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  • Kwara: Hurdles before APC’s AbdulRazaq

    The victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the governorship election in Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, suggests that the people are fed up with the outgoing administration and that they wish to see positive signs in the new administration within a short period of time. Correspondent ADEKUNLE JIMOH highlights the challenges that will confront the incoming government.

    KWARA State Governor-elect Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq will assume office on May 29. His victory at the March 9, has been described by many as unprecedented and historic. The dismantling of the Saraki dynasty that had held political sway in the state for more than four decades was due to the determination of the people to see a different set of leaders in the corridors of power in Ilorin, the state capital.

    The people demonstrated that they were no longer going to tolerate bad governance, which the out-going administration epitomised. A vast majority of Kwarans had, before the elections, laid the blame at the doorsteps of Senate President Bukola Saraki, heir apparent of the Saraki dynasty. They claimed that Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed was and still is Saraki’s lackey.

    Abdulrazaq, who contested the governorship on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), campaigned to effect change in the North-central state, if given a chance to govern by the electorates.

    With this mindset, the people of Kwara have a mountain of expectations from the incoming administration of Abdulrazaq, in terms of regular payment of salaries, provision of infrastructural facilities and others which had been in short supply in the last 12 years.

    Different stakeholders have different expectations from the incoming government. There are expectations from the electorates and from the party members. The APC, which is the ruling party in the centre, had to throw everything at its disposal to defeat Saraki and his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) supporters. Before and during the election, the APC was – and perhaps remains — an amalgam of disparate interest groups held together by their determination to oust the Saraki dynasty.

    But, now that Abdulrazaq has triumphed, what is he going to do with this opportunity? After congratulating the governor-elect, some Muslim clerics warned the incoming governor against derailing in his administration. They said: “if you fall short of our expectations we will be at the forefront of championing your ouster from Kwara State Government House.

    “We are giving you just one year of grace. After that, your actions and inactions will come under our searchlight. We know a lot of damage has been done, but with our prayers we hope you will succeed.”

    Teachers have also made similar statements. The teachers who spoke under the aegis of Kwara State Concerned Teachers urged Abdulrazaq to place high premium on workers’ welfare to stabilise its administration.

    A spokesperson of the group, Mallam Abdulwahab Abubakar, said: “Our advice to the incoming government is that it should take workers welfare as a priority. The state government owes teachers three months salary arrears with some percentage.

    “But to our surprise, we were only paid 81 per cent of our March salary, out of the huge amount of money that came to the coffers of the state government from the Federation Account. It is uncalled for. We expect our leaders to come out and confront the government.”

    The Christian community has also spoken in a similar vein. Diocesan Bishop of the Kwara State Methodist Church, Rev Simeon Onaleke, has cautioned the incoming government to be focused and be wary of sycophants that might be milling around the corridors of power.

    Rev Onaleke said the people’s expectations are high and that the incoming government should not disappoint them. He assured Abdulrazaq that the church would continue to pray for his success.

    The clergyman said Kwara State, which was created in 1967, has remained predominantly underdeveloped, because past leaders did not live up expectations. He said there is the need to establish more industries to reduce the rate of unemployment in the state.

    Onaleke added: “There is need to have more housing units to cater for workers who do not have houses of their own. Government should create tourist centres that can attract investors. In appointing people into public office, those who are non-indigenes that have lived here for many years, contributing to the economic growth of the state, should also be considered.”

    Commenting on the APC’s victory, Information and Culture Minister, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who was one of the arrowheads of the campaign to vote out the Saraki dynasty, described the APC victory as historic. His words: “it will be an understatement to say that the Kwara State election attracted the most comments in the country.

    “The victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governor-elect, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is historic. It is not just for the people of Kwara State, it is for the whole of the country. Of course, that also means a big burden is on his shoulders, because the expectations are high.

    “What that means is that the people’s power is more important and stronger than the people in power. What the people of Kwara State had demonstrated is that they have discovered their power and that they are going to punish any government that does not care about their welfare. They have finally realised that ultimate power resides in them.

    “If what happened in Kwara State is anything to go by, it is a warning to all governments that they must have the interest of the people at heart. What this also means is that notwithstanding the popular support we got from the people, if we fail to perform, the same people will turn against us.”

    Mohammed added that failure is not an option for the incoming APC government. But, he nevertheless called for understanding and patience from the public. He said: “The expectations are very high and we must take advantage of their enthusiasm to ensure we deliver the dividend of democracy.

    “The honeymoon may not last over three months, unless we do well. We can’t afford to fail them. In less than a year, the people of Kwara will see a difference between us and the outgoing political dynasty. We appeal to them (Kwarans) to be patient, because it is easier to destroy than to build.”

    Kwara APC chairman, Bashir Bolarinwa, thanked the party hierarchy and members for standing together while the struggle lasted. He said: “But for the perseverance and understanding of our members and leaders and with God’s grace, we couldn’t have come this far. We swallowed our pride and came together and remained united against all odds. We shunned our grievances for the greater good of our people. We thank all of you.”

    In a remark after collecting his Certificate of Return, Mallam Abdulrazaq promised not to label anybody as opposition. He said his administration would be an all-inclusive government that would embrace everybody.

    His words: “This state belongs to all. We don’t see anybody as opposition. It is Kwara for all. All hands must be on deck (to rebuild the state). This is a poor state and a lot of work has to be done. We will embrace everybody.”

    The governor-elect said the new administration has a lot of work to do to get the state back on its feet. He called on all Kwarans to support his government once he is inaugurated by the end of May.

    He added: “When you record a winning margin of 75 per cent as we did, it means that even those on the side of the PDP voted for us. So, we are going to ensure that we all work together. We are not going to label anybody. There are good people on the other side too,” he said.

    “Our members will also be taken care of and our priority will be to rebuild our state. We need to get everyone together for the task ahead and move our state forward… We have a big task ahead of us, but we will surmount the challenges by the grace of God. Once again, we thank everyone who took part in the elections — either as officials or as voters.”

    AbdulRazaq also hailed the electoral body, the security agencies and the voters for their patriotic roles while the exercise lasted.

    He rated the elections in Kwara as the most peaceful and orderly, commending the security agencies for checkmating thuggery and potential violence in the state.

    His words: “I like to thank INEC for providing a level-playing field for all in the election. The election in Kwara was the best I have ever seen so far.  The INEC was fair to all. I remember that we had many complaints… but at the end of the day they were fair to all.

    “As for the security agencies, I’m lost for words. This is the first election in this republic that no shot was fired by thugs and hooligans. We now see that with the right support, the security agencies can deliver on their mandate. When we are sworn in, we’ll give the right support to the security agencies to make sure that the state is secure. If you have a secure environment, you will have the right kind of investments. We’ll make sure things are done properly.”

    The incoming governor also promised to use his first 100 days in office to rehabilitate and empower street urchins, otherwise known as ‘good boys’.  He said his administration will grant amnesty to some of the ‘good boys’ that are willing to be rehabilitated. He also promised to help continue their education and give them vocational training, if they voluntarily renounce their anti-social behaviour.

    During the inauguration of his 80-member transition committee, Abdulrazaq said his administration would be a complete departure from the old order. He added that he would run a government that serves the best interest of the people.

    The businessman-turned politician said: “For the past 16 years, they have been running government in their own style. We have put this committee in place to engage the outgoing government to know how much we are owing and the state of our infrastructure. We cannot walk blindly into office and succeed.

    “The huge margin of our victory at the polls suggests that our people are fed up with the status quo and want a new approach to governance. We, therefore, have a historic duty to serve their best.

    “To do that, we must understand the current governance structure in the state; we must know how the current system works to be able to know where to begin, what current policy would be retained, and what policy must go. We also need to know what is in the books in terms of financial receipts, obligations, contracts and other things.

    “This is why we have taken our time to nominate some of the best hands around – in terms of competence, credibility and maturity — as members of this committee, with proper accommodation of the various political tendencies in our political party. In essence, the most crucial work of this committee is to ensure that we hit the ground running on May 29.”

     

  • Hurdles for Naira as election approaches

    Next month’s general elections will have negative impact on the naira exchange rate. This year will also be defined by the take-off of the Payment Service Bank (PSBs) launched last November by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to boost financial inclusion.The PSBs are expected to, within the year, help the apex bank achieve its financial inclusion target. The investors’and Exporters’ (I&E) Forex window will be sustained by the CBN to keep the local currency stable amid election fears, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

    The elections planned for next month will have negative impact on the naira, stakeholders have warned.

    The local currency is likely to face a major volatility crisis as the general elections approach, Financial Derivatives Company Limited Managing Director, Bismarck Rewane has said.

    He said the local currency will slide to between N385 and 395/$ as against the current N362 /$.

    He predicted that the bearish market trend would persist with Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) expected to push the equities market to the south.

    Rewane predicted that the capital market index would reach a trough in the second quarter of the year but pick up on the back of a violence-free handover.

    “Gradual restoration of investor confidence and increasing market activities, FPI inflows will pick up after the elections. Increased investors confidence, positive market performance, driven by increasing demand,” he predicted.

    He said naira liquidity would increase on the back of minimum wage review, election spending, adding that currency adjustment is likely to occur by 2019-end.

     

    Payment Service Banks

    Financial market analyst, Michael Obi, said the Payment Service Banks (PSBs) inaugurated by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to drive a sound financial system and enhance access to financial services for low income earners and unbanked segments of the society will also top agenda this year.

    The PSBs are to operate mostly in the rural areas and unbanked locations, targeting financially-excluded persons, with not less than 25 per cent  financial service touch points in such rural areas as defined by the CBN from time to time, the guidelines said.

    According to the CBN, the key objective of setting up PSBs is to enhance financial inclusion by increasing access to deposit products and payment/remittance services to small businesses, low-income households and other financially excluded entities through high-volume low-value transactions in a secured technology-driven environment.

    The new banks are to also enter into direct partnership with card scheme operators, but such cards shall not be eligible for foreign currency transactions.

    They are to deploy ATMs as well as  Point of Sale (PoS) devices to some areas and be at liberty to operate through banking agents (in line with the CBN’s Guidelines for the Regulation of Agent Banking and Agent Banking Relationships in Nigeria).

    The National Financial Inclusion Strategy (NFIS), which supports PSBs, seeks to ensure that over 80 per cent of the bankable adults in Nigeria have access to financial services by 2020.

    The CBN, in collaboration with stakeholders, was launched the NFIS on October 23, 2012 to reduce the exclusion rate to 20 per cent by 2020.

    Despite several initiatives, including the Introduction of Microfinance Banking, Agent Banking, Tiered Know-Your-Customer Requirements and Mobile Money Operation (MMO) in pursuit of this objective, the inclusion rate remains below expectation.

    The CBN, in the circumstance and in collaboration with critical stakeholders in the digital financial ecosystem, such as the Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), commercial banks, mobile money operators and telecommunication companies, have conducted several study tours of other jurisdictions that have made significant progress in driving financial inclusion.

     

    Mergers and acquisitions

    The Federal Government, which owns Polaris Bank, injected N786 billion into the new bank. The long-time loan was priced at single digit interest rate. New investors are expected to see the value in the new bank and buy it from the Federal Government.

    Polaris Bank Group Managing Director (GMD) Adetokunbo Abiru stated the efforts of the new management team to stabilise the defunct Skye Bank and reassured  stakeholders of the bank that it would have no problem meeting its obligations to corresponding banks, depositors, customers and other financial institutions.

    He also stated that Polaris Bank had been established to assume ownership of the assets and liabilities of Skye Bank, and that the management of the defunct bank had been retained for its good performance.

    While the banking sector was about recovering from the Skye Bank saga, the airwaves were agog with news of Diamond Bank merger with Access Bank. The planned merger has already got the approval of the CBN and is expected to be concluded in the first half of the year.

    The merger followed the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement and announcement of headline terms, which valued Diamond Bank at N72.5 billion ($200 million) and will see Diamond Bank shareholders receive N3.13 per share in cash and shares.

    Access Bank and Diamond Bank are announcing further details, including the rationale and benefits of the deal, the estimated cost synergies, the capital management plan and the timetable.

    The merger will form a leading Tier 1 Nigerian bank and the largest bank in Africa by number of customers, spanning three continents, 12 countries and 29 million clients.

     

    Forex restriction on 42 items

    CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele has outlined the monetary policy thrust for 2019.

    He said the short-term outlook of the economy remains good, adding that tight stance of the bank will continue in the near-term.

    Emefiele stated these while delivering the keynote address entitled: “Strengthening the economic recovery process in Nigeria” at the 53rd Annual Bankers’ Dinner of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) held in Lagos late last year.

    He also said the bank, working with the Federal Government, was open to foreign investors who were keen to support efforts at unlocking the immense opportunities in the economy.

    “Your Central Bank is more committed to creating wealth and putting in place strong policies for creating jobs for our growing youth population; your Central Bank today is ever more committed to promoting a more stable and resilient financial system,” he said.

    While advising against hasty criticism of monetary policies, which he said, were taken based on macroeconomic and geo-political contexts, he assured that the CBN would always act in good faith, with the best available information and in cognizance of economic conditions, to pursue price and financial system stability, support job creation on a massive scale and ensure a more inclusive growth in the economy.

    On the restriction of access to foreign exchange from the market for 41 items that can be produced in Nigeria, he reeled out statistics to show that the policy had helped to boost local production of the items. He said that the combination of the restriction on 41 items along with other measures imposed by the fiscal and monetary authorities helped to promote the recovery that got Nigeria out of recession.

     

    Budget implementation

    also a priority

    The implementation of the 2019 budget and part of the 2018 will also be a major development in the financial sector and economy this year.

    The Federal Government’s 2018 and 2019 combined budget figure of N17.93 trillion (N9.1 trillion in 2018 and N8.83 trillion in 2019) needs revenue drive from oil and non-oil sectors to be realised. Funding the budget with the volatility in the oil market will also form major discourse this year.

    From year to year, the implementation of the budget has not only been impacted by delays in the signing of the budget but by limited revenue.  The 2017 budget implementation report released by the Budget Office of the Federation showed an acute revenue shortage.  Gross oil revenue stood at N4.084 trillion representing 23.43 per cent below budget.The shortfall in gross non-oil revenue for 2017 was 34.46 per cent as the country only generated N2.791 trillion.

    According to the Budget Office, the net distributable revenue shared by the three tiers of government in 2017 after cost deductions was N4.944 trillion, representing a shortfall of 41.92 per cent.  With limited revenue, the country is said to be spending over 60 per cent of its revenue on debt servicing.

    Speaking at the 2019 budget proposal presentation in Abuja, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, gave a breakdown of the 2018 budget implementation and 2019 budget estimate as against revenue target.

    Udoma said at the end of the third quarter of the year, the Federal Government’s actual aggregate revenue was N2.84 trillion, which is 40 percent higher than 2017 revenue.

    This includes oil revenue of N1.51 trillion (101 per cent higher than 2017); Company Income Tax (CIT) of N500.37 billion (23 per cent higher than 2017); Value-Added Tax (VAT) of N100.37 billion ( five per cent higher than 2017); and Customs collections of N229.62 billion (11 per cent higher than 2017).

    The overall revenue performance is only 53 per cent of the target in the 2018 budget largely because some one-off items, such as the N710 billion from Oil Joint Venture Asset restructuring, are yet to be actualised and have been rolled over to 2019.

    Of the total appropriation of N9.12 trillion in 2018, N4.59 trillion had been spent by September 30, against the pro-rated expenditure target of N6.84 trillion. This represents 67 per cent performance.  Debt service and the implementation of non-debt recurrent expenditure, notably payment of workers’ salaries and pensions are on track but capital releases only commenced after the signing of the budget on June 20.

    “As at 14th December 2018, a total of N820.57 billion had been released for capital projects. Spending on capital has been prioritised in favour of critical ongoing infrastructural projects in the power, roads, rail and agriculture sectors. Implementation of the 2018 Capital Budget will continue into 2019 until the 2019 budget is passed into law,” Udoma said.

  • Hurdles against 40% board membership for women bankers

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has continued to review banks’ compliance with its regulatory directive that lenders give 40 per cent of top management positions to women in-line with the Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) guidelines. The NSBP gender empowerment programme, which held in Lagos, was an opportunity for the CBN and banks to discuss ways of ensuring that more women take prime positions on boards and in management of banks and other sectors of the economy. COLLINS NWEZE reports on the hurdles against this milestone and its impact on the economy.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has, over the years, put up strong policies to ensure that more women bankers are included in board and management positions in banks.

    Unfortunately, despite these measures, only 22 per cent of the top positions are occupied by women in banks. The data are worse in other sectors.

    The Nigerian Sustainable Banking Principles (NSBP) being implemented by the apex bank and commercial banks are aimed at ensuring that women are given prime positions in banks and ensure that other sectors of the economy emulate the banks.

    Aside banks, telecom and insurance sectors are not giving women their rightful place in board positions. This runs contrary to the NSBP, which requires that companies promote gender equality in workplace.

    CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele supports that banks implement the NSBP guidelines to give women their rightful positions in the workplace.

    Already, there is a sense of agreement that women on boards should be increased for economic growth sustainability. The banking sector made commitment to increase the critical mass of women in decision-making process, 40 per cent of top management positions and 30 per cent of board positions should be filled by women as far back as 2014.

    Even in the United States (US), there are problems with women being represented on the boards of corporates. Even European Union (EU) has made it compulsory, but there are structural impediments to getting women into corporate leadership positions. The CBN has taken proactive steps and concrete actions to promote gender equality and women economic empowerment.

    To support the NSBP project and give women voice in the workplace, Access Bank Plc hosted the NSBP gender empowerment session in Lagos. Speaking at the event, the bank’s Group Managing Director/CEO Herbert Wigwe said the NSBP had come a long way, but regretted that many institutions were not implementing it.

    He said women remain some of the best work-forces and always make great impact in establishments. “I have worked with both men and women, but women bosses do better than men. For instance, the Chairman of Access Bank has helped drive transformation in the bank. The NSBP is about giving women their rightful place in the workplace,” he said.

    Continuing, he said: “We need to place women where they should be. Women have more responsibility than men. We want other sectors like manufacturing, telecom among others, to embrace gender equality in work-place.” The Access Bank CEO said women needed to be economically empowered.

    Wigwe said unless social concerns such as gender disparity and women economic empowerment are addressed, economic and environmental goals and overall sustainable development will be difficult to achieve.

    He explained that just like in every part of the country, there are qualified people to fill any position. It also follows that for companies also, there are qualified women to fill any kind of position.

    “The NSBP has come a long way, but there are many institutions that have not adhered to the level of compliance desired. It is about giving women their rightful place. We need to place women where they should be,” he said.

    The CBN said since the launch of the sustainability banking principles and accompanying guidelines, it has developed, exposed and approved a reporting template to enable it measure performance on sustainability issues by the industry to show commitment and be transparent.

    Besides, new research sheds light on the side of women’s entrepreneurship that is not yet fully understood, which is that firms started, owned and ran by women are less likely to trade internationally than those owned by men.

    However, the World Bank is already giving this issue a lot of attention,  which may spur further actions to close the gap.

    Continuing, Wigwe said the NSBP “has come a long way from where we started from five years ago”. “But there are still several institutions that have not attained the level of compliance that we would expect, particularly as it pertains to gender equality. When we talk about gender equality, my sense is not about having an equal number of men to women, but it is about giving women their rightful place. There are just as many great women and competent women to put in any position as men.”

    He added that these disparities occur across the world and “some of us, who have been great champions for gender equality for several years before the banking sustainability principle started”. “The fact that you have more and more of our colleagues join us we can place women where they truly should be for me is something that would extremely gladden me,” he said.

    Continuing, he said: “From a professional standpoint, for a gender that we know is as good as the other, we must accommodate them for several things, which they do and which we don’t have. So, the female professional, who takes time off to have children, why must they have a separate pay when they are responsible for creating the next generation. Anyway, so, why can’t institutions start to think of ways to support the female gender?”

    He further said: “Today’s deliberation is about strengthening it as far as financial institutions are concerned, but I would urge us to take it to a different level. Let us get people in manufacturing and other fields to basically embrace what is good for the entire world which is about gender equality.”

    Speaking at the NSBP conference, CBN Director, Capacity Building, Chizoba Mojekwu, said regulation on gender equality in workplace not working.

    Mojekwu, who spoke on the theme: ‘Gender Balanced Leadership: how to create inclusive cultures that drive innovation’, said the CBN’s regulation on getting more women to top positions in banks has not worked well. She said women in top position needed to support the younger generation in the workplace.

    Continuing, she said that women equality in the workplace will help in growing the economy.

    Speaking further, she said women needed to be promoted in banks to enable them climb higher in the management ladder, adding that government support is also needed to ensure that women are given their rightful places in the workplace. “Banks need to help in achieving sustainable banking practices by reviewing their goals and seeing where they are not meeting the target,” she said.

    She continued: “We need to stand in the shoes of women. Many women are sexually harassed in the work-place and not much is done to punish the perpetrators. We may never get 50/50 women/men representation in the workplace, but we need to measure the progress we are making. No one thinks about hiring blind women. The workplace environment was designed to get the men to the top.”

    Mojekwu spoke further: “Organisations are still largely patriarchal, and regulations do not work. That is what we know because if regulations were working, there is a regulation of a minimum of 30 per cent on a board. Why is it not happening in some organisations?

    “So, my view is that we are dealing with a major transformational issue more than a technical challenge and that is an adaptive challenge.”

    She added: “We should also talk about hiring blind people and people with auditory and physical challenges, so it is important we drive conversations that are holding women back in organisations.”

    FirstBank Chairperson, Mrs. Ibukun Awosika, said both men and women talents are needed to drive the organisation to the desired position. “The unit of the society is the family and the family problem becomes part of the company’s problem. Women think differently from men, and the companies needs both men and women to thrive,” she pointed out adding: “It is about firstly understanding and educating the populace, educating the workforce and educating the leaders in the different environment. And then being deliberate in creating an enabling environment not just talk, but in real terms.”

    She also said: “For girls, who have babies, they want to work, but if they can’t solve the problems of their babies, you have already distracted them. So, for companies that create crèche, that helps. It is about having a better understanding of the life and things that influence the ability of each gender to deliver and create an environment to support that.”

     

    Women empowerment

    Access Bank Plc has also organised ‘Power Breakfast with W’, where Wigwe met with leading women entrepreneurs for a feedback on the lender’s services. He promised to ensure that women-led businesses not only get credit, but learn how to build sustainable businesses that can be passed to the next generation.

    During a Power Breakfast Meeting with W, which held at the bank’s headquarters in Lagos and was attended by women entrepreneurs, Wigwe said the lender would continue to support women-led businesses in funding, training, and provision of tailor-made banking services.

    The bank chief also disclosed that lending to women presented little or no risks to his bank as they have over the years paid back their loans.

    Wigwe said the lender had not recorded any bad loan from the several loans it granted to women-owned businesses, adding that the bank started the ‘W’ Initiative to empower women and women-owned businesses to succeed.

    He said: “When women are involved, things get better. The ‘W’ Initiative is to empower and inspire women. We do not even have one per cent bad loans for supporting women. We are committed to ensuring that women succeed in their businesses.”

    According to him, the meeting was to enable the bank listen to the women and identify their business needs to meet them.

    The bank CEO also discussed financial literacy for women, training and workshops for start-ups, business succession plan and business sustainability. He said: “Allow your children to pursue their passion. There is no guaranty that your children will be interested in your line of business. All you need is to train them to succeed in their areas of passion.”

     

  • 2019: Hurdles before Buhari, Atiku

    With the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidates of All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party respectively, Nigeria’s 2019 election promises to be a tough contest. Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, reports on some of the hurdles the two leading contestants are likely to face and some of the things that may go for them

    EVEN before the political parties concluded their presidential primaries late last week, concerned observers have speculated on the likely texture and outcome of the 2019 elections. They however agreed the race would be mainly between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    While some contended that it would be a walkover for APC and its candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari, no matter who the PDP would produce as its candidate, others said it would all depend on how the PDP arrived at the choice of its presidential candidate. The fear was that if the process is flawed and gives birth to a candidate that is not generally acceptable to the aspirants, the party would implode, leaving a weakened opposition that would not be a match to the ruling party.

    But with the election of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential Candidate of PDP last Sunday and the reported wide acceptance of the process that led to his emergence, especially the support so far given to him by the key stakeholders, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo, the picture of the 2019 Presidential Election seems clearer.

    Experience

    As the two leading presidential contenders in the forthcoming presidential election prepare for the election, none would boast of confronting a neophyte in the game. The two are well experienced.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, the candidate of APC, is a sitting president. Aside the fact that he fought gallantly and defeated a sitting president in 2015 elections, he had contested severally for the position before the 2015 success. For example, he unsuccessfully contested for the plum seat in the 2003, 2007, and 2011 general elections. Before then, Buhari, a retired army general, was a Military Head of State between 31 December 1983 and 27 August 1985.

    Alhaji Atiku, who worked in the Nigeria Customs Service for 20 years, rising to become the Deputy Director, as the second highest position in the Service was then known, is equally experienced. He was an elected Vice-President of Nigeria on the ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) between1999 and 2007 under President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    A disciple and heir of late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua’s political machinery, his active partisan political career dates back to 1991, when he first ran for the office of governor in the then Gongola State (now Adamawa and Taraba states). In 1993 elections, he ran for a presidential ticket and placed third after Chief MKO Abiola and Amb. Babagana Kingibe in the Social Democratic Party’s primary election.

    He was however elected the Governor of Adamawa State in 1998, but as fate would have it, while he was still the Governor-Elect, he was chosen by the Peoples Democratic Party’s Presidential Candidate, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as running mate. The two went on to win elections in February 1999, thus making him Nigeria’s second democratically elected vice president. Since he left office in 2007, Atiku has remained very active in the country’s political theatre.

    “Talking about experience, it is not certain any of the two candidates would be dismissed with a wave of the hand. I think they are both experienced enough. That is why this race should not be taken for granted by any of the candidates. In political parlance, it would be right to say it would be a grand clash of two warlords, a serious two-horse race,” said Dr. Israel Magbisa, a political analyst.

    Image battle

    Though the two candidates are already brandishing their past records as the reasons they believe they should be preferred for the top job, it has been noted that common Nigerians’ assessment or interpretation of the character traits of the two leaders may also prove to be tricky.

    Considered for example as Mr. Integrity, a reputation that unarguably boosted his popularity rating in 2015 and earned him massive votes across the country, President Buhari will again depend largely on this virtue and the people’s assessment of him in this regard to win votes in 2019.

    Dr. Magbisa explains that for Mr. President, the issue of integrity is today both a great asset and the litmus test he has to pass to win in 2019. “The question today is whether Mr. President, in the last three years of his administration, has proved his admirers and common Nigerians right that he is indeed Mr. Integrity as he purports or as his supporters said he is. That is what will determine whether he would still get the overwhelming votes he got in 2015. You will agree with me that over the years, so much have happened and so the handlers of Buhari will need to do more than just announce repeatedly that he is incorruptible. What is important now is how far his actions as the president have proven to the people that he is fair minded, honest and honourable in all instances. ”

    Another issue Buhari may have to contend with, according to Magbisa, is the way he is perceived, especially by average Southeasterners or south-southerners, most of who have been made to believe that he is sectional. “Recall that Buhari’s political opponents used that claim to effectively blackmail him in the 2015 elections. They said he is an Igbo hater. That impression affected his performance in that part of the country. So, for the forthcoming 2019 elections, the performance of Buhari in the Southeast and South-south will most likely depend, to a very large extent, on how far he has worked to debunk that allegation and change that impression,” he said.

    On Atiku, Magbisa is also critical on the image battle. As he puts it, “for PDP’s candidate, this is the very issue he must tackle if he hopes to win the votes of commoners across the country. There is no doubt that opponents of Atiku have continued to portray him as part of the corrupt elite that wrecked the country even though he is yet to be convicted for any crime. It would be recalled that the closest he has come to be linked to a corrupt case was the William Jefferson incidence in the United States. Atiku’s name had in that case come up in the trial of a former US congressman indicted over some felonies involving bribery in Nigeria. Though his supporters say he was never been tried over the matter or any other corruption case, close observers said Atiku must however convince Nigerians that the image of corruption, which his opponents have consistently tried to hang on his neck, is not true. His electoral fortunes, it seems, depends, to a very large extent on how far he is able to convince Nigerians that he is cleaner than his political opponents may try to portray him. This is even so because his opponent in the race, President Buhari, has continued to make anti-corruption the anchor of his campaigns.

    Hunger in the land

    Perhaps because of the harsh realities of today, most of the contenders in the 2019 presidential election have made management of economy a major campaign topic. The Nation investigation shows that in fact, most voters are eager to see which of the presidential candidates and political parties are willing and capable of ending the hunger in the land.

    It is on record that one of President Buhari’s most advertised achievement is that his administration was able to navigate the country out of recession. On the surface, this should constitute an advantage for Buhari and APC, but reports that the hunger in the land has persisted and that the country seems headed towards another recession constitute major challenges for Buhari.

    According to Bamidele Fadehun, “this is another factor that may pose as a hurdle for Atiku and PDP. This is so because APC’s government under Buhari has paid great emphasis on agriculture, a policy aimed at ending hunger. It is therefore incumbent on Atiku to prove that he has something better to offer.”

    Fadehun told The Nation that notwithstanding these personalized hurdles; the two leading presidential candidates are contesting on strong platforms, national enough to win the 2019 polls. “APC and PDP are well established political parties today, but as an incumbent president, Muhammadu Buhari seems to enjoy more advantages. So, Atiku has more points to prove, if he hopes to dislodge the current president,” Fadehun said.

  • Hurdles against Not-Too-Young-To-Run law

    There was a time, when only at the age of 32, a citizen of Nigeria can become the leader of the country. Former Head of State General Yakubu Gowon assumed the mantle of leadership and became Nigerian leader in 1967 when he was 32.

    At 44, the legendary Zik of Africa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe of blessed memory, became Nigeria’s first ceremonial president. The memories of the iconic General Murtala Muhammed, who was murdered in a bloody coup, shall remain fresh in our annals. Needless to say, it was at the age of 37 that providence foisted on his shoulders leadership responsibilities.

    In this respect, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, erstwhile civilian president, first piloted the ship of the country as Head of State while he was youthful. History has it that in 1976, when he succeeded the late Murtala Muhammed, he was barely 39.There are still some precedents. The current President Muhammadu Buhari also belongs to the league of personalities who became Nigeria’s leader in their youthful age. In 1983, the 41-year-old Daura-born military General became the Commander-in-Chief after toppling the civilian government of Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

    Suffice to say, it was after the Buhari/Idiagbon junta regime was dethroned that General Ibrahim Babangida came into national prominence at 44. No doubt, they all emerged as leaders—at different points—through military putsch, and not via ballot box. Most of the celebrated nationalists who stoically campaigned and fought for the country’s sovereignty were youths in their 30s and 40s.

    There are many Nigerian youths, who have, and are still making waves in several fields of human endevours. Even beyond the shores of the country, we’ve seen extraordinary accomplishments of young, enterprising, resilient, talented and innovative Nigerians, who attained enviable feats and sterling successes recorded in sports, education, business, sciences, literature, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and music, to mention a few.

    Sadly, the narrative about the Nigerian youth in politics and governance since 1999, when this republic took off, is anything but gratifying. Our youths, who desire to be lucky as old leaders, wish they were privileged to be in political leadership position as their peers across the world. They are enthralled by the story of the 40-years-old Emmanuel Macron, who became French president at 39. They marveled at the reality of a then 31-year-old Sebastian Kurz, emerging as Austria’s Chancellor.

    It also baffled them how Emil Dimitriev, born in March 1979, is presently the acting Prime Minister of Macedonia. It also beggars their belief that the punk hair-styled Kim Jong-Un, North Korea’s supreme leader, in his 30s, could be offered such opportunity to lead his country and Justin Trudeau, the 43-year-old Canada’s Prime Minister.

    To address the political marginalisation of the youth in Nigeria, the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign, a social movement by a group of youths, aimed at widening the political space for visionary young people, was birthed last year. Though, an advocacy bill, but perhaps its principle resonated with Mr. President’s mantra of ‘Change’.

    Thereafter, the bill enjoyed presidential assent at a colourful event in the Villa and it was signed into law.

    It is hoped that the new law would spur young Nigerians to throw their hats in the ring of political contest, with the eligibility age for presidential aspirants now lowered to 35 from 40; and that of governorship hopefuls and federal and state legislative houses pegged at 30 and 25.

    Indeed, the euphoria that greeted the historic assent was indescribable. But, it seems it might be short-lived. As the general elections draw close, the prospects of greater political participation envisaged by the #NotTooYoungToRun law is becoming a mirage. Take for instance, the sale of Expression of Interests (EOI) and Nomination Forms by the dominant political parties; the exorbitant costs were greeted with mass hysteria. Nigerians of sincere goodwill, in their unison, lampooned the political parties.

    The repulsive nomination fees to be paid by aspirants on major political parties were intended to disenfranchise competent youths from vying for elective positions. Many young people may perish their ambitions, because to lack of financial war chest. Soon, it became manifest that the parties do not care a hoot about young and creative problem-solvers—who will proffer workable solutions to the myriads of socioeconomic woes bedeviling the country—but for moneybags and corrupt politicians bereft of sound ideologies. Many analysts have attributed the desperation to retain power by ‘old breed’ politicians to the juicy perks and mouth-watering freebies accruing to their political offices.

    The action of Nigeria Consolidation Ambassadors Network (NCAN)—a political group composed mainly of youths—who purchased the APC nomination form for Mr. President to seek re-election, is the most senseless and irritating. Indeed, nothing shows how unserious the youths are than their penchant for crowd funding the purchase of nomination forms for some senators, governors and presidential hopefuls. Meanwhile, civil society activists should rise and advocate for a legislation that will peg nomination forms at reasonable amounts, and within the reach of every intending aspirant.

    It is time the youths have a deeper thought about their role as agents of social change and societal rebirth. This would help us identify attitudinal and behavioural flaws, with the singular objective of righting age-long wrongs, while also charting a progressive course for the nation. With rational thought and judgment, young people must, henceforth, resist being turned into political beggars, campaign mobilisers and tools in the hands of desperate politicians. The youth should see it as an obligation to sponsor and support young politicians with clear vision, impeccable integrity and intimidating leadership credentials.

    As youths, we must show their readiness in demanding a generational power shift. Otherwise, our quests for leadership roles and relevance would remain a tall order.

     

    • Mahmud is a student based in Niger State
  • Delta 2019: Hurdles before Okowa

    Delta 2019: Hurdles before Okowa

    As Delta State prepares for next year’s general elections, Senior Correspondent OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE examines the issues that will shape the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary. 

    As next year’s general elections draw near, the pace of consultations among members of the political class in Delta State has increased considerably.

    Although some PDP political aspirants have started indicating interest to run for elective positions, none has indicated interest in the governorship poll.

    Governor Ifeanyi Okowa will most likely pick the ticket, judging by the wave of endorsements by many pressure groups within the ruling party.

    But, the governor, according to some analysts, faces three dangers in his quest to revalidate his mandate before Deltans.

    There are puzzles: has Okowa performed in the eyes of Deltans to merit a second term in office? What is his scorecard?

    Secondly, some analysts believe his success at the polls will, largely, be dependent on how  he manages the ambitions of PDP members vying for various elective positions.

    The questions on the lips of everyone is: will he side with his political associates seeking elective positions against other aspirants  or allow free and fair primaries?

    Thirdly, will the All Progressive Congress (APC) pose a credible challenge in the forthcoming election? Judging by stiff opposition by the party during the resent local polls, it appears the PDP will have to sit up.

    Opinion is divided among Deltans as to whether Okowa has delivered on his electioneering promises or not, but a report released in 2017 by the National Competitiveness Council of Nigeria (NCCN), using indices such as  human capital ,infrastructure ,economy and institutions, ranked the state second only to Lagos State.

    The Chief Press Secretary to Okowa, Mr. Charles Aniagwu, said the administration has embarked on the construction of over 98 roads across the three senatorial districts, totaling 612 km with over 300 km drains constructed. He said, despite the paucity of funds occasioned by the recessive economy, the Okowa administration has made great developmental strides.

    His words: “In our desire to change the face of roads in the state, we have commenced fresh construction of road projects in areas hitherto not attended to, particularly in the creeks where such efforts requires sufficient amount of courage , determination, fairness, equity and a deep sense of patriotism to undertake. Examples of such could be found in Okerenkoko, Ogulagha, Burutu, Sokebulou and others.”

    Aniagwu in the education sector, the Okowa administration has established 24 new schools, adding that efforts at giving a facelift to technical education was on course with the construction of six technical schools.

    On the youth empowerment scheme of the government, he said over 6000 entrepreneurs have been created.

    But, Okowa’s critic and kinsman, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh disagreed. He alleged large scale larceny by the administration harsh words for the State Executive Council and the legislature for their alleged complicity.

    He said, “The Delta State House of Assembly has approved over 16 tranches of loans for the personal use of the governor and the lame duck State Executive Council and sleeping  House of Assembly are unable to act as check. The governor of Delta State awarded to himself an approval limit of N250, 000,000. The commissioners do not have mandate for any approval whatsoever. Even in Ibori and Uduaghan administrations, the governor’s approval limit was N50million.”

    Aside developmental issues, does Okowa possess the shrewdness to pilot the affairs of the party through the political minefield ahead?

    For a politician who has risen through the rungs of the political ladder to becoming governor, it will be safe to conclude so.

    Within the ranks of the party, bigwigs are warming up to contest the forthcoming elections. Will he support his political allies against other party members? Or will he insist on organizing a free, fair and credible primary to settle the contest

    Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, ex –federal lawmaker from Aniocha South/Aniocha North constituency, is gearing up to have another go at the ticket after his loss to Mrs. Onyemeachi Mrakpor, following his ill-advised decision to contest the 2015 governorship election.

    Mrakpor is  a staunch support of Okowa.

    Another conundrum Okowa must resolve is the race for Delta North Senatorial District ticket. Will he support Senator Peter Nwaoboshi to reclaim the ticket or another political ally Prince Ned Nwoko?

    Analysts believe either way, Okowa must tread softly or incur the wrath of two important party men and risk polarising the PDP, especially in Delta North.

    During a recent PDP meeting of the nine local government areas in Delta North in Kwale, Ndokwa West L.G.A, the two politicians engaged in a battle of wits.

    The simple tradition of donating money to the cause of the party in the locality became a battle of supremacy between both Nwaoboshi and Nwoko.

    As a middle ground to diffuse the tension within the party, Okowa proposed setting up a college of PDP leaders in the nine local government areas of Delta North to liaise with the party executive to ensure the emergence of only popular candidates at primaries.

    Okowa said: “College of Leaders should be established to comprise twenty persons in every local government area, we want unity in our party and we should avoid anything that can cause division in our party. Leaders must allow the people to choose their candidates, as aspirants, we should be mindful of how we go about our campaigns because, primaries will come and go but, we will remain as party men, we will remain brothers and sisters.”

    A political analyst, Chika Chikodi, warned that this move by the governor may be costly as some leaders who may be overlooked may cause division within the party.

    His words: “I think Governor Okowa’s decision to select leaders in the party to superintendent the emergence of popular candidate is fraught with a lot of problems. How do you select these leaders? Will some party members not feel aggrieved if they are overlooked? Why will the party not opt for a transparent system that allows party members test their popularity? I suspect a repeat of what happened during the local polls where candidates were foisted against popular choice of the people.”

    The race for the Delta South Senatorial District ticket is raging former Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, an Itsekiri, is interested.

    Also interested is Mr. Michael Diden Ejele, another Itsekiri man, and member representing Warri North Constituency. But, the incumbent lawmaker, Senator James Manager, a four- time federal lawmaker, and an Ijaw, may still be eyeing the coveted seat.

    Uduaghan pulled out of the 2015 Delta South Senatorial District election in the last minute allegedly due to pressures from ex-militant leader Chief Government Ekpemokpolo.

    Delta South Senatorial District is made up of the Itsekiris, Isokos and the Ijaws, but the Ijaws ethnic group appears to have monopolized the position since the inception of the fourth republic, leading to grumblings from the other ethnic groups.

    Will Okowa back  his trusted ally Michael Diden, or once again appease the Ijaws and risk alienating the other ethnic groups which make up the senatorial district? Or worse still, prevail on ex-Governor Uduaghan, to forgo his ambition?

    In the run-up to the 2015 governorship elections, Mr. Michael Diden, against the wishes of Uduaghan, publicly supported Okowa’s candidacy when it was dangerous to so do.

    Will Okowa back Diden’s claim to the senatorial ticket or risk losing the votes from Warri North L.G.A?

    Waiting to benefit from the impending implosion within the ruling party is the opposition All Progressive Party (APC).

    Although the APC lost the January local government polls, it pushed the PDP to the limit in that election.

    The APC may stand to profit should the PDP fail to manage its affairs and pull  together all the centrifugal forces within it.  Okowa has to tread on egg shells to reclaim his mandate for a second tenure.

    Will Okowa, a wily grassroots politician adept at pulling the chestnut out of the fire, succeed this time? Will his warning to PDP faithful be heeded?

    He said: “With 2019 elections coming up, various groups are beginning to cause trouble for us, but, we don’t want to go into the next election in groups. The more united we are, the stronger we will be as a people, don’t allow your support for aspirants influence your decision because, you do not gain anything by working against the party.”

     

     

  • Hurdles before new minimum wage committee

    Hurdles before new minimum wage committee

    Apparently succumbing to persistent agitation by organised labour, coupled with the prevailing economic realities workers face, the Federal Government bowed to pressure by inaugurating a 30-man tripartite committee to review the minimum wage. But there are hurdles in actualising the new minimum wage, TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    Three weeks ago, at the Council Chambers in Aso Rock, President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurated a 30-member minimum wage committee.

    The committee, which includes cabinet members, governors, labour leaders, and executives from the private sector, is expected to upwardly review Nigeria’s minimum wage from its present monthly rate of N18,900.

    The committee, headed by a former Minister and Head of Service of the Federation, Ms Ama Pepple, was charged with the task of recommending a fair, decent and living wage for Nigerian workers. With this development, it appears that the machinery for a new minimum wage regime for the country is underway.

    President Muhammadu Buhari during the inauguration said: “My hope is that the outcome of the deliberations of the committee would be consensual and generally acceptable”.

    The President went further to implore the committee to apply principles of full consultations with stakeholders while bearing in mind the core provisions of the International Labour Organisation Minimum Wage Fixing Convention N0 131 and Minimum Wage Fixing Machinery Convention No 26 in the task ahead.

    It will be recalled that  Nigeria joined the league of International Labour Organisation (ILO) member countries that set minimum wage for their workers in 1981. The last time a minimum wage was set before the current one being reviewed was in 2000 with effect from May 1, 2001. Then, the wage was set at a paltry N5,500. It took 10 years to have this benchmark reviewed through a collective bargaining mechanism. The NLC said the union made a demand for wage increase in 2009 after a thorough study of the salaries of political office holders’ pre-and post-consolidation, as well as a careful examination of the minimum annual wage levels in African countries. The study showed that Nigerian workers were among the least remunerated in the world.

    In order to negotiate this request from the NLC and the TUC, the Federal Government set up a tripartite committee made up of representatives from the government, labour and the organised private sector. After much negotiation, discussion, the committee proposed N18,000 in order to make it easy for all concerned employers of labour to implement. It was also proposed that the new wage will apply only to organisations with a minimum of 50 workers in their employment. This bill was passed and signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan on March 23, 2011. That was the update from the last exercise.

    Now, Nigerian workers are demanding N56, 000 new minimum wage. The question is, is that realisable given the current comatose economy where the extant N18, 000 minimum wage is not paid as and when due? The last exercise took about two years to conclude after the inauguration of the committee. How long will the current effort take before a new minimum wage comes into force? Is there a genuine intention on the part of the current administration to upwardly review the workers’ minimum wage? Is wage increase the solution to workers’ plight in Nigeria?

    There is no gainsaying that with the astronomic rise in the cost of living, Nigerian workers are right to demand wage increase.

    Chief Executive Officer of Economic Associates, an economic research firm, Dr  Ayo Teriba, said the real economic issue here was whether the current minimum wage rate was optimal or sub-optimal.

    “This means that do workers receive an income that allows them to live reasonably? In my opinion, if you divide 18,000 by 30 days, that is N600 per day.

    “What can anybody do with N600 per day? If you go to N56, 000, that brings it to a little bit over N1, 800; and anyone who says that figure might be inflationary is exaggerating. That’s less than what people earn as unemployment allowance in some countries. The amount is not even significant enough to affect money supply. I don’t think we should be talking about inflation.”

    On the limitations of government revenue, he said, “They should find money. States are in the business of finding money to govern. If you cannot raise money, leave your seat for someone else who can.”

    It is one thing to pass laws and another to implement them. Although the N18, 900 minimum wage was agreed to in 2011, compliance, according to a labour has remained low.

    Chairman, NLC, Lagos Chapter, Comrade Idowu Adelakun, lamented that the low compliance was due to selfishness on the part of employers.

    Adelakun stated: “Nigeria is blessed with abundance. Among oil producing countries, we are the ones who pay our workers the least amount of money. Still, as little as 18,000 and considering the recent economic situation in the country, some people still feel it is too big. Apart from private employers, what of our own government? The majority of state governments are not paying. Instead of paying the full N18, 000 they will be paying N9, 000, and what is that to a worker for 30 days? They only want the rich to be richer and the poor to be poorer.

    “Because the minimum wage is on the Exclusive List and is a law, it is binding on everybody, and those who don’t comply are criminals. As NLC, over the past two to three years, we have gone round states protesting on the streets about this noncompliance issue.”

    On how prepare the NLC is, in order  to ensure compliance, he said : “It is not every case you take to the court that you will win and you know that in this country, there are levels of complications in the judicial system; at the end of the day, they might say you lost. That is why we have taken our destiny in our own hands by protesting, picketing and doing everything to make sure that we have our rights. And that is what we continue to do”

    Director, Social, Economic and Labour Matters at the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association(NECA), Mr Olawale Timothy, said the private sector was very much ahead of the minimum wage rate.

    Timothy said, “We need to segregate which employers are in the category of those who do not comply. Employers in the private sector are paying way above N18, 000. There are sectors where the minimum wage is far above N50, 000. Generally, minimum wage in the private sector ranges between N33, 000 and N50, 000. So the private sector is out of it. So, the class of employers that applies to is probably the government, especially the state governments, and it will be unfair for me to speak on their behalf. However, they are represented on the committee, so they can at least canvass and articulate their position.”

  • Why Nigeria is facing hurdles on retrieval of looted funds, by Saraki

    Why Nigeria is facing hurdles on retrieval of looted funds, by Saraki

    •Senate President blames anti-graft agencies

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki yesterday blamed anti-graft agencies for Nigeria’s inability to convince other countries to return looted funds.

    Dr. Saraki, who spoke at a one-day strategic retreat on tackling the progress of anti-corruption bills in National Assembly, alleged that some recovered assets were cornered by officials of anti-corruption bodies.

    The Senate President, who was represented at the event by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, said: “Nigeria is finding it difficult to convince other nations to return funds looted from our treasury because of other nations’ exasperation over the management of returned assets.

    “Only recently, Mr. President inaugurated a committee to audit all assets recovered by various government agencies.

    “The National Assembly has been strident about the opacity shrouding the management of recovered funds, which in many cases get reported by the agencies that investigated and recovered them.

    “An ad-Hoc Committee of the Senate, which is investigating some administrative infractions in the executive, has discovered that many properties recovered from fugitives from the law have not been accounted for by the investigating agency.  This gives global community great concern about the commitment of Nigeria to the anti-corruption drive.”

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption,  Chukwuka Utazi, described Nigeria’s struggle against entrenched corruption as a global concern.

    The Enugu North District senator expressed dissatisfaction with the suspension of Nigeria from the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units, especially at a time the the Federal Government has made anti-corruption one of the country’s cardinal policies.

    Utazi noted that there was no doubt that the suspension has greatly impeded the government’s anti corruption fight.

    He said: ”The suspension activated the immediate shutdown of the EGMONT secure Web (ESW),  against Nigeria with the implication that Nigeria can no longer exchange sensitive information with about 172 other member countries in order to carry out investigative and regulatory responsibilities as they affect local and international bothering on money laundering, terrorism financing.

    “These are dreadful consequences on sharing criminal intelligence and financial information bothering on money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation of arms, corruption, financial crimes, economic crimes and such like offences geared towards the support of local and international investigations, prosecution and asset recovery.”

    The Director of Africa Network for Environment & Economic Justice (ANEEJ), Rev. David Ugolor, said the Swiss government was at the final stage of returning $321 million to Nigeria from the Abacha’s loot.

    He hailed the government for making sure that the country got back the Abacha loot.

  • EFCC: Anyim yet to meet bail terms, faces fresh hurdles

    EFCC: Anyim yet to meet bail terms, faces fresh hurdles

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was still holding on to a  former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr.  Anyim Pius Anyim , as at press time yesterday.

    Ayim, who was yet to meet the bail conditions as at yesterday,   is facing fresh hurdles in connection with the ongoing probe of some huge contracts in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND).

    His lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome(SAN) , yesterday faulted the position of the EFCC and insisted that the ex-SGF had met all the conditions for his freedom.

    He said Anyim was being compelled, under duress and undue influence, to sign all manner of “self-incriminating documents.”

    “As a matter of fact, the EFCC has granted bail to Anyim, but he is yet to meet the conditions for his freedom. We will not release him until the terms are fulfilled.

    “The noise by the counsel was unnecessary because the court order, which we obtained to detain him, is still subsisting.

    “The fact is that Anyim’s case has many dimensions. He still has issues to clear in connection with some huge contracts in the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) and the Tertiary Education Trust Fund(TETFUND). Anyim is expected to make a few clarifications on his implication on these contracts, “ a highly placed source in the commission said.

    In a statement yesterday , Ozekhome faulted the EFCC and insisted that his client was yet to be released.

    The statement said: “We are solicitors to Senator Pius Anyim, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation who was detained by the EFCC and has since been kept in its gulag for about nine days.

    “Our attention has been drawn to the  carefully planted false and misleading report published in various online and print media to the effect that Anyim has since Wednesday 22nd November, 2017, been released by the EFCC on administrative bail.

    “This is a lie from the pit of hell. These false reports which credit ‘unnamed sources within the EFCC’ have continued to circulate throughout Thursday and Friday, with the intent to deceive the world and divert its attention from the gross abuse of fundamental rights of Anyim who has been kept under inhuman and degrading condition for this unconstitutionally lengthy period.

    “The truth is that Anyim is still held in EFCC custody till this minute, in spite of fulfilling all administrative bail conditions laid out for him, including deposit of his international passport and being compelled, under duress and undue influence, to sign all manner of self-incriminating  and property-stripping documents against his will.

    “In spite of this and the clear provisions of sections 35  and 36 of the Nigerian Constitution and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act(ACJA), the EFCC has bluntly refused to release Anyim to go and attend to his very poor health over which he was receiving treatment before he was forcibly taken away from his home.

    “This is calling upon the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to prevail on the EFCC (and all law-enforcement agencies) to respect the rule of law and the constitution they have sworn to protect and defend by promptly ordering Anyim’s release forthwith, since no charges have been preferred against him and since he has fulfilled all administrative bail conditions.”

    Besides the UBEC and TETFUND cases, Anyim has been interrogated  on how he allegedly laundered over N13billion out of N58, 146,983,677.85 in the Ecological Fund account.

    He was also asked to explain how the ecological cash ended up in the accounts of about 15 companies linked with him.

    A third peg of the interrogation bordered on why Anyim collected N520million from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on the eve of the 2015 general elections.

  • Hurdles before APC National Convention

    Hurdles before APC National Convention

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is scheduled for next Tuesday. The meeting is coming amid the tension within the rank and file over the management of the party’s affairs. Three years after the APC held its inaugural national convention, it is yet to hold another one; it has no Board of Trustees (BoT) and all its internal party processes have virtually broken down. As it gets ready for the NWC meeting to prepare for its mid-term national convention, Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI examines the challenges facing the party. 

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) may have boxed itself into a corner, by not doing things differently; even though it rode to power on the mantra of change. After postponing the National Working Committee (NWC) meeting several times, the party appears determined to hold it next week Tuesday, to work out the modalities for the party’s mid-term, non-elective national convention. The party had continued to draw flaks from some party chieftains following its inability to hold the convention in April as initially scheduled, but party leaders had attributed the delay to the health challenge of President Muhammadu Buhari, a situation that saw him out of the country for a period of over three months in the last instance.

    The last convention was held in October 2014, when Buhari emerged as the party’s flag bearer in the last general elections. Going by the APC constitution, the convention was supposed to hold every two years, but the party leadership has not been comfortable with the idea of holding the bi-annual event before now, because of the crisis rocking the party at different levels.

    After running the successful campaign that saw it displacing the former ruling party – a development which is unprecedented in Nigeria’s political history – the coalition practically collapsed, with various groups pulling the party in different directions. The crisis has not only pitched members against each other, but also gradually derailing the vision of the party before it came into power.

    The challenge before the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Executive Committee (NEC) therefore is that of managing the internal agitations and clash of interests among various political tendencies and gladiators during next week’s meeting; at least, to achieve its purpose of galvanizing its members to tackle the problems facing it, as the country gradually approaches the period of electioneering campaign for the next general elections in 2019.

    In other words, the meeting must be held in such a manner to avoid an implosion of the party, as preparations for the 2019 general elections gradually gets underway. Observers believe the Odigie-Oyegun-led leadership is faced with a herculean task in this regard, because there are numerous challenges confronting the party at this point in time.

    Some of the challenges are: Odigie-Oyegun’s leadership style; President Buhari’s perceived aloofness to party affairs; the crisis rocking the party in different state chapters; lack of funds to run its affairs; the unresolved Executive/National Assembly rift; lack of harmony and cohesion; and President Buhari’s undeclared second term bid.

    Odigie-Oyegun’s style

    The APC national leadership under Chief Odigie-Oyegun has been widely described as rudderless. Several party leaders, including former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar and Senate President Bukola Saraki, have voiced their frustration about the way the party is being run. In their view, the inability of the leadership led by the National Chairman to evolve a transparent approach to handling party affairs is responsible for the festering of some of the crises. There have been calls on Odigie-Oyegun, whose tenure expires in 2018, to resign for his purported inability to resolve the crises rocking the party.

    For instance, in November, last year, governors elected on the APC platform met with the National Chairman and other party stakeholders to address the grievances threatening the cohesion of the party. During the meeting with  Odigie-Oyegun, the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, said the APC leadership needed to make some amendments to enable the party forge ahead.

    Odigie-Oyegun’s woes came to national limelight in September 25, last year, when Asiwaju Bola Tinubu wrote him an open letter where he alleged that the National Chairman colluded with mercenaries to forge the delegates list used for the party’s September 3, 2016 governrship primary in Ondo State. Tinubu also accused him of subverting the decision of the party’s NWC when he submitted the name of Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the party’s candidate for the last governorship election in Ondo State.

    Buhari’s aloofness

    After he won the 2015 presidential election and emerged as the President of Nigeria, Buhari became the most influential National Leader of the APC. But, as events in the last two years have shown, he has maintained a detached posture towards the affairs of the party, a situation that many close aides are believed to have taken advantage of, to the detriment of the party. This started with the President’s perceived disinterest in the June 9, 2015 election of National Assembly principal officers, where Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged as the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively. Stakeholders believe Buhari has a responsibility to the party, just as he has a responsibility to the nation, but they say his aloofness and lack of a firm grip in both party affairs and some aspects of national life have created a vacuum that is being exploited by many.

    This tendency, analysts say, must be managed to prevent it from bringing a division in the fold at the convention.

    Crises in state chapters

    All over the country, the APC, which emerged from the merger of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), and factions of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), is struggling to find cohesion.

    For instance, in Ondo State, the crisis has led to the suspension of its Chairman, Mr. Isaac Kekemeke. Prior to last year’s governorship election in the state, Kekemeke and members of the state exco were known to have been divided over the choice of the party’s candidate. Kekemeke did not hide his preference for Olusegun Abraham, an associate of Tinubu. But eventually the emergence of Rotimi Akeredolu as governor, following the November 26, 2016 election altered the equation against Kekemeke. As Governor Akeredolu settled down to business, after his inauguration, Kekemeke was suspended.

    The situation in Kogi State is even more precarious for the APC, with the state exco, in cahoots with majority of the National Assembly members from the state, engaged in a battle of supremacy with Governor Yahaya Bello who they accuse of non-performance and anti-party activities. The disagreement has led to calls for the resignation of the governor by the state exco and members of the National Assembly. In response, associates and aides of the governor have initiated a move to recall Senator Dino Melaye, one of the most vocal opponents of the governor, from the Senate. That recall process is still ongoing.

    In Kano State, the face-off between the incumbent and immediate past governors appears vicious with both men engaged in a war of acrimony for the control of the soul of the party in the Northwest state. The situation in states like Rivers, Cross River, Enugu, Osun, Ekiti and Kaduna is equally a sad story for the APC.

    Next week’s meeting is expected to consider reports of the various fact-finding and reconciliation committees on states chapters where there are crises. If not properly resolved, the disagreements within state chapters may result in a situation where members of the party may find themselves in different sides during the meeting.

    Poor funding

    Owing to the way the APC is being run, some of its major financiers have had to withdraw their financial support for the party. As a result, the national exco has been facing a cash crunch. The party leadership are not happy with the fact that President Buhari and state governors elected on the platform of the party have refused to fund party.

    In April, the party’s National Working Committee members have had to meet with the 24 APC governors, to find solutions to the financial problems facing the party, among other things. In the view of experts, the idea of the withdrawal of financial support boils down to a vote of no confidence on the part of stakeholders about the way the affairs of the party are being handled.

    Presidency/National Assembly rift

    The lack of synergy between the Presidency and members of the National Assembly has been a source of concern to party stakeholders. The relationship between the 8th Senate and the Presidency has been acrimonious from the inception of the APC-led government in May 2015. The foundation of the unending rift is traceable to the controversy and contention that greeted the emergence of the senate leadership, where the Presidency and the APC leadership attempted to impose persons of their interest to certain leadership offices at the apex chamber, but without success.

    The latest face-off however centres on the appointment of the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu. The Senate has doggedly refused to confirm the appointment of Magu twice, citing a report from the Department of State Service (DSS), indicating that he failed the integrity test and would constitute a liability to President Buhari’s anti-corruption war. The Senate also said Magu performed woefully at the screening and that the President should forward a fresh nomination.

    But, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, in an interview in April, ruled out the possibility of President Buhari replacing Magu, saying he aligned himself with the argument of a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr. Femi Falana, that a Senate confirmation was not needed for the EFCC chairman, based on the provisions of Section 171 of the constitution.

    The issue is yet to be resolved. While the upper legislative chamber has threatened to withhold the confirmation of further appointees of President Buhari, the final word from the Presidency was that it would seek judicial interpretation on the matter.

    Buhari’s second term

    One of the factors that have worked against the Buhari administration so far is the lack of harmony and cohesion among members of the ruling party. This is expected to play out as preparations for the 2019 general elections begin to gather steam. There are indications that the coalition that sent the former ruling party away from the seat of power in Abuja over two ago is beginning to crumble. This could be gleaned from the recent declaration by the party’s interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande that the party’s presidential ticket for the 2019 poll was open to all who wish to contest. Even though Akande’s pronouncement has been dismissed as a personal opinion by Odigie-Oyegun, it suggests that there would be no automatic ticket for Buhari in 2019. The interim National Chairman’s declaration was in direct contrast to a series of endorsements of the President for re-election by some state chapters, mostly in the North.

    Similarly, the Minister of Women Affairs, Senator Aisha Alhassan, did something shocking and unusual in Nigerian politics during the last Eid-el-Kabir holidays. While paying homage to Atiku, she declared that she will back the former Vice President for the presidency in 2019, possibly against her principal, who is yet to say categorically that he will run.

    The contest for the party’s ticket for 2019 is yet to begin in earnest. Indications are that when it begins, the fight might get messier.