The Nation Newspaper

Tag: lessons

  • Lessons from Ekiti election

    •It is time for all hands to be deployed to check pollution of the electoral process

    The build-up to the July 14 Ekiti State governorship election had given enough warming that much was at stake. The two major political parties fielding candidates – the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) whose candidate is the incumbent deputy governor, Professor Kolapo Olusola-Eleka, and the All Progressives Congress’  (APC) candidate who is a former governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, left no one in doubt that they were desperate to secure victory at the polls. There were apprehensions that money would play a significant role in deciding the winner and that violence could be deployed to scuttle the poll.

    Contrary to fears that polling could be disrupted and thus render the election inconclusive, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan who served as the Returning Officer declared the result that showed that Dr. Fayemi was a clear winner, even though the votes were close. Most observers, domestic and foreign, have commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting the elections professionally, in accordance with global standards. Unlike previous elections that were marred by logistics challenges, the polling units opened to voters on schedule and materials were not in short supply. Even in the stations where the card readers malfunctioned, they were swiftly replaced such that the flow was sustained. It is also commendable that counting and collation, save some isolated cases, did not pose any serious challenge. The officials were said to have been fair to all.

    This is not to say that the result is not being contested in some quarters, particularly the PDP. This will always happen. But the aggrieved know what to do. However, it is to the credit of all the stakeholders that the election was relatively peaceful, contrary to fears days before.

    If this is an indication of development in INEC that had promised to deliver credible polls, we could expect that the 2019 general election would be an improvement on the 2015 exercise. We, however, hope that funds would be made available early enough for the commission to prepare for the election, realising that elections would hold simultaneously in the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory.

    One area that calls for concern is the rate at which the card readers failed. In Ekiti State, the problem could be easily resolved because surplus machines had been deployed from other states. Would we have had enough if it were the general elections? Besides, why did the machines malfunction so badly when in neighbouring Ghana they worked so well? Could something funny have interfered with the procurement machinery?

    It is shameful that the security forces had to swoop on the state to separate the gladiators and prevent a general breakdown of law and order. The Nigeria Police Force alone deployed 30,000 personnel, while the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the military and the Department of State Services (DSS) were everywhere, too. While they succeeded in ensuring that malpractices such as snatching of ballot boxes and result sheet alterations were rare, purchase of votes was taken to a dizzying height.

    At almost every polling unit, party agents jostled for votes by inducing voters. This is indication that the democratic system is still at the primitive level. It is difficult to say, therefore, that the electorate freely exercised their franchise. The authorities must note that secrecy of the ballot process is an important feature of the elections. We therefore call on them to put measures in place to discourage the despicable conduct in the forthcoming Osun State governorship election and subsequent polls.

    It is 19 years since the military rolled the tanks away and returned power to civilian leaders; yet there is no evidence that there has been real development. We needed to bare the teeth of the security forces, disrupt the normal lives of the average citizens who should have gone out to fend for their families or do some other things, and perhaps scared some away from the streets, thus resulting in a mere 50 per cent voter turnout. This is the time for all, voters, the civil society, the media and leaders of the small parties to support INEC and the security forces in getting it right. In the electoral process, money is a pollutant and should not be allowed to replace the free will of the electorate. The appropriate point to start is to ensure that some of those who were used as merchants on Election Day are tried to serve as a deterrent to others.

  • Lessons not learnt

    Accidents happen. But after that, what happens?  It was a tragedy when a Dana Airline plane crashed at Iju-Ishaga, Lagos, on June 3, 2012, killing 159 people. The dead included passengers, crew members and residents of the two-storey building the plane crashed into.

    At a ceremony to mark the sixth anniversary of the disaster on June 3, a consultant pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Dr. Festus Emiogun, gave an insight into how the hospital identified 148 victims of the plane crash. Most of the bodies were burnt beyond recognition, he said, but pathologists recorded 97.4 per cent identification success.

    Emiogun’s observations are noteworthy: “There is need for biometric capturing of all Nigerians. We had problems with preparedness of the state during the emergency. The state could have been better prepared, and it is a good thing they learnt from that experience because the government has invested in emergency management. But it has to do more.”

    It is tragic that Emiogun observed that the country had “not learnt any lesson” from the tragedy. This suggests that should a similar plane crash occur today, pathologists and others would face the same challenges as it happened six years ago.

    He said: “As a country, we have not learnt any lesson. After Dana, we have had series of near mishaps. Except for Lagos State government, there is no functional Coronal Law at the Federal or any other state level. There is need to pressure government to provide more infrastructure for preservation of human remains and have a standing Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) team.”

    The remembrance event was organised by the Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) and a lawyer, Mrs. Oladunni Afolabi. It is a positive thing that the organisers remembered the victims of the tragedy. Beyond the ceremony, it is important to demonstrate that the country learnt lessons that should have been learnt.

    For instance, LASEMA’s General Manager, Tiamiyu Adesina, said: “You have all heard that crowd control was one of the major problems responders faced in this incident. The 30 minutes they spent trying to navigate the crowd when they got to the scene would have made a lot of difference in that incident.”

    There are other issues, which the Accident Investigation Bureau highlighted in its final report on the crash in March 2017.  The AIB said mechanical failure and pilot error caused the air crash. “Lack of situation awareness, inappropriate decision-making and poor airmanship”, the investigators said, were also to blame for the crash.

    The question is: Has the country learnt any lesson?

  • Dapchi: Fears, lessons and fury

    SIR: The Dapchi debacle where at least 105 girls were abducted has reminiscence of Chibok experience. On April 15, 2014, 276 girls were abducted from government Secondary school, Chibok Maiduguri. This is February 2018 and 105 girls are missing from another girls’ school in neighbouring Yobe State.

    The abductions share some basic similarities albeit different time, space, but definitely share same purpose. The abductions are carried out just penultimate year to election. We may recall that in 2014, the abduction of 276 Chibok girls contributed largely to Jonathan losing election. I have no doubt the same purpose the Dapchi debacle is meant to achieve.

    What Nigerians should be scared of going forward is the nature of political game-play where human lives may become the currency to transact business where politicians and party platforms will battle out in exchange to clinch to power. I have no doubt the Dapchi kidnap, just like the Chibok embarrassment is designed to discredit the government in power to pave way for another. While we fear this may be the feature of our political future, the APC may well learn from a scenario it used excellently well in raising the most crafted propaganda in the history of Nigeria to unseat the PDP in 2015.

    We do not know who was behind the 2014, only time and providence will make us know who is behind the 2018 abduction. Largely Christian girls were abducted in 2014, this time they are mostly Muslims. Those behind the two abductions are definitely persons without respect for the next religious belief, hence the choice of school to attack under different leadership.

    Sadly, the far-reaching consequence of this hideous political tool will definitely destroy the country if not stopped in its track. The conscious trend of terror-supported politics is already having a place in our political construct. It therefore means that terror is fast becoming a part of the political stratosphere.

    While government is searching for the missing girls, it is instructive to unravel those behind this heinous crime to humanity. We have always settled for peripheral solutions, failing utterly to probe deeper. Government must not play hastily with this to score cheap points. The politicians veiled behind these terrorists who must be uncovered.

     

    • Israel A. Ebije,

        ebijeo5@gmail.com

     

  • Lessons from ZEXIT

    SIR: South Africans received a perfect Valentine’s Day gift from none other than Jacob Zuma, who resigned as State President in a nationwide broadcast. Dogged by corruption allegations, with over 700 corruption charges hanging over his head, and allegations of “state capture” owing to his inappropriate relationship with the wealthy Gupta family, Zuma is a cat with nine lives that ran out of lives. After surviving half a dozen attempts to unseat him through a vote of no confidence in parliament, he was finally forced to resign by his own party apparatchiks who saw him as a national embarrassment and a dent on the party’s image as they approach an election year.

    What lessons do we have to learn from Zuma’s exit from power as a nation and as a people? Can Zexit – Zuma’s exit – happen in Nigeria?

    The first thing to learn is the concept of party supremacy in politics. Zuma was able to survive half a dozen opposition sponsored vote of no confidence in parliament, despite humongous corruption allegations against him, coupled with the fact that he was loathed by not a few, because his party, the African National Congress (ANC), stood solidly behind him. But the moment they withdrew their support, he knew that the game was up and he could not afford to swim against the tide. This is in stark contrast to what obtains in Nigeria where party indiscipline is the order of the day. A case in point is the current leadership of the National Assembly which emerged against the ruling party’s directives even though it had a majority in both houses of parliament. Closely related to this, is the absence of do or die politics – apology to Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, the self-acclaimed proponent of do or die politics in Nigeria, in South Africa. No political party in Nigeria can call on its members in power to resign from office as such calls would simply go unheeded. As a matter of fact, it is extremely rare for a Nigerian politician to resign from office as they would rather destroy the party, state institutions and just about anything in a bid to hold on to power at all costs.

    Secondly, the presence of strong state institutions rather than strong individuals in South Africa ensured that corruption allegations against Zuma were not swept under the carpet even though he was State President. Many of those corruption cases are currently ongoing and it is expected that Zuma would face trial in an open court since he no longer enjoys immunity from prosecution.

    Finally, the existence of a virile opposition and civic minded citizens who refused to be deterred until they saw the back of Jacob Zuma is also another feature lacking in our democratic clime. Opposition in Nigeria thrives on mere rhetoric, all talk and no action, and the docility of the masses who bear the brunt of the bad policies of our leaders is stupefying.

     

    • Peter Ovie Akus,

    Ifo Ogun State.

  • Anti-graft war: Lessons from Singapore

    Institutions must be strengthened. President Buhari is on the right path, but he won’t succeed unless institutions are built. The president will be in office for eight years at most. If there is one good quality corrupt people have, it is patience. They can sleep for eight years and emerge as monsters in the ninth year.- Prof Patrick Lumumba, Former Director of Kenya Anti-Corruption Commission

    Corruption is a complex phenomenon and its effect on development varies with each country. But while the costs may vary and systemic corruption may co-exist with strong economic performance, experience shows that corruption is bad for development.

    With reference to Nigeria, corruption has almost become a culture; a situation which has tolled heavily not only on the country’s development but also on its image. Indeed, it has retarded its development to such an alarming extent that the vast majority of the populace now live in abject poverty, having serially lost their commonwealth to a deeply entrenched band of thieving elite. This fact is well documented by the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Union and anti-graft watchdogs such as the Global Financial Integrity, a US-based group. Corruption has assumed the most topical issue of discourses on governance in Nigeria today.

    And no wonder, Nigeria’s progress has been significantly impeded by the country’s inability to manage its immense oil wealth for the benefit of all its citizens. The major preoccupation of the elites has been how to corner the nation’s resources and this they have ruthlessly done in the last decades. According to Prof. Jide Osuntokun, “the kind of looting we are being told happened is enough to depress any sane and patriotic Nigerian. The level of looting poses existential threat to this republic.  In China some of what happened in the recent past would have attracted ultimate punishment”.

    It was, therefore, not surprising that the last Presidential election in Nigeria was swayed by the opposition party’s seeming tough stand against corruption. As observed by Godwin Onyeacholem, of all the vote-catching strategies laid out by the ruling All Progressives Congress in the lead up to the 2015 general elections, its promise to prosecute an all-out war against corruption was unquestionably the most compelling and believable. Thus, at inception, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government identified corruption as the bane of Nigeria’s socio-economic development and vowed to nip it in the bud just like Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, announced, after Singapore attained independence, that he was “sickened” by decadence and corruption, and pledged to rid Singapore of graft. The Singaporean leader lived up to his promise. This is not the case in Nigeria because two and a half years after the APC took the reins of power, Nigerians seem not to believe that the various anti-corruption laws apply to all and that the government will enforce the laws without fear or favour.

    Singapore is a high-income economy with a gross national income of $52,090 per capita, as of 2015. The country provides one of the world’s most business-friendly regulatory environments for local entrepreneurs and is ranked among the world’s most competitive economies. In the decades after independence, Singapore rapidly developed from a low-income country to a high-income country. GDP grew at an average of 7.7% since independence; in the first 25 years, growth topped 9.2%. Per capita GDP over the same periods grew by 5.4% and 7.2%.

    In 2015, Singapore was named the eighth least-corrupt in the Corruption Perceptions Index released by the Berlin-based watchdog, Transparency International. Singapore received an overall score of 85 out of 100.

    How did Singapore become one of the countries with the lowest crime and corruption rates in the world? How has Singapore achieved some measure of success in eradicating corruption? Since Singapore attained self-government in 1959, corruption control has been top of the government agenda. Corruption control has become a strategic tenet of governance. The smooth conduct of government affairs had to be grounded on a rational basis, with clear rules for all to follow. It provides the predictability and confidence for the public to rely on the government to discharge its duty without bias. Strong political will, effective laws, independent judiciary, effective enforcement and responsive public service are the hallmarks of anti-corruption in Singapore.

    Political will is a key ingredient in the transformation effort from Singapore’s corruption infested past as it forms that all-important sub-structure upon which all the superstructures of anti-corruption work rest. It provides the soil and the nutrient which allow the seeds of anti-corruption work to germinate and grow. With strong political will, the country institutionalised a robust, comprehensive anti-corruption framework that encompasses carefully crafted laws, rigorous law enforcement, the public service and public outreach. It enacted the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), which puts the burden of proof on the accused to show that he acquired his wealth legally. Any unexplained wealth disproportionate to known sources of income is presumed to be from graft and can be confiscated.

    Singapore has also developed a system that “eschews corruption” as it officially opened the Corruption Reporting and Heritage Centre (CRHC) in June 2017. Stressing the important role of the public in maintaining a corruption-free country, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said the new centre demonstrates the government’s desire to treat each complaint seriously and transparently, and urged the public to step forward should they suspect any corrupt behaviour. Complaints lodged in person are most effective as the CPIB can obtain further details about suspected corrupt practices more readily.

    While this may be a variant of Nigeria’s whistle-blower policy, what is, however, worrisome is how the National Assembly, that pontificates on being the champion of anti-graft law, seems to be averse to such policy/law in its internal operations as manifested in the suspension of its members. For instance, Ali Ndume, a member of the Senate, was suspended by the Senate for triggering investigations into allegations of forgery against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, and Kogi State Senator, Dino Melaye. Also, the House of Representatives in 2016 suspended the former chairman of Appropriation Committee, Abdulmumini Jibrin, for a period of 180 legislative sitting days. Jibrin had accused the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers of the lower legislative chamber of padding the 2016 budget to the tune of over N40bn. This ugly development might have justified the submission of Adebanwi and Obadare that the gravest threats to anti-corruption campaigns often emanate from a combination of intra-elite rancour and political intrigue, based on corrupt practices which are reflections of deeper socio-political pathologies of a ‘normal’ post-colonial state.

    Having tough laws is no guarantee that there is effective enforcement. If there are tough laws but lax enforcement, corruption will still flourish because the corrupt escape detection and investigation. The situation will be like having a good battle plan but poor troops. The integrity of the government, the system and the men and women in charge has been key to Singapore’s success. In 1986, Lee’s minister of national development, an architect named Teh Cheang Wan, was investigated for accepting kickbacks from two real-estate developers. He killed himself with a fatal dose of barbiturates, maintaining, in a suicide note addressed to Lee Kuan Yew, “It is only right that I should pay the highest penalty for my mistake”.

    Today, Singapore enjoys a well-earned reputation for high level of incorruptibility. And this is not by accident or a feat achieved through sheer luck or wishful thinking. Indeed, the Nigerian political leadership urgently needs a compelling tutorial from Singapore, at least in the spirit of South-south knowledge transfer for which Singapore is a model, on elementary and essentials (both infrastructure and supra-structure) of anti-corruption strategies.

    In spite of the gains recorded through the new whistle-blower strategy of the federal government in the last few months, it is strongly held in many quarters that the whole anti-corruption crusade of the Buhari administration is fast losing steam. In other words, the substance of the anti-graft war is being eroded daily. The tragi-comedy that literally epitomises the activities of some public office holders and agencies of government in this regard is worrisome.

    • Dr. Omilusi writes from Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti.
  • PDP: Christmas presents us strong lessons in hope

    PDP: Christmas presents us strong lessons in hope

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the Christmas season presents the country with strong lessons in hope and collective triumph.

    In a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, the opposition party called on Nigerians not to despair but to use the occasion to show love, care and encourage one another regardless of religious, ethnic and political inclinations.

    The PDP described the nation’s economic situation as a national embarrassment, which it said cannot be glossed with deceit, lies and propaganda. It urging Nigerians to overcome this very sordid situation by rallying around one another in true love as epitomized in the birth and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.

    The statement said, “Indeed, this is the worst Yuletide ever. There is no way one can sugarcoat the fact that the anguish Nigerians face today is because of the incompetence of the APC government, which has also amply demonstrated that it does not care about the welfare and happiness of the citizens.

    “Our country’s economic situation has astronomically gone from bad to worse in the last two years and painfully, there is no hope in sight under this APC regime.

    “As we speak, many families are completely stranded; many more can no longer afford their basic needs.

    “Nigerians have become ravaged by economic hardship because the APC-led Federal Government has abandoned them and refused to channel the abundant resources available in the nation for the good of the people. Instead, they are heartlessly diverting such resources for their selfish political purposes while the people suffer.

    “These horrendous realities imposed on us by the APC notwithstanding, we must not become despondent.

    “This Christmas season presents us very strong lessons in hope and our collective triumph over adverse situations as exemplified in the birth and teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

  • Lessons from Tinapa

    Lessons from Tinapa

    While giving credit to the vision of a former governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke to make the state the business and leisure hub of Nigeria, nay West Africa, especially with regards to the conceptualization of the Tinapa project, it must be pointed out from the onset that Tinapa was birthed without due diligence. A flagship project of such magnitude was conceived with little or no consideration for location, anchor tenants, access infrastructure, legal and regulatory framework and sustainability plan. A project with a cost outlay of about $600 million intended to divert traffic that constantly left the shores of Nigeria and even other West African countries, to places like Dubai, to Cross River State, was conceptualized without proper feasibility report. By law, a project of such magnitude was not supposed to be spearheaded by a state government. The supposed model in Dubai, the United Arabs Emirate from which Tinapa is derived is owned by that country, not a province or state government.  At least, the Cross River State government ought to have gone into partnership with the federal government in the Tinapa project. But this was not to be.

    The Tinapa case is even more beguiling than it appears to the general public due largely to media hype. We must admit that Tinapa was built without anchor tenants. International best practice demands that you secure anchor tenants even before the foundation is laid. Before you bring a tenant like Walmart, for instance, to Tinapa, you ought to have had an agreement or even a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with them. If you had wanted Walmart to come, you would not have opened your door to T-mart in the first place. If there was need to stop Walmart, then T-mart would not have been given opportunity. And how well did T-mart do in Tinapa? From investigations, it was T-mart that drowned Tinapa. Walmart and other retailers discovered that Tinapa was not suitably located and did not have any clear operating or regulatory framework; they realized that the Duke administration didn’t take into consideration some critical elements from the onset. It was touted as Public Private Partnership project, but now, everybody knows that the burden of Tinapa is being borne by the Cross River State government which was made to pay a debt of N1billion monthly inclusive of another N200million maintenance cost with literarily no inflow.

    From our findings, it was the succeeding administration which got the operating licence for Tinapa in 2008/2009, when the Customs operating regulations were approved. The simple truth is that Duke touted Tinapa as Nigeria’s Dubai when, in fact, as a governor, he could not in any way change or amend the constitution or the fiscal policies of the federal government. All Duke did was put massive warehouses and line shops in place at the expense of the taxpayers. Secondly, when Tinapa was commissioned, the hotel, water park and studio were not ready. One of the first things the succeeding administration did was to get a loan of N3billion specifically to complete those outstanding projects in Tinapa. In fact, the hotel became operational during Imoke’s tenure. Imoke even introduced a new conference facility in Tinapa, even as he introduced a children amusement arcade all in the hope of bringing in some traffic to the complex. Imoke made offers to companies like Silverbird to take over the studio but Silverbird refused. Imoke made offers to Shoprite, and all of them said Tinapa was wrongly located; that Calabar did not have what it takes to bring business to Tinapa. Indeed, the failure of Tinapa is not due to lack of effort. Very clear effort was made by the Imoke administration including the completion of the studio and signing of an agreement with Ebony Life TV, which today is operating from Tinapa.

    Tinapa was without electricity. The Imoke administration ensured that power supply was brought there, and everything else at the cost of billions of naira. But someone would have Nigerians believe that Imoke ruined Duke’s efforts. This is because Imoke is media shy and does not talk. Were it not for the fundamental failure inherent in the structure of Tinapa, Imoke’s effort would have been enough to jumpstart the project. It was Imoke who approached AMCON and actually signed the AMCON agreement. It was the Imoke administration that went through the whole arrangement of inviting AMCON, sitting down with them, negotiating the agreement. Imoke’s greatest mistake was that in an attempt to shield his friend and predecessor from public odium and disgrace, he tried to deodorize the white elephant project called Tinapa which Duke used to attract headlines. Yet, unfortunately, while Imoke was in office as governor, Duke tried to stop AMCON from concluding the transaction through subterfuge and blackmail. Duke is now trying to conclude it with the new governor, Ben Ayade.

    Duke has made reference to Imoke not wanting his projects. By the way, what business has a state government operating a commercial entity? Duke ended up making the state to bleed from a project that was not well designed. Even when KPMG, the consultant, was asked how come they were a consultant to such a white elephant project, they said that what was developed was not what was recommended. The truth of the matter is that all effort was put in, resources mobilized to make Tinapa become operational. That the studio is working, the water park, the children amusement arcade functional and the Tinapa Hotel operational, is to the credit of the Imoke administration. Again, that nothing has ever stopped anybody from coming to do business at Tinapa was because the Imoke administration offered rent-free accommodation to tenants at Tinapa just to attract traffic to the complex. But a number of things hampered the operationability of Tinapa. It was developed as a Free Trade Zone which is on the exclusive legislative list by a state government. Even the regulation was got by Imoke. Duke as a governor built the infrastructure of Tinapa without operating guidelines; without any regulations and without any tenants.

    It also behoves on Nigerians to know that according to the plan, the Calabar channels were supposed to be dredged but was outside the control of the state government; the federal highway was supposed to be dualized and the airport was supposed to be expanded. These were also not at the control of the state government. So, all the critical elements that would have been put together to give Tinapa a small chance to grow were outside the control of the state government. Now, how would a governor undertake a project in which he has no control over its critical success factors with such huge amount of taxpayers’ funds? All the success factors of the project were outside the control of the governor and government. He (Duke) should admit that the Tinapa project, from inception had failed. If there was any government that made effort to advance Duke’s legacies, it was the Imoke administration.

    Again, from findings, the Monorail was the last project Duke abandoned. But, today, in spite of the lean resources at the disposal of the Imoke administration, though some of the monorail parts had been ordered, Imoke deployed those parts and brought in the monorail itself, to link Tinapa and the City of Calabar across the Tinapa Lake. There are also other projects which Duke did not complete that Imoke completed. One of such is the Lemna Road. He did not complete it; Imoke finished it. The Tinapa Road was a one-carriage way. Imoke dualized it. In fact, Duke started the Calabar Carnival. But Imoke took it to the global annual calendar. Whereas Duke attended only two editions of the Carnival, Imoke attended eight and brought it to the living rooms of viewers across the world. The same goes for the Obudu Mountain Race. The lesson of the failure of Tinapa is a hard lesson in development: that no government should ever risk the taxpayers money in venturing into any business without due diligence. A government which goes into any project without the control over the necessary fiscal policies and other critical success factors is bound to regret its action while leaving the impact of the failure on the tax payers. In fact, governments have no business being in business.

     

    • Michael, an economic analyst, wrote in from Lagos.

     

  • Again, lessons from other lands

    South Korea and U.S. jail two VIPs for corruption

    If truly Nigeria wants to learn about how to deal with corruption, the country is not short of examples, at least from other lands. Indeed, there is a surfeit of such examples. That corruption remains a festering sore in Nigeria merely shows the lip-service being paid to the cankerworm by the authorities. And, when the authorities appear set to deal with the issue, the necessary support from other stakeholders, particularly the judiciary – the bar and the bench – is usually not there. In all of the examples from abroad, the judiciary has always played a key role in nailing those involved; irrespective of their status in society.

    Just last month, two countries presented yet another opportunity to teach the world that the wages of corruption is imprisonment. The first is South Korea where Lee Jae-yong, the de facto chief of Samsung was found guilty of bribery and related charges on August 25. And the other, the United States of America, where  a New York court, on August 26, jailed Mahmoud Thiam, a  50 year-old former minister of mines and geology of the Republic of Guinea seven years for laundering bribes paid to him by executives of China Sonangol International Ltd (China Sonangol) and China International Fund, SA, CIF.

    These are high profile convictions that might have been difficult to get in Nigeria. Lee is the billionaire son of Samsung’s ailing chairman, Lee Kun-hee. Lee bagged a five-year jail term in prison, well short of the 12-year sentence prosecutors had sought. We need to restate the status of Samsung to draw the point being made vividly home. The company is the world’s largest smartphone maker and South Korea’s biggest family-run conglomerate. Indeed its businesses are estimated to account for around 15% of South Korea’s entire economy. So, Lee’s trial qualified for a celebrity trial and it was appropriately tagged “trial of the century”.

    But, bribe taking is common among South Korean top business tycoons. David Kang, director of the University of Southern California’s Korean Studies Institute, painted a grim picture when he said in an interview before Lee’s conviction that serving jail term “is like a rite of passage,” among the South Korean business elite.

    However, as Eneke the bird said, “since men have learned to shoot without missing, he has learned to fly without perching.” Since many South Korean business moguls have learnt not to do clean business, mixing business with politics in the most obscene manner, the country too has learnt not to be tired of sending them to jail. Lee’s father too is an ex-convict, having been sentenced to prison twice, even if he was also pardoned twice.

    It is a notorious fact that corruption is widespread in Nigeria. And when we talk of official corruption, it is usually in high places. Unfortunately, our prisons are not congested with the right people who should be cooling their heels there. Rather, many of them are walking the streets freely, flaunting their ill-gotten wealth in the most provocative manner. As a matter of fact, in some cases they are given higher responsibilities as if promotion is the official reward for corruption. They are in government, in the legislature and worse still, the judiciary which has just been ranked second most corrupt institution in Nigeria, after the Nigeria Police Force. The rating, according to the National Bureau of Statistics is the view of majority of Nigerians. We think so.

    This, no doubt, must be double jeopardy for Nigeria. When the judiciary is corrupt, and the police so notoriously so, where then lies the hope of the common man? Both institutions are crucial to the successful prosecution of the war against graft.

    Our judiciary in particular must rise to the occasion. It should purge itself of the corrupt elements in its fold. There should be no unnecessary rigmarole in the handling of corruption cases. We need reforms that would put the burden of proof on the accused instead of the present situation where it is on the prosecution. A public official in whose custody money that he could not have made all his entire service life was found should have the duty of showing proof that the money is not a proceed of sleaze. Until we do that, we would be dancing in circles in fighting corruption. When we do that, public servants would have less incentive to steal and countries like America would also heave a sigh of relief with few looters seeing that country as safe haven for their loot.

    Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Blanco of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s statement after Thiam’s conviction is instructive: the “sentence sends a strong message to corrupt individuals like Thiam that if they attempt to use the U.S. financial system to hide their bribe money they will be investigated, held accountable, and punished,” adding that: Indeed, “corruption is a cancer on society that destabilises institutions, inhibits fair and free competition, and imposes significant burdens on ordinary law-abiding people just trying to live their everyday lives”.

    We pray and hope that America would live up to this billing because it is one of the countries where African looters find safe to hide their loot. But, whether or not America is able to keep to its words, the Nigerian government has a lot to do to tame corruption, especially in high places because, unless it does so and vigorously too, corruption will kill the country.

  • Lessons from Buhari, Osinbajo team work

    Lessons from Buhari, Osinbajo team work

    A few days ago, in reply to a tweet by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), a Nigerian named Abubakar, wrote, “Working together is a sign of good leadership the country needs both of you for the next six years and may the almighty God grant him (President Buhari) health”.

    Similarly, another Nigerian, tweeting with the handle, @sebastineadele, wrote, “Thanks for holding forth for the President. You did very well while he was away. May God continue to grant you both the wisdom to govern Nigeria.”

    These tweets may have succinctly captured the feelings of many Nigerians about the performance of Osinbajo as Acting President in the 104 days President Muhammadu Buhari was away on medical vacation.

    During this period, Osinbajo was a study of commitment to national service and united leadership under a one-government system. From Abuja, Bayelsa to Borno, Osinbajo showed dedication to upholding the vision of the Buhari presidency to make the country better for Nigerians through its various programmes.

    Osinbajo’s personal and leadership qualities have not only endeared him to Nigerians, they have also helped in steering Nigeria in the right direction in a time when critics and naysayers stoked controversies over the duration of the President’s medical vacation.

    It is pertinent to say that the criticisms were unnecessary as the President did the right thing by giving Osinbajo powers constitutionally to oversee the presidency in his absence.

    There has been quite a few misleading assumptions and misrepresentation regarding some of the dynamics precedent to the VP assuming acting president status and roles.

    For instance, in trying to explain President Buhari’s letter to the National Assembly transmitting powers to Osinbajo as Acting President, some claimed that there was “controversy ‘raging’ over the exact designation of Osinbajo’s role as Acting President. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

    The bottom line was that the President did what was right and fully in accordance with the constitution. Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution states: “Whenever the President transmits to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a written declaration that he is proceeding on vacation or that he is otherwise unable to discharge the functions of his office, until he transmits to them a written declaration to the contrary such functions shall be discharged by the Vice-President as Acting President.”

    In the same vein, there were such claims that ‘another controversy broke out on who would sign the 2017 budget’; distorting facts by misrepresenting a statement erroneously credited to the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed.

    As a matter of fact, the Acting President’s delay in signing the budget was simply because he was not yet satisfied with it, nothing more. This was also clarified by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, to the Vice President, Laolu Akande, in a tweet on May 17, which stated that Osinbajo would assent to the 2017 budget when he was satisfied with it. “Just so we are clear: when the time comes, everything is set, and he is satisfied, Ag. President Yemi Osinbajo will assent to the 2017 Budget,” Akande had tweeted.

    Similarly, this was the same line of thought for the Acting President in delaying the swearing in of the two ministerial nominees after their screening on May 3. Due process had to be followed, both in law and in clarity. For the record, the two ministers, Stephen Ocheni and Suleiman Hassan, were assigned portfolios as Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Productivity and Minister of State, Power, Works and Housing respectively.

    What Nigerians have come to realise about the VP is the seriousness, devotion, care and diligence with which he hands his constitutional responsibility, either as Vice President, his substantive role, or as Acting President, while the President was away.

    Some have even erroneously described the Vice President’s meeting with state chairmen of the ruling All Progressive Congress at the Presidential Villa on August 2 as one of “purely partisan political party meeting” was nothing short of mischief.

    Like the APC, many Nigerians, including chieftains of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, have commended Osinbajo’s forthrightness in service and competent leadership while the President was away.

    Despite the misrepresentation by some critics of the government, alluding that the Acting President had to travel to London to get approvals before making some decisions, it is clear that Osinbajo and President Buhari are working together united in their resolve to make the country better for all Nigerians.

    Mr. Akande noted that, “Interpreting reasonable and regular communication between the acting president and the president as teleguiding of one by the other is simply curious in the least or perhaps pure mischief. These two gentlemen have always worked together as a team and will continue to do so.”

    Unlike what happened in similar circumstances in the recent past, the Buhari and Osinbajo presidency has shown that it is united and one that follows due process and uphold the nation’s constitution in leadership by example.

    In his over 100 days as Acting President, Osinbajo recorded numerous achievements for the Buhari presidency.

    As Acting President, Osinbajo’s visit to the Niger Delta has contributed to the peace in the region. His tour to the oil-rich region also further communicated the significance of President Buhari’s New Vision for the Niger Delta, a comprehensive peace, security and development plan that will ensure that the people benefit fully from the wealth of the region, as well as the environmental clean-up of Ogoni land, which started last year.

    Speaking on behalf of PANDEF after a meeting with Osinbajo in August, Chief Edwin Clark had noted that they were happy with the Federal Government’s commitment to improving the fortunes of the region. PANDEF, which joined the Federal Government’s Inter-Ministerial Group tasked with the implementation of the vision, commended Osinbajo “for his genuineness, truthfulness and forthrightness”.

    In terms of the economy, there have been significant improvements in manufacturing, agriculture, technology and innovation around the country. Osinbajo recently noted that there would be more improvement in several areas of the economy, as well as in the business environment and the ease of doing business in the country. “I think that there are so many areas where there is going to be greater efficiency and delivery, we are at a point where I think we are taking off quite well and we will soon see significant improvement in the lives of people,” he said.

    Similarly, more jobs are also being created nationwide through the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes, which recorded numerous successes under the Acting President, and will expectedly continue under the Buhari presidency.

    The SIPs are the N-Power, which selected and engaged 200,000 unemployed Nigerians graduates for a volunteer job programmers, the Conditional Cash Transfer being implemented now in nine states, General Economic and Empowerment Programme, GEEP-a micro credit scheme that has given almost 60,000 loans out already, and the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, where 25 million meals have been served and almost three million schoolchildren in 14 states so far are being fed, with 33,895  cooks engaged.

    The economy, is gradually bouncing back from recession, because of the commitment of this administration through its Economic Recovery and Growth Plan which built on the foundations laid by the Strategic Implementation Plan of 2016.

    “The plan has set forth a clear vision for the economic development of Nigeria. The impact of our Ease of Doing Business work is gradually being felt by businesses, small and large; its successful take-off has allowed us to follow up with the MSME Clinics -our Small Business support programme, which has taken us so far to Aba, Sokoto, Jos, Katsina, and we expect to be in all other states in due course. Let me note, at this point, that several of our initiatives are targeted at our young people, who make up most of our population, from N-Power, to the Technology Hubs being developed nationwide,” Osinbajo noted in his Democracy Day address to the nation on May 29.

    Again, it must be emphasised that the Buhari and Osinbajo administration have recorded milestones in the three focal points of the administration, namely security, corruption and the economy.

    Recently, the Vice President noted that, now that the President is back, Nigerians should expect an even stronger leadership.

    Indeed, despite its challenges, with such committed and united leadership, the future of this country certainly looks very bright.

    Many Nigerians have also praised the Vice President for his unflinching loyalty to the President in discharging his duties as acting president.

    Commenting on Facebook, Boniface Denim Ortese, described Osinbajo as the ‘definition of loyalty’. He added, “I’m really awed by your leadership style. I think I have found a role model in you. God bless your efforts so far and may he give you more strength to handle all circumstances others can’t handle together with our dear president”.

    “Loyalty is rare,” wrote Tayo Akinyele, adding that, “I want to commend Mr. Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, for holding forth while Mr. President was away”.

    Another Nigerian, Modupe Olaiya Shopeju, echoed Ortese’s views. “I’m so humbled and awed at your leadership style in the absence of our President. You were so true and exemplary in your conducts as the Acting President”, she wrote.

    “Loyalty extraordinaire! You’re an epitome of what true leadership is about. Another bar of Vice-Presidency in Nigeria has been set,” Dee @DeeDan30, wrote on Twitter.

    Similarly, another commenter, Mustapha Sule, in a tweet, thanked the Vice President for his “services to the country during the President’s absence. He also expressed gratitude to God for the President’s return in good health.

    • Nnadozie sent the piece from Abuja

  • Lessons from America

    SIR: The notion of sacrosanct national interests in Nigeria is a mirage. What has been amply demonstrated is the only and ugly side of enlightened self-interest that finds anchorage in the mindless plundering of our national treasury and the economic re-partitioning of our nation by a clique.  It is sheer elite conspiracy against the rest of us that successive governments have not put in place a workable system to punish corrupt public officials in ways that will serve as deterrence.

    We watch helplessly as the bulk of our national wealth continues to find its way into the private estates of a privileged few while millions of Nigerians wallow in abject poverty. Nigeria has become a paradox of a supposed rich nation of poor people. I am justifiably angry with Nigeria and the bazaar-canteen model of administration that leaderships foist on us in a deliberate bid to appropriate our commonwealth as their personal wealth. And, like a cult, they protect themselves despite their egregious culpability.

    The truth, is, a nation that allows the foisting of a culture of corruption and all manner of maladministration on her people cannot enjoy the patriotism of the vast majority of her subjugated citizenry.  Governance and policy formulations have been elitist rather people-oriented.  And, yet the government demands the cooperation of the governed.  This is not possible in a situation where government’s fidelity to the social contract is almost zero.

    Nigeria practises the presidential system of government like America.  It also subscribes to federalism even if it is not conscientiously practised like America.  Yet there are many positive things to learn from America’s bureaucracy, constitution-making, justice administration, political system, anti-corruption posture and the executive-legislature checks and balances of powers in relation to the overall interest of America and her people. The fine details of these are quite evident in the greatness of America.

    Consider the recent vote by the American Senate on the “skinny repeal” option of the Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). The so-called “skinny repeal” bill, which the GOP titled the Healthcare Freedom Act, would have rolled back several Obamacare provisions, including the key individual and employer mandates.

    The bill would have led to an estimated 16 million Americans uninsured by 2026, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO).  According to the CBO, “Premiums in the non-group market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to current law in all years between 2018 and 2026.” But three Republicans – John McCain, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins – voted against it, thereby sinking the “skinny repeal” measure in a 49-51 vote.

    The Senate, controlled by the Republicans, rejected the proposed “skinny repeal” in the absence of a real replacement.  McCain said that skinny repeal would not offer a real replacement that would increase competition and lower healthcare costs.  According to him, “We must now return to the correct way of legislating and send the bill back to the committee, hold hearings, receive input from both sides of aisle, heed the recommendations of nation’s governors, and produce a bill that finally delivers affordable healthcare for the American people.”

    Senate Minority Leader, Chuck Schumer said Democrats were not celebrating but were relieved for Americans. What does this development explicate?  It simply explains that the three Republican senators who broke ranks with their party voted with their eyes on the American interest, not on their party’s partisan position.

    Sadly, in Nigeria, legislators of the ruling party will, with good grace, abandon their people in order to be politically correct so that they can secure re-nomination or return tickets.  They will be ready to lick the ass of the president to prove their loyalty for political survival.  Such wicked elite conspiracy!  Exploited Nigerians must henceforth, and, anyhow, seek to redefine and insist on devotion to the terms of the social contract between them and those who govern them.

     

    • Sufuyan Ojeifo,

    Abuja.