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Tag: knocks

  • Ile-Ife: More knocks for police over arrests

    Ile-Ife: More knocks for police over arrests

    The police got more knocks yesterday for their “lopsided” arrests over  the March 8 mayhem that rocked Ile-Ife, Osun State.

    The police, on Monday, paraded 20 suspects who allegedly participated in the mayhem, which involved Yoruba indigenes and Hausa settlers.

    The suspects are mainly Yoruba, fueling the notion that the police might have taken sides in the fracas.

    An Ife indigene and Yoruba leader, Mr. Goke Omisore, said the identities of the suspects showed that there was a deliberate attempt to embarrass the Yoruba. He wondered why the police left out suspects from the other party in the bloody clash, noting that the investigation would not be thorough, if security agencies take sides in such sensitive matter.

    Omisore, who described the mayhem as a sacrilege, said: “The fact that the bloody violence happened in Ile-Ife, the Yoruba cradle, is a condemnable sacrilege that must not be swept under the carpet. But the action of the police has shown that the authorities are ready to take sides in the crisis.

    “Why would the police make one-sided arrest and leave the other party in the crisis out? This is a veiled attempt to embarrass the Yoruba and tag us as violent people. There can never be justice if the police are tinkering with facts. It takes two to tango. Yoruba will not accept the outcome of the investigation, if the other party is left out.”

    The Oodu’a People’s Congress (OPC) called for caution in the handling of the investigation, while condemning the police action. The group called for unconditional release of the Ife indigenes arrested, saying the police openly showed their bias for singling out only Yoruba for arrest.

    OPC Publicity Secretary Mr. Yinka Oguntimehin, in a statement, said: “OPC is expressing concern that the measure being adopted to quell the crisis would only midwife a cold comfort, should the indigenes be made to bear the scars of the tussle alone.

    “Ife, being the cradle of the Yoruba, is symbolic and being held in high esteem by sons and daughters from the race. Issues connected with the ancient town should be treated with care and accuracy.

    “Ïfe is Yoruba root and the race is known for its uncommon hospitality. We care for settlers in our domain to a fault and this is why we believe there are more to the recent crisis that engulfed Ife than meet the eyes. We will not want this hospitality to be mistaken for cowardice. The Yoruba race is not and will never be conquered.

    “We call for unconditional release of all the arrested Ife indigenes, while a better amicable way should be explored to calm all frayed nerves and settle the crisis permanently.”

    Also, a pressure group, G9, condemned the “one-sided” arrest, describing the police investigation as worrisome. Its convener, Chief Tola Adeniyi, said the police had portrayed themselves as partial, partisan and unprofessional.

    “It is worrisome the attitude of the police in this investigation is unbecoming of impartial umpire. A referee has suddenly become a player on the side of one team.  Several arrests were made and when the suspects were paraded, it turned out that not a single Hausa man or woman was among the flock. A revered Ife traditional ruler was also paraded as a suspect. This is ridiculous,” Adeniyi said.

    The group advised the police to treat all ethnic groups equally before the law, saying the attempt to treat any ethnic group differently would not be helpful to the unity of the country.

  • Knocks for corporate begging on Glo’s Professor Johnbull

    Knocks for corporate begging on Glo’s Professor Johnbull

    THe growing habit of corporate begging will draw the ire of the cast of Globacom-sponsored TV drama series, Professor Johnbull, which goes on air this evening.
    It is the topic of episode 12 of the programme tagged, “Eye of the Blind”, which is billed for airing at 8.30 p.m. on NTA Network, NTA International on DSTV Channel 251 and NTA on StarTimes. The repeat broadcast will come up at the same time on Friday on the same television channels.
    According to a press statement by Globacom, the executive producer of the show, the 30-minute satire “promises to be as entertaining and educative as the previous episodes, as it brings to our consciousness, the negative effect of fake and corporate begging and how it has been hampering the chances of those who genuinely need help in our society.”
    “Corporate Beggar” Stephen Odimgbe, who plays the role of Flash, attempts to swindle the erudite Professor Johnbull, acted by Kanayo O. Kanayo, and other members of the public by pretending to have a terminal ailment and opening a Go-Fund-Me-Account. Viewers will see if he succeeded and how Professor Johnbull handled the attempt.
    The drama will also expose the large number of fake beggars on the streets and their resourceful ways of operation. Viewers will also have the opportunity of finding out who the fake ones are among the beggars and how to determine those who genuinely need help.
    Globacom explained that “Eye of the Blind” raises questions such as what fate befalls those who scam others by pretending to be invalids? Is there any dignity in begging when the beggar doesn’t have to? Has begging now become a profession in the country? Who are the corporate beggars and how do they operate?
    Directed by Tchidi Chikere with Richard Mofe Damijo (RMD) and Chief Chika Okpala (Zebrudayah) as production consultants, “Eye of the Blind” parades the regular actors of the series including Olaniyi (Yomi Fash-Lanso), Mai Doya (Funky Mallam) and Elizabeth (Queen Nwokoye).

  • Knocks for banks over corruption

    Knocks for banks over corruption

    •Magu: Jonathan’s wife under probe

    Banks and their officials who help in concealing stolen funds will soon have their day in court, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Acting Chairman Ibrahim Magu said yesterday.

    He said it was unfortunate that some banks encourage looting by creating an “enabling environment” for it.

    “The banking sector is creating a fertile ground for corruption,” the EFCC chairman said.

    Magu spoke in Lagos during an interactive session with the commission’s external lawyers and civil society organisations.

    According to him, it was as if the banks were telling looters: “Go and steal and I’ll hide it for you”, a development he said must stop.

    “We’ll zoom in on the banks. We need to stop them from creating an enabling environment for corruption to thrive,” he said.

    On whether the commission would invite former First Lady Patience Jonathan  for questioning over the $15,591,700 she claims belongs to her, Magu said investigation was ongoing.

    “We are on it. You see, we work for the long-term. We must complete our preliminary investigations before we come out,” he said.

    Magu told the forum that EFCC sometimes spends up to nine months investigating a case before inviting suspects for questioning, adding that no one who has stolen public funds would be spared.

    “We’ll not spare anybody. We can’t protect anyone from answering to the people. Determination is key. I believe we’ll go a long way and that our tomorrow will be better than our today,” he said.

    The EFCC chair said the commission did not characterise all lawyers as “rogues”, saying the statement was misinterpreted.

    According to him, “just as there are bad eggs within the EFCC, there are also corrupt lawyers. We can’t just come out and condemn people,” he said.

    Magu said the EFCC has begun an in-house cleansing to weed out corrupt employees.

    “You need to be here to know that corruption is fighting back. Corrupt people have people on their payroll. They have easy money. We’re very serious, so, we want to cleanse the inside,” he said.

    Executive Director, Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders (CACOL) Debo Adeniran, urged the commission to invite Mrs Jonathan for questioning.

    According to him, the law empowers the commission to question anyone who lives above his/her means.

    Lagos lawyer Wahab Shittu, who also serves as EFCC’s external counsel, said the war against corruption cannot be fought by the commission alone. He urged Nigerians to support the agency.

    “EFCC is our collective enterprise. If it fails, all of us have failed. Corruption hurts us all. So, fighting it should be a collective responsibility,” he said.

    National President, Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Malachy Ugwummadu said there was a growing concern about EFCC’s respect for the rule of law. He urged the commission to look into it.

    Activist-lawyer Jiti Ogunye urged the commission to be careful about issuing sensitive statements, such as the one issued ahead of the rescheduled Edo State governorship election, saying that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was still under investigation.

    He said such statements create the impression that EFCC works primarily in the interest of the party in power.

  • Knocks for NFC’s project

    Knocks for NFC’s project

    The Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) came under critics’ hammer during a discussion session cum film screenings, an Archive-Based Project organised by the Lagos Film Society. The event took place at the NFC’s Lagos office in Ikoyi, penultimate Friday.

    The event attended by filmmakers and  enthusiasts, was meant to improve history and film archiving in Nigeria, especially in Lagos.Three films screening, two of which were documentaries and the third a movie were presented.

    The first film was a documentary on The Missing Picture by Rithy Panh. It was about the life of a young boy who narrated his ordeals in Kampuchea, Cambodia.The film is based on how the people of Pnom Penh were enslaved and relocated to Kampuchea by Pol Polt and his comrades, where they were being maltreated, dying one after the other. The 13-year-old boy survived but lost all his family members.

    The former Managing Director of Nigerian Film Corporation, Afolabi Adesanya said: “Nigerian filmmakers have refused to donate their films to NFC archives which is why there are not enough films in the archive, criticised the corporation’s inability to support filmmakers financially in their film productions.”

    Reacting to Adesanya’s comment, veteran filmmaker Ola Balogun said: “Government spends hundreds of millions on the scheme every year without producing a film or even giving filmmakers money to produce film, yet they want filmmakers to donate the films they produce with millions of naira free of charge.”

    He added that it was, however, unfortunate that $4million was spent on the film laboratory which did not produced even a film before the laboratory was moved to Jos when it was discovered that the water in Lagos was not good for film laboratory.

    Didi Cheeka, one of the panellist, pleaded with older generation filmmakers to release their film for archiving in order to enlighten youths on things that had happened in the past, which they do not experience, so that they can watch it and have an understanding of the events.

    He urged filmmakers to release their works in order to help improve the knowledge of new generation filmmakers in their process of filmmaking and broaden their understanding on past events, which could lead to a developing story.

    The second film was also a documentary by Balogun entitled: Gods of Africa in Brazil. The film, which was shot in Brazil, was centred on Africans who were captured and enslaved by Brazilians. They were taken to Brazil without any of their property, but one thing they took with them was their gods, customs and traditions.

    The Afro-Brazilians did not forsake their gods, they still serve them even in Brazil. This attracted the interest of filmmaker, Balogun, a traditionalist who also has strong beliefs in all these gods; Yemoja, Ogun, Sango, Esu, Oya, among others.

    The third film was a movie titled Black Goddess also by Balogun and was shot in Brazil. The story is based on Yemoja, the river goddess who is known as the most beautiful of all the goddesses.

    Sponsored by Federal Ministry of Information & Culture, Goethe institut, Nigerian Film Corporation and British Council, the event had in attendance Marc-Andre Schmatel, Goethe institut, Ore Disu, Nsibidi institute, Lisabona Rahman, Lab Labalaba (Indonesia/Italy), Jacqueline Nsiah, independent film curator, (Ghana), Tunde Kelani, Tam Fiofori, among others.

     

  • Knocks for Fayose over China ‘letter’

    Knocks for Fayose over China ‘letter’

    •Odigie-Oyegun, lawyers, others slam governor

    There were more knocks yesterday for Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose  over his “protest” letter to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    President Muhammadu Buhari last week visited the People’s Republic of China.

    He negotiated a loan and a currency swap deal with the Chinese as part of efforts to revive the economy.

    On April 12, Fayose travelled to China to urge the authorities to refuse the facility being requested by the Federal Government.

    He said “all Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations are against any applications for new foreign loans”.

    This, the governor said, was on the grounds that servicing the current debt burden costs over 25 per cent of the country’s annual budget.

    All Progressives Congress National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun berated Fayose for his criticism.

    He noted that the President won the election based on his personal credentials, coupled with international recognition and respect.

    Odigie-Oyegun, who spoke in Benin City, the Edo State capital, said the country was being confronted by retrogressive forces and economic saboteurs.

    His words: “I hope Fayose did not really do what we were told he did. I don’t think he is capable of descending into this low depth but if he did I feel sorry for him.

    “Nigerians should ask him what he was doing in China. Anyway, we are not bothered, the President is not bothered.

    ‘’Most people do not recognise the  economy’s sorry state and the fact that it was run aground.

    “This contributed in no small measure towards the crash of crude oil from N120 per barrel to a miserable N30 to N40 per barrel in the international market.

    “Is there anyone who cannot recognise the fact that Nigeria has almost become a paralysed state?

    “We do not have respect all over the world and the reality is that every sector was grounded but APC won the election based on Buhari’s personal credibility.”

    Odigie-Oyegun  went on: “In a situation where the world has become a global village, the President has taken his prestige and time around the world to polish our image.

    “The countries he has visited are critical to peace in Nigeria or to our economic speedy revival.

    “The truth is that Mr. President is getting the world to respect and know the new Nigeria and to be ready to help to revive the economy.

    ‘’ Everything he has done, including the foreign tours, is to gather all the support that is necessary to make a dramatic impact on the condition of Nigeria as quickly as possible.’’

    Chairmen of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos State and other lawyers also condemned the governor’s action.

    A former Chairman of Ikeja Branch,Onyekachi Ubani, described the letter as of no consequence, since negotiations had  been concluded.

    “The letter is similar to a situation of bringing a motion for a court injunction for a completed act.

    “This letter is a mere irritation, especially coming from a governor.

    “ I will urge Nigerians to regard his letter as nothing, but a mere irritation.

    The Ikeja Branch Chairman , Yinka Farobi, described the letter as “over stepping of one’s boundaries”.

    “Fayose was elected  governor and not as president.

    “His letter is clearly out of the purview of his powers and I seriously condemn it,” he said.

    The Ikorodu Branch Chairman, Dotun Adetunji, described the letter as a show of rascality.

    He noted that although “there is a provision for immunity for a sitting governor, there must also be a limit on the activities of a leader”.

    “There are 36 states and of these, only one governor has the courage to write to a foreign authority.

    “In my mind, such action is really reprehensible and should be discouraged.”

    A lawyer, Spurgeon Ataene, said: “If the loan being sought by the Federal Government is to revamp the  economy, then we should not have a problem with that.

    “The only thing we should demand from the government is that the loan should be used for the purpose for which it was obtained in the first place.

    “To that extent, all Nigerians must be watchdogs and at all times demand that the benefit of the loan must trickle down to the masses.”

    Another lawyer, Ola Ogunbiyi, said Fayose’s action fell short of the status of his exalted office.

    “Fayose is a `security risk’ working against national interest. I think he has too much freedom and should be cautioned.”

    A former APC senatorial candidate for Edo Central District, Dr. Francis Inegbeniki, said the governor’s latest stunt has given him out as someone in need of medical attention.

    Inegbeniki said it was very important for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  leadership to call Fayose to order as his actions and statements are embarrassing the country.

    “In Nigeria, we have one President, therefore it is an insult for a non-performing and lazy governor like Fayose to have written such a letter.  Only a rebel does that to his country,” he said.

  • Kudos, knocks for Kaduna free school meal

    Kudos, knocks for Kaduna free school meal

    Last January 18, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai launched the free feeding programme for 1.8 million pupils in public primary schools. Some praise the initiative; others give it the thumbs down. ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE reports

    January 18, the first day of the second term of the 2015/2016 session, brought change to public primary schools in Kaduna State. It was the day the Kaduna State government toed the path of Osun State government to provide free mid-day meals for the 1.8 million pupils of its public primary schools

    Governor Nasir El-Rufai launched the school feeding programme at the Aliyu Makama Road Primary School in Barnawa area of Kaduna metropolis, where he also joined the pupils to eat.

    El-Rufai said 60 per cent of the cost of the programme is being re-imbursed by the Office of the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo. The initiative is also getting technical support from The Imperial College London’s Partnership for Child Development.

    He acknowledged the enormity of the responsibility the government had taken by adopting the project, which costs N90 million per day at N50 per meal. However, El-Rufai pledged his commitment to ensuring its success despite challenges? because of its benefits to the pupils in terms of nutrition and enrolment, and to the Kaduna people in terms of job creation for farmers, suppliers and caterers.

    “Every school day, the Kaduna State Government will be providing a meal for 1.8million primary school pupils.  It is an unprecedented undertaking in this state, but one that we solemnly pledged to do when we were campaigning. It is a challenge in terms of its scale, cost and the logistics required to deliver the meals every day. But our children deserve this, and more,” El-Rufai said at the launch.

    It only took only a few days into the project for the teething problems to start emerging – enrolment shot up and contractors struggled to cope.  Also, corruption soon crept into the disbursement of funds to contractors to implement the programme.

    By the third day, schools were reporting that demand had over-stripped supply.  In one school in Sabon-Gari Local Government Area, Bomo Primary School, after feeding 1,235 pupils formally enrolled in the school, 55 pupils were left.

    Teachers at Meyeye One Primary School in Markafi Local Government also reported that many more than the 1,322 pupils had to be fed.  The story was not different in other schools.

    From figures received from all over the state, the Commissioner for Education, Shehu Adamu-Danfulani, said that the enrolment rate had increased by about 64 per cent. The teachers found that the population explosion was as a result of pupils sending siblings to join registered pupils in school.

    By the end of the first week, teachers at Local Education Authority (LEA) Primary School, Maiduguri Road told The Nation found that the school’s population increased by 400 pupils.  Similarly, at Kabala Costain LEA Primary School, the population had grown from 1,200 to 1,850.

    The Nation also observed that the authorities seemed to have found solution to the population problem. This is because the lists of newly enrolled primary school pupils from all the schools have been forwarded to the state government through the State Universal Basic Education Board.

    Assistant Head Teacher (who refused to give his name) Kabala Costain LEA Primary School told this reporter that the food now goes round all the pupils.

    “The food has been going round.  We sometimes get remnant of food from LEA Ja’afaru Estate to give to our pupils,” he said.

    In addition to now being able to cater for the additional 400 pupils that have been enrolled at LEA Primary School, its enrolment officer (names withheld) said the school has found ways to make the pupils stay in school after the meals.

    She said that at the start of the programme, some pupils left the school after eating.  To address that problem, the school started serving the pupils in the classroom.

    “When we found that the children left the school after leaving, we adopted the idea of serving them in the classroom, while lessons continue after the breakfast,” she said.

    The state is also addressing the problem of corruption that caused hitches early in the programme, particularly in Giwa, Jaba and Kachia Local Government Areas (LGA) where the programme did not take off as expected due to the vendors’ inability to access the funds.

    The development led to suspension of a senior education official in Zaria LGA for tampering with funds meant for the programme’s food vendors.

    Adamu-Danfulani said the officer is being investigated.

    He said:”Based on our arrangement, the money for the vendors would be deposited weekly in banks where each of the vendors’ cooperative societies opened their account.

    “The heads of the cooperative societies will thereafter access the money and distribute same to each vendor accordingly, based on the number of pupils expected to be fed in a week at N50 per plate.

    “But it was alleged that the suspended officer gathered all the heads of the cooperative societies within the local government in his office.

    “He collected the money from them and was personally sharing it to the vendors which lasted up to the middle of Monday night, thereby affecting the implementation of the programme in Zaria.

    “That is not his responsibility, and therefore, he is suspended to enable the ministry carry out full investigation into the matter.”

    He added that other LGAs where such cases were reported are also under investigation, adding that any official found involved in such practices would also be prosecuted.

    He also said the ministry had received allegations that some of the heads of the cooperative societies collect money and disbursed to the vendors in bits or in some cases divert the money to their friends instead of the vendors.

    He said that some of the women are already in police net under investigation and would be charged to court if found wanting.

    While the programme has attracted praises in some quarters, it has been criticized by some people.  The most prominent critic has been Senator Danjuma La’ah, who represents the Southern Kaduna Senatorial District in the National Assembly.

    La’ah, in a statement, described the free feeding programme as a misplaced priority considering that many public schools lack basic facilities.  He said the programme was not sustainable.

    “There is no way the feeding programme can be sustainable in Kaduna State when the targeted pupils are about two million and are expected to be fed on daily basis. So, it is a political gimmick and I am not in support of it. I therefore call on the government to do the right things for our education system to move forward instead of spending public resources on what is not tenable among the citizenry,” he said.

    However, a Kaduna-based Nutritionist, Mrs. Hajara Yahaya, said the programme would go a long way to boost nutrition status of children, which is a problem in northern Nigeria.

    “Some documented comparative studies have shown dramatic effects of school food programme on attendance and school achievements.  Low anthropometric measurement, that is, height for age, weight for height and head circumference is associated with poor school achievements. Similarly, Iron deficiency anaemia, missing breakfast and helminthic infections, all of which are nutritional disorders have negative effects on school performance.

    “So, malnutrition hinders cognitive development and it is one of the contributing factors to generally poor school performance among children from low socio-economic communities, who are obviously the majority in Nigeria and Northern Nigeria in particular.

    “So, it is natural that if appropriate correction of nutrition deficiencies is done, it can lead to measurable improvement in cognition, and even in situation of good nutritional status, the brain can be very sensitive to short-term fluctuation of glucose availability,” she said.

    On his part, El-Rufai said the government has other plans to improve education in the state, and is not just focused on school feeding.

    He said: “School feeding is a separate plan of our initiative to expand access to education, to ensure that every child can have nine years of free, decent basic education, no matter the income level of their parents.

    “We began our education programme with the recruitment of teachers for core subject areas, conducted a needs-assessment to identify how we can strengthen the capacity of current teachers and then announced the removal of all bureaucratic impediments to the career advancement and sense of fulfillment of professional teachers in the public school system. We made it clear that a professional teacher can rise to Grade Level 17, without having to stop being a teacher.

    “Having taken steps to raise the morale and capacity of teachers as the frontline workers in delivering quality education, the government began addressing the question of the physical condition of the theatre in which they work: the schools.

    “We inherited a baleful legacy of dilapidated schools, inadequate classrooms, and no furniture for 50 per cent of the pupils. The schools also often lacked water and toilet facilities.

    “The APC government of Kaduna State responded by launching a school rehabilitation programme. It is a massive commitment to fix the more than 4,000 public primary schools in the state and transform them into conducive places for the delivery of quality education. We will strive to complete the rehabilitation within our term of office.”

     

  • Knocks, applause for 2016 budget at Senate debate

    Knocks, applause for 2016 budget at Senate debate

    • Reps begin debate

    The Senate yesterday began the debate of the general principles of the 2016 budget.

    While some Senators hailed the spirit and content of the budget. Others described the fiscal document as unimplementable and asked that it be reworked.

    The debate, which cut across party lines, with most All Progressives Party (APC) Senators who spoke insisting that the budget is an honest move to fix the economy of the country, while their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts, expressed skepticism about the workability of the fiscal policy.

    Some of the lawmakers cautioned the government to be mindful of excess borrowing to finance the budget as the measure might signal a wrong impression of economic affluence when the economy is actually undergoing recession.

    At a stage during the debate, there was shouting match on the floor of the Senate but the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, managed the situation to avoid out right rancor.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, led the debate by outlining the objective assumptions of the budget.

    Ndume noted that the budget entitled “budget of change” is unique in so many ways.

    The preparation of the budget, he said, was based on Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) system which required all expenses on projects and programmes to be fully justified by MDAs.

    The Senate Leader who said that the budget is aimed at promoting inclusive growth including the poor and vulnerable noted that it would however be challenged by the decline in oil prices and slowdown in the global economy.

    Ndume said that the budget was designed to ensure that the country’s economy survived by stimulating economic activities, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development as well as to create a number of jobs.

    He added that budget focuses on broadening the tax base and improving the effectiveness of revenue collection as well as diversifying the economy and moving it away from dependence on oil.

    He said that the 2016 budget of N6.08 trillion is a “framework that will consolidate and add impetus to the change agenda of this administration and will promote economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction and service delivery to all Nigerians.”

    Let me start by saying that indeed we have to fund part of this budget by borrowing because in the previous administration a huge chunk of our common patrimony our resources have been stolen.

    Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) in his contribution noted that the challenge of the economy is not the current price of oil in the world market.

    Lawan said that the challenge of the economy “is and has always been corruption, corruption. 55 privileged Nigerians in the last 16 years stole 1.34 trillion.”

    He added, “This is the 17th budget I am debating in the National Assembly and with the exception of 2005 Appropriation, there was never an implementation of more than 40%. Nigerians was shortchanged for 16 years.

    “The proposal before us is the first in the last 17 years that an allocation of 30% of the appropriation is given for capital expenditure and for the first time in a genuine, sincere, honest and transparent manner the executive arm of government as deem it necessary to give ordinary Nigerians something, some succour, some hope and genuine one for that matter that we have N500 billion allocated to the school feeding and social and the safety nets generally.

    “Mr. President 2015 budget when we debated it here the proposal was N500 billion for the entire capital budget and we said it and it came to pass that they were not going to implement even half of that.

    “In fact at that time I mentioned that Nigerians with over 179.9 million will have only about N200 billion in a budget of 4.9trillion.

    “Today, we have a budget that provides 30% in the first instance and so many other social safety nets that will be for disadvantage Nigerians, Nigerians that are most vulnerable that have little or no hope. This is again the first budget presented to the assembly in the last 17 years in which revenue from oil is not predominant and is not overwhelming.”

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) faulted the budget and urged the government to withdraw it so as to go back to the drawing board.

    He said, “I am going to quote copiously from the Senate Leader. He said this budget is unique and titled `Budget of Change’.

    “This budget is indeed unique, the first budget that has ever been sent out to the public of Nigeria and after the budget presentation, the finance minister has never come to explain the details of the budget as it is normally done.

    “It is a budget of change, I agree but it is a change in the wrong direction. I say it is a change in the wrong direction because it says that it is based on zero budgeting requiring all expenses to be fully justified.

    “A budget that increases spending up to 30% based solely on borrowing, in what way is it justified? That is the question we want to ask the people who brought this budget of change.

    “We ask a question: this budget has moved the 2015 budget from N4.45 trillion to N6.08 trillion and we felt that moving it on zero based budgeting should actually show how it is done.

    “Of course we get nothing; all we get is that we are going to borrow.

    “A budget that moves domestic spending within Aso Villa from N580 million to N1.7 billion cannot be a budget of change.

    “We were told that in the revised budget there was an adjustment due to error, we agree but what has happened is that the money up to N7 billion were moved from buying vehicles to being spread in offices.

    The House of Representatives began consideration of the 2016 Budget yesterday.

    The budget was laid by President Muhammadu Buhari on the 22nd of December 2015.

    The Majority leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who presented an overview of the budget before the House allayed the fear of members.

    According to him, the 2016 budget is different from what obtained in the past.

    He said: “The 2016 budget is epic and historical not just because of its super mega size of N6trillion but for reasons that it touches the economic and social well being of the people of Nigeria.

    “It is a budget based n the internationally acclaimed zero based budgeting system where every kobo has been justified by the MDas.

    Gbajabiamila said the 2016 budget contained N6.077 trillion out of which N2.648 trillion would be for recurrent (non-debt); N1.845 trillion capital expenditure; N1.475 trillion for debt service and N351. 37 billion for statutory transfers.

    He said the budget “comes with N2.2 trillion deficit to be financed with domestic borrowing of N984 billion and foreign borrowing of N900 billion,” adding that its the first time  that domestic borrowing will be higher than foreign borrowing.

    He saint the domestic loans would be at a “highly concessionary terms with moratorium and single digit interest of about 3 percent.”

    Gbajabiamila said the borrowings would stimulate Nigeria’s economy, particularly the capital component, which makes up is about 30 percent of the budget.

    According to him, priority areas of government are: “ Works, Power and Housing with the allocation of N433.4 billion, Transport N202 billion, Defence N134.6 billion, Interior N53.1 billion.

    The lawmaker said Agriculture and Solid Minerals Reforms are also priority areas in the budget

    “I would like to state at this point that there is also a direct correlation between the government’s credibility and anti-corruption fight and the willingness of the World bank, IMF and even the domestic lenders to give this very concession rates.

    “They believe the monies borrowed will be properly channeled and utilized and their chances of getting paid back a lot higher and so have expressed a willingness to assist the government in financing its budget deficit through these loans.

    “The government also intends to reduce taxes whilst broadening the tax net and pursue a more aggressive revenue collection drive. It also intends to block leakages and waste thereby freeing up more funds for budget implementation. Reforms such as the Treasury Single Account are already yielding positive results.”

    He said the president has called the budget the budget of change and called for a speedy passage of the document.

    Members of the House who spoke yesterday were of the opinion that though the budget seem to be people-oriented, there is the need to be cautious based on the current economic situation in the country .

    Some of the main observation of members were the crashing oil prices which has dropped below $30 per barrel; the lack of adequate implementation of past budgets by the executive; need to move away from being an oil- based economy and the huge deficit in the budget.

    Budget performance should be between 75 or 80 percent at least so the 2016 budget would not go the way of previous budgets, the lawmakers said.

    A member, Jimoh Olajide expressed concern on the deficit of N2.2 trillion in the budget and wondered it it would not impact negatively on the budget

    Lawan Abubakar ( Adamawa) spoke on the strength of the dollar against the Naira saying its causing a disjunction in the Nigerian Economy? He opined that its necessary to stem oil heft and pipeline vandalization to enable the federal government implement the budget reasonably in the face of dwindling oil revenue.

    The Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara said members would be allowed to contribute to the debates on the budget from yesterday  Wednesday to Tuesday next week.

    Many members indicated their intention to contribute to the budget debate

    The debate continues today.

    “It also increases the spending that is due to renovations within the Villa; they are going to renovate the Villa with N3.9 billion.

    “What else do you want to renovate there that Nigerians will see in the Year 2016.

    “We know what is going on in the global economy; this budget is predicated on an oil benchmark of $38 per barrel and I can now say that with oil being $28 today, this budget is dead on arrival.

    “The job of the opposition is to help the government to get its priorities right so I want to please urge this government to withdraw this budget and go back to the drawing board.”

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh, (Cross River Central) took a critical view of the budget insisting that the budget has quite some fine points no doubt.

    Enoh said that the debate should dwell on some of the matters that will concern everyone.

    He said, “The budget seeks to stimulate the economy for example through economic diversification, import substitution, export expansion and promotion. This is good.

  • Group knocks Fayose over airport project

    A socio-political group, Ekiti New Project (EKNP) has condemned Governor Ayo Fayose’s decision to construct a new airport in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    In a statement issued on Thursday by its Administrative Secretary, Femi Aduloju, EKNP also criticized traditional rulers in the state for failing to dissuade Fayose from embarking on what it called a “bogus project”.

    EKNP said the plan for a new airport when many others in the federation have become inactive and less patronized runs contrary to Fayose’s claim that the state is financially challenged.

    The group expressed suspicion that the project would serve as conduit pipe to siphon state funds, adding that it was opposed to borrowing N10billion to finance the project.

    The statement said: “Of what importance is the airport, when the ones in Ibadan and Akure are not functioning, because they could not be funded and managed well; what then do we need an airport for in Ekiti?

    “As at today, Nigeria has about 22 airports of which 4 are functional international airports, while more airports are also being planned to spring up in many state capitals without considering their economic viability.

    “The challenge of having an airport here is a grave one, but the simple question is: How does our governor woo investors in aviation and the economy to do the needful in Ekiti? Does he have the goodwill, clout and conduct to convince any serious investor to come to  Ekiti State, where illiterates formed the bulk of the political workforce? While concerns over the viability of this airport are growing, the Ekiti Traditional Council unanimously released a statement rubber stamping the establishment of the airport.

    “No strong economic reason was giving for such action according to a release claimed to have been signed by their Chairman and Ologotun of Ogotun-Ekiti. The question for the traditional rulers is  the rationale for a state like Ekiti with its present political avarice and uncouth leadership, invest billions of naira into a seemingly unviable project. Though, airports are  catalysts for development, accessibility to any place using the airport is key in running any business. But of what development has the Akure airport built in the 80s brought to Ondo State so far?

    “Today, both roads leading to the sprawling airport are in total state of disrepair. In spite of the huge oil revenue of the state, no significant development has been recorded in Ondo State over the years. For many years, until recently, the Akure airport was a ghost of itself and a mere shadow in the wilderness. If an oil rich state, such as Ondo could not add value to its people through its airport, how much more a very poor state like Ekiti. Someone should ask the Ekiti governor please.”

  • Fashion Police knocks ashion craze

    Fashion Police knocks ashion craze

    The love of Nigerian women for fashion is a craze tackled by Nollywood twin divas Tracy and Treasure in their latest movie Fashion Police. As they put it, “Things like education, charity, and skill acquisition should be more important. Imagine a scenario where you meet a pretty stylish lady wearing hair worth half a million Naira, but is unable to express her self… What’s the point of wearing all the hair on an empty brain?” They go on to say, “Putting first things first is the theme of this movie. Never put the unimportant before what is more important.”

    In their words, “Fashion is important, but there are things that are more important than blindly following fashion trends. Especially in our beloved country where many are languishing in lack and poverty we have plenty of things to set as priority other than fashion trends.”

    Featuring in the movie are the divas, Ime Umo (Okon), Ruth Kadiri, Martha Ankomah, Denrele Edu, Maureen Okpoko, Karen Igho amongst others. This is their third movie, and will premiere in the US sometime in September.

  • Knocks for CBN forex policy

    Knocks for CBN forex policy

    Businessmen have rejected the recently-announced Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) foreign exchange (forex) policy.

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) said the CBN approach to the management of the foreign exchange market, especially the directive on the exclusion of 41 products, was worrisome.

    LCCI President Remi Bello said yesterday that the directive, with its multidimensional implications, would  result in major disruptions, dislocations and panic among investors.

    He said many of the products on the list of the 41 are intermediate goods, which are critical inputs for many manufacturing firms and other critical sectors of the economy.

    “This development will put several investments at risk with implications for job losses, quality of loan assets in the banking system and the welfare of citizens,” he said.

    He listed some of the goods as iron rods, Cold Rolled sheets, wire rods, reinforcing Bars, Polypropylene granules, glass and glass ware. Construction, real estate, fabrications, housing, etc will be adversely affected, he added.

    He said: “A painstaking gap analysis to determine the domestic capacity for production vis a vis the demand should have preceded the policy decision by the CBN.

    “The list is prone to multiple definitions and discretionary interpretations by agencies and institutions responsible for implementation.

    “This discretionary interpretation would create room for corruption.”

    Yusuf said the alternative forex markets or the parallel market and the Bureaux de Change (BDCs) are not deep enough to meet the demand of the essential intermediate products on the exclusion list. Bello said the exclusion of the items from the forex market is as good as import prohibition.

    He alleged that the policy measure would lead to the widening of exchange differentials between the interbank markets and the parallel markets. The immediate consequence, he argued would be rampant round tripping of foreign exchange, which the CBN has limited capacity to curb.

    The LCCI boss said the CBN approach to forex allocation “appears administrative in nature, a system prone to abuse and considerable corruption. It could only be likened to the import licensing era of the early eighties,” he said.

    He added that the policy has far reaching implications for investors in fabrication, construction and real estate sectors.

    On the way forward, Bello suggested putting the policy on hold pending a proper study of the demand and supply gaps in the various sectors affected by this policy.

    He urged the CBN to focus more on the market fundamentals and as much as possible allow market mechanism to drive the allocation of foreign exchange. The closer the rate is to equilibrium, the better for the economy and less disruptive for investors, he said.