Tag: history

• Continued from last Sunday

Meanwhile, Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar, has warned that efforts to rebuild the areas devastated by the activities of Boko Haram in the North-East will fail unless the underlying problems of poverty and ignorance are adequately addressed.

Abubakar gave the warning yesterday when he received the 12-member Assessment Team of the European Union (EU), United Nations (UN) and World Bank (WB) on insurgency devastated areas in the North East to Bauchi.

The team was led by AlhajiWakilAdamu from the office of the Vice-President on a courtesy call to him at Government House, Bauchi in company with officials of National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency, UNICEF, among others.

The governor said the mission of the team was a welcome and timely one in view of the devastation of Boko Haram has unleashed on Nigerians because of its multiple effects particularly among those residing in the North-East.

According to him, “Rebuilding infrastructure is important in rebuilding the areas but addressing the underlying factor of the insurgency is much more important because the North-East is seriously affected by poverty and ignorance.

“If poverty and ignorance are not properly addressed, they could provide grounds for the rise of another crazy group if Boko Haram is taken care of.  We are running a risk if poverty is not addressed.”

He explained that Bauchi State has played host to an influx of internally displaced persons (IDPs) since 2004 following ethno-religious crises in Kaduna, Plateau and some parts of Bauchi long before the Boko Haram crisis that broke out in 1999.

Abubakar explained that the state has been hospitable to millions of displaced persons that have escaped crisis in other parts of the region saying several communities have sprang up as a result of the incidents.  He said although most of them have resettled in Bauchi they are psychologically displaced and urged the team to take their plight into consideration.”

Lt-General T.Y. Danjuma did not add:

“Murtala Mohammed must be turning in his grave.”

Also, our current Head of State, President MuhammaduBuhari, who served as Petroleum Minister under the MurtalaMuhammed/Obasanjo regime, delivered his own verdict when he visited Abeokuta, Ogun State last week:

“During my tenure as Petroleum Minister and later Head of State, there was no need to import fuel.  We built three refineries and were even exporting petroleum products.  Sadly, this is no longer the case.”

He too did not add :Murtala Mohammed must be turning in his grave.

It was left to Dr. Walter Carrington, the former Ambassador of the United States of America to intercede on behalf of Nigeria.

Front page headline:                 “The Nation” newspaper of October 22, 2015.

“NIGERIA IS SUFFERING FROM “DUTCH DISEASE” SAYS CARRINGTON.

• Buhari can turn things around

“Former United States Ambassador to Nigeria Walter Carrington has urged the country try to diversify its economy to reduce its reliance on petroleum in the face of failing oil prices.

Carrington said the country, like many other highly endowed extractive natural resource nations, suffers from what economists call ‘Dutch disease’.

Dutch disease is the negative impact on an economy of anything that gives rise to a sharp inflow of foreign currency, such as the discovery of large oil reserves.  The currency inflows lead to currency appreciation, making the country’s other products less price competitive on the export market.

He, however, expressed confidence in President MuhammaduBuhari, saying he has the honesty and dedication to turn things around for good.

Speaking at the University of Benin’s First Eminent Lecture Series, the diplomat said Nigeria was experiencing what he called a contradiction of development economics – “growth without development”.

He spoke on the theme: Nigeria and Future of the Black World.

‘Dutch disease’, Carrington said, is where other economic sectors such as agriculture and manufacturing are relatively ignored.

The result, according to him is that Nigeria’s overall unemployment rate rose from 6.4 per cent in 2006 to 24.20 per cent this year.

The figure, Carrington said, represents about half of the rate for young people between the ages of 15 and 34.

“That Nigeria has had one of the strongest growth rates in Africa is encouraging.  However, its sustainability is in doubt because of the near collapse worldwide in oil prices.

“The country must do what so many OPEC members are doing – diversify its economy to lessen the dependence on petroleum, which provides an outsized portion of the national budget.

Members of my generation remember the days before the oil boom.  We remember that at the time of independence in 1960, Nigeria’s annual agricultural crop yields were higher than those of Indonesia and Malaysia.  Today, they have dwindled by half as much.

The fact that Nigeria’s current yield per hectare is less than 50 per cent of that of comparable developing countries demonstrates how much Nigeria has abandoned its once promising agricultural sector.

Until Nigeria is able to rely less on capital intensive sectors of the economy and more on labour intensive ones, it will be difficult to see how it will meet its ambitious goals to make the country one of the world’s 20 most important economies.

Diversification is urgently needed to make the economy less vulnerable to downswings in petroleum prices,” Carrington said.

The former U.S. ambassador said some people identified Nigeria as the great hope of the Black World.

He said although many dismissed Africa as a continent of nations, whose leaders were too venal to govern on their people’s behalf, Nigeria can prove them wrong.

“I feel confident that in President Buhari you have a leader who is honest, dedicated and tough enough to turn this country around.  I have always admired his record of public probity and his lack of private flamboyance.

As a private citizen, he has lived modestly and since taking on the duties of head of state, he has set a refreshing example of financial transparency, which all public officials should and must emulate,”he said.

Carrington’s wife, Arese, an international public health consultant, who gave the second lecture with the theme: “The female imperative in the new Africa”, emphasised the need for proper education.

“With an education, no one can pull the wool over our eyes.  Education gives us the ability to think for ourselves and analyse things critically.  An uneducated population is a population in bondage,”

When CBS went to town with the front page report of “ThisDay”newspaper of October 21, 2015, it made no mention of General Murtala Mohammed turning in his grave.

Headline:  “WITNESS: HOW EX-GOVERNOR OHAHIM PAID N270 MILLION CASH FOR ABUJA PROPERTY.”

“Proceedings in the trial of former Imo State governor, IkediOhahim, before Justice AdeniyiAdemola of the Federal High Court, Abuja resumed yesterday, with the prosecution witness giving a blow-by-blow account of how the former governor  allegedly made a cash payment of $2.29 million (N270 million) for a piece of land at Plot 1098 Cadastral Zone A04, Asokoro District, otherwise known as No. 60, Kwame Nkrumah Street, Asokoro, Abuja.

Justice Ademola had admitted Ohahim bail on July 9, 2015, following his arraignment the day before by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a three-count charge bordering on money laundering.

At yesterday’s hearing, prosecution witness, IshayaDauda, said investigation into the alleged offence began in 2010 after the commission received petitions coupled with intelligence reports.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Festus Keyamo, Dauda, a Senior Detective Superintendent (SDS) with the EFCC, said the accused person who served as Imo State governor between 2007 and 2011, was invited to the EFCC office in 2013.

“I gave him the petitions to go through and asked him if he would be willing to volunteer a statement or not and he answered in the affirmative, I then administered the word of caution and EFCC statement form on him.  I also asked him whether he understood the word of caution and he said yes; then, he signed the form, indicating that he understood the word of caution,” he told the court.

According to him, the accused person was given the EFCC asset declaration form to fill, in addition to his statements that were obtained five times between 2013 and 2015.

Copies of the five statements, which were obtained on January 25, 2013; January 31, 2013, June 18, 2015, June 22, 2015 and June 29, 2015, were tendered and admitted in evidence as exhibits EFCC one to five.

Giving further evidence, Dauda said the accused person made copious statements regarding the said property.

“Working on the intelligence reports at our disposal, after the accused person had declared his assets, it was discovered that there was no banking transaction for the purchase of the property.

We found out that only a cash payment was made in respect of the property.  So we took the accused person to the property.  When we brought him back to our office, we asked him who owns the property and he said he rented the property through one Abu Sule, Managing Director, Tweeenex Consociate H.D. Limited,” the detective averred.

However, the prosecution witness said Abu Sule, who initially denied ownership of the property during interrogation by the EFCC, said the accused person gave him $2.2 million, which was equivalent of N270 million as at that time, in one payment.

“Abu Sule said he bought the property from one AlhajiIsahMuntairMaidabino.  He also said after receiving the money from the accused person at the Imo State Government House in Asokoro, Abuja on a certain night, he made the cash payment to AlhajiIssaMuntair-Maidabino,” he added.

 

• To be continued next Sunday

Forty years after General Ramat Murtala Mohammed was assassinated on Friday 13th February 1976 has crept up on us with deadly stealth.

Even if there was any chance that the horror, brutality and savagery which scarred our nation’s history would be quietly forgotten, a severe jolt was provided by the verdict delivered by his successor General OlusegunObasanjo :

“Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators acting like emperors.  These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.”

We shall revert to the full text of the judgement delivered except that there was no “obiter dictum” (outside the word/said by the way) to the effect that General Murtala Mohammed must be turning in his grave.

Former President of Nigeria, Chief OlusegunObasanjo, on Monday lambasted some state governors in Nigeria for living like emperors while demanding sacrifice from the citizens for Nigeria to survive the hard times.

Obasanjo chided the governors while speaking as the chairman at the inaugural conference of the Ibadan School of Government and Public Policy, held at the University of Ibadan [ISGPP].

Obasanjo said when he became Nigerian president in 1999; he recognised corruption as a major impediment to the Nigerian state, setting up structures like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to fight the rot. However, he said that after he left, corruption returned to Nigeria with a vengeance, draining billions of dollars from the nation’s economy that could hardly afford to lose even a million dollars.

He said, “Leaders who call for sacrifice from the citizenry cannot be living in obscene opulence. We must address these foundational issues to make the economy work, to strengthen our institutions, build public confidence in government and deal with our peace and security challenges.

We must address the issue of employment for our teeming population particularly for our youths. Leadership must mentor the young, and provide them with hope about their future as part of a process of inter-generational conversation.

Nigeria is a country where some governors have become sole administrators, acting like emperors. These governors have rendered public institutions irrelevant and useless.

Is there development work going on in the 774 constitutionally recognised local government councils, which have been merely appropriated as private estates of some governors?

Some governors have hijacked the resources of the local governments and this has crippled the developments of the local government councils in the country. The National Assembly must also open its budgets to public scrutiny.”

The former president said the drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market had exposed the weakness of governance in Nigeria, while also saying that Nigeria was racing towards becoming a nation of debt with its attendant burden on the citizens.

“The drastic fall in the price of oil in the international market has unravelled the weakness of governance in Nigeria. The Minister of Finance has recently announced that the 2016 budget deficit may be increased from the current N2.2 trillion in the draft document before the National Assembly, to N3 trillion due to decline in the price of crude oil.

If the current fiscal challenge is not creatively addressed, Nigeria may be on its way to another episode of debt overhang which may not be good for the country,” Obasanjo said.

On the establishment of ISGPP in Ibadan, Obasanjo said there was clearly a need for schools of its kind that would focus research and teaching on implementing policy and making the government work well in Africa.

“I hope it will generate ideas that will lead us from thinking to doing. It must not only generate ideas, it must foster a willingness to use those ideas within government and non-government sectors,” he said.

At the two day-conference, themed, ‘Getting government to work for development and democracy in Nigeria: agenda for change’, Chairman, Board of Governors of the ISGPP, who is a former foreign Affairs Minister, Chief EmekaAnyaoku, and professor of international history and politics, John Evans, also delivered addresses among other speakers.

Perhaps we should remind ourselves that on 29th July, 1975 General Yakubu Gowon was toppled in a bloodless coup d’etat while he was away in Kampala, East Africa attending an OAU summit.

The coup leaders were a group of officers led by Colonel Joe NanvenGarba, but rather than grab power themselves, they ceded it to their superior officers.  BrigadierMurtala Mohammed was installed as the new Head of State with Brigadier OlusegunObasanjo as the Chief of Staff Supreme Headquarters (Vice-President) and Brigadier TheophilusYakubuDanjuma as the Chief of Army Staff.

Thankfully, Lt.General T.Y. Danjuma in his typically robust manner has delivered his own verdict on a section of our beloved nation.

Focus On Africa (CNN)

and front page report of “ThisDay” newspaper of February 4, 2016.

Headline:  DANJUMA: N2 TRILLION REQUIRED TO REBUILD NORTH EAST

“The Chairman, Presidential Committee on North-East Initiative, Lt-Gen. TheophilusDanjuma (Rtd.) has estimated that over N2 trillion will be required in the short-term to rebuild the zone ravaged by the Boko Haram terrorists.

Danjuma stated this yesterday during the opening of the two-day security seminar, organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC), in Abuja.

He however, noted that the rebuilding of the region would require the cooperation of all stakeholders, saying that “the magnitude of destruction was beyond the means of the federal or state governments.”

According to him, rebuilding the North-East would demand maximum cooperation and resources, especially in the most affected states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.

He said: “Conservative estimates put the cost of short-term intervention of the reconstruction of the region at over N2trillion.

“Rebuilding the North-East is one of the biggest and most complex challenges that Nigeria is facing today.  To hold government or any one agency alone responsible for this task is to underestimate the enormity of the problem.

“The task would involve massive    reconstruction of physical infrastructure, much of which have been totally destroyed and, of course, the more challenging one, which is the rebuilding of peace and social cohesion.”

Speaking further, Danjuma called on Nigerians and friends of Nigeria to support the initiative of the federal government to rebuild the region.

He gave an assurance that the various platforms established by government for the reconstruction of the region would be carefully managed to check embezzlement of resources.

The former Minister of Defence stressed that the various initiatives under his chairmanship would deploy the best strategies in ensuring that the expectations of the victims of the insurgency and donors were met.

“The rebuilding of the North-East requires considerable planning and coordination.  It is largely in response to this that the president has set up the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative to, among other things, oversee and harmonise the functions of the various entities engaged in the North-East.

This task, we must discharge transparently and accountably so that our country is not embarrassed by fresh allegations of corruption in the management of the North-East reconstruction,” he said.

Danjuma, also warned that the war against Boko Haram was not yet over and urged that a lot was still required to prevent the spate of suicide bombings in the country.

In the same vein, the Minister of Defence, Brig.-Gen. Muhammad Mansur Dan-Ali (Rtd), described the destruction caused by the insurgency as monumental and one that requires the attention and intervention of all Nigerians.

Dan-Ali said the ministry was concerned about the plight of displaced persons as well as the conduct and welfare of troops in the area.

He blamed the present state of the war against insurgency and the resulting effect on displaced persons on the endemic corruption that plagued the procurement of the necessary equipment to prosecute the war.

He expressed hope that the present initiative of President MuhammaduBuhari, aimed at reconstructing the region, would yield the needed results.

Also speaking, the President of the alumni association, Brig-Gen. Jonathan Temlong (Rtd), said the seminar was an attempt by the association to put into perspective the issue of rebuilding the North-East.

Temlong described the rebuilding of the North-East as a complex process and the living condition of displaced persons as chaotic and dehumanising.

He said Borno had the highest number of IDPs totalling over 1.6 million as at October 2015, with over one million others taking refuge in Cameroun, Chad and Niger Republic.

The participants in the seminar were drawn from civil society organisation, traditional institution, development partners and security agencies.

 

• To be continued next Sunday