at which point other companies that have met the requirements may be added to the Index or companies that have had their ratings suspended or withdrawn may be removed.

    The Index is expected to be an important tool for investors keen on investing in well governed companies as well as corporates eager to distinguish themselves on the ground of governance.

    Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE), Mr. Oscar Onyema, said the new index will increase transparency in the capital market and provide investors additional data points to make well-informed investment decisions.

    “The launch of the CG Index is an important milestone to strengthening listed companies by tracking their corporate governance practices. This index will increase transparency in our market and provide investors additional data points upon which to make sound decisions.

    “I congratulate the companies that have successfully completed the process and I expect that they will be more positively looked at whilst trying to raise and access capital within or outside of our jurisdiction,” Onyema said.

    He pointed out that sound corporate governance practices will lead to higher economic performance, provide more sources for capital investment and increase the creditability of shareholders.

    “The NSE CG Index is highly correlated with other NSE Indices. By far, the highest correlation coefficient was recorded with NSE 30 Index at 99.6 per cent and closely followed by the NSE All Share Index (ASI) at 99.3 per cent. In essence, all indices moved in tandem in nearly all cases. The observed correlation between the CG Index and ASI reinforces observed trend in some emerging markets, including Brazil, China and Italy. It can, therefore, be inferred that companies that determine the direction of the ASI in these markets are mostly companies with good corporate governance practices,” Onyema said.

     

  • Herdsmen: Prospects amid governance failures

    The ongoing carnage and destruction of valuable properties in various parts of Nigeria occasioned by unending attacks unleashed by suspected herdsmen on innocent citizens calls for a more robust approach to governance in the country. Although the conflict between crop farmers and herdsmen in Nigeria which started largely due to dwindling natural resources is not new, it was however allowed to persist and fester by the indolence, indifference, and negligence on the part of successive governments, and made even worse by the present administration. It was reported that between 2013 and the end of January, about 2000 lives were lost in farmers/herdsmen clashes in Benue State alone. According to reports by Amnesty International, 549 people were killed across 14 states of Nigeria in 2017, while in the month of January alone, about 168 were killed. In all these, thousands sustained various degrees of injury, some have been maimed for life, tens of thousands have been displaced, properties worth billions of naira have been lost, and livelihoods and economies disrupted. The enormity of these losses can better be imagined than quantified or described. Even more worrisome is the fact that not only have the killings continued unabated, but we now have a largely polarised citizenry and a full blown security problem of crises proportions in our hands which is capable of threatening our very existence as a nation.

    At the heart of the matter is a combination of mediocre management of governance issues on one hand, and the unwillingness on the part of a group in the society to embrace progressive and innovative change on the other. Statements credited to officials of Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, (whose membership is predominantly Fulani) following the new year killings in Benue State clearly betrayed the driving force behind the genocidal aggression of the herders in various parts of the country as business and cultural interest. The national president of the group, Alhaji Bello Abdulahi Badejo, was reported in several leading national dailies to have blamed the killings in Benue State on the state’s anti-open grazing law which, according to him “…is clearly against the cultural interest and business nature of a Fulani man…who is more concerned about the survival of his cattle.” He was further quoted to have said that: “A Fulani man will always want to be on the move, to look for greener pastures and water for his animals anywhere and everywhere, as guaranteed by the constitution. But when you look at the law in Benue, it is clearly dissonant to our interest and survival as Fulani people…”

    No doubt, this is the crux of the matter; a feeling of insecurity.

    Much as I sympathise with the group on their fears of threat to the survival of their people, it may be useful to caution here that resorting to killing, maiming, and destruction of farms and properties belonging to others and expecting them to be cowed to submission is hardly a reasonable and acceptable way to survive in the 21st century. People ought not to allow their insecurities to get the better of them. More worrisome is the fact that in the face of the continued killings, officials of Miyetti Allah have neither shown sympathy for the dead and their families, nor remorse for the heinous crimes committed by people who are obviously pursuing the interests of their organisation. Rather, they are reported to be dishing out threats and conditions and insisting that those conditions must be met if peace is to return to the land. These include the repeal of the Benue anti-open grazing law, and the provision of or restoration of grazing routes. The threat was extended to neighbouring Taraba State where similar legislation was passed.

    Given the challenges thrown up by population growth, ever increasing demand for land for various developmental purposes, environmental and land degradation, as well as climate change, nomadic method of livestock farming is neither sustainable nor practicable in present day Nigeria. It is therefore time for our Fulani brothers to be persuaded to embrace change and adopt new and modern methods of livestock farming. Culture is not static but rather dynamic, and evolves as changing times and civilisations demand.

    Understandably, change can be quite challenging for most human beings, but we must note that it is inevitable. Writers have identified two types of change. The first is the expected change which is usually the type we planned for and have had time to think about and prepare for. And the second is the unexpected change which is the type usually forced upon us by events, circumstances or natural phenomena. The unexpected natural change is a part of life because no condition is permanent and nothing in this material world lasts forever.

    In its handling of the current herdsmen imbroglio, the present administration at the centre has often been contradictory, wobbling and muddling, and has failed to demonstrate creativity, resourcefulness, and leadership in its approach. In early 2016, Audu Ogbeh, the Minister of Agriculture announced the intention of the federal government to import grass from Brazil as part of its efforts to improve the business of cattle production in the country, even while there was still a raging controversy over the “grazing reserve” bill at the National Assembly.  While that episode lasted, the minister flirted with the idea of keeping animals in paddocks and feedlots. His objective was to replace nomadic cattle rearing with modern intensive system of keeping livestock, having acknowledged the fact that cattle bred by nomadic method do not grow and perform optimally. In this respect, Ogbeh was spot on (though not with grass importation). With appropriate legislations and policy actions, this would have kept herdsmen and their cattle away from other people’s crop farms and private properties, which is the major trigger in the violent conflicts.

    In my opinion the challenge before us may appear daunting but it is not all gloom. Rather, it presents us a window of enormous opportunities to launch into greater heights in an agricultural subsector that has been largely ignored for too long. There are huge business opportunities inherent in the grazing livestock value chain which we have so far failed to tap into because we have not been able to embrace modernisation in cattle rearing. These range from commercial growing of pastures, production of various feeds (fodder), to numerous other opportunities that exist not only in the production, processing and marketing of beef and beef products, but also in the larger, more viable and lucrative area of dairy products such as milk, yoghurt, butter, cheese, etc. We can only optimally avail ourselves of the opportunities if we outlaw roaming of grazing animals and breed them in confined environments.

    Against this background, what is required is an entrepreneurial model which encourages crop farmers to go into the commercial cultivation of forage crops which are known to be highly nutritious and adapted to different climatic conditions, including hot and arid conditions. In other words, growing grass and legumes for sale to livestock farmers can be made to become a profitable business. This strategy will not only provide high quality food for our grazing animals, but also help to beat back the advancing desert as well as rebuild and restore waste lands, thus making them fruitful fields again. Several varieties of nutritious grasses and legumes which are tolerant to drought are now being successfully grown in parts of Africa and have gained popularity in recent times. They include alfalfa, brachiaria, foxtail, and several others. Alfalfa for example, often referred to as “the queen of forage” is a perennial legume that is high in minerals, vitamins, and protein, and can be harvested every 35 days. It is one of the most nutritious crops that can be utilized in any forage.

    Going forward, government and security agencies must first demonstrate willingness and capacity to arrest the gradual drift into anarchy, apprehend the rampaging killers and bring them to justice. At the same time, deliberate and concerted efforts should be made to calm frayed nerves and allay the fears of all concerned parties especially crop farming communities and cattle farmers. Government policies and actions must be seen to be just and fair to all, and must be of the greatest benefit to the greatest number of citizens, so as to build friendship and goodwill amongst groups.

    Then the federal government must synergise with various state governments to formulate and implement relevant legislations and policies that will effectively insulate crop farms from grazing animals by confining the latter in suitable locations where they can be properly fed and receive adequate care and veterinary services. Also, the governments should deploy livestock extension services to the cattle farmers and train herders on modern livestock farming methods. Furthermore government must be prepared to invest massively in irrigation projects or alternatively, create the enabling environment for the private sector to do so profitably, particularly in the northern parts of the country. Lastly it may be pertinent here to emphasise the need for the federal and state governments to collaboratively fashion out a more robust approach to land use management in the country.

     

    • Igunbor, writes from Watford, United Kingdom.
  • Righteousness as substitute to governance

    Righteousness as substitute to governance

    Most Nigerians believe President Buhari is an honourable man.  As the late Nigerian elder-statesman, Maitama Sule put it. “Buhari cannot be unfair”. The only ware Buhari had to sell in 2003, 2007 and 2011 was his righteousness which he carried around like Saint Christopher’s medal, refusing to deal with politicians who he then considered evil. This was what informed his choice of Pastor Tunde Bakare, a televangelist without a political base as running mate in 2011 without a conscious effort to first understand the role of religion in Yoruba society as many believed Buhari by his choice, shot himself on the leg and prolonged Nigerian nightmare by losing the election. But attitudes, as it is often said, are difficult to change. Buhari has continued to hold politicians in suspect even after riding on their back to power, preferring to celebrate his righteousness as substitute to governance.

    While most thought it ought to have dawned on him that he did not win the 2015 election by being righteous, he  was to declare with little reflection  during his inauguration that  ‘he belongs to everyone and belongs to no one’. As one of his critics cynically asked during a television programme, days after the inauguration, “has he suddenly forgotten he flew other people’s private jets while on campaign trail and depended on some people’s funds to prosecute the election?  But righteous President Buhari was to later display disdain for APC that provided him a platform precisely because it was owned by politicians.

    After distancing himself from evil politicians whose help he needed most, he held the nation to ransom for the next six months as he continued to celebrate his righteousness. In the absence of political party that packaged a manifesto that won the election, his government was hijacked even before it took off, first by those his critics describe as his ‘cousins and nephews from his Daura village’ who according to the president’s wife were neither members of APC nor had any idea about the party’s manifesto, and later by freewheeling power hawkers in the Senate and Lower House. Ostensibly, for fear of politicians, President Buhari for the next two and half years failed to constitute the boards of over 500 small government he needed to run a successful administration allowing PDP appointees  to continue business as usual. In an age when modern government has become a science, President Buhari continues to operate with a mind-set of an emir, listening only to his self-serving trusted men.

    Almost three years in office, not much has changed. An exasperated colleague riding with me last week as a radio station in its newspaper morning reviews mentioned the Usman Yusuf’s scandalous recall  could not help asking aloud: could this be the same Buhari we all knew and believed could do no wrong back in 1984?  Yes, but for the newspaper report of a joint meeting of the minister of health and the embattled NHIS boss reportedly presided over by the president, most Nigerians would have found it hard to believe the president had a hand in the recall of a man under an ongoing probe by EFCC.

    But what is the story? “Buhari decided to appoint Yusuf at a time the Health Management Organisations were short-changing the system, leading to a situation where subscribers to the scheme were not getting the best out of it due to sharp practices on the part of the HMOs and health providers”. He was however suspended following an indictment by a panel set up by Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, accused of perpetrating fraud to the tune of N919million. Yusuf was being probed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Offences Commission until a letter signed by the president’s chief of staff ordered his recall from suspension.

    My  good friend , the highly resourceful chief Mike Ozekhome,(SAN), whose judgment  on account of huge successes  he had chalked up defending ex-President Jonathan and his wife  and other politically exposed persons  on charges bordering  on  impunity and corruption, can hardly be faulted has said the president intervention is “ evidence of impunity, corruption and executive lawlessness under his administration”.

    A whole a week after Yusuf’s recall, President Buhari, probably hiding under his righteousness, is yet to talk to Nigerians. The explanation by Lai Mohammed, his, minister of information to the effect that Yusuf’s reabsorption would not colour the outcome of his EFCC’s probe only strengthened the claim by some APC lawmakers and in recent days Dr. Obasanjo, who have continued to insist President Buhari’s anti-corruption war is selective.

    Meanwhile the only thing noticeable in the health sector is evidence of failure of governance. University College Hospital, Ibadan, where the minster was once a provost remains a relic of its past glory with relatives of orthopaedic patients compelled to ferry their loved ones on their back from the ground floor to the 5th floor where the orthopaedic ward is located. Patients are running away from Igbobi where routine surgeries are said to cost as much as N400,000, to neighbouring  Togo  which boasts of the state-of-the-art equipment comparable to what obtains in France  and without fears of complications associated with administration of fake drugs . The NHIS itself remains a rip off.

    Unfortunately, NHIS and Prof Usman Yusuf’s recall scandal is not an isolated case. There have been other instances where President Buhari traded his righteousness for accountability, an important component of democracy. In the Abdul-rasheed Maina’s reabsorption scandal, besides the president’s directive that the reabsorption be reversed, Malami remains a minister despite Itse Sagay’s suggestion that he needed to be probed and the National Assembly probe that seems to question the motive behind his secret meeting with fugitive Maina in Dubai.

    In the case of Maikanti Baru, the NNPC Group Managing Director, who was accused by Ibe Kachikwu, the minister of petroleum (state) of awarding some contracts without carrying him along as the de facto minister while the president was receiving medical attention in Britain, although he admitted awarding huge contracts but said no cash was involved. And then like the current NHIS case, Baru, even in the absence of President Buhari, who doubles as minister for petroleum, insisted he was not reporting to the minister of state. Baru retained his job after President Buhari’s meeting with the duo, the same scenario that has just played out in the Usman Yusuf and Isaac Adewole face-off.

    The above contradictions seem to have forced Nigerians to now question the president’s continued celebration of his righteousness  as substitute for real governance especially in the wake of the ongoing herdsmen aggression against communities across the nation  Many now believe good governance which finds expression  in application of  few acts of statecraft such as visiting Benue instead of having to be briefed like an emir after which the governor  receives lessons on how  victims of herdsmen aggression can be their brothers’  keepers;  sending a query to the Emir of Kano for encouraging resistance to Benue laws to prove emirs are not above the law and prosecuting leadership of Miyetti Cattle breeders association who did not only support the mindless killing of 73 people in Benue but also threatened to invite their Fulani compatriots  from neighbouring countries to  unleash further terror on communities that resisted open grazing; and of course the sacking of  ministers of justice and defence whose actions and pronouncements have greatly undermined the president’s credibility, will be more reassuring.

  • Between decamping and governance

    The other day Dele Agekameh continued the hype of Atiku’s decamping from the APC to the PDP. It is clear it has generated a spirit that has possessed Nigeria in recent times. The hullabaloo is buzzing, akin to Nigeria having successfully won the World Cup, or the Nigerian economy having overtaken that of the USA and China.

    More to that, it is being believed to be a criminal thing since words like “political prostitution” were used to describe this lawful and basic right of a public figure who has been a champion in the public service, business and politics. In a country where it is believed that most public office holders have skeletons in their cupboard, Atiku has thrown a challenge to the whole world for anyone who has evidence of any thievery by him to come forward with it.

    Since the advent of democracy, the Nigeria media has shown itself to be the best guardian of democracy. They had severally mobilized Nigerians to oppose obnoxious government actions. A classic example was the role they played on the occasion of bedridden late Yar’Adua. A major newspaper based in the north in collaboration with Obasanjo told Yar’Adua to give way for the necessary things to be done. Obasanjo said exactly what Nigerians wanted. That was the deadly blow that quashed the stalemate. Barrage of opinions ensued. And then death came calling and Nigeria moved forward. The rest is history.

    In virtually every sector in the country, the Nigeria media has performed creditably. On Goodluck Jonathan, they preferred a Buhari replacement even when they had to throw decorum overboard. Admittedly, while many worked behind the scenes for Buhari, a handful were objective, which automatically did not work in favour of Goodluck Jonathan.

    Coincidentally when Buhari came to power, executives of some popular media houses got appointed to ‘juicy’ positions. They are Nigerians. It is their right. They had been very critical of governance throughout the days of PDP. But we are lucky those that criticised the government came to power. Nigerians have never seen worse poverty like today. Bomb blasts have considerably been reduced with a great takeover by cattle herdsmen. There is increased insecurity on our roads. Nigerians are generally afraid to travel. Surprisingly, the media has gone to sleep on a general note. They are silent over practically everything that has gone wrong: joblessness, runaway unemployment, inflation and insecurity. They probably have decided to ‘siddon and look’ before they react.

    But how come they are now agitated about Atiku’s decamping when no doom statistics roused them? When foreign debt has attained a frightening position? Are they sold by the ‘righteousness’ of Buhari? How does righteous and austere living substitute for good governance? How can we trust austere character more than Nigeria’s future? Is it true that soon there will be an increase in pump price of petrol? Lest we forget, a section of the media, political parties and civil society had insisted there must not be increase in price of petrol during Goodluck Jonathan’s regime. But this administration doubled the price of petrol and wants to do so again. However, because our mumu never do, we saw nothing wrong with it. There is no need for a strike again because some people have crossed the bridge and are no longer sorrowful. They are however on guard against anyone who decamps and leaves their party for another to challenge them. They are sure of our gullibility to remind us of how staying in one party is morally right. But then they would have us forget that the political party they started with has gone into extinction. The government of the day has performed so creditably that some columnists have decided to partner with it to make sure Nigerians remain in the government party – apologies to Dele Agekameh. In fact, those who provided a platform to tell late Yar’Adua to resign are now commissioning already-made railway and dry port with no tangible start-up facilities in the face of poverty. That Nigeria would soon produce the highest population of the poor in 2018; what percentage would the north take under Buhari? All eyes on Atiku’s decamping rather, says the media.

    Recently, Rotimi Amaechi accused Goodluck Jonathan of squandering the Excess Crude Account. Everybody was stupefied by this crass falsehood. In fact, the fight to squander the ECA as propounded by Amaechi was his journey to stardom then in opposition circles. We have not forgotten how Amaechi and his co-travellers rushed to court and defeated the government to bring the ECA for sharing. The future did not matter at all. But few weeks ago, he had the temerity to tell Nigerians that he fought to protect the ECA.

    Sadly, Atiku’s decamping noise completely dwarfs that part. The government machinery redirected our attention to a mere moral bias that is even lawful instead of reprimanding Amaechi for peddling falsehood. The media did not find it fit to rebuke the government for Rotimi Amaechi’s action. Our children, future leaders, have been taught one lesson: if you are feeding fat, nothing matters again. This terrible silence by a section of the media has sown a seed and raised falsehood to statecraft. But can it be admitted that this government has degenerated to this extent?

    But let it be clear, this government is not really against decamping even if it happens a million times. What made Atiku’s decamping distasteful is that he decamped from APC to a party that would unseat them. Just steal all the money you can, you could even be the most sought after guy in the EFCC. But all you need is to decamp to APC then walk majestically; the chief host of the party would be at the gate welcoming you with a lot of hype and razzmatazz. Then the EFCC will eventually understand. Then the money you stole will have gone forever. Even the media does not see such commando decamping as anything. Truth is, they have crossed the bridge and feel no remorse.

    Nigerians, remember nobody knew who reinstated Abdulrasheed Maina. By the utterances of his lawyer, it shows the man is in the good books of the government and the last has not been heard about him. The latest frivolous application of the Attorney General of the Federation before the Federal High Court shows the silhouette position of the government in Maina’s case. Nigerians have moved on despite Buhari’s henchmen knowing and protecting him. The media and civil society that kept vigil in Abacha’s regime have been kowtowed. Emboldened by Nigerians pliability, the in-thing in town is that the dead and zombies are now on our pay roll! That is upping the stakes. Since some are preoccupied with Atiku’s decamping, ghost workers now hold sway. And if you complain too much, they will tell you it was a mistake.

    Atiku has decamped from the APC to the PDP. We know. But how does that surpass the inaccurate lies that have characterised the fuel crisis since December last year? For the sake of hapless Nigerians, Atiku needed to decamp. Some are decamping to save their loot while he decamped for good governance that he is obsessed with. He can decamp for the sake of the Nigerian state. Remember, even a section of the media and the civil society have decamped from vigilance.

    • Hon. Omekwe is a former member of Bayelsa State House of Assembly.