The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Independent

  • Independent marketers yet to load at N145 per litre

    Queues are yet to disappear from filling stations across the country, even  with the new price regime of N145 per litre because members of the  Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) have not started   loading  from the depots.

    Vice President of the association, Alhaji Abubakar Maigandi Dankigari told  The Nation by  phone yesterday that the delay was caused by the two different rates which  the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) asked marketers to buy the product at the depots.

    The NNPC, according to him, quoted N126.32kobo  and  N133.32kobo.

    Maigandi said the scarcity would ease once the independent marketers began loading.

    His words:: “Up till now, there is no specific rate. NNPC brought two different rates and that is why the independent marketers cannot load the product.  Up till now, they did not give the actual rate.

    “And that is the reason you are seeing those skeletal queues. If the independent marketers begin to load, you will find  fuel everywhere. The NNPC, up till now has not told us  the actual rate.

    “They brought two rates: N126.32kobo  and  N133.32kobo. So, we don’t know which is which. So, that is why the NNPC refused to load the product.”

  • When a sequel is independent of the previous

    When a sequel is independent of the previous

    I have had to argue with a few friends on the flexibility of sequel both as a literature and film terminology. Although many look at the word in its grammatical origin and hold it with such rigidity, I do understand that there is a place in the English dictionary for implied and applied meanings. More so, with literary creativity comes a lot of inventions that may differ slightly with an original term or find a nomenclature, slang, or compound words that not only gives room for new meanings to thrive but also brings about grammatical independence to unusual expressions.

    A colleague wanted to see the preceding parts of Funke Akindele’s Jenifa and I thought that irrespective of the link between Jenifa (Parts 1 & 2) film and The Return of Jenifa TROJ ( a sequel), there is need to treat TROJ with some level of independence. My argument portends that wherein the former is one film in two halves, the latter is complete in itself. In other words, whereby both situations express a continuum from the previous, a film earmarked in Parts 1&2 is like conjoined twins, while a sequel could be seen merely as an identical twin.

    I figure that there is a difference between a movie in parts and a sequel. Whereby a movie in parts is the direct follow-up or prelude to the other, a sequel is an independent story that merely derives its origin from the first or simply shares a subject matter with the previous. Take for instance; you are watching a movie, and just before a male character strikes his wife or vice versa, the picture freezes, followed by an inscription that reads: “Watch Out for Part 2” or words like: “The Movie Has Just Begun”. I don’t need anyone to tell me that I have just seen half of a movie. Obviously, this is just the anti climax, and the second half should just take off from there, with the knife either coming down on the victim or a change of motive by the assailant. But a sequel (a possessive term for an independent part film) is different in that, although it furthers a storyline, it is at creative liberty to employ twists that make it independent of the previous. It can even change the lead cast without apologies to creative license. The most important thing in a sequel is its thematic exploration, setting and characterisation, and not necessarily the cast or sequence. Here, the story can take a very different dimension plying on the same subject matter. This, to my mind, is the creative license that differentiates a sequel from a film in parts.

    And a sequel they say is complete in itself, even though it continues the narrative of a preceding work.

    My friend thought this sounded like a Course 101 lecture on movie review or production. He fired back with another definition: ‘A movie sequel is a narrative that continues a story or expands upon issues presented in some previous work’. He frowned at me for wanting him to ignore this standard definition because of TROJ. But I think this is a case study of perception. While I am trying to let us see the word sequel in this contest as a ‘term’, my friend is bent on treating it as a ‘word’ with one meaning and without the need for contextual application.

    It becomes even clearer to me that perception is one area that people differ in life and it’s why one editorial judgement will continue to be different from the others even when they are treating the same issue of interest.

    But do we agree that a sequel is meant to stand on its own? My friends couldn’t say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ throughout the argument. Instead, I hear words like: “Victor, sequel means continuation, even for those of us wey no go school….. “Oga, the word sequel in itself means that it is the continuation of something. It can end a narrative or lead to production of series!”

    Did I say anything to the contrary? No! I bought their point; the common point. But none bothered to see things from a broader perspective. None wanted to agree that creativity has shifted the goal post of traditional word game. None wanted to second the fact that a sequel (a possessive term for an independent part-film) must never remain colonised by the previous.

    A movie sequel may reference the previous, but should not be seen as an outright continuation. If a work of art could stand on its own, this merely suggests that it is a sequel because it has an origin somewhere. This does not rob it of its independence or relative sovereignty.

    Hollywood for example does not always follow its part themes religiously. See the movie Fast and Furious 1 &2; Tokyo Drift; and Fast Five. What about Basic Instinct? There are two versions of the same film. The second is a sequel because it expands on the issue in the first film, and even took it through a new dimension. I can go on and on. Transformers is about one of the films in this sequel analogy that readily comes to my mind as a movie that retains all the cast. Creativity is what it is because it is flexible and innovative. A traditional word cannot dictate the pace forever, instead that word will give way to new meanings. Sequel, I stand to be corrected has given way to new ‘terms’.

    But I chose to rest my case when one of my friends said on a final note: “Still ‘sequel’ is a continuum, it’s an English word and has been defined in the dictionary and the last time I checked the meaning had not changed. No one says a sequel can not stand alone but it must continue a previous narrative. If producers of the films you mentioned decided to produce stand alone ‘sequels’, it’s their choice and style.”

    But that was not all. Another friend came in here and said: “A small dictionary I have here says that sequel is ‘that which follows: followers, successors, consequences, upshot: a resumption of a story already complete in itself.”

    I like the last part of that definition: “a resumption of a story already complete in itself,” with that, I thought my day was made. What do you think?

  • Independence of electoral umpires in Nigeria

    Independence of electoral umpires in Nigeria

    The electoral umpires at that stage of the colonial venture were therefore the registering officers who were obviously subject to direct control of the colonial government. This was the position until the 1958 Nigerian (Electoral Provisions) Order in Council was promulgated, which created the Electoral Commission of Nigeria which was charged with the responsibility to prepare voters register and conduct elections. It was largely modelled after the British Electoral commission which was earlier discussed.

    14.As the foregoing account of electoral umpireship in colonial times reveals, imperial Britain which was the predominant political influence of the time was without doubt the real electoral umpire for Nigeria in the colonial period.

    That and the limited franchise granted Nigerians at the time meant that imperial Britain was very much in charge of whatever passed for ‘electoral process’ at that time. It is therefore not surprising that eminent Nigerians have alleged that the British colonial expedition to Nigeria tried to use the Electoral Commission of Nigeria (ECN), established to conduct 1959 elections to impose Northern Nigerians at the helm of affairs after independence. This sentiment was expressed in Chinua Achebe’s book earlier referred to.

    After Independence in 1960 the Electoral Act of 1962 was enacted for the whole of Nigeria as its first electoral law. However, the law did no more than re-state the 1958 Electoral Regulations so that the electoral umpire remained the Electoral Commission. After the military coup in 1966, the Electoral Act was suspended and the ECN dissolved so that Nigeria was without an electoral umpire until the 24-man FEDECO1 Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) was constituted by the Obasanjo military administration through the Electoral Decree of 1977. FEDECO’s functions included the conduct of elections, delimitation of constituencies and registration of political parties – much the same as the INEC, on paper at least. In 1976, the General Olusegun Obasanjo military administration appointed Chief Michael Ani to be the chairman of FEDECO for the 1979 elections. In 1982, another Electoral Act was enacted for Nigeria which defined the duties of the already existing Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO) in greater detail.

    15.By the end of the second republic, the Nigerian Army had litrally dismantled the country’s political structure and become Nigeria’s predominant political influence. It was under these circumstances that FEDECO was dissolved by the General Mohammadu Buhari junta on December 31, 1983. Another military junta led by General Ibrahim Babangida established the National Electoral Commission (NEC) in 1987 to administer the Juntas transition programme to civil rule. The NEC was hailed as a step in the right direction till Babangida’s painfully elongated transition programme revealed that it was merely a weapon for tenure elongation, a view confirmed when the 1993 elections adjudged to be the freest and fairest election in Nigeria was annulled. The public perception of electoral umpireship was at the lowest after the annulment. Everyone in the country saw Professor Henry Nwosu’s NEC as toothless and unable to assert its independence under Babaginda’s Rule of the gun.

    16. In 1993, the Abacha led junta dissolved Bangida’s NEC and, in December 1995, established the National Electoral Commission of Nigeria (NECON) to replace it. The general perception was that the only difference between NEC and NECON were the two last alphabets of the NECON’s acronym. And although NECON conducted elections to Local Government councils and National Assembly, it was common knowledge that NECON had one overriding agenda: to perpetuate Abacha’s military rule by transforming him to a ‘democratically elected president.’ Following General Abacha’s sudden passing in 1998, General Abdulsalam Abubakar’s Administration dissolved NECON and established the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in August 1998. INEC comprises a Chairman and 12 National Commissioners, two members being drawn from each of the six geopolitical zones of the country. Like its predecessors, INEC has been riddled with criticisms and labelled a lackey of whoever wields the reins of power. The same criticism pervaded the era of Prof Maurice Iwu, a fine gentleman but with the odds stacked against him, he could only manage to deliver amidst condemnations particularly from the opposition to the Ruling Political Party.

    The perception persisted until the coming of Prof Attairu Jega as head of INEC and the gains of opposition parties in some states of the Federation reduced significantly the barrage of criticism of the Electoral umpire.

    17.The Electoral umpire for National Elections in Nigeria today is the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and it is established by the Independent National Electoral Commission (Establishment) Act Cap 15 laws of the Federation of Nigeria (the Act). Section 4 of the Act spells out the functions of the INEC. These include the organisation, conduct and supervision of elections, registration of political parties, monitor the organisation and operation of political parties including their finances, voter registration and the preparation, maintenance and revision of voters registers, monitoring of political campaigns, provision of rules and regulations governing political parties amongst other functions.

    18.It is to be noted that Item 22 of the Executive Legislative List under the Part 1 of the Second Schedule (Legislative Powers) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as altered provides that the Federal Government and by extension INEC may only conduct election into the offices of the President and Vice President or Governor and Deputy Governor and any other office to which a person may be elected under the Constitution excluding election into a Local Government Council or any office in such council.

    19.Section 2 of the Act deals with the membership of the Commission while Section 3 deals with the tenure of office of members. Also contained in the Act are subsidiary legislation dealing with guidelines for elections into offices of the President and National Assembly.

    20.While INEC has remained very active in its role as organiser, conductor and superior of elections, its role as designed in section 4 of the Act with regards to monitoring the finances and operations of political parties (Section 4c, 4d and 4e) have been at a low ebb. The independence and impartiality of INEC is not to be measured only during elections but in the manner in which it carries out its supervisory role over the operations and finances of political parties even in between electoral contests. The supervisory role that INEC should play over political parties as aforesaid should be comparable to what the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) does with the banks and banking institutions or what other regulatory bodies do within their spheres.

    21.INEC must actively engage political parties and supervise their operations and finances. Rules and penalties for breaches must be well defined and spelt out and the interaction must be in public space. This will have a positive impact on the public and improve the perception of the public on the impartiality of INEC. The general public will therefore having perceived INEC as a effective and impartial regulator carry the same mind set into elections. It has been said that the business of politics is too serious to be left in the hands of politicians. INEC must step up its game and improve significantly on its regulatory role.

    Conclusion

    From the foregoing, it is clear that the Electoral Umpires we have had in Nigeria have never really had any measure of independence which would ensure their impartiality. In the colonial times, imperial Britain was the hand beneath the gloves of electoral umpireship. Under the military, the various electoral umpires were either put in place to elongate tenure (Babangida) or to outrightly defeat clamour for democratic governance (Abacha). Under the 1999 constitution, things have not changed much and the INEC is generally considered to be partial and in favour of whoever happens to be the government of the day. Therefore, in accordance with the judicial pronouncements reproduced earlier, it is fair to assert that Nigeria has never really had an independent electoral umpire and the lesson here is the futility of embarking on journey towards democratic self-governance which does not have a fully independent umpire both in laws setting up the body and in the perception of the public. This malaise is not restricted to the National umpire, it is in fact worse with the states electoral bodies saddled with the conduct of Local Government Elections.

    On Chief Afe Babalola (SAN)

    “I have known Aare Afe Babalola all my adult life and he has always been a reference point for many in the legal profession in Nigeria and overseas. I remember that in 2003, I picked up courage and approached him one evening at Emanuel Chambers. I was straight to the point. I asked for his guidance in my quest to take silk. He asked three questions:

    1.When I was called to the Bar,

    2.How long I had established my own practice.

    3.The highest fee I had charged as professional fees at the time and lastly.

    4.If I owned my own residence.

    I think he was satisfied with my answers and he allowed me to visit his chambers every weekend to discuss my progress until 2005 when I was called into the Inner Bar.

    Aare Babalola is not only a colossus in the legal profession, he has also firmly established perhaps the best privately run and funded university in Nigeria, that is, the Afe Babalola University in Ado Ekiti.

  • How truly independent are states’ independent Electoral Commissions?

    How truly independent are states’ independent Electoral Commissions?

    Going by newspaper reports on the local council election held in Kogi State on Saturday, 4th May, 2013, as published in Sunday Tribune and The Nation on Sunday under the titles: “3 Killed During Kogi Council Poll” and “Kogi LG Poll: Ex-Governor Audu’s brother, 3 Others Killed” respectively, well-meaning and patriotic citizens and stakeholders in Kogi State would begin to wonder on the adequacy of the preparations, laid-down processes and the readiness of the Kogi State Independent Electoral Commission (KOSIEC) in the manner of handling of the election which according to reports led to the killing of three people and burning of houses in the East Senatorial District , hospitalisation of five people at the Mopa General Hospital in West Senatorial District, total boycott of the election by the opposition parties and apathy of the electorate towards the council poll across the three Senatorial Districts in the state.

    There is no gainsaying that election in Nigeria is often being approached as a do-or-die affair and the recent council poll in Kogi State is by no means not an exception going by developments during the election. It is also a known fact that untoward acts and rigging tactics such as stage-managed party primaries, imposition of party candidates, voters intimidation by overzealous law enforcement agents designed to cause fear and ultimate disenfranchisement of the electorate, undue delay in availability of voting materials is no longer a new thing during election in our country.

    In fairness to some states’ electoral commissions such as the Lagos State Independent Electoral Commission (LASIEC), the commission’s effective handling of its duties is commendable going by the large population of the electorate in the state and the existence of strong opposition parties in the state. Though apathy has continued to rear its ugly head in some instances, the manner of handling of the election process beginning with voters registration, accreditation of the voters on day of voting and the eventual release of results by the electoral commission is not only commendable but worthy of emulation by other states’ electoral commissions in the country.

    In a situation where a council election organised by a state electoral body is characterised by violence, killing and maiming of people and boycott by the opposition, such election should not only be cancelled but be re-conducted by INEC, the national body that is charged with the conduct of the presidential, governorship, senatorial and House of Representatives elections in Nigeria.

    The fact remains that more of the states’ independent electoral commissions in Nigeria remain loyal and solely committed to the whims and caprices of the political party to which the governor in the state belongs and not to the electorate as the case should be and so long as this situation is being allowed, out of ignorance and the high illiteracy level in the society, to be accepted as a norm in our politics, the possibility of peaceful and credible council poll will continue to elude the political terrain in our country.

    The need for credible and acceptable poll at the local government level in any part of the country cannot be dismissed with the wave of the hand, considering the fact that the closest government to the people at the grassroots is that of the local government. The advice of the ex- Ebonyi Deputy Governor, Chigozie Ogbu, given during a national workshop on budget implementation and price monitoring in Enugu as reported in the P.M News of Thursday, 17 November, 2005 on the need for and efficient an service-oriented local government system as opposed to “most public officers, especially politicians, who see their positions not only as an opportunity to serve the public but as a God-given opportunity for personal aggrandisement” should be the watchword of all the local councils in Nigeria and this is only achievable when true representatives of the people are allowed unfettered access to governance at our local government level nationwide.

    Without mincing words, there is need for level-playing field to be the watchword of all electoral bodies whether at federal or state level in our country as this is the only way by which unnecessary animosity and bad blood can be eschewed before, during and after election in our country.

     

    Odunayo joseph

    Publicity Secretary

    South West Zone of Okun Dev. Association

  • ‘We welcome independent investigation on Baga’

    ‘We welcome independent investigation on Baga’

    Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on Media and Publicity Dr Rueben Abati spoke on the national security and other   issues on the Sahara Television on Saturday. Correspondent Adeola Oladele – Fayehun monitored the interview in New York.

     

    COULD you summarise your report on the Baga incident…

    The statement that I issued on the matter was based on the submission of reports to the President by the National Emergency Management Agency and the Defense Headquarters or if you like, the Military Command, who had been given strict instructions to go and investigate what happened in Baga; to intervene in terms of rehabilitation of the victims, and to also determine whether rules of engagement of the military authorities had been respected or not, and to make appropriate recommendations.

    In that report, the military authorities made it very clear, that the incident occurred on April 16 and not the April 19 that was being published by newspapers, and that contrary to the reports, there was no case of over 200 people or 158 persons dying, that also there were no mass graves in Baga, and that the investigations revealed that 30 Boko Haram terrorists died, one soldier and some bodies were found in Lake Chad, a few meters away from the scene of the confrontation.

    The report also made it clear that arson is a usual method adopted by the Boko Haram terrorists, and that these Boko Haram terrorists, some of the weapons seized from them included rocket grenades, bombs, AK47s, and a lot of sophisticated weapons. And that in the process, many of the buildings around the area of the confrontation were set on fire by the Boko Haram terrorists.

    It was also made clear that the military command in its investigations was able to establish that there were no mass graves and there was no evidence that so many people died. NEMA pointed out that it has set up its own intervention programme, including units for internally displaced persons. And as at the time that statement was issued, 642 persons had been accommodatedat at the internally displaced persons unit. And also, NEMA made it very clear that the graves that the officials visited, the two major graves in the community, that they could only find a total of just 32 graves.

    In terms of population, Baga is a very small fishing community on the boarder between Nigeria and Chad. And even in terms of the number of houses in that community, you don’t have up to 1,000 houses. So, where was this information coming from that 3,000 houses were burnt, 4,000 houses were torched. So, NEMA concluded also that there has been a lot of misinformation.

    Are you saying Red Cross lied and the Senator that visited Baga and said 228 people died, are you saying he lied?

    The figures that are being around cannot be substantiated, and I’m quoting that line directly from the NEMA report. The NEMA officials were there on the ground, they conducted their investigations, you’re quoting Red Cross, don’t forget that many of the aid workers were claiming that they were not granted access; the same people who said they were not granted access are quoting figures. And NEMA has already debunked that and said that nobody was barred from accessing the community. NEMA was granted access, Red Cross was granted access, and the investigations that NEMA and the defense authority did are the details that I have given you earlier on.

    What about the Senator?

    The question we should ask is: “Did the Senator go to there or was he speaking on the basis on hearsay? Then the question is how did he conduct his own investigations? What empirical evidence does he have? Because we should refrain from relying on gossip or hearsay. And I believe that the senator, am sure the authorities may possibly invite him to provide evidence and to assist in the investigations that are still continuing.

    What about the published satellite image of Baga before and after the incidence. Have you seen the picture?

    Well, I have seen the satellite images that are being circulated. But you know those satellite images are questionable. You know that satellite imagery is determined by a lot of variables: weather condition, the quality of equipment, the resolution, the distance, and all of that. And the military authority have made it very clear that the Nigerian authority have also carried out their own satellite imagery, using Nigeria’s tools. And the evidence that they have is clearly different from the evidence that the Human Rights Watch is talking about.

    In that same Human Rights Watch report, it is claimed that certain persons in the community were interviewed. Where were they interviewed? When? These are questions that you should ask. I mean the same people said they were not granted access, so how did they conduct their interviews? And if they said they conducted their interviews by phone, the report states that communication satellite mast in that community had been damaged by the Boko Haram terrorists, such that at the moment, it’s very difficult to make phone calls to that community.

    And then, of course, it is not impossible if at all anyone was interviewed, you ought to realise that there is a lot of politicking involved in this matter, people are beginning to play politics with it, but the military authority and the Nigerian State has the responsibility to ensure the integrity of the Nigerian state, to ensure that the sovereignty of Nigeria is not violated, and to ensure that terrorists are not allowed to create a state within the state. Because what the authorities are faced with is a situation whereby the terrorists are almost creating an enclave inside the Nigerian territory.

    Are you going to have an independent investigation, apart from the government owned agencies?

    In the statement that I issued on this matter, I made it clear that President Jonathan, welcomed the decision by the National Human Rights Commission to conduct its own independent investigations. And the council of the National Human Rights Commission has already met, and they issued a statement saying that they would carryout independent investigations. Whoever wants to also carryout independent investigations is welcome.

    Historically, Nigerian government is known to downplay figures in incidences like this. So you should understand why people are not believing what the government is saying, do you?

    Well, the government is also concerned that people are playing politics with this Baga incidence, that there is a lot of misinformation out there, and there seems to be a deliberate attempt to give a bad name in order to harm it.

    Killing of innocent civilians by the Nigerian military is nothing new. Former President OlusegunObasanjo had his Odi massacre. President Yar’Adua actually created the modern day Boko Haram after his security agents massacred over 1000 members of Boko Haram. Is Baga President Jonathan’s own massacre? In this new world order where heads of states face charges of crime against humanity for ordering the killing of his own citizens is the president worried about the possibility of facing charges in the International Criminal Court over the activities of the JTF?

    One, the position of the government is that there was no massacre in Baga. Two, the reports by investigators also made it clear that the Boko Haram terrorists were the ones who set houses on fire, and the ones who have turned Baga into an enclave within the Nigerian State. And to the extent that that is true means that the terrorists are determined to violate the sovereignty of Nigeria.

    The investigations that have been carried out by the Nigerian authority are already public material and there is no reason why anyone should play politics talking about international criminal court. I don’t think that that is what we’re dealing with in this situation. But, of course, the National Human Rights Commission is going to carryout its own investigations, President Jonathan has said that the investigations should continue, and that where it can be established that there has been any misdeed or misconduct, that the administration will do everything to ensure that justice is done.

    Will the government allow an international agency to come and look into this incident?

    Yes, whoever wants to come and investigate is welcome. But what we expect is that people will be truthful, and that they will not play politics, or set out to work to a predetermined formula or answer, as seems to be the case at the moment.

    Do you think this will have an impact on the amnesty talk and the goal to see if Boko Haram could be brought into the administration for any kind of negotiation?

    If anything, I think what has happened in Baga again, brought attention to the fact that every step must be taken to bring this terrorist challenge that we have in that part of the country to an end. And the situation that we have on our hands now is that a lot of Nigerians are recommending the amnesty option, and government has set the machinery in motion for this to be considered as an option that can be taken along with other measures that are being adopted.

    So I don’t see it as standing in the way of the measures being taken.

    Did President Jonathan award $40 million contract to an Israeli company to monitor computer, Internet communication by Nigerians? Will some Israelis soon be reading my emails to my grandmother?

    Well, the report that I read indicated that the Israeli company that is being talked about never mentioned Nigeria. It only referred to an unnamed African country. It is the people doing the interpretation who are insisting that it must be Nigeria. I think that those making the claim must be certain that it is Nigeria that is being referred to. And in the reports that I have read, there is no clear indication that the Isreali company talked about Nigeria.

    Are you saying that as far as you know, there was no contract given to this Isrealicompany?

    Well, I am referring to the report on which your question is based, and am saying that the press release on which the stories are based, that press release by the Isreali company never mentioned Nigeria. However, speaking theoretically, you will note that in an age of terrorism, and with the kind of security challenges we have in the world today, many countries have seen the need in combating terrorism to upscale their intelligence gathering methods. And in many of the countries that we like to quote, that we like to refer to, you know for a fact that several methods are taken to monitor what happens in cyber space and to prevent cyber crime, and to ensure that nobody abuses an important medium as the internet. But that is speaking theoretically.

    So, you’re sure that Nigerian government did not give contract to this company?

    Well, I can find out for you, but you know these are security matters. But I have taken note of your request, I will find out.

    The Presidency said that the US report on corruption in Nigeria is exaggerated. That same week, the Senate Public Accounts Committee submitted a report that says that N1.5trillion special accounts funds by the Federal Government was misused from 2002-2012. The three special funds accounts are the Stabilization Account, Ecological Fund Account and the Natural Resources Account. How could that happen?

    Well, that has not been proven, and I don’t know the details of that story. But you know, of course, that often times, some of these things come up, and when they’re properly investigated, they’re found not to be actually accurate. But that story I don’t quite have the details, but I can assure you that allegations of mass corruption, all these are exaggerated. And as we move towards 2015, with which a lot of people seems to be so upset, you’ll keep finding all kinds of stories, which are contrive, and which are being brought forward to public attention just to see if the administration can be discredited. So, there’s a lot of mischief out there.

    This administration has made it very clear that it is committed to good governance, transparency and integrity in all its processes. And many steps are being taken to ensure that these objectives are met, that these objectives are achieved on a sustainable bases. And there has been many cases on a daily basis with clear evidence of the administration dealing with corruption. And I think that the last time that you and I discussed, you know I gave many examples in this regards, including the fact that the fuel subsidy scam was something that was exposed by this administration.

    Two, the fact that political corruption is probably the biggest corruption, and this administration has been dealing with that. Today, we live in a country where people praise election conducted by this administration, as being free and fair. Many elections have been held under President Jonathan’s watch, and there has been no evidence, no indication of interference by the center, or any attempt as was the case in the past by anybody at the center to impose his will on the will of Nigerians. This President is committed to free and fair elections, electoral process that is very high in terms of integrity.

    Look at what the administration is also doing in terms of the ports, you know, getting the ports cleared of all the toll gates that people have erected there. Look at what is being done in terms of even double-checking and making sure that people who are working for the government are properly documented. Look at what has been done in the agric sector, the same agric sector in this country that was defined by sheer scam, fertilizer scam, tractor scam; all of that has changed, and a lot is still changing. But the opposition in Nigeria will like to keep concocting stories trying to embarrass the government and claiming that the government is not fighting corruption.

    The truth of the matter is that this government is committed to the fight against corruption.

    What happened to the buses we were promised when the government removed subsidy?

    You know that after removal of partial subsidy that occurred in 2012, following the protest, government immediately set up the Sure-P Committee. The Sure-P Committee is a body set up to monitor how the savings are spent. I’ve heard a number of people talking about projects by Sure-P. it is actually an oversight body working with the project implementation units in the various ministries. And what government did was to outline and publish all the activities that Sure-P would oversee. And Dr. Christopher Kolade, who is the head of that committee, has given reports again and again and again.

    One of the programs under Sure-P has been the, empowerment at the level of maternal and child healthcare. Before December last year, almost about 4,000 health workers were engaged and sent to different parts of the country, focusing specifically on the issue of maternal and child health.

    On the issue of employment, under Sure-P we have what is called the graduate internship scheme, to which over 13,000 Nigerian companies signed up. And by December last year, over 100,000 Nigerian graduates were already being placed in various companies and that number has even gone up this year.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Here comes Independent Fashion Expo

    A new initiative tagged Independent Fashion Expo has made its debut in Lagos. A project of E-zone Africa Group, the pan-Africa event is set to host an Independent Fashion Expo and Award.

    Organisers say it will parade African top designers including Modela Couture, Steve Ray Couture, Generation Consciente (Benin) Dinal Fashion(Haiti) and some emerging designers including Sxgab Couture, Fatfate Design, Fountain Stitches on a run-way in Lagos State.

    Supported by Z-Mirage Multimedia Ltd, Lorna Nigeria Ltd, makers of Amigo/Darling Hair, Veleta Fruit Drink and MIIT Technology Services, with the primary aim of establishing the fact that raw talents originate from Africa, the show is said to be a deliberate effort to herald Nigeria’s 52nd Independence Day anniversary.

    it is expected to create a platform for budding talents and to project them to mainstream global fashion industry.

    The show, according to the convener, Oredola Adeola, will hold by 4p.m on Sunday, September 30, 2012, at Jocason Hotel Event Centre, Amje, Lagos/Abeokuta Express Way, Lagos State.

    Expected at the event are ace cinematographer, Tunde Kelani and other celebrities like Benjamin Joseph, Yinka Davies, Ayanbirin, Tunde Joseph (Host Artiste), Sound Sultan and other top music and nollywood stars.