The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mixed reactions

  • Mixed reactions trail new policy regime on food import

    The federal government’s new policy regime on food import has been hotly debated in many quarters with some stakeholders expressing divergent views on the matter.

    According to the National Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (NASME) the new policy regime by the government was long overdue.

    Specifically, the Chairman, Lagos State Branch of  NASME, Mr. Solomon Aderoju said the  federal government’s decision to restrict foreign exchange on food import is favourable to the Association and manufacturers across the country.

    Aderoju argued that NASME did not only welcome the pronouncement, but could not wait to hear the implementation of outright ban.

    He pointed out that if such policy measure is not taken, that Nigeria would be the greatest loser in the continental marriage called AfCTA.

    However in his reaction, the Director General of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadiri stated that that such policy may be counterproductive if implemented by fiat, without ensuring necessary alignment with the fiscal policy and other economic policy initiatives of this administration.

    Ajayi-Kadiri said, “The necessary support that would sustain the steady progress in agricultural production and attainment of “full food security, for instance, would have to be taken into account. The CBN will has to do an assessment of where we are in practical terms and realistically weigh its options before embarking on such a far reaching policy. There should also be a process to be followed in the apex bank before such a plan is unfolded. We have to take into account the state of our infrastructure and its capacity to respond and support it and so on.”

    According to the Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Muda Yusuf, the current forex policy conceptualisation and management are adversely impacting investment.

    Yusuf said,”If policy and regulatory risks continue to escalate as we are currently experiencing, the chances of stimulating investment, whether domestic or foreign, would remain dim. Over the last couple of years, food inflation had been a source of worry. It has consistently been ahead of core inflation.  This is reflection of the productivity challenges in the agricultural sector which has lately been complicated by security challenges across the country and attacks on farming communities.”

    He pointed out that the sector is still largely dependent on small holder farmers, adding that with little mechanisation and application of technology the sector would be enhanced.

    “Transportation is another key impediment to food security in the country. These are fundamental issues that need to be addressed, and urgently too.”

  • Oil subsidy removal: Organised labour expresses mixed reactions

    • NECA urges Fed Govt to remove subsidy

    • Oil workers say it’s attempt to destabilise the country

    Against the backdrop of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) call for the removal of subsidy on petroleum products, the oganised labour has expressed mixed reactions over the issue.

    While the Nigeria Employers Consultative Association (NECA) backed the fuel subsidy removal, both the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) warned that its removal would be clearly seen as an attempt to destabilise the nation.

    They also expressed concern at the corruption in fuel subsidy regime and the nation’s increasing debt profile.

    Speaking with The Nation,  NECA’s Director-General, Mr. Timothy Olawale, said: “Like a sore that has refused to heal, the recurrent issue of fuel scarcity has reared up its ugly head again. We are where we are today because despite past sound counsel, the government has not been faithful to the deregulation of the Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) segment of the downstream oil and gas sector.

    “Let us ponder and ask ourselves where the non-deregulation of the petroleum sector has led our economy: continued dependence on offshore sources for petroleum products supply, perennial shortage of petroleum products, loss of productive man-hours as a result of endless hours spent at filling stations, massive and unimaginable corruptions in the management of the subsidy dispensation, etc.”. All these, he averred, are not sustainable.

    Giving insight into the need for urgent deregulation of the downstream oil sector, the  NECA boss said over the last decade, the country has spent over N9trillion on fuel subsidy, about N15.5 trillion on capital expenditure, N2.1trillion on health and about N3.9 trillion on education, adding that this is a misplacement of priority and has shown that critical developmental items such as education, health and infrastructure have suffered due to the expenditure on fuel subsidy.

    He said the fuel subsidy regime has succeeded in creating phony and emergency billionaires at the expense of millions of pauperised Nigerians.

    Olawale expressed concern at the nation’s growing debt stock, with huge percentage of the budget, over the last decade going to debt servicing.

    He said: “Borrowing could have been permissive, given the state of the economy in 2015, but not to the clearly humongous level it has turned out to be. Incurring debt for developmental purposes is not in question, but the over N24.39 trillion debt stocks, taking over 20 per cent of annual national budget to service, should be enough source of worry. Though the argument of debt to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio is tenable, the IMF warned that Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio, though good, was risky and cannot be guaranteed going forward.

    Workers, under the umbrella of NUPENG and PENGASSAN, said imposing more stringent reforms on domestic revenue mobilisation, including  increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) and securing more domestic oil revenues through subsidy removal in the present circumstance, among others, would not be in Nigerians’ interest.

    In a statement signed by PENGASSAN General Secretary, Mr. Okugbawa Lumumba and NUPENG’s General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale, the unions said: “The leadership of NUPENG and PENGASSAN read with serious concerns and worries the reported statement made by the IMF  media chief for Africa on the state of Nigeria’s economy and the unsolicited poisonous advice on further recovery of the nation’s economy.”

    According to the oil workers’ unions, the statement by IMF has created panic in the country with associated hoarding of petroleum products, panic buying, and skyrocketing increases in prices of goods and services in the country.

    “Clearly, IMF is speaking from the two sides of its mouth. In one breath, the media chief praised the significant progress the nation has made in terms of its GDP that increased by 1.9 per cent in 2018, from 0.8 per cent in 2017 on the back of improvement in manufacturing and other economic policies of the government, while on the other hand offering poisonous advice on further economic recovery,” the unions stated.

    The oil workers said it was bewildering and baffling that IMF was not considering the pains and agonies Nigerians went through even to achieve the acknowledged gains of last year, with almost two-thirds of the world’s hungriest people among Nigerians.

    The unions said the statement credited to IMF was loaded with poisons, considering the antecedents of IMF in the country’s economic challenges over the decades.

    They noted that the various devaluation of the currency on the strength of advice of the IMF has been a very big burden on the nation for several years.

    “The leadership of NUPENG and PENGASSAN are aware of what Nigerians are going through. We empathise with them and will not turn blind eyes to any further attempt to increase their pains and impoverish them further,” the unions warned.

    The oil workers said they appreciated the efforts, commitment and determination of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to put Nigeria in the right economic stead after several years of economic maladministration and mismanagement.

  • Mixed reactions trail El-rufai’s Muslim-Muslim ticket

    Mixed reactions have continued to trail the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El’rufai’s decision to pick a Muslim as his running mate. This was however due to the correlation and sensitivity to religion and politics in the state.

    The state governor on Friday announced the selection of Dr. Hadiza Balarabe as his running mate for next year’s general election, as the incumbent Deputy Governor, Barnabas Yusuf Bala, has opted to go to the National Assembly and has since emerged as the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) candidate for the Kaduna South District.

    Dr. Balarabe, born in 1966, is from Sanga local government, which is located in the southern Kaduna senatorial district. Though the governor said the choice of Balarabe as his running mate was part of a deliberate policy to  promote women’s participation in governance, the Muslim-Muslim  candidature might still give the ruling party a big headache in the 2019 governorship election in the state due to the sensitive ethno-religious nature of the state.

    While the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and the leadership of Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) see the governor’s decision as his own choice, saying electorate will decide his fate, others have come down heavily on him, accusing him of religious insensitivity.

    SOKAPU President, Barr. Solomon Musa, said only electorate can decide who will govern them come 2019, since there are aspirants under different political parties vying for governorship position in the state.

    Musa said it is the prerogative of anyone aspiring for public office to choose whoever he wants as his running mate and that the incumbent governor has the right to pick anybody of his choice. “Remember it is not only one party that is in Kaduna State, there are so many other parties.

    “What we are hoping is that Kaduna State and southern Kaduna should never be polarized along religious line. So, if anybody decides to polarize Kaduna State along religious line, that again is that person’s prerogative,” he said.

    Kaduna State chapter Secretary of CAN, Reverend Sunday Ibrahim, simply said, ‘it has never happened in Kaduna State for people of the same faith to govern the state. “The electorates are those who will decide and not me.”

    But in his reaction, Dr.  Ben Yaryok, a retired civil servant from Kargarko Local Government in the southern part of the state said there is nothing in a Muslim-Muslim to govern  the state, since government’s plan remains for everybody irrespective of their ethno-religious background.

    He explained that “politics is completely different from religion.”

    Reacting differently, Coalition of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) warns that El-Rufai’s decision to pick a Muslim running mate will overheat polity in the state, especially as people have for long  been challenging the governor for his utterances to Christian dominated part of the state.

  • Mixed reactions trail appointment of new DSS boss

    There were mixed reactions yesterday to Thursday’s appointment of Mr. Yusuf Magaji Bichi as the new Director General of the Department of State Service (DSS).

    While the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide and former Cross River State governor, Donald Duke, criticsed the move, others like Aye Dee, a security expert, said it could not be faulted from the professional point of view.

    Secretary-General of the IYC, Mr. Alfred Kemepado, in a statement in Yenagoa, wondered   “why the President will appoint a man who had finished his term and retired about six months ago in place of a very qualified Matthew Seiyefa who was already doing a fantastic job for the government.”

    He added: “The removal of Mr. Mathew Seiyefa, who is by far more experienced and qualified for the number one DSS job, should not be forgiven and forgotten.”

    Former Chairman of the Governing Board of the National Human Rights Commission and Senior Team Manager, Open Society Justice Initiative, Dr.  Chidi  Odinkalu said on his Twitter handle @ChidiOdinkalu that Bichi and Daura may be too close.

    His words: “Magaji Bichi, whom @MBuhari just made DG SSS was Lawal Daura’s #ManFRIDAY. He retired last year as Director, Finance, after 35 yrs in service.

    “Yusuf Magaji Bichi enlisted in the defunct NSO in 1982. He retired after 35 years of service in 2017 as Daura’s Finance & Admin Director but was retained by Lawal Daura for few months & then released Feb 2018.”

    Duke, on his part, expressed his voice on the side of cynics, using his Twitter handle to express his disappointment.

    He said: “PMB has just appointed Yusuf Magaji Bichi as substantive DG SSS.

    “Against the clamour to broaden the heads of our nation’s security framework, PMB has proven himself an irredeemable irredentist.”

    Some other respondents, however, disagreed with the critics.

    A security expert, Mr. Aye Dee said the appointment cannot be faulted from a professional viewpoint.

    His words: “The appointment of Yusuf Magaji Bichi as new Director -General of the State Security Service is an excellent choice.

    “Yes, fault finders are going to find fault, but the new DG is a consummate professional who is and has been a huge asset to Nigeria’s intelligence community.”

    For Mr. Retson Tedheke who is from Delta state, the major issue that people ought to look at is professional experience.

    “The first question I expected from young wailers was: ‘Is Yusuf Magaji Bichi qualified?’

    “But, alas, it’s all about ethnocentrism,” he stated.

    The Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum on Thursday condemned the replacement of Matthew Seiyefa as the Director-General of the DSS with Bichi and alleged that the President “does not care a hoot about the unity, cohesion and oneness of Nigeria.”

  • Mixed reactions trail Obasanjo’s verdict on Buhari

    Mixed reactions trail Obasanjo’s verdict on Buhari

    MIXED reactions have continued to trail the advice by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that President Muhammadu Buhari should not  seek re-election.

    Lagos lawyer and human rights activist Monday Ubani said Obasanjo’s letter was long expected, adding that it was belated. He said the former President had written such letters to everyone that took over from him.

    Ubani said such letters were even written to former military leaders like Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha. He added: “Such scathing and virulent attacks on leaders before and after him are therefore not novel. What is novel is that his attack on Buhari did not come at the right time, for some reasons best known to him.

    “Most of the times he catches on the mood of the moment to speak frankly to past leaders and usually gather applause for speaking the truth. The issues he has raised this time around are equally frank and straight to the point.

    “However, former President Obasanjo should not allow this idea to get into his head that he has become the ‘power and principality’ that will always determine the political direction of Nigeria. Nigerians should always know when they are tired of any government and should determine the fate of their leaders, including President Buhari, if at all he decides to contest in 2019. When they so decide, it would not be because former President Obasanjo instructed them to do so, but because they are tired of the ‘change’.

    “My humble take about Nigeria is that the destiny of Nigeria should not be seen to be in the hands of the “supposed powers and principalities” of Nigerian politics, but in the hands of the majority of Nigerians who must always have their way. That is the way for us to go and it is my dream for our dear country.

    “Nigerians will not reject President Buhari in 2019, because former President Obasanjo says so, but because President Buhari may have wittingly or unwittingly rejected Nigerians. He alone by now should know his status with Nigerians. A word is enough for the wise.”

    A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Ebenezer Babatope, said Obasanjo was right in his observations on President Buhari’s administration and that he has the right to comment on the administration, just like every other Nigerian.

    His words: “Obasanjo has every right to say whatever he wants concerning the administration of Buhari. However, he should leave out my party, the PDP, in his analysis. The only aspect I find offensive in his comment is when he starts castigating my party. What has the PDP got to do with the APC government?

    “Let him continue to attack the Buhari administration as long as he wants, but he should stop making reference to the PDP. The two parties are not the same.”

    A newly-registered political party, the Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), has commended Obasanjo for writing the letter, saying it is a true reflection of the state of the nation. The ANN Chairman, Dr Jay Samuels, said the alliance of professionals and non-professional politicians which his party represent is the anti-dote suggested by Obasanjo.

    Samuels added: “In our analysis of the political space, it became obvious at a point in time that if things continued the way they are, the country would be in dire straits. That is the rationale for the emergence of the ANN. So, the former President Obasanjo is saying the obvious: the two parties that currently dominants the polity, the APC and the PDP have lost direction.

    “This is an opportunity for all Nigerians, irrespective of religion or tribe to be politically involved and play their role in the enthronement of good governance, in response to the yearnings and aspirations of the average Nigerian.”

    A youth activist, Comrade Lawrence Idahosa, believes the decision to seek re-election or not lies with President Buhari. He said “no one can decide for him; it is a personal decision.  I don’t think Obasanjo’s letter or advice will influence Buhari not to vie for second term.”

    Idahosa said such advice should not come from Obasanjo. He said: “He has had his own share as a military Head of State and a civilian president for eight years. What impact did he make? What changes did he make when he had the opportunity to turn this country around?

    “If Obasanjo wants to stage a comeback into full politics, he should come out openly to tell Nigerians. He was talking of a third force. He should tell people to join his new political association that he was indirectly trying to promote, instead of running down the Buhari-led APC government.”

    The National Chairman of the United Progressives Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, also described Obasanjo’s letter as timely. He added: “Buhari should be allowed to run. In fact, I am praying that the APC should present him in 2019 to make its defeat easy. His not running will make it difficult to defeat the APC.”

  • Mixed reactions trail Fed Govt’s sack of Lawal, Oke

    Mixed reactions trail Fed Govt’s sack of Lawal, Oke

    Has the Federal Government acted right by sacking ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, and ex-National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General Ayo Oke? Opinions are divided, report GBADE OGUNWALE, OSAGIE OTABOR and TONY AKOWE

    What should happen next after yesterday’s sack of ex-Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, and ex-National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Director-General Ayo Oke?

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called for the prosecution of the duo.  The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) feels President Muhammadu Buhari has done what is expected of him. But like the PDP, activists believe the duo should be properly investigated and prosecuted.

     

    PDP: go the whole hog

     

    A statement yesterday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, accused Buhari of double standard in the anti-corruption war by shielding his aides and associates from prosecution while haunting opposition figure over alleged corruption.

    Describing the sacking of Babachir and Oke as a slap on the faces of Nigerians, the PDP insisted that they be handed over to the existing anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.

    The PDP said: “It is an insult on the-collective intelligence of our people who have waited patiently for the President’s reaction on the humongous act of corruption by two of his principal aides and this is totally unacceptable.

    “First and foremost, we had disagreed with the President last year when he decided to setup the panel headed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to investigate the matter because we thought that was the wrong course of action to take.

    “Ordinarily, cases of corruption or alleged cases of misappropriation of funds are supposed to be referred to institutions that are saddled with the responsibility to investigate and prosecute such matters, which is the ICPC and the EFCC if there is any prima facie case against them.

    “But it appears not all animals are equal under the Buhari APC administration. Some people are treated with kid gloves while others, particularly those in opposition are subjected to all manner of harrowing experiences.

    “One of the senators of the APC, Senator Shehu Sani of Kaduna State, succinctly put the matter when he said that this administration uses deodorant to fight corruption when it comes to some APC members and President Buhari’s kitchen cabinet, but uses insecticides when it involves members of the opposition and those in the National Assembly”.

    The opposition party wondered why it took the President almost one year to attend to the two cases while the culprits were having a field day at home and enjoying themselves.

    “Whereas, in the case of the opposition, especially PDP members, even when the evidence is flimsy, they will be visited with multiple harassment and intimidation for months and weeks without proper trial.

    “We cite the case of Sambo Dasuki who has been in detention for over two years even when many courts in Nigeria and the ECOWAS Court have ordered his release, the President has fragrantly disobeyed these court orders which again are a violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “This is an impeachable offence. So the President cannot just sack Ayo Oke and Babachir Lawal and expects us to be clapping for him.

    “We believe that we are operating under a democracy and a Constitution that governs our affairs. To have subjected these people to different sets of rule and treatment is totally unacceptable.

    “Nigerians are the same under the law and Babachir Lawal and Ayo Oke should not be tried by the Presidency while others are hounded by the EFCC and ICPC.

    “These actions of Mr. President are therefore a breach of his oath of office, which he swore to defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to be fair and just to all Nigerians without any discrimination whatsoever.

    “The action of the President is a gross violation of his constitutional oath and therefore constitutes a veritable ground for impeachment Using and applying different laws to different people in the country is a direct assault on the constitution and the rule of law .

    “Consequently, we call on the National Assembly to begin processes to impeach the President for breach of the Constitution and fragrance disobedience to the laws of Nigeria.

    “We totally reject these actions and the law should follow its full course on the issues of these officers. In other words, their case should be referred to the EFCC for proper investigation and trial, more so when the President has not told us what the report of the findings was,” the statement added.

    The party argued that Nigerians have the right to know the findings of the Osinbajo panel that investigated Lawal and Oke and insisted that the report should be made public.

    “The President has by his actions taken Nigeria to the level of a banana republic. We are not in a banana republic. This is the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Three successive governments of the PDP did not act in the manner President Buhari is acting.

    “There is no doubt that the sudden sack of the SGF and the DG of NIA is just a consequence of the backlash on the Abdulrasheed Maina saga.

    “Up till now, there’s no answer to the pertinent questions we have asked on the Maina saga. The government cares less about the feelings and opinions of Nigerians. This kind of arrogance is unprecedented in the history of this county.

    “We again call for the arrest and investigation of the two Ministers involved in the return of Maina into the civil service, that is, the Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau and Abubakar Mallami , the Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice,” the party said.

     

    APC: we’re vindicated

     

    The APC said yesterday that the sack of the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation has vindicated the party.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said: “Few days ago when the President directed the dismissal of Abdulrasheed Maina, some people say that is right but what about the suspended SGF, BD Lawal but we as a party said ‘look, the President is the only person who has all the information. All of us can only have one side of the story or the other’.

    “But the President by the virtue of the position he occupies is the only one who has all the information and he would do what is necessary at the right time; now we have been vindicated and it shows that the President has not in any way waivered  in his commitment not to tolerate corruption at any level no matter who is involved.”

     

    Babachir ‘s sack long

    overdue, says Sagay

     

    The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti Corruption, Prof Itse Sagay, said the sack of the suspended SGF was long.

    Sagay said “I think there has been a consensus on this and that was overdue. There has been too much delay. Although I will like to put a caveat that government usually has a lot more information than the rest of us as the delay might have been discretionary due to the information they had. I was patient and I definitely endorse the final decision that has been taken.

    “Boss Mustapha has a very long history of political activities and my impression on him is that, apart from being a lawyer with a very good reputation in terms of integrity, he has always been a consistent person in whatever course he pursues. So, I think that we should okay at it as a positive development.”

     

    SERAP asks Buhari to handover Lawal, Oke to EFCC, ICPC

     

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has welcomed the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to sack the suspended Secretary to Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal, and the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mr Ayodele Oke.

    The organisation also called on Buhari to “urgently handover Lawal and Oke to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for further investigation, and if there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence, for them to face prosecution.”

    In a statement today by SERAP deputy director Timothy Adewale, the organisation said: “This is a positive development in the fight against grand corruption, although this decision is coming rather late. Buhari now has to go a step further by making sure that both Lawal and Oke are promptly brought to justice in fair trials.”

    The statement reads: “Buhari also has to move swiftly to publish report of investigation into the secret reinstatement of fugitive former civil servant, Abdulrasheed Maina, and without delay identify and bring to justice anyone suspected to be involved.”

    “This government now has a real opportunity to reassure a lot of Nigerians who may be worried about the direction of travel of the president’s anti-corruption agenda that there will be no sacred cow as far as the fight against corruption is concerned.”

    “What the government needs at this time is a revolutionary approach to the fight against corruption if Buhari is to show his commitment to ‘kill’ corruption before corruption ‘kills’ Nigeria.”

    “Without effective prosecution of high-ranking public officials charged with corruption, this government’s fight against corruption may sadly turn out to be all motion and no movement, and this will eventually undermine the legitimacy of the anticorruption efforts.”

    In a brief statement today the presidency said that President Muhammadu Buhari has studied the report of the panel headed by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), which investigated allegations against the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, and the Director General, National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke.

    The statement noted that the president accepted the recommendation of the panel to terminate the appointment of Mr. Lawal, and has appointed Boss Mustapha as the new Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

     

    HURIWA seeks the

    arrest of Lawal, Oke

     

    The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) yesterday called on Buhari to order the arrest of Lawal and Oke.

    In a statement signed by the National Coordinator Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko and the National Media Affairs Director Miss. Zainab Yusuf, HURIWA also criticised the President for failing to use the sacking of the erstwhile SGF to balance the ‘clear lopsidedness’ in the composition of his cabinet.

    The group said: “Let all the credible Non-governmental bodies come together as a coalition of patriots to set up effective monitoring mechanisms to ensure that all the relevant law enforcement institutions are compelled to do the needful in this instance and not be allowed to deliberately undermine or destroy the prosecution of these two powerful former presidency officials.

    “The erstwhile SGF is alleged to be very close to the acting chairman of EFCC because the EFCC acting Chairman has been sighted in the Maitama residence of the now sacked SGF Babachir Lawa.”

     

    Oshiomhole hails

    appointment of SGF

     

    Former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole has described the newly appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr Boss Mustapha, as one of the engine rooms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 presidential election.

    Oshiomhole said the appointment of Mustapha came at a time when the APC and government were making efforts to re-tool the system for enhanced service delivery to the people.

    He said: “Mr. Boss Mustapha saw the entire processes of the formation of the party, electioneering and management of all the factors that led to the victory of the party at the 2015 General elections.

    “He is not just a seasoned party man who understands the dynamics of party management but also very much abreast with governmental administration and responsibilities.

    “As a calm, collected and silent organiser, he is very much at home with all the critical elements of the party and knows how to coordinate effortlessly without carrying any air around himself. His appointment would no doubt rekindle the strong determination of the present APC government in delivering the dividends of democracy for the good of all.

    “Mr. Boss Mustapha is coming into this job with a lot of experience in administration and management. He will no doubt be a huge resource and engine room for the APC-led Federal Government. I wish to record my congratulations on this appointment which I consider as a square peg in a square hole.”

  • Mixed reactions as new electricty tarriff begins

    Mixed reactions as new electricty tarriff begins

    The implementation of contentious electricity tariff regime began yesterday with the Federal Government justifying the policy. EMEKA UGWUANYI,CHIKODI OKEREOCHA and OKWY IROEGBU-CHIKEZIE write on the fears and expectations of Nigerians on the new dispensation.

    MIXED raections trailed yesterday’s kick-off of the new Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO 2015).

    Some stakeholders faulted the introduction of such a regime at a time they believe, economic activities were down. Yet, others hailed the removal of the N750 compulsory fixed charge.

    President, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, spoke on the inappropriateness of such policy.  He told The Nation that MAN members were shocked at the action of Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) and the distribution companies (DISCOS).

    He said: “We have a court injunction restraining them from any increase. We had prayed the court to ask NERC to revert to the previous Multi-Year Tariff Order (MYTO). We argue that the new tariff regime will increase manufacturing cost and harm the local industries”.

    According to him, manufacturers must be exempted in the implementation of the new tariff.

    He confirmed that committee mandated at a meeting between MAN and NERC’s Acting Chairman, Dr. Anthony Akah, to work out an out-of-court settlement, has swung into action.

    He said: “We insist on no tariff increase. The out-of-court settlement is to enable discussions that would lead to the matter being settled out o f court.”

    On what he meant by out-of-court settlement, Dr. Jacobs said: “It means stopping the tariffs as directed by the court. We don’t expect to have an increase at the commencement of the new order today.

    “We are hopeful that NERC won’t want to go ahead with the tariffs because of the subsisting court order in our favour. They can’t do that until they vacate the court order. We don’t expect anybody to charge us anything higher than the previous tariffs. Anything to the contrary would be contempt of court.”

    In an earlier interview, the Director-General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf, recalled the argument of NERC and the Minister of Power, Mr. Babatunde Fashola.

    He said there was an argument that the proposed tariff review of the power sector reform was critical to the attainment of steady power supply.

    Yusuf further stated that it was argued that the purpose was to make electricity tariff cost-reflective to attract sustainable investments in the sector.

    According to him, it would amount to an exercise in futility faulting the argument, especially in the light of the clamour by the citizenry for a private sector-driven power sector.

    He argued that no matter how high the new tariff may be, it will still be cheaper than individual firms or households providing electricity through generators powered by diesel, petrol and LPFO.

    Yusuf, however, caution against making consumers to pay for inefficiency or corruption.

    “It is important to evaluate the elements of the current costs especially the integrity of procurement processes and other operational expenditure under the current dispensation. The risk of bloated costs exists and should be addressed”, he argued.

    He maintained that pricing, although fundamental in the power delivery chain, was only one component, noting that other issues such as the gas availability, security of gas infrastructures; adequacy of investment in gas infrastructure; security and adequacy of the transmission lines.

    Yusuf listed other issues as the huge indebtedness by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to the DISCOs and the general framework to mitigate the risk of investment in the sector.

    “All these need to be sorted out in order to inspire the confidence of investors,” he said.

    On the scrapping of the fixed charge, he commended it, but advised that the provision of meters to consumers should be accelerated to put an end to the phenomenon of estimated billing.

     

    CPC to monitor

    implementation

     

    Through its Lagos Office, the Consumer Protections Council (CPC) yesterday restated its commitment to the protection of the rights of Nigerian consumers as the implementation of a new regime of electricity tariff kicked off yesterday.

    Head of the CPC office in Lagos, Mr. Joshua Nggada, told The Nation that prior to the commencement of the new regime, it was inundated with complaints from individuals and communities, particularly those under the Ikeja Electricity Distribution Company (IKEDC).

    He said the complaints, which bordered on bad transformers, estimated billing, indiscriminate increase in electricity bills, non-supply of meters, mass disconnections and fixed charge (now removed under the new regime), were promptly forwarded to the relevant DISCO for resolution.

    Nggada, however, clarified that the Council did not get any complaint from any of the groups said to be challenging the decision of the DISCOs and the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to raise electricity tariff.

    According to him, the CPC had always advised DISCOs to always engage their consumers before implementing any increase, saying that the Council had earlier launched an investigation into the high cost of electricity by DISCOs, with a view to putting an end to it.

    At a recent meeting in Abuja with officials of DISCOs, the Director-General of the Council, Mrs Dupe Atoki, said there had been an increase in complaints by electricity consumers.

    At the meeting convened to look at ways of ensuring that no electricity consumer was short-changed, Mrs. Atoki noted that the CPC would not hesitate to sanction any DISCO found guilty of the allegations brought against it.

  • Mixed reactions trail agitation for bailout for indigenous carriers

    Mixed reactions trail agitation for bailout for indigenous carriers

    Experts and stakeholders in the aviation sector have expressed mixed reactions over agitation by the Senate for the government to work out a bailout fund to rescue struggling indigenous carriers.

    According to them, the agitation for  such a bailout will be a hasty and unhealthy remedy unless government carries out a diagnosis of the challenges the airline sub-sector is grappling with.

    The Managing Director of Dana Air, Mr Jacky Hathiramani; President, Aviation Round Table, Mr Gbenga Olowo; former president of Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria  (ATSSSAN) Comrade Solomon Ohioma and an aircraft engineer, Roland Ahmed, said the government should not hastily embrace the agitation without carrying out a forensic investigation on the challenges indigenous carriers are struggling with.

    They spoke in separate interviews.

    Hathiramani said there was need for the government to assist domestic carriers because previous efforts to come to their aid was insufficient in getting them out of the woods.

    He said: ”Most airlines certainly do need Federal Government intervention, what was done before was not enough and neither did all airlines benefit equally.

    “The Federal Government needs to consider an aviation policy like the kind of policies fine-tuned for other sectors, why not for airlines too.

    ‘’Airlines need to be motivated to perform long-term for the good of the country and to entice more travellers  as well as stimulate commercial activities  in the economy and tourism within the country.

    “Currently, airline operations are not profitable enough to invest further in new aircraft and explore additional routes to connect more cities with the country.

    ‘’Banks need to support airlines more too as they currently shy away from supporting the industry.’’

    He said if airlines were better funded, there would be fewer than 146 private jets in the country, and neither would there be a need for a national carrier which will unnecessarily burn up the scarce financial resources of the country.

    He added: If  government wants to help, then they should first help existing airline operators, otherwise even the threat of a national carrier is enough to depress the aviation sector as it deters further  investment by the main airlines.”

    Olowo said there was the need to consider the uncontrollable costs indigenous airlines  struggle with before any form of funds injection should be considered

    He queried :”We need to know what sort of bailout , Could it be a repeat of the AMCON failed previous experiments?

    “Yes the move is positive but a more wholistic diagnosis of the problem is essential because if the hole is not blocked , funds injected will go same way as in the past.

    “As regards support for the airlines on several challenges,this forms part of the wholistic approach identified above. Uncontrollable cost elements among others do require deliberate government attention for our airlines survival.”

    Ohiomah opposed any consideration of bailout for domestic carriers, arguing that the struggling carriers should approach commercial banks on their own rather than resorting to the government for “hand outs“ .

    He said: ”No, to any form of bailouts again to Nigerian owned airlines.The first bailout ended up not been used for aviation purposes.

    “Secondly, the government  has  no business giving public money to selected individuals. The government   is not a lending house. They should approach their banks.

    ‘’These were the people who killed Nigeria Airways with dangerous systemic manipulation so that they may thrive.

    ‘’They should either merge or straight acquisition be allowed. It is the tendency of ownership syndrome for ego sake that is deluding them.”

    Ahmed, however, said there was the need for transparency and accountability by the operators that are seeking financial assistance to ensure any funds injected into their business is not wasted.

    He said: ’’As interesting as the debate may be to bail out the airlines,  we must first ask what happened to the initial bailout the airlines got from the government (AMCON), until they are able to show or tell us what they did with the money, we cannot continue to bail out airlines. If so, government should bail out every market man and woman out there struggling and cannot break even.’’

     

     

  • Mixed reactions trail union election

    STUDENTS of the Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida University (IBBU) in Lapai, Niger State, have gone to the polls to elect their leaders. Both campuses of the institution were agog for the Students’ Union Government (SUG), which was keenly contested.

    At the end of the exercise, Sadiq Abubakar Gimba emerged the union president, having polled 869 votes to beat his opponent. He made history as the first union president to be elected from Faculty of Education.

    Speaking after the inauguration of the elected officials, a 200-Level Sport Science student, Aisha Musa, described the event as a new dawn. She said the union leaders must work hard to earn students’ trust, noting the new administration must be seen as representing students’ interest.

    Sylas Abraham, another student, said the election took many students by surprise, because it was the first time a candidate would win the union presidency from the less-populated Kobo campus. He said he suspected the electoral process may have been skewed in favour of the winner.

    A student, who simply gave her name as Princess, said: “I am not surprised by the outcome of the election. It used to be students in permanent site, won the presidential position, because of the population. We are happy that a student has won the election. We should thank God that there was not violence. I hope Gimba would do better than his predecessor.”

  • Mixed reactions trail Saraki’s claim on principal officers

    Mixed reactions trail Saraki’s claim on principal officers

    SENATE President  Bukola Saraki  yesterday  rose in self defence over his handling of the emergence of All Progressives Congress’ (APC)  Principal Officers in the Senate.

    Saraki who is being accused of disregarding the party’s directive on its choices for the positions of the Senate  leader,deputy  leader, and deputy  chief whip,said  he received  the APC’s correspondence  on the issue too late for him to act accordingly.

    “My hands are tied”, he said in a June 25,2015 reply to Chief John Odigie-Oyegun,the APC National Chairman’s letter in which the party listed its preferences for the positions.

    Dr.Saraki  said that the APC Senate caucuses had already decided to nominate their choices  for the  positions before the party’s directive was received.

    The Senate President said in the letter entitled “RE: Party position on Principal Officers of the Senate” that  he was bound to comply with the  Senate extant Standing Order and subsisting parliamentary convention on Senate positions.

    The letter in part: “ With reference to your APC National Headquarters dated 23rd June 2015, in respect of the captioned subject matter forwarding the names of the Principal Officers for the Senate.

    “The said letter was received after the various PC Zonal Caucuses  had taken their decisions to nominate candidates as Principal Officers of the Senate in line with parliamentary convention and the extant provision of the Senate Standing Order 2015 as amended ( Chapter Vi, Rules 28, 29 and 31 refers.)

    “This was a follow up to the prior APC Senate caucus meeting held on 23rd June , 2015.

    “Accordingly, the letters transmitting the decisions of the APC Senate caucuses do not conform to the recommendations as contained in your letter under reference.

    “Furthermore, whilst one is strongly persuaded to toe party line and act in accordance with the suggested party position, regrettably, clear provisions of our extant rules and standard parliamentary convention have not given me the leeway to act otherwise.

    “My hands are tied in the circumstance and I seek your understanding in this regard.”

    Saraki attached the signatories of members of the various caucuses that made the nominations of the principal officers.

    Saraki on Thursday announced the names of the principal officers of the Senate including Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, Senate Leader, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Francis Alimikhena, Deputy Chief Whip.

    His letter sparked mixed reactions from across the country yesterday with most commentators dismissing Saraki’s explanations as an afterthought.

    Many of the reactions came from readers via the internet.

    One of them who commented anonymously said: “Saraki  spoke about democratic convention and rules of the senate.

    “On convention, why did he run for the office when George Akume who was senate minority leader had indicated interest ? In the advanced democracies, the opposition leader automatically becomes the leader/president/ speaker when the opposition party dethrones the governing party.

    “On senate rules, only ranking senators can be principal officers. But Francis Alimekhina, a first timer, is the senate deputy chief whip imposed by Saraki. What then is he saying about adherence to rules?  Similarly, the post was not zoned to the South south by the party but Saraki usurped the power of the APC leadership.”

    Kayode Ogundamisi on Facebook said: “Senator Saraki’s antics are no longer funny,” while  Ceecee  said: “ Nigeria and Buhari are better off having Saraki and his supporters heading the National Assembly as opposition members instead of having them as untrusted party members. With that arrangement, one checks the other and Nigeria will be strengthened. They should get back to PDP.”

    Kanjuola Samuel: “APC should not have allowed all comers to join the party. If prompt action is not taken people like Saraki will destroy the party from inside with politics devoid of either ideology or principles.

    Lewyxiq said: “Bukola has pledged to uphold the constitution of the FRN and  to  promote due process and exactly what his doing now. We shd be able to distinguish btw APC and NIGERIA ……….Rembr the words of the president “the days of impunity is gone”

    Do recognise the fact that Senators frm NE nominated NDUME as well just like other GPZ

    Except for SW dat cudt resolve kox they are waiting for their GF

    Oyegun is frm SS he got his bargain bkox no competition there how cud they av selected for another GPZ wen the pple frm there are present if Bukola had played a difft script his impeachment wud av bn imminent and NDUME wud av bn voted in as his replacement …..If dat election is conducted 50x LAWAN cannot win kox he wants to ride on party’s back n trust u kn dat in Nig in the NASS party’s choice hardly sail tru

    @tope414 tweeted: “ He thinks!That’s probably uncertainty.He sure is wrong,he is telling everyone he cannot be talke to.Won’t work.”

    Other  tweets were:@amenahuruemu:  “the party must  wield the big stick on folks like Saraki and the like mind senators for defying its orders and letter written by Oyegun;@shewn009 He (Saraki) has betrayed no one for upholding  the constitution and I’m cool with that.