The Nation Newspaper

Tag: handle

  • TOO HOT TO HANDLE:When ‘experts’ refuse to talk

    THERE is no doubt that the issue of herders/farmers clashes across the country has generated so much bad blood and controversy that writing or commenting on it has become dicey. There is hardly anything you say that would not be pigeon-holed.

    If you say the herders are at fault, you are going to be labelled a hater of a particular ethnic group and if you talk in favour of the farmers you are also called a hater of the other ethnic group.

    This was the dilemma faced by this reporter while trying to talk to ‘experts’ on what the clashes portend for the country. For instance, almost all university teachers approached by the reporter declined to speak on the matter. They either claimed ignorance or asked to be excused because the “matter is sensitive”.  A few agreed to speak and asked for their names and affiliations to be left out. Why? The reporter asked.

    “It is a very delicate matter. No matter what you say, passions are going to be inflamed, so I don’t want to talk and be a marked man,” one said.

    Another refused to talk even on a strictly professional issue as climate change. The reporter had asked for his opinion, saying if he was not ready to comment on the clash, he could at least offer an insight into how climate change had led to the migration of herdsmen from the north to the middle belt and the southern part of the country in search of pasture.

    However, another ‘expert’ declined to speak with the reporter, asking to be paid by the reporter because, according to him, “you want to use my opinion to sell your newspaper. So, I deserve to be paid to offer my opinion.” Noting that the reporter was looking at him unbelievably, he retorted, “Don’t you know abroad newspapers pay experts for offering their opinions?”

    The reporter replied that he was hearing this for the first time in his professional life and that he has also travelled a bit and had never met any colleague who said his newspaper paid any ‘expert’ to offer any opinion on matter of public concern.

  • Nigeria needs no international help to handle IPOB – Minister

    Nigeria needs no international help to handle IPOB – Minister

    •Says separatist group is internal threat    •Buhari healthy to lead UNGA delegation’

    A head of President Muhammadu Buhari’s address at the 72nd Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama has said Nigeria requires no international help in curtailing any threats posed by the Indigenous  People of Biafra (IPOB).

    The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) on Friday declared IPOB a terrorist organisation while Southeast governors proscribed its activities in the geo-political zone, its supposed base.

    Onyeama, at a news conference at the UN headquarters in New York on Friday evening, said the threat from the self-agitation group would be handled internally.

    “IPOB is, as of now, an internal threat and Nigeria does not need international assistance to resolve it,” he said.

    He also said Buhari was ‘firing up’ and in an excellent shape to lead the Nigerian delegation to the UN General Assembly.

    Onyeama said IPOB could not be compared to Boko Harm whose main aim is to capture territory and kill innocent people.

    Besides, he said Boko Haram’s activities go beyond Nigeria following its allegiance to the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, (ISIS).

    The Foreign Affairs Minister said the position of President Buhari was that the constitution of the country should be respected.

    Nigeria’s democracy, according to him, is still growing and requires time to mature and become stronger to handle some of the democratic challenges.

    He said Buhari is “prepared to tell world leaders that the ingredients for a happy, peaceful country are good governance and a strong economy.”

    He added: “If we can get the economy right and we can get the good governance to our people, we believe that most of our problems would be taken care of.

    “We are a country of young people; the majority of our population is under the age of 35 and a lot of them are restless. They are restless because of economic opportunities and that is why we have the migration issue.

    “A lot of the youth are the product of very bad governance over the years and that has deprived the young people of educational opportunities and job opportunities.

    “So, Mr. President is trying to restructure the country to put in place the bases for good governance.

    “Because once you have good governance and your resources are being channelled to where they are supposed to be, which is on development, then you begin to address a lot of issues.”

    Reacting to speculations in some quarters about the president’s health and his ability to withstand the rigours of the high-level event scheduled from Sept. 19 to 25, Onyeama said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is in very good health to lead the UN General Assembly delegation.

    “The president is in excellent form in every way possible. We had the Federal Executive Council meeting on Wednesday that lasted very long, beyond the usual.

    “He presided over the Federal Executive Council meeting throughout. He’s now firing up and very fantastic,” Onyeama said.

    According to him, there is no doubting the fact that the president would make the trip to the U.S. and participate in all the events scheduled for the country.

    The minister stressed: “He (Buhari) will make the trip; you know the buzzword in the world today is ‘fake news’. So I think it’s a reality of modern journalism, may be because the internet, the cyber space make journalist of everybody.

    “So all kinds of news filter through but the reality is that Mr. President will be here. He’s in excellent health and he’s going to be leading a very strong high-level Nigerian delegation.

    Onyeama said that aside other high-level engagements, Buhari would meet with U.S. President Donald Trump to further strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.

    The president would hold a lunch meeting with President Donald Trump along with other world leaders.

    “The relations are good, so we just hope they would continue to be good and by all accounts, we are going in the right direction.

    “What would be discussed are some of the global issues – trade issues with Africa, conflict in Africa, global conflict will also certainly be discussed,” the minister said.

    The high point of Buhari’s activities would be his participation in the General Debate during which he would deliver Nigeria’s National Statement on Tuesday, the first day of the general debate.

  • How to handle family problems

    Dear Harriet,

    I am 45 years old married man with children.

    Please, I need your counsel on family problems. Thanks.

    Mr. James Y., Lagos.

    Family problems come in all shapes and sizes; some are short-lived and easily managed, while others are more chronic and difficult to handle. Some are just temporary which disappear in no time, if only families learn to be patient.

    As the saying goes, there is no perfect family. That is why each family develops its own ways of coping with the various stresses like illness, injury, changing jobs, unemployment, financial difficulties and so on.

    Unsuccessful coping can be recognized by a number of characteristics as follows: poor communication, poor problem-solving, poor division of duties, lack of emotional support, differences, over-dependency on others, chronic crises.

    Poor interaction is one common problem that exists within the family. Could be that family members either avoid talking with one another due to past encounter or have not learned to listen well to what others are trying to say through their words, expressions or actions.

    As a matter of fact, a situation where conflicts and disagreements are not resolved poses as a problem to the family. This usually occurs when family members avoid discussing problems or even avoid admitting that there is a problem in the first place.

    Impression like this extends conflict which causes some discomfort and unhappiness. Some families still have not learnt  the skill of negotiating or, for some other reasons, cannot let go of bad feelings with little or no regard on how this action can affect the members of the family, bearing in mind that  children on their own pattern their attitude after their parents’ bahaviour.

    In addition, inability to settle differences within the family can also pose as a huge problem; for example, in a situation where family members are finding it difficult on deciding what problems really exist or who is responsible, the choice for working out the problem and how the family can agree upon an option and act on it can be a challenge. There may not be an agreement on what the priorities are within the family in the process.

    Another aspect that poses as a problem in a family is the area of poor division of responsibilities; families often decide how family responsibilities will be shared among family members. When situation like this occurs the life of the family becomes completely confused and many things are not accomplished.

    At the other extreme, some families are not flexible at all and family members do not help one another out or fairly reassign responsibilities as family circumstances change.

    However, cases like insufficient emotional support is not left out as a problem facing the family. Families are, especially for children, the most important source of emotional support. During the middle years, children, for instance, believe that their emotional support should come from their family. A situation where it is not available, they then start seeking for it outside the family, which as a result, puts them in danger. Note children do not perform or develop well without their family support.

    Lack of individual differences: Families function best when the individuality of each family member is acknowledged and appreciated. Personal traits and characteristics are to be highly valued. Each family member needs to tolerate and respect individual traits, and lack of this can lead to a serious problem in the family.

    When family members withhold love from one another because of family differences, children as members of the family are most likely to have difficult time developing a healthy self-image and they will have low self-esteem and limited poor social skills.

    Complete reliability on others: Children need to succeed in order to feel capable of successfully managing life’s stress and challenges. If they are taught or encouraged to depend on others (within the family or outside it) to solve their problems will be a difficult issue. It also limits their ability to challenge themselves. Low self- esteem is one common factor that is attached to over-dependency on others. As a matter of fact, this is one common problem the family suffers

    Habitual crises: Families who have some of the above characteristics are likely to have trouble coping with life’s inevitable crises. In these families, even relatively simple problems are not resolved, but take on the appearance and feel of major dilemmas. Thus by their lack of successful coping skills, these families create additional difficulties for themselves and go from crisis to crisis, with little relief and little pleasure from life or from one another.

    Although we all strive for perfection, there is no perfect family. Each family has its own strengths and weaknesses, assets and liabilities, challenges and problems. If your family seems overwhelmed with problems or if there is breakdown in relationships within your family, it is probably time for professional aid.

    As parents or guardians, your task is to meet the multiple demands of the family with energy and creativity. By so doing, you will enable your children to grow and develop in a positive, healthy way in order to experience self-fulfilment.

     

    Harriet Ogbobine is a counsellor and a motivational speaker. Send your questions and suggestions to her on bineharriet@gmail.com or text message only 08054682598. You can also follow her on twitter @bineharrietj, instagram-harrietogbobine, blog; liwh.com.ng

  • Too hot for Senate to handle

    Too hot for Senate to handle

    The Senate drew the flak over its planned amendment of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) Act and related laws. It quickly dropped the plan – which coincided with the ongoing trial of its president, Senator Bukola Saraki, at the CCT for alleged false assets declaration – following public outcry. To lawyers, the plan was ill-conceived. ADEBISI ONANUGA sought their views.

    The Senate drew the flak over its decision to amend some anti-corruption laws. No fewer than 28 civil society organisations marched on Abuja against the plan.

    Sought to be amended were the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT); Money Laundering and the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJ) laws. Following public outcry, the Senate suspended the exercise last Wednesday.

    Many Nigerians saw the move as a bid to whittle down the powers of the anti-corruption agencies, help Saraki escape justice or in the alternative create a soft landing for him, if convicted.

    They were worried about the haste and timing of the exercise. The bill for an amendment of the CCT and CCB Act, sponsored by Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP-Delta State), scaled the second reading two days after it was first read before it was referred to the committees on Judiciary and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.

     

    CCB/CCT ACT

     

    The bill seeks to amend Section 3 of the Act to give every public officer appearing before the Bureau a fair hearing provided for under Section 36 (2)(a) of the 1999 Constitution. It seeks to bar the tribunal from trying criminal cases and reduce its powers to try civil cases.

    The bill in addition provides “for an opportunity for the person whose rights and obligations may be affected to make representations to the administering authority before that authority makes the decision affecting that person”.

    This is in contrast to the law which the sponsor of the bill said does not provide for the CCB to take written statement from concerned public officers before referring a matter of alleged non-compliance to the CCT.

     

    Money Laundering Bill

     

    The Money Laundering Bill is the first of the two executive bills sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari. They are: ”The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill”  and “The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill, 2016.”

    The first bill seeks to repeal the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2011, and re-enact a more comprehensive legislation.

    The bill seeks to divest the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of its powers to probe offences of economic and financial crimes and to vest it on a separate agency.

    The bill,  in addition, seeks to prohibit money laundering and criminal activities in the country, expand the scope of money laundering offences.

    The second bill seeks to facilitate international assistance in criminal matters.  Among others, it also seeks to provide protection for employees of various institutions, bodies and professions who may discover money laundering.

    The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill 2016, seeks to get relevant international assistance in cases of money laundering. It  is expected to provide framework for other countries to assist in provision of and obtaining of evidence, making of arrangements for persons to give evidence.

     

    EFCC rejects amendment

     

    The EFCC in a position paper presented to the National Assembly, rejected the proposed amendments to the Money Laundering Act.

    “The bill appears complex and difficult to decipher as it is riddled with complex web of cross references,” EFCC said.

    The commission spotted 12 gaps which it believes could impede the government’s anti-corruption agenda. It said passing the bill into law would affect Nigeria’s application for the membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

    To the agency, if the Bill is passed into law, it will give the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) some discretion which may be abused.

    The commission also faulted plans to establish a Bureau for Money Laundering Control (BMLC) for a service which is already being rendered efficiently by the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML).

    It said: “Clause 15(4) (c) is unconstitutional as it is retroactive because it is designed to subject persons to prosecution under this bill for offences committed before its enactment into law.

    “Clauses 18(5), (6) and (7) are in conflict with Section 7(2) of the EFCC Act as they seek to divest EFCC of its powers to cause investigation into economic and financial crimes offences and, by extension, attempt to transfer the statutory powers of the EFCC to an unknown and non-existent agency—Proceeds of Crimes Recovery and Management Agency.

    “Clause 14(2) of the bill provides that Financial Institutions (FIs) and Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) are competent but not compellable to give evidence in criminal proceedings arising from the report which they make under the bill.

    “The effect is that there will be challenges in the successful prosecution of money laundering related offences.

    “Moreover, this clause is contrary to the provisions of the Evidence Act as the issue of competency and compellability of witnesses are settled principles of a law under the Evidence Act and judicial authorities.”

    The EFCC also faulted discretionary powers given to the Attorney-General of the Federation on reporting of money laundering cases and the amounts payable by offenders saying, such powers may be abused if any AGF is not well-intentioned.

     

    ACJA

     

    Amendment to the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) seeks to exclude CCT from its application.  It is intended  to whittle down powers of CCT by stripping it of powers to hear criminal cases. If the  amendments scales through, then all asset declaration matters before CCT would be deemed to be civil cases rather than criminal cases.

     

    Lawyers react

     

    The bid to tinker with the CCT and the ACJA drew the most ire of Nigerians who saw it as a move to frustrate Saraki’s trial.

    The National Coordinator, Legal Defence & Assistance Project (LEDAP), Chino Obiagwu, described the attempt to amend the ACJ as self-service and contrary to paragraph 1 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

    He said the desperation with which the Senate President and his supporters sought to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act and the ACJA, simply for the purpose of seeking ways to frustrate his trial of the Tribunal, raises the impression that he is guilty of the offence charged and they are only working to stop his trial.

    The lawyer said by amending the ACJ Act, the Senate would end up frustrating the good intentions of the Act simply because of the pursuit to stop Saraki’s trial.

    The group noted that the bill to amend the ACJ Acts seeks to revise section 2 (2) of the Act by substituting the subsection.

    The proposed amendment reads: “The provisions of this Act shall not apply to a Court Martial and such other Courts or Tribunal not being courts created and listed under section 6(5) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended”.

    The provision of this section 2 of the Act, which is sought to be amended, provides: “(1) Without prejudice to section 86 of this Act, the provisions of this Act shall apply to criminal trials for offences established by an Act of the National Assembly and other offences punishable in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. (2) The provisions of this Act shall not apply to a Court Martial.”

    LEDAP stated that by  removing the application of the ACJ Act from courts other than the Federal and State High Courts, Court of Appeal and the Supreme, which are the only courts with criminal jurisdiction listed under section 6(5) of the Constitution, the proposed amendment would narrow the application of the very laudable legislation. Besides, it said it would restrict its application to many courts and tribunals.

    LEDAP drew the National Assembly’s attention to their oath of office, adding that they were elected by the people to make laws for ‘order and good government of Nigeria’ and not for self-serving interests.

    “By pursing the amendment of the Acts in this manner, the legislators are simply abusing the privilege of law making,” Obiagwu said.

    Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, Ikorodu Branch, Lagos State, Mr Dotun Adetunji, said the amendment of the CCT Act at this point was a “shameful act ’’.

    He said any amendment to a law based on vested interest was contrary to the rule of law and the ethics of good governance.

    “This action of the Senate while its president is undergoing trial at the CCT is a shameful act. It is also a slap on the generality of Nigerians that voted them into office and a breach of the trust expected of them.

    Former Secretary-General, NBA Ikeja branch, Adesina Adegbite, said there was no need or justification for the amendment of the Code of Conduct Bureau &Tribunal Act. According to him, it was a misplaced priority by the Senate and most suspicious.

    “The Bill also exposed the ignorance of the sponsor about the Nigerian laws and particularly the Constitution. Section 18 (1) & (2) of Part 1 of the 5th Schedule of the 1999 Constitution as amended is very clear on the powers of the CCT to impose punishment.

    “It is, therefore, amusing and indeed worrisome that a Senator could attempt to amend the Constitution through a private Bill. Certainly, the promoters of the Bill realised that they goofed and probably due to the public outcry, hence, their decision to suspend further action on the Bills.”

    Director of Prisoners’ Rights Advocacy Intitiative (PRAI), Ahmed Adetola-Kazeem, said the attempt made by the Senate to amend the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act was very suspicious, tainted with malice and done in bad faith givenbthe circumstances.

    “It would be very difficult to argue that the proposed amendment was not connected to the travails of the Senate President before the Code of Conduct Tribunal and likelihood of same happening to other members of the Senate in the nearest future.

    “It is impossible to have perfect laws, but there are laws which serves the purpose to which they are enacted. The ACJA has been lauded by many as a fantastic innovation for the speedy and effective dispensation of criminal justice in Nigeria.

    “In my view, no criminally minded person will like the ACJA as it is presently, since the Act frowns at delay tactics employed by legal practitioners in the conduct of their cases.

    “For example, Section 221 stipulates that objections shall not be taken or entertained during proceeding or trial on the ground of an imperfect or erroneous charge.

    “Section 306 of the ACJA also prohibits the entertainment of an application for a stay of proceedings in respect of criminal matters.”

    On the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act, Adetola-Kazeem said: “It is adequate for the purpose for which it was enacted. Though some retired Justices of the Supreme Court have criticised the CCT on the bases that it does not have criminal jurisdiction and therefore the ACJA does not apply, however the decision of the Supreme Court is to the contrary and remains the Law.”

    An activist, Ikechukwu Ikeji believes a clarification is needed.

    “It is somewhat confusing to see the Tribunal as an executive body while at the same time exercising powers under the judicature.

    “It is important that the National Assembly as the law making organ of government steps in to clearly say whether the Tribunal is a court under the contemplation of Section 6 of the Constitution or not,” he said.

    Ikeji believed the anti-corruption laws, in their present state,  are not inadequate but they allow for a lot of openings that may lead to confusion in the administration of justice. It is imperative that any ambiguity in the law be cleared by the National Assembly through their law making powers.

    In his contributions, Mr Wale Ogunade, a lawyer and public affairs analyst, said: “The Senate is required by law to amend laws. However, in the case of the amendment of the CCT Act by the Senate, the question to ask is: does the Senate have an honest intention or an ulterior motive.

    “My opinion is that the recent moves by the Senate to amend the CCT Act were designed to frustrate the trial of Saraki. “It is designed to water down the Act making it worthless, useless and of no effect whatsoever.”

    Another lawyer, Mr Ataene Spurgeon, said although the National Assembly was empowered by the statute books to make laws for the country, the amendment of the CCT Act might be a “coincidence.’’ “The amendment of the Code of Conduct Tribunal Act is a `coincidence’ with the trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.’’

    If the laws establishing the Code of Conduct bureau and the Code of Conduct Tribunal are faulty, it becomes necessary for the sake of the good governance to amend the same.

    “For Mr Ola Ogunbiyi, the amendment should not affect the trial of the senate president.The trial can only be affected if the trial is stalled till after the amendment. The Senate can at any point amend the law, that it is being amended at this point in time is not an issue.”The law begins to take its course the day it is signed into law; it is not going to be retrospective.

    An Abeokuta-based lawyer, Mr Emmanuel Olu-Alade, said there was no law forbidding amendment of an Act because someone was on trial.

    “The question is, what are the paragraphs that are currently being amended and what would be the effect of the amended paragraphs considering the ongoing trial of Bukola Saraki.

     

    What should be done?

     

    Adegbite advised members of the National Assembly to adhere to their duties as spelt out in the Section 4 of the 1999 Constitution which is to make law for the good and wellbeing of the people. What they are presently doing is totally not in the interest of the people.

    Adetola-Kazeem maintained that there is no need to amend any of these law at this time and whenever it will be auspicious to do it,  there must be sincerity of purpose on the part of those amending the laws.

     

  • How Buhari should handle Jonathan’s last-minute appointments— APC chieftain Gambo Magaji

    How Buhari should handle Jonathan’s last-minute appointments— APC chieftain Gambo Magaji

    Alhaji Gambo Magaji is a retired federal Permanent Secretary and former Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and later chairman; he is at present a member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress (APC).  In this interview with TONY AKOWE, Alhaji Magaji speaks on life in retirement and how Abacha retired him on a Saturday against the civil service rules for refusing to obey instructions he believed to be against the law

    General Muhammadu Buhari has just been overwhelmingly elected by Nigerians who are full of high expectations.  Considering the current state of the economy, how do you think he should go about meeting these expectations?

    I think that Nigerians should give General Buhari some time to understand the current situation we are in. So, they should exercise some patience with him. The current state of the economy is frightening because Nigeria has gone back into debt which Obasanjo got us out of. With the coming of Jonathan, we have gone back to debt and this is a very serious situation. As you can see also, the Federal Government today is broke and cannot pay salaries. Some states also cannot pay salaries. Some states are still grappling to pay April salaries because of the decline in the oil receipt. Buhari, as we all know him, is transparently honest. Once Nigerians give him that understanding, given his determination and commitment to this country and its citizens, he will, within the first three to six months, sort out himself first because of the enormous problems he is going to meet.

    The Transition Committee, which he established, could not sit down with that of the Federal Government for one day and this shows to you that something is wrong somewhere. That means there are a lot of things the Jonathan government is trying to hide. But ostriching cannot take them anywhere. What I mean is that when an ostrich sees a storm, it buries its head and leaves the rest of the body outside and this is exactly what the Federal Government is doing. By the time Buhari takes over, he will have the authority in him to do what is right. Immediately he takes over, he should look into  the books of the Federal Government because right now, he has got a problem. But I believe what he needs to do is to set a three-month agenda for himself to rescue this nation because it is a rescue operation he is embarking upon, especially in the most critical areas so that Nigerians can have some respite.

    One, he should focus on security issues. For six years, the Jonathan government had been playing with Nigerians on the issue of Boko Haram, but when they realised that they have lost out, they now came back when it is too late. Like the saying goes, it is medicine after death. They have come now to sort out the security issues. Buhari is going to meet some of these problems; so, he should address that issue within the first 100 days of his administration.

    Another issue which he needs to address immediately is the issue of power. During Obasanjo, over $16 Billion was spent in establishing independent power plants. When Yar’Adua and Jonathan came on board, only God knows how much was spent. I can assure you that as we are talking now, the power generation in the country has dwindled from about 4000 megawatts to just about 2000 plus megawatts in spite of the huge investment. A friend of mine said with $20 billion investment, the United Kingdom improved their power generation by over 20,000 megawatts. So, with the level of investment in Nigeria, the level of our generation should have been hovering around about 30,000 megawatts. But today, it is only 2000 plus. So, Buhari needs to do something immediately.

    The third area he should look into is the issue of energy. Do we really require the so-called subsidy? Why are we having subsidy? I can tell you that subsidy was introduced deliberately because we killed our refineries. So, there must be a deliberate effort by him. He was the one who built these refineries when he was Federal Commissioner for Petroleum and so. He knows those who built the refineries. He should call them , sit down with them, let them rehabilitate these refineries so that we can stop this nonsense called oil subsidy because we will not import anymore. He should also encourage the establishment of private refineries or joint venture refineries. Luckily enough, Aliko Dangote is building one in Lagos, which will be processing about 600,000 barrels. I believe Dangote Refinery will come on stream in 2017 and we cannot wait for that. So, Buhari should within the first three months of his tenure ensure that at least two or three of our refineries come back on stream that will reduce the level of subsidy and will ensure employment and availability of the product to Nigerians. By that time, he should be able to reduce the subsidy because subsidy is supposed to reduce the effect of importation. Subsidy is a PDP cartel and the sooner it is done away with, the better for this country.

    The other aspect that he should look into immediately so that Nigerians feel there is change on the ground is our educational and health sectors. The other one which is very important is the issue of corruption. Once he looks into these areas and brings action to bear on them, Nigerians will be happy that there is change and that there is somebody who cares for them and that there is a system that cares, which is what they have voted for. After that, he should not bother about whatever briefs or notes  that have been handed over  to him.   As far as I am concerned, the Transition Committee is not getting the desired cooperation and understanding from the government. What I will advise him to do is to accept whatever they turn over to him, put it aside and establish sectoral panels when he takes over to look into all the sectors of government, give them a short time to look into all these things and come up with a programme for him for the first 100-days. They should come up with immediate, short and long-term recommendations, which will assist him in the implementation of his programmes.

    Few days to the end of President Jonathan to leave office, he is making fresh appointments on a daily basis. Having been part of the system before and knew how these things work, don’t you think these appointments are traps being set up for the incoming government?

    You are right that they are traps. One, they are doing it because those in his government are not technocrats. You need a technocrat to be your Secretary to Government; the current Secretary to Government is far from being a technocrat. He is there by chance and by representation. So, there is no way he can advise him for anything to be done. It is by God’s ordination that he (Jonathan) is President of this country and not that he is vast in the system of governance. He was never a civil servant and so does not know anything about governance. The same thing applies to most of his ministers. Agreed that Jonathan is the President of this country but his time will be up on May 29. I think there is an issue of morality around these things he is doing.

    In America where we borrowed this, once a President is elected, the sitting President normally consults with the incoming President if there are necessary appointments to be made or by constitutional provision have to be made. So, the outgoing President will confer with the incoming President before making such appointments because the outgoing President knows that the incoming President is the one to work with the people he is appointing. If he (incoming President) is not comfortable with them, there is nothing on earth that will make the outgoing President work with them. I could recall that when General Abdulsalami Abubakar  was leaving, there were appointments he made after conferring with Obasanjo. You can confirm this from Obasanjo who is still alive. There were appointments he made and did not confer with him.

    What Obasanjo did was to appoint a committee under Christopher Kolade, which looked into all the appointments made by Abdulsalami and the contracts he awarded and most of them were jettisoned and heaven did not fall. Buhari should do the same. All the appointments being made now and all the contracts being hurriedly awarded, he should appoint a similar committee to that of Kolade to look into all these appointments and contracts and where they are found not necessary or not tenable, they should all be disbanded or jettisoned. He should do this to save this country from the problems that this administration is creating for him.

    You have been in the opposition for 16 years and by the mercies of God, power has come to you. How do you plan to manage this success?

    There is an adage that it is always good to learn from the mistakes of others. We have seen the mistakes of the PDP and the rest of it and we will, as much as possible, avoid repeating those mistakes because if we toe their path, we know that what happened to PDP will happen to us. We have promised Nigerians what we are going to do. Knowing that Buhari is a man of his words, we will encourage him and all those surrounding him and working with or for him to ensure that whatever he promised, he should ensure that he keeps to his promises. We will have the courage to speak out where we find that things are not as we thought and tell Nigerians the reasons why things are the way they are or why we did what we did. There should be no deception between us and Nigerians because the issue is, we have to continue to relate with the electorate.

    We have to put a mechanism in place to relate with them and appeal for their understanding and tell them to draw our attention anytime they see us faltering because, after all, we are human beings like them. We should carry them along in whatever we are doing so that they can see the difference between us and the PDP. We should always make sure that we always go back to them on whatever we intend to do or whatever we have done and find out from them whether what we have done has been of benefit to them or not. If it has not been of benefit to them, what should we have have done to make it more beneficial to them and how do they want us to do it? From time to time, we should relate with them when we get that understanding and make ourselves available.

    It should not be a situation where you are elected, you come to Abuja, stay in Abuja and not go back to the electorate until the third year when you want to be re-elected again and give them rice and a few clothes. We will encourage our legislators and appointed officials to relate with the electorate because they are the ones who brought us here. It is not by our making but by the mercies of God  and with their understanding, support and giving us that confidence that we can represent them. We must do whatever we can not to lose that confidence.

    Nigerians have waited patiently for the APC to come up with its power sharing arrangement and nothing has been done so far and many people are already complaining about the delays. What is responsible for this?

    The issue is simple. People are used to PDP style, but we are not PDP. People have started going round collecting CVs when the President-elect himself has not requested for it and has not done anything about it. You know that many Nigerians want to be relevant and some of them are 419ners. I want to appeal to Nigerians to give us some understanding and still give us their confidence. We will not disappoint them. The sharing of positions is the simplest thing to do. Elections have been held and in politics, you reward those who elected you. Luckily, in the Nigerian constitution, there is a provision that the President must appoint one minister per state. So, whether the state elects you or not, he is under compulsion under the Nigerian constitution to appoint one minister from each state of the federation. Once he (Buhari) is sworn in, it becomes easy to sit down and sort out these issues. By the time you inaugurate the National Assembly, every other thing will just fall into place.

    Recently, the President-elect asked his security details to obey traffic rules and some people are of the opinion that because of his personal safety, he should not have given that directive.

    Security is in the hands of God and not anybody. The late Gen.  Sani Abacha was a sitting Head of State when God decided that it was time for him to go and he went. Since he (Buhari) has given that order, it is not a challenge to the security agencies to ensure that he is secured. If anything should happen to him, then they are at fault and should be held responsible. What he is doing is exactly what is happening in developed countries. If the President’s motorcade is coming  and there is a traffic light, they obey.

    We should start to have some orderliness in our daily lives. How many people have been killed by the convoys of governors and the rest and nothing happened? Nigerians are protected by the constitution of this country and somebody should be held responsible for this thing. Nobody is punished and therefore, life has become worthless. What he is trying to do is to say that everybody’s life is worth being protected and we are all the same before God. What I am saying is that it is a challenge to the security agencies of this country to ensure that where ever he is going, he is safe.

    Having been in the civil service and now retired…. (Caught in)

    For 20 years

    How is life in retirement?

    A human being makes his own life. There is no way I can sit down inactive. I have been active throughout my life and even now, I have to be active. When Abacha retired me on Saturday,  February 15, 1994 at about 4.00pm, on Sunday, a German friend of mine came to my house and said: ‘I heard that they have retired you’ and I said ‘yes.’ He said: ’Come, I will make you chairman of my company which was involved in port operations in Lagos.’ So, I became the chairman of the company and was earning 10 times what I was earning as a Permanent Secretary. As permanent Secretary, my salary was N2,000 because we were on a consolidated salary of N25,000 per year. So, when I got that appointment, my salary was increased to N4,000 per month and I had 2,000 Dutch mark as my oversea salary. That was about 10 times my salaries.

    When politics came, I participated. I was the one who wrote the constitution of the UNCP. I was also one of those who formed APP and later participated in the review of the constitution to form ANPP and also participated in the merger to form APC. I was in its constitution drafting committee, which was headed by Chief Segun Osoba, including the present Chairman, John Oyegun and Chirs Ngige. I also ventured into consultancy management, which is what I am doing now to keep myself bush because there is no way I can sit down doing nothing.

    If you look at the civil service during your time and what if is right now…

    I shed tears because the civil service is gone. I have suggested before that Buhari should set up a panel to be headed by Adamu Fika who was former Head of Civil Service of the Federation. He was retired during the Babangida regime because of disagreement over the civil service reforms. The committee should look into the civil service because it is gone. I was invited to a workshop and I shed tears because you find out that people who rose to director cannot prepare a council memo for you. This is something that we were doing when we were assistant secretaries. The Permanent Secretary cannot look at the ministers or whoever their bosses are and tell them the truth. I was Assistant Secretary in the North East with Musa Usman as governor.

    I was incharge of  political affairs of the North East, which is six states today. I would go to him and be would say:  ‘Gambo do this’ and I would say: ‘No, I won’t do it because that is not the way it should be done.’ They don’t even have the courage to look at their bosses and tell them the truth. The whole system is gone. For Buhari to succeed, he needs a vibrant, dedicated and purposeful civil service; those who can tell him politely, this is the way it is done. He needs people who can give their political heads advice and options and not the stereotype system where what the political head wants is what he gets. No. He should be given options so that he can take quality decisions so that at the end of the day, people can find out where there is problem.

    Why didn’t you challenge your retirement?

    It was a military government. How can I challenge them? Once there is a military regime, the first thing they do is to suspend the constitution. So, how can you challenge them? What happened was that we disagreed with him when he was Minister of Defence and Chief of Defence Staff on some promotions in the civil service. I was Permanent Secretary and Secretary of the Commission and I told him we would not do what he wanted because it contravened the provisions of Decree 43 which was the subsisting law them. I said they should withdraw the letter he sent and that was our disagreement.

  • How I handle advances from men –Kehinde Bankole

    How I handle advances from men –Kehinde Bankole

    After plunging into acting after a modelling career, Kehinde Bankole recently won Best Actress (Drama) at the 2015 Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award (AMVCA) for her role as Tawa in the epic movie, October 1. In this interview with JOE AGBRO JR., the beautiful actress talks about her beginning, how the award is speeding up her career and other matters

    You started in the entertainment industry as a model. How did the whole acting thing begin for you?

    Well, acting began after I wanted more than modelling.  I had competed twice already in a beauty pageant, being the Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria 2004 and Miss Commonwealth in 2003, where I made top 10 and top five respectively and went on to do run-way modelling for Mon Ami, but I would be advised then by the actress playing Miss Pepeiye for Papa Ajasco series, Leona, and my twin sister who had begun acting then to come for an audition at Wale Adenuga Productions. I went and that was the beginning.

    Between modelling and acting, which is more lucrative?

    They both are lucrative. Let me explain. Modelling at the level I started which was just runway was not lucrative then when compared to acting, but modelling for me now is quite lucrative as it’s not just being a face or a body any more but advanced unto being a brand spokesperson and ambassador and professional image representative.

     What was your first major acting role and when was it?

    My first major acting role was as a character called Caro in One Bad Apple episode of the Super Story series where I worked alongside Wale Adebayo (Sango as Corporal Francis and Grace Ama as Tayo).

     When you first started, did your parents object to acting?

    They did not object but were a bit hesitant because of their concern for my academics, but after proving two years consecutively in school that I could have good grades and still go down to Lagos from Ogun State University to act, they relaxed their concerns a little more.

     Acting puts people in the limelight. Has being an actress robbed you of privacy?

    Certainly, being an actress had robbed me of some level of privacy but I have still been able to maintain some privacy and enjoy my alone moments when I’m off camera.

    What is happening to the show, Soul Sisters, which you were doing with two other ladies?

    The Soul Sisters show has been off air for a while. That is not to say we cannot still come together to bring something forward to the fans. We will wait to see what the future holds.

    You’re a twin. Tell us a little about your twin sister.

    Wow! Fashionista, resilient event planner and business woman. We have our moments of arguing but we are quick to agree and move on.  She is my biggest fan and shares that spot with only one more person. And one of the major advisers over my career and life decisions. That’s my twin sister.

     What other things do you do apart from acting?

    Singing – I love writing music. I make little poems here and there. And I love to sketch.

     What do you consider as your major assets?

    My skill as an evolving actor, my heart and my unique looks.

    You recently won Best Actress at the AMVCA for your role in October 1. How did you get the role for the movie?

    I had earlier gone to Mr Afolayan’s Golden Effect to read for a role but did not get a call back.  Then sometime recently I got a call from him to come and read for a part, being Tawa. I went and read. And this time I got a call back. I guess I must have left a better impression this time.

     What’s the difference between you and Tawa in October 1?

    The difference between me and Tawa is that Tawa was quiet as most women those days were groomed to be. But Kehinde is quite vocal.

     Did you foresee winning the award?

    I had on few occasions thought how ‘wow,’ it will be to win the best actress for the year in the drama category, and even said a few words to myself as an acceptance speech (laughing), but I was completely overjoyed when I was announced winner.

    How has your life changed after winning the AMVCA and how do you intend to spend the N1m prize money?

    Drastically. I have been getting more attention for all my work that had been out there initially before the award. I have been getting more scripts and looking more into roles that will further prove my strength. It’s been beautiful.

    It was rumoured that you had to make your complexion darker for the role. Was it that you were bleaching before that?

    No, nothing of the sort. My skin had been and remains a brown one. But, I had before then been carefully protecting it from darkening with sun screens. But on getting the role, I had to stop all the protection and switch to shea butter and coconut oil which is known to both smoothen and darken as it polishes the skin.

    You also cut your hair for the movie. Was that a difficult experience?

    No, it was not. Once I had begun to mentally prepare myself for a role, all thoughts about bringing the role to reality is my next surge of excitement.

     What are some of the challenges you have experienced in the movie industry?

    So far, (it has) majorly been at the beginning – communication. Getting information about (opportunities) but now social media and (the) jet age had helped to eradicate that.

    How many movies and TV series have you acted in so far?

    About 10 movies and five TV series.

     Who are your role models in the industry?

    In no particular order, they are Wale Adenuga, Tyler Perry, Kunle Afolayan and Oprah Winfrey.

    Acting comes with numerous challenges. Was there any time you wanted to quit acting?

    There has never been a time I wanted to quit acting.

    You’re skinny. Are there times that you feel you should put on more flesh?

    I am perfectly happy with my body. I continue to keep it fit and healthy.

    You’re always smiling and a lot of people won’t know your other side. What are some things that can put you off?

    I can be put off by dishonesty and pettiness and by people who have low self-esteem and resort to pride to feel comfortable with themselves.

    Tell us something someone has said to you about your gap tooth

    That it’s very lovely.

     How do you socialise?

    I do that with good conversations and an honest smile. I also go out for good movies and fun times with friends and associates.

    You’re a pretty lady. In a recent interview, you said you’re not single and you’re not married. What exactly do you mean?

    Well, with that I meant I am the type that likes to keep that private until I (am) ready to reveal the actual status which will by then be open for all to see.

     How do you respond to male advances, both from fans and other professionals in the industry?

    I always treat them with respect and let them know my stand politely. And so far, it’s been working well that way.

     If you were not acting, what would you have been doing?

    I would be a singer and beauty business consultant.

     Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

    I see myself in international film projects that will make Nigeria shine steadily to the rest of the world and projects to be remembered in a long time to come.

     It’s election period. Are you going to vote?

    Yes, I am going to vote the party that seems to convince me as a better choice after I have asked lots of questions from the much older generation who know the truth about all the political fronts being presented to especially we this young generation, who don’t know much of the truth.

  • How do I handle men

    Deola, a young lady I met recently with whom I became very friendly asked me, “How do I handle men that keep running after me everywhere?”

    – Yinka, Minna.

    Dear Yinka, please tell that young girl that women in their sixties who look good are still being chased everywhere they go by men, so it is normal for the attention of a young girl to be sought by men of all ages.

    Tell her to bask in the euphoria of being admired and asked out, but never to get carried away. Also tell her that if she wants to choose, she should choose wisely and let her know that a girl is entitled to only one man.

    She should be nice to people generally and should know when a man is becoming a nuisance enough to ignore him.