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Tag: lopsided

  • Blame military for lopsided political structure -Akande

    Successive military governments in the country between 1966 and 1999 were the architects of the current lopsided political structure in the country,former Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande,said yesterday.

    Akande in a lecture “Devolution of Powers and National Restructuring” he delivered at the APC-USA Second Annual Convention in Washington DC, United States of America,said  the various military regimes created states and local governments  solely  for selfish reasons rather than through any scientific political reasoning.

    The effects of those decisions on the country and the citizens now necessitate a restructuring,he said.

    The former Osun State governor said the military might have inequitably created more local governments per population per state in the North than in the South, thus giving the North an unfair advantage in revenue allocation from the national treasury.

    Akande, who is also a former governor of Osun State, said  that the restructuring being canvassed would ensure “equitable rearrangement and redistribution of the existing states and local governments per population within the various ethnic nationalities.”

    The former APC chairman, however, admitted it would be politically unwise to define the word equitable in such a way that it would be easy to convince those enjoying the unfair advantage at present to surrender such.

    The former APC chairman also said constitutional amendments or not, Nigerians have begun to see themselves as belonging to geo-political zones-Northwest, Northeast, Northcentral, Southwest, Southeast and South-south.

    He said the Southwest, on its own, has evenmoved ahead  to create a Development Agenda Commission for Western Nigeria   (DAWN)  to conduct research to generate advisory information for the benefit of the each of the South-west  state governments on integrated development programmes.

    According to him, as a first step, the people of these Southwestern states are trying to key into the APC to back up the possibility of their governments to speak with one political voice, using one manifesto under one political party.

    He recommended this initiative to other geo-political zones, saying it is an experiment worthy of encouragement and emulation for the strengthening of a federal political attitude towards physical and social development within each zone.

     

  • No to lopsided minimum wage payment, Kwara labour leaders warn

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kwara State yesterday said they would not accept lopsided implementation of the new minimum wage of N56,000 as being proposed to the Federal Government.

    They said they would only accept the proposed N56,000 minimum wage when implemented by the Federal Government.

    Speaking during the May Day celebration in Ilorin yesterday, the NLC Chairman, Comrade Abdullatef Agunbiade, and its TUC counterpart, Comrade Kolawole Olumoh, said the proposed minimum wage reflects present economic conditions and determinant economic variables.

    Olumoh said: “Kwara workers have suffered enough and this time around, we will not accept lopsided implementation of new minimum wage that the Federal Government and the panel will approve for Nigerian workers. Any attempt by the state government to deny, doctor, or manipulate the minimum wage would be collectively revolted by the Kwara state workers and its leadership.”

    On the nation’s present security situation, the labour leaders said insecurity in the country was already assuming a frightening dimension, calling on government to address challenges of socio-economic deprivation.

     

     

  • Buhari’s appointments not lopsided, says Enang

    Buhari’s appointments not lopsided, says Enang

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Eta Enang, has debunked claims by some Nigerians that federal appointments are lopsided.

    Enang spoke yesterday in Abuja at a reception organised by Akwa-Cross Association in the Public Service.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari followed strictly the principles of Federal Character in all appointments.

    His words: “He (Buhari) has given us the chief of Naval Staff, a high ranking officer in the Federal Security Council.

    “He has given us the minister of Budget and then, my humble self as the senior special assistant on National Assembly Matters. He has also given us the minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

    “In the Southsouth region, he gave us minister of Transportation in charge of about three ministries merged together. He also gave us the minister of Petroleum.

    “When I see people trying to incite others against the President over matters of appointment, I conclude that they are being unfair.

    “That is why we gathered here today to appraise the appointments and to appreciate the President,’’ he said.

    Enang said despite the President’s tight schedule, he had visited some states in the Southsouth to inaugurate projects.

    He said President Buhari visited Cross River State to inaugurate the international superhighway from Cross River to Cameroon and other countries in West and Central Africa.

    “President Buhari also provided N6 billion to dualise the road from Calabar to Itu, en-route Ikot Ekpene, to Aba in Abia State.

    “Also, contracts for Calabar-Lagos rail project, which will take off from Calabar enroute Aba, has been signed,’’ he said.

    On the alleged lopsidedness in the ambassadorial list submitted to the Senate for confirmation, Enang said the issue was being addressed.

    The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita, said insinuations that the President unduly favoured a section of the country in appointments were wrong.

    She said the appointments so far made by the President were based on merit and competence.

    “President Buhari allows competence and merit to be brought to the fore in his appointments and we are happy about that.

    “A doorway has been opened for appointments based on merit. If it could happen to me, it could equally happen to anyone else.

    “As civil servants, go ahead, do the best you can. When you continue to put in your best; you excel on your jobs and duties. You may not know who is taking note of you.

    “At a point in time in the future, somebody would single you out and you would wonder who recommended you.

    “So, let us continue to excel and practise the fear of God,’’ she said.

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Mr. Usani Uguru, said appointments were not made on the basis of region as believed by some Nigerians but based on number of states in the country.

    “The North has 19 states and federal character has provisions for states and not regions.

    “Therefore, until we carry out that analysis, there would be no authentication to claims that the North is being favoured in terms of appointments than the South.

    “Nigeria is not configured on the basis of North and South; it is configured on the basis of states as entrenched in the constitution.’’

    Uguru debunked claims that attacks on oil facilities carried out by the Niger Delta Avengers were as a result of lopsided appointments.

    “We are continually engaging youths in various ways and participating in other activities to assuage the situation.

    “We are persistent in persuasion, advising government and following up on the programmes that should be of productive engagement to youths,’’ he said

    The Chairman of Akwa-Cross Association in the Public Service, Mr. Edem Bassey, said the essence of the gathering was to honour Nigerians from the Southsouth, who were recently appointed by President Buhari.

    He said: “The gathering was to push further the need to drive the cardinal focus of the head of Service, which was to produce efficient, effective, productive and incorruptible as well as citizen-centered civil servants.”

  • My take on Buhari’s alleged lopsided appointments

    I don’t have the faintest clue to the names President Muhammadu Buhari’s list of ministerial appointees, which Nigerians are awaiting with bated breath, will feature. But I am as certain as daylight that one thing that would be of great interest to many of our countrymen is how the appointments are spread across the nation’s six geo-political zones. That much can be deduced from the noise the appointments Buhari has so far made into his kitchen cabinet has generated.

    The social and traditional media were awash with outrage over the six appointments the President made on August 27, with claims that four of the appointees hailed from the northern part of the country. It did not matter, for instance, that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, is a Christian from the highly marginalised minority Kilba ethnic group in the Hausa/Fulani dominated north.

    Of course, their fears could be deemed legitimate, considering that federal character, a baggage that has weighed down the nation’s development since independence, has been the guiding principle for such appointments, even though the principle was largely compromised by the immediate past president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, who virtually turned the National Executive Council into an Igbo/Ijaw forum. The lopsided nature of Jonathan’s appointments became so obvious that the Yoruba had to cry out at some point that none of their kinsmen was in the top 10 cabinet appointments of the ex-President.

    Addressing a press conference under the aegis of Yoruba Unity Forum (YUF) on February 6, 2013, a group of Yoruba elders, led by former presidential aspirant Chief Olu Falae, lamented that the Yoruba were sidetracked in the appointment and control of the apex political offices in the land. He listed the topmost positions, none of which he said was occupied by a Yoruba man or woman, as those of the President, Vice-President, Senate President, Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Justice of the Federation, Deputy Senate President, Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, acting President, Court of Appeal, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the National Security Adviser, and Head of Service of the Federation.

    Ironically, the loudest of the noise about Buhari’s appointments has come from the South East and South South regions, which had relished the undue favour they got from Jonathan’s appointments, which were based not on merit or national spread but personal and sectional interests. It is said that those who find comfort in beheading others are usually the first to tremble at the sight of a sword. But I dare say that the fears they have expressed over Buhari’s appointments are not only hasty but misplaced. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, has already explained that the appointments so far made by the President are not up to five per cent of the total.

    The second and more important point is that these are extraordinary times requiring extraordinary measures to address the myriad of problems that have stunted the nation’s growth since independence. In his first 100 days, the President has demonstrated that he is on a mission to rescue the country from the evil that graft and indiscipline have foisted on it. A man on such mission can only hope to succeed by relying on people he knows and trusts. Except for those who have other motives than returning the country to the path of greatness, the concern at this time should be the competence of the appointees and not their regional or ethnic backgrounds. In the circumstance, as far as I am concerned, it matters nothing if all the appointees come from one village, once they are able to restore steady supply of electricity, reconstruct the roads and return the Naira to its rightful place among other world currencies.

    Since federal character has taken us nowhere and it is said that only a foolish man would keep doing the same thing and expect a different result, the wise thing Buhari should do is try a different approach. Merit, not ethnicity, should be the number one factor in his choice of ministers. Like a coach in search of players for the national team, he may cast his nest as wide as possible, but the first 11 must consist of the very best legs, irrespective of their ethnic backgrounds. It is instructive that the Super Eagles team that won Nigeria the African Nations Cup in 2013, almost two decades after Nigeria won it in 1994, was dominated by players from the South East and the South South. It featured names like Vincent Enyeama, Austin Ejide, Chigozie Agbim, Joseph Yobo, Elderson Echiejile, Kenneth Omuero, Efe Ambrose, Azubuike Egwuekwe, Godfrey Oboabona, Mikel Obi, Reuben Gabriel, Nosa Igiebor, Obiora Nwankwo, Brown Ideye, Ogenyi Onazi, Victor Moses, Ikechukwu Uche, Sunday Mba and Emmanuel Emenike. Nigerians celebrated the victory not caring a hoot about the ethnic composition of the team.

    We must avoid the mistake we made in pandering to the noise about gender equality; a principle that hammers on the appointment of women into leadership positions but has backfired greatly in the case of Nigeria. From Patience Jonathan, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Diezani Madueke to Stella Oduah, Onyiuke Okereke, Arumah Otteh and Marilyn Ogar, virtually all the women that have had the chance to occupy prominent public offices have ended up a huge disappointment.

    I have no doubt that if an ordinary Igbo man in Anambra or Enugu is faced with a choice between a minister of Fulani extraction who is able to fix the erosion problems that have tormented their part of the country for years and one of Igbo stock who would only go there to fend for himself and family members, he will opt for the former. In an interview he granted a national newspaper recently, the Chairman of Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Prof. Itse Sagay, reminded us all that while Jonathan, a Niger Delta son, was in power for six years, it has taken a Buhari from Daura in Katsina State to initiate the process of rescuing Ogoniland from the destruction that oil companies have subjected it to.

    Sagay said: “It takes a Buhari from Daura in Katsina State to decide to organise money and expertise to go to Ogoniland, which is part of Niger Delta, to recover that land from the destruction that the oil companies have subjected it to. There was a Niger Delta indigene there. For six years, Jonathan was in power. What did he do? His mind did not go there.

    “That is why I always say I am not bothered about where whoever is ruling comes from. I never supported Jonathan because he came from the Niger Delta. That is not important. What is important is the quality of the man, what he is doing, what his programme is for my part of the country. If he comes from Sokoto State, I don’t care.

    “What programmes do you have for my people in the Niger Delta? If the programme is good, you can rule forever as far as I am concerned. I don’t want my brother in the village to go there and steal all the patrimony of the country and neglect that village; then I say, ‘Yes, he is my brother.’ That’s of no use.”

    What more can be said?

  • Petitions flood National Assembly over alleged lopsided promotions in the Army

    Petitions flood National Assembly over alleged lopsided promotions in the Army

    The National Assembly has been inundated with petitions arising from the recent promotion and retirement of senior officers in the Nigerian Army.

    Most of the petitioners are accusing the Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Azubuike Ihejirika, of favouring the South East where he comes from at the expense of the North and the South West.

    The petitioners also claim the South East was heavily favoured ahead of the other five geo-political zones in the recruitment of soldiers into the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria and particularly faulted the promotion of a military aide to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua who they accused of preventing President Goodluck Jonathan from becoming the acting President of the country.

    They want the National Assembly to intervene in the matter and President Jonathan to review the alleged lopsidedness in the promotions.

    According to the petitioners, the COAS overuled the Army Council by exceeding the number of officers recommended for promotion, while junior officers were being promoted above their seniors without any regard for the rules.

    Alleged marginalization of some crack officers which began in 2010,they said, has now snowballed into tension within the Army.

    They claimed that the discrimination is more pronounced in Ordinance Corps, Armoured Corps, Supply and Transport Corps, Corps of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering and graduates of National Defence College, especially courses 19 and 20.

    The petitioners,in one case,said: “There is a new dangerous trend in promotions and recruitment in the Nigerian Army which should be firmly and promptly checked before it destroys the military and the country.

    “This trend is clearly visible in the manner in which the current Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Azubuike Ihejirika, is handling these two important aspects of running an effective army institution which is very critical to the survival of any state.

    ” It appears that the Chief of Army Staff is on a specific mission, most probably, sponsored by some sinister dark forces bent on destroying the army and setting the country on the path of serious conflagration.

    Petitioners cited the promotion of a former military aide to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua which they said is causing disaffection within the Army.

    They said: “Entrenchment of mediocrity and nepotism in the Nigerian Army becomes clearer when we consider the promotion and posting of a Brigadier. This officer was the ADC to the late President Umaru Yar’Adua who was central to the scheme to deploy soldiers in the airport when the late Yar’Adua was flown into the country from Saudi Arabia.

    ” He did so by disobeying the Chief of Defence Staff, National Security Adviser and the acting President. He prevented Acting President Goodluck Jonathan from functioning until the death of President Yar’Adua.

    “Curiously after the death of President Yar ‘Adua, the Brigadier’s colleagues were summarily retired or denied promotions. However, not only was the Brigadier promoted, he has also been elevated above all his seniors

    “The question that arises is, what explains the retention and the preferential treatment being given to this Brigadier? One plausible explanation for this elevation of mediocrity is that it is a calculated attempt to achieve a certain sinister or diabolical objective.”

    The petitioners also faulted alleged disrespect for the decision of the Army Council on retirement of officers, saying: “The pursuit of General Ihejirika’s agenda also manifested itself clearly in his disregard for decisions of the Army Council. The Army Council approved the retirement of 11 Major Generals, but General Ihejirika retired 12. Similarly, 26 Brigadiers were retired instead 25 approved by the Council, while 13 Colonels were retired instead of the 12 approved.

    “It should be mentioned that many Igbo officers who have an age problem were not presented with letters of retirement unlike others who have since been eased out without a chance to progress. A case in mind is that of a Brigadier General from Bauchi who was never presented to any promotion board since he was promoted in 2008. Nefariously, the officer was blocked from being presented three times so that age would catch up with him.”

    On the recruitment into the Nigerian Army Depot, the petitioners queried why the South East was more favoured than the other five geo-political zones.

    One of the petitions added: “This attempt to Igbonise the Nigerian Army becomes clearer when we look at the pattern of recruitment of soldiers into the Nigerian Army Depot, Zaria under General Ihejirika.

    “There has been a massive recruitment of soldiers from his ethnic group to the disadvantage of others.

    “For example, Abia State, the home state of General Ihejirika, with a population of only 2.8 million, has so far had the largest share of recruits, 450, far above Kano with a population of 9.3 million, Lagos with a population of just over 9 million and Kaduna with a population of just over 9 million. These states have so far had 259, 255 and 382 recruits respectively.

    “The case of Ebonyi is also symptomatic of this glaring lopsidedness in the recruitment figures. Thus although 377 were recruited from Ebonyi with a population of just 2.2 million, Oyo State with a population of 5.6 million had only 282; Katsina with a population of 5.8 million had only 248; Lagos State with a population of just over 9 million had only 255 and only 271 was recruited from Plateau State with a population of of 3.2 million.

    “When the same table is analysed on zonal basis, General Ihejirika’s bias in favour of his zone also becomes patently clear. The South East geo-political zone with a population of 16.3 million has so far had the highest recruits – 1925. The North West, which is the largest geo-political zone with a population of 35.8 million, double that of South East, has only 1949 recruits.

    “Similarly, the South West geo-political zone with a population of 27.6 million, has only 1561 recruits. Thousands of qualified recruits from these states have had their applications turned down by a kangaroo selection group set up by General Ihejirika.”

    The petitioners pleaded with the President and the National Assembly to check the challenge in the Army.

    The petition said: “The President, the National Assembly, the Minister of Defence and the National Security Adviser should know that the actions and inactions of General Ihejirika portend great danger for the Army and the country at large.

    “A disgruntled officer corps is a recipe for disaster. It means the Army will lack unity, cohesion and purpose. It will be pre- occupied with fighting itself, as our terrible experiences of 1966 -67 showed.

    “President Jonathan needs to act and act now. He must not allow himself to be a pawn in a grand design to destroy his government by brewing the kind of discontent within the Nigerian Armed Forces which could become contagious and eventually engulf the entire society?”

    A Senator, who spoke in confidence, said: “We have received some of these petitions, and we are looking into them. It borders on security matter; that is why we are quietly treating issues in these petitions.

    “We will demand statistics and records from the Chief of Army Staff. But issues surrounding these petitions might be addressed with the Army leadership behind closed doors. We do not want any action which could aggravate the current security challenges facing the nation.”

    The outgoing Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Bolaji Koleosho, who has been redeployed as the Chief of Civil-Military Affairs, could not be reached for comments.

    Repeated calls to his mobile telephone lines indicated that his lines had been switched off. Sources at the Army Headquarters told our correspondent that he travelled out of his duty post.

    Brigadier General Ibrahimn Attahiru who, replaces Koleoso as Army spokesman, is expected to assume responsibilities on Monday after the official hand-over ceremony.

  • Federal road contracts lopsided, say senators

    Federal road contracts lopsided, say senators

    The Senate yesterday battled Minister of Works Mike Onolememen over alleged imbalance in allocation of road projects.

    The lawmakers were irked that some geo-political zones and states were favoured; others were left out in allocation of projects in the 2013 fiscal plan.

    The alleged discrepancies and lopsidedness were raised when Onolememen appeared before the Senate Committee on Works to defend his Ministry’s 2013 budget proposal.

    The ministry and its parastatals have N183,504,316,000 as the ceiling for the 2013 budget proposal. Capital budget proposal is N151,250,000,000. Overhead cost proposal is N24,411,865,347 and personnel cost N7,842,450,653.

    Onolememen noted that with the 2013 budget circular, the ministry’s plan is centred on completion of priority projects.

    On the 2012 budget performance, he said the ministry had utilised the N102,892,939,938.70, which represented 92.7 per cent of the amount so far released of the capital allocation for the completion of eight strategic roads and bridges cutting across the six geo-political zones.

    This year’s capital budget is N159,463,529,702. Of this, N111,030,619,810 or 77.3 per cent has been released.

    Senators, including the vice chairman of the Works Committee, Basheer Mohammed, who presided over the budget defence session, Danjuma Goje, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Enyinnaya Abaribe, Barnabas Gemade, Babafemi Ojudu and Ahmed Markafi, complained about the “glaring imbalance” in the allocation of projects in the 2013 fiscal year.

    Goje asked the minister whether consideration is ever given to equity and fairness in the design of projects.

    The former Gombe State governor insisted that the minister should furnish the committee with a comprehensive list of projects designed for zones and states.

    He said: “Going through your proposal, you have roads under design. Some states appear twice and these designs will form the basis for future road projects.

    If you don’t ensure equity and fairness, Mr. Minister, you are sowing the seed of disharmony in the country.

    “If one state can get 20 to 30 road projects, the only one in my state has been discontinued; there is no fairness.

    “I don’t want to mention the name of the state but Mr. minister, you know the state. You must ensure equity, you must ensure fairness; you must ensure justice.”

    Mohammed demanded to know the criteria for allocation of projects “because some zones and states are crying of being left out in the allocation of projects”.

    Abba Ibrahim wondered why Yobe State, where he hails from, should be “completely omitted in the allocation of projects”.

    The former Yobe Governor noted that the only road project in his state had been abandoned.

    Gemade wanted to know why some on-going projects in the 2012 budget disappeared from the 2013 project proposal.

    The former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman also complained about a mix-up in location of projects.

    He said a road in Zamfara State was listed for Northcentral. Another in Benue was said to be in the Northwest. Another in Edo, he said, was listed to be in Cross River.

    Ojudu wondered why roads in Edo, Ondo, Lagos were listed for Ekiti State.

    The Ekiti lawmaker told the minister to take particular interest in the road that link Ado Ekiti and Akure and the one that goes from Ekiti to Abuja which, he said are in a terrible state of disrepair.

    Abaribe wondered why 25 roads meant for the Southeast geo-political zone were allocated to Enugu State alone. Only three were given to Imo State, two to Abia State and two to Ebonyi State.

    Abaribe said: “Mr. Chairman, there is no way I can accept this. I can’t even comprehend this. How can we go home? What do we tell our people that all the projects meant for the Southeast were allocated to Enugu State? It is completely unacceptable.”

    The Minister explained that the priority of his ministry was to complete on-going projects as directed by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    He said Jonathan directed that all the roads, especially trunk A roads, must be made motorable.

    He insisted that new roads were not accommodated in the budget proposal.

    Onolememen said most of the projects the senators complained about were constituency projects.

    But Abaribe faulted the explanation, insisting that constituency projects were shared equally to lawmakers.

    The session almost degenerated into a shouting match between the lawmakers and the minister.

    Sensing danger, Mohammed, who acted on behalf of Senator Ayogu Eze, said the committee should go into a close-door session to iron out some issues.

  • Mimiko’s policies are lopsided, says ACN

    Mimiko’s policies are lopsided, says ACN

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Ondo State has criticised Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s call on residents to start producing 30,000 babies yearly.

    It described it as “misleading, myopic and an aversion to sustainable development in the face of gross youth unemployment and decayed infrastructure”.

    In a statement by its Publicity Director, Mr. Idowu Ajanku, ACN said the call, which was made by Mimiko during the inauguration of the Mother and Child Hospital in Ondo town, was that of a man who has lost touch with reality.

    It said: “Why is Mimiko not thinking of how to create jobs for unemployed youths, who are still being catered for by their tired parents, who are peasant famers, traders or civil servants.

    “He is not looking at the infrastructural decay, but is quick to beat his chest that he is providing free maternity services to women, so that they can deliver his targeted 30,000 children annually.

    “What does it hold for the people, if not the multiplication of poverty, or is he saying his government would care for these children from cradle to adulthood?

    “The ACN is saying government should provide a holistic health care solution for all members of the society and generate employment through the provision of an enabling environment for private sector investment.

    “Mimiko should open up the riverine areas for serious business with global impact, like is happening in Ajah, Lagos State, under Governor Babatunde Fashola’s leadership.

    “He should invest the state’s resources in providing sustainable development, and not projects that cannot be sustained, which are sectional and of no direct bearing on the majority.

    “We are not surprised by the way and manner Mimiko is still running the state, which shows that nothing has been learnt and we should expect nothing new. After all, all through his electioneering campaign, he kept saying he would continue what he was doing.

    “It is clear that this government is only prepared to continue to build market stalls, glorified maternity houses and boreholes, which they will continue to celebrate.”