The Nation Newspaper

Tag: passage

  • Passage of a great leader

    •Kofi Annan exits at 80

    William Shakespeare, a literary giant, could not have put it better when he noted in, As you like it that “all the world’s a stage, and all men and women merely players.” This is a fitting introduction to capturing the life and times of former United Nations’ Secretary-General Kofi Annan who died on August 18.

    As the first black African to rise to the peak in the global body, he was also the first UN staff to be elected to the top position. He joined the organisation in 1962 as a modest budget officer for the World Health Organisation (WHO). It could not have been lost on any keen observer, even in those early days, that he was a disciplined and focused officer who would most likely reach the peak in the global body.

    His strengths and frailties came to the fore when given the challenge of heading the peacekeeping team at a difficult moment. He was partly blamed for ignoring warnings that a genocide was in the offing in Rwanda. Both he and the Security Council were blamed for failing to put in place measures that could have saved many of the 800,000 who lost their lives in that bloody conflict. The same applies to the UN’s failure to avert the massacre of Bosnian Serb Muslims in Srebrenica. In the Nigerian political crisis of 1993-1998, Annan was cited as one of the diplomats who failed the country. However, the grace, class and élan of the man is illustrated by his taking responsibility for the failing. This probably accounts for his eventual rise to the coveted post despite the blight.

    In 1997, he was elected secretary-general and immediately rolled up his sleeves to work for global peace and development. Identifying the scourge that HIV/AIDS had become in Africa, he mobilised scientific, medical and financial support to stem the tide. He succeeded largely. It is gratifying that, by 2001, his efforts at promoting peace and development was rewarded as he bagged the Nobel Prize for Peace for the year.

    The Annan years were at the heart of the shift of focus of the diplomatic world from the Cold War to the threat of terrorism and he worked assiduously towards designing the architecture for securing the world. His mediation skills and shuttle diplomacy helped resolve many international conflicts.

    By the time he stepped down in December 2006, he had made his mark, thus paving the way for relevance in conflict mediation in retirement. In February 2012, he was appointed the UN/Arab League Joint Envoy to Syria, but, realising that progress could not be made as the Security Council that should give political backing to the mission was incapacitated by internal wrangling, he resigned after just six months. He was also engaged to help resolve the Kenyan political conflicts, and succeeded in getting the warring parties to accept a power-sharing arrangement.

    The torrent of tributes following his demise is enough proof that he was a successful diplomat and humanist. It is noteworthy that the current UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, hailed Kofi Annan as one who “in many ways, was the United Nations… He rose through the ranks to lead the organisation into the new millennium with matchless dignity and determination.” The Clintons noted that, “it was an honour to work with him in his efforts to reform the UN, strengthen global health and peacekeeping, and reduce poverty.”

    Now, the soft spoken, but highly resolute trailblazing diplomat has transited, but Africa, nay the world, will continue to remember him for his good work.

  • Passage of a quintessential jurist

    When the news broke of the passing of Hon. Justice Alloysius Katsina–Alu (former Chief Justice of Nigeria) on  July 18, it was obvious to me that our nation has lost a great jurist, a personable personality and a judicial reformer.

    His ever calm demeanour, disarming smile and patrician good look belied the fact that he had a military background. He never betrayed emotions, but allowed his soft spoken words to convey his message which often is laden with coherent logical postulations. He was a judge, who dominated and controlled his court. Even at that, he was courteous, friendly, firm, courageous and had mastery of the subject matter. No one, who appeared before him is ever in doubt of his robust intellect, profound knowledge of the law, penetrating logic, command of English Language and his sense of humour. His judgments were no less profound and many can attest to his strict adherence to the tenets of justice and the rule of law.

    My close contact with my lord Hon. Justice Alloysius Katsina-Alu began in 2009 shortly after my appointment as Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in May 2009. He was the chairman of the governing council of the institute until his appointment on the  30th of December 2009 as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

    As is customary of the institute, we usually propose and research on theme relevant to a sitting Chief Justice of Nigeria and dedicate the output to him or her. In the case of Hon. Justice Aloysius Iyorgyer Katsina– Alu, the theme was the administration of justice and good governance in Nigeria (Essays in honour of Hon. Justice A. I. Katsina–Alu,  GCON,  Chief Justice of Nigeria.)

    In my preface to the book, I wrote as follows: “This book is a tribute to the Honourable Justice Alloysius Iy-orgyer Katsina –Alu, GCON, FNIALS, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, who while he was chairman of the institutes governing council displayed fatherly support and unalloyed commitment to the progress of the institute. Although relatively short, his stint as head of the Nigerian judiciary witnessed landmark development in law and the administration of justice.

    During his stewardship Hon. Justice Katsina-Alu brought to bear a wealth of experience and commitment to service”.

    I recount with gratitude and deep sense of nostalgia the support he gave to me as Director-General to invite the Hon. Justice P. Bagwatti, former Chief Justice of India to Visit Nigeria on April 21, 2010 and address Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria on how India through the instrumentality of the Law made the equivalent of Chapter Two (2)of our 1999 Constitution justiciable and enforceable. Hon. Justice P. Bagwatti till date is the first and only person to be inducted to the HALL OF FAME of Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies.

    It is common knowledge that Hon. Justice Katsina–Alu’s tenure as Chief Justice of Nigeria was blighted by controversies that I am not competent to comment upon. What is, however, instructive is the way and manner he rode the storm during and after his tenure as Chief Justice of Nigeria. It must be said that he preserved the dignity of the office of Chief Justice of Nigeria even more out of office than in office. For me, that is a mark of character and nobility. He kept a respectable distance and refused to engage or swim in the mud thrown at him. He was far from the maddening crowd, never descended to the arena and never willing to dance naked in the market square. In doing this, he did not compromise the office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria- thus preserving the sanctity of that office for his successors. It is now for history to judge whether or not he was right or wrong in his actions and conducts. In all I believe that history will be kind to him.

    Hon. Justice Alloysius Iyorgyer Katsina – Alu now belongs to the ages and the pantheon of legends of our legal profession. His memory lingers on and his judgements will continue to speak to us for a very long time. As all humans, he was certainly not infallible, but his contributions to the growth and development of law in this country is second to none. He will be sorely missed.

    May his soul rest in perfect peace.

     

    • Prof. Azinge (SAN) is former Director-General, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS)
  • PENGASSAN decries delayed passage of PIB

    PENGASSAN decries delayed passage of PIB

    Nigeria has lost much revenue and new investments due to the delay in the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), oil workers, under the aegis of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have said.

    Speaking with The Nation,  PENGASSAN President Comrade Francis Olabode Johnson said the union would continue to collaborate with others to ensure that adverse labour clauses in the Bill are addressed before its passage.

    Olabode called on stakeholders, especially the government, to take co-ordinated steps to resolve some of the problems bedeviling the oil and gas industry.

    According to him, some of the issues that need urgent attention include  attacks on national assets, rehabilitation of refineries and other government-owned oil installations, anti-labour posture and practices of indigenous companies and marginal field operators, contract and casual staffing, infrastructural decay, national industrial relations crisis, among others.

    “We condemn the continuous attacks on national assets such as pipelines and other oil and gas installations in the  country, which has caused lots of incalculable damage to the national and industry’s revenue, demanding strong security strategies and use of modern equipment to end unnecessary crisis. He implored the Federal Government to, as a matter of urgency and priority, carry out a comprehensive Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) in all the four state-owned refineries.

    Olabode  frowned at the anti-union posture of indigenous oil and gas companies and marginal field operators, and called on regulatory institutions and business partners (Ministry of Petroleum Resources Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), NAPIMS, International Oil Companies (IOCs), and Ministry of Labour and Employment to call such companies to order.

    He called on the government to urgently re-convene the Ministerial committee on contract and casual staffing, which was chaired by the Late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Barrister James Ocholi, to address all issues on abuse of service contract provisions in the oil and gas industry.

    In a related event, PENGASSAN has called for united labour  to engage owing governors

    Johnson, who chided the governors for refusing to pay salaries of their workers despite the bail out received from the Federal Government, called on the  Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) to lead the struggle in making  the governors pay their workers.

    He said though his union (PENGASSAN) operates in a very critical sector of the economic and the society, he assured that the union would use every power it has to support the TUC and the NLC in whatever step they take in fighting the battle.

  • Consumers await passage of competition bill

    Consumers await passage of competition bill

    Consumers wait with renewed hope as the private sector coalition on Competition Bill appeals to the president of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Yakubu Dogara, to expedite action on the harmonisation process and eventual passage of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Bill [FCCPB].

    The aim of the bill is to allow for the development and promotion of fair, efficient and competitive markets in the Nigerian economy, facilitate access by all citizens to safe products, secure the protection of rights for all consumers in Nigeria and for other related matters.

    It is hoped that when adopted, the bill will repeal the Consumer Protection Act, Cap C25, LFN, 2004 and in its place will have the FCCPB as well as the Competition and Consumer Protection Tribunal.

    Describing the FCCBP as a critical economic reform bill, the Director, Nigerian Employers Consultative Association [NECA], Timothy Olawale, said that the coalition has gone at length to show why this bill is critical to the economic development of our nation.

    Addressing a press conference on Wednesday at the NECA House, Alausa, Ikeja, the NECA director lamented that though this bill after many hurdles, was eventually passed in the House of Representatives on March 9th this year, while the upper chamber passed a slightly modified version on June 8th and eventually both chambers in August harmonised the differences in the bill for onward adoption and transmission for presidential assent, however, nothing has been done concerning it since then.

    Calling on the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representative to accelerate action on the bill, Olawale emphasised that the FCCPB is a necessary economic reform bill that when adopted will, amongst others, improve the existing legal and institutional framework for consumer protection in Nigeria as well as, for the first time, introduce economy wide rules on market competition.

    Highlighting the substantive provision of the bill, the director said it includes the provision of agreement in restraint of trade which is in Part V11 [ss.60-70] of the bill.

    Throwing more light on it, he explained, “covered under this Part V11, are agreements by business directly or indirectly fixing a purchase or selling price of goods or services, dividing markets by allocating customers, suppliers, territories or specific types of goods or services.”

    Also covered under this part is “limiting or controlling production or distribution of any goods or services, markets, technical development or investment, engaging in collusive tendering, or making the conclusion of an agreement subject to acceptance by other parties of supplementary obligations which, by their nature or according to commercial usage, have no connection with the subject of such agreement. Also covered under this Part V11 is withholding of products from a dealer by a supplier and imposition of minimum resale prices,” he noted.

    Explaining further, Olawale said that Part X.ss.71-76 of the bill dwells on the abusive of dominant position of market power which occurs where a business enjoys a position of economic strength, enabling it to prevent effective competition being maintained in the relevant market and having the power to behave to an appreciable extent independently of its competitors, customers and, ultimately, of the consumers.

    “This would include, charge an excessive price to the detriment of consumers, refuse to give a competitor access to an essential facility when it is economically feasible to do so, engage in any of the following exclusionary acts, unless the firm concerned can show technological, efficiency or other pro competitiveness gains which outweigh the anti competitive effect of its act,” amongst others.

    A consultant to the private sector coalition, Barrister Leonard Ugbajah, said that part of the bill made provisions as how to deal with monopoly situations and regulation of mergers and acquisitions in such a way as to ensure that competition is not eliminated or inhibited by reason of a merger.

    He said that the consumer protection aspect of the bill clearly spells out the rights and obligations of the consumers as well as clearly defines the obligation of business owners and liability for failure to meet up with these obligations, adding that it leaves little or no room for administrative overreach in enforcing consumer rights.

    The bill has also, according to Ugbajah, defined a framework for collaboration between the proposed commission and the existing sector regulators whose mandate include consumer protection and competition regulations in their respective sectors.

    The implication is that the often witnessed jurisdictional conflict between the CPC and the regulators when it comes to consumer production would be eliminated. The most common is between CPC and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority [NCAA].

    It’s hoped that the bill will get the kind of speedy attention it deserves from the federal government as it will have far reaching positive impact on the economy and the lives of consumers in general.

  • A father’s passage

    FOR the almost three weeks that he spent in hospital before he finally passed on to eternity, my siblings and I took turns to watch over and care for our ailing father, Benjamin, Bamidele Ayobolu. Our mother, Mary Ebun Ayobolu, his wife of over 50 years, was a constant feature by his bedside hardly sleeping, only eating sparingly and never ceasing to minister to his needs even as she alternated between weeping and praying fervently for his recovery. A near permanent fixture by my dad’s bedside in his last days was the Medical Director of Liberty-Life hospital, Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu, a consummate professional for whom medical practice is not just a profession but a missionary-type calling. Dr Ben and his staff went beyond human limits to keep Daddy alive but the best of medical attention could not stay the hand of the grim reaper, death, when the time was up.

    As my father slipped, time to time, from unconsciousness to momentary consciousness, he would recite various psalms he had committed to memory, sing hymns and his favourite praise songs and pray intermittently. It was obvious to me the times I sat by his bedside that my father was discomfited less by any physical pain he was experiencing than his inability to perform for himself natural functions he had done for himself all his life. Daddy had always been fiercely independent and catered for practically all his needs even at his advanced age. To now have to be almost totally dependent on others was a harrowing experience for him. But he bore the inevitable and unavoidable with characteristic fortitude.

    One night, keeping vigil by his bedside late at night my mind went back almost three decades ago, specifically 1984, when I pined away and life slowly ebbed away from my enfeebled body for the six months that I was on admission at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan. Daddy would sit for several hours a day by my bed watching, caring, praying. My miraculous recovery and survival is not a tale for today. But that experience taught me that I could not even contemplate the thought of facing death and meeting my creator without faith in Christ as my sinless and righteous mediator. This may be a function of my Christian background and upbringing.

    I am amazed when the most brilliant of human beings who take life with utmost seriousness yet treat in such a cavalier manner the most serious issue of their fate in eternity. Some say that there is no life after death and this life is all there is. They give no scientific, empirical or truly rational validation for this amazingly audacious view. If this world exists, how then can we be so cocksure that other worlds do not also exist in realms beyond the terrestrial? How can we be so casually and sometimes arrogantly cocksure about a matter as vast, as immense, and with possibly irreversible consequences as eternity? Perhaps I think this way because of my own acquaintance with my own all too many failings and weaknesses and my inability to confront a righteous creator without the mediation of a savior.

    Daddy’s favourite song on his sick bed was ‘mo je lope, mo je baba lope o, igba ti mo ro ise iyanu baba laiye mi, mo ri wipe mo je Jesu mi lope repete’. (I owe my father, God, a depth of gratitude especially when I consider his miraculous deeds in my life; I owe Jesus nothing but bounteous gratitude). Benjamin Bamidele Ayobolu had every cause to sing this song. He was born on May 1, 1936, into unimaginable poverty. But for the grace of God, he would have lived and died an unknown quantity. Through determination, hard work, perseverance, resilience and a never die spirit, he tore the mask of poverty as the inimitable Awo put it in his autobiography and savoured the sweet taste of a reasonable measure of success.

    After a miscellany of menial jobs to make ends meet, Daddy gained entrance into Gindiri Teachers College in Plateau State, to train as a teacher. When he left Gindiri, he taught as a primary school teacher in Jebba, Kwara State, for a number of years. During this time, apart from earning extra money by offering private lessons to pupils after school hours, he improved his education through correspondence courses that eventually enabled him to gain admission as one of the pioneer students of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he studied public administration. On graduation from ABU, my father’s academic performance was so impressive that he was offered scholarhip to pursue his post graduate studies abroad up to PhD level.

    He, however, opted to begin work immediately rather than further his studies. This was because of the level of poverty in the family and the need for him to begin to work on time not only to support the family but to also pay for the education of his younger ones. My father’s late very close friend, Professor Aaron Gana, the eminent political scientist, often told me that Daddy’s refusal to obtain a doctorate degree was a great sacrifice on his part for his family and an immeasurable loss to the academic world. Daddy began his working career at the Nigerian Sugar Company, Bacita, Kwara State, as the Personnel Manager. The company sponsored him on a one year post-graduate diploma in Personnel Management and Industrial Relations at the London School of Economic and Political Science.  When the pioneering expatriates that set up the thriving sugar industry began to handover the management of the company to Nigerians, standards unfortunately began to plummets and unable to cope with the growing nepotism, sectionalism and mediocrity, Daddy resigned from Bacita in frustration.

    Although he was offered a job as a top manager in John Holt in Lagos, Daddy opted to take up the offer of General Manager of the Kwara State government owned Midland Supplies Ltd. in Ilorin, a company patterned after the Kingsway and UTC stores. He feared that life in Lagos would be too hectic and fast-paced for him to be able to devote time to his family. Again, he was forced to quit the job during the second republic when the politicians tried to meddle in the running of the company seeking favours that undermined its profitability. Fed up with paid employment, my father obtained a bank facility and set up a hotel, which was one of the best in Ilorin in the early to late eighties. However, his real desire was to go into manufacturing and be an industrialist. He invested much of the savings from the hotel business in an industrial manufacturing enterprise that, despite his most valiant efforts, proved to be unviable because of the unstable monetary and fiscal policies particularly the ever increasing interest and exchange rates associated with the Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP).

    Daddy was a progressive in politics right from his ABU days. He was a fervent Awoist although he was critical of some of the management of the finances of the Western Region as revealed during the Coker Commission of Enquiry. Although Daddy was proud of his Yoruba heritage, he was always wary of the Yoruba of the old western region often telling me in Yoruba: ‘Awon ara West ti laju ju’ meaning the people of the Western Region are too worldly wise. There are subtle distinctions and differences in outlook and worldview among the Yoruba that romantic ethnic nationalists too easily gloss over. When Chief Cornelius Adebayo became Governor of Kwara State in 1983 on the platform of the Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), he appointed my father Chairman of the Board of the Kwara Investment Corporation (KIC) although the regime was short lived as a result of the military coup that terminated the Second Republic.

    My junior brother, Jide, was to tell me later that in his last moments, Daddy called him on two occasions saying:s ‘ Why are you stopping me from going? I am going to be with Jesus. I want to join Him at the right hand of God’. The philosopher, mathematician, Nobel Prize laureate and brilliant atheist, Bertrand Russell had no such faith. As Russell wrote: “That man is the product of causes which have no prevision of the end they are achieving; that his origin, his growth, his hopes and fears, his loves and beliefs, are but the outcome of accidental collocations of atoms…that all the labour of ages, all the devotions, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness of human genius, are destined to extinction in the vast death of the solar system, and that the whole temple of man’s achievements must inevitably be buried beyond dispute, are yet so nearly certain that no philosophy which rejects them can hope to stand”. This terrible atheistic philosophy is one of despair, hopelessness, purposelessness and meaninglessness. It was not the philosophy of Benjamin Bamidele Ayobolu who hopefully embraced death confident of rising on the other side to meet and live with his creator and savior for eternity. It is the philosophy which I hope will guide me beyond this earthly realm when my time inevitably comes to bid this world adieu. May Daddy’s soul rest in peace.

  • Passage of three patriots

    The news of the serial deaths of the three great Nigerian patriots and pan-Africanists namely  Abubakar Momoh,(1965 – 2017), Funminiyi Adewunmi (1960 – 2017) and Yusuf Maitama Sule (1929 – 2017)  in quick successions further point to the inevitability (no less the unpredictability) of death! Both Abubakar Momoh, until his death Director General of the Electoral Institute of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Abuja and Funmi Adewunmi of University of Ibadan were non-state good friends, comrades and teachers; Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule (the Dan masanin of Kano), the last founding father of Nigeria, elder-statesman, democrat-politician, and unarguably a colourful acclaimed orator diplomat.

    Certainly there would be no gathering of progressive and democratic forces in Nigeria and Africa and indeed in the world without mentioning these great Nigerians separated by both birth and death days but bonded by uncommon commitment to humanity, African liberation, justice and equity.  True to his earned, deserved progressive and radical reputation, Momoh easily came to my mind as hundreds of members of the National Union of Textile and Garment Workers, (NUTGWN) civil society ally members, women and youths gathered to observe the official Democracy Day at Textile Labour House, Nasarawa Expressway in Kaduna on Monday May 29. More than twice, as the pioneer DG of Electoral Institute, Abubakar  had enthusiastically supported our initiative on improving on the political/electoral literacy of thousands of our members. Naturally  I remembered Abubakar Momoh that singular destined day recalling my last conversation with him a month earlier  about the need to continue on our electoral literacy workshop series to which he was ever enthusiastically  ready. We had invited my good friend, radical activist lawyer, Barrister Festus Okoye to lead the discussion on the proposed amendments of the Electoral Act by both the Senate and the House of Representatives.  Barrister Festus Okoye, a member of Uwais Committee on Electoral reform and a delegate to 2014 National Conference true to his callings heeded our call at the shortest notice. Few minutes after we exchanged pleasantries, Festus’s mood hitherto up-beat changed for the low. He then showed me serial text messages indicating that Abubakar was dead early that morning.  It’s now an open knowledge that the late patriot was buried same day at Auchi as a Muslim. May Almighty Allah grant him the mercy the holy month of Ramadan in which died.

    Abubakar’s death is a loss to his wife, Tawa and his son, as well as his students and those privileged to have associated with this great African and global citizen.  Africa and Nigeria have indeed lost an intellectual democrat on an officially declared Democracy Day. Only the death of Dr Tajudeen Abdul-Raheem, a pan African progressive intellectual, (also a friend  of Abubakar) who died in an auto accident on May 25 Africa Liberation Day in 2009 in Nairobi Kenya invoked similar spiritual paradoxes and coincidences.

    Similarly we received with great shock, the death of our friend and comrade, Professor Funminiyi Adewunmi of University of Ibadan after a brief illness.  A brilliant scholar, committed activist and socialist, Funminiyi lived a life dedicated to the upliftment of the working class and service to humanity. His academic sojourn took him across several universities in Nigeria and abroad including prestigious universities like the University of Ibadan, Osun State University, University of Lagos and University of Namibia. He deployed his intellect researching and publishing in critical areas of labour relations in relation to globalisation, trade union development, workers right and decent work. Even in deaths, they reminded us of their core principles; unity and liberation of Africa and equal rights and justice for all respectively! What core principles do we the living stand for? Blessed are the late comrades for they lived and stood for not just something but many positive things worthy of recalling today. The deaths of both were huge losses to the labour movement, academic community and the country in general which they diligently served in various capacities for many years.

    My union as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress, in particular have lost resource fellows and activists of the labour movement. General elections in Nigeria since 1999 have become periods for anxiety and tension about what the outcomes would be. Would the elections be free, fair, credible and devoid of violence? Undoubtedly there have been noticeable improvements in the conduct of elections since the emergence of leaderships of Professors Attahiru Jega and Mahmood Yakubu. But further improvement can be achieved through mass mobilization and sensitization of workers and the self-employed on basic voters’ rights and responsibilities. Given this background and the fact that majority of Nigerian workforce constitute the Nigerian voters, our union partnered with INEC on Voters Education Project for Workers and the self-employed in Lagos and Kaduna on 14th and 20th February 2015 respectively. The pioneer Director General of the Electoral Institute, the training arm of INEC, Professor Abubakr Momoh was the lead resource person. He explained the voting processes and time schedule for registration and voting and counselled workers to remain good citizens by coming out en masse to exercise their civic right. He urged them to resist the temptation to vote based on inducement or even sell their voters card. The workshops had in attendance key non-state actors like the distinguished former governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Comrade SOZ Ejiofor and representatives of INEC in the states. In Lagos, the Resident Electoral Commissioner Akin Orebiyi addressed the participants and assured of INEC’s preparedness to conduct the 2015 free fair and credible elections. Abubakar was a regular star resource fellow at our 30-year old Annual Education Conferences.

    Funmi Adewunmi as an accomplished academic, served in international and national development and labour market institutions like Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES), Michael Imoudu National Institute of Labour students (MINILS) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) to further support the struggle of working people for decent work and humane society.

    Paradoxically it was at the tribute session for both Abubakar Mommoh and Funmi Adewunmi on Monday by Lagos State University and progressive forces that the death of Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, acclaimed orator diplomat elder-statesman was announced. Alhaji Maitaima in his 30s was in the forefront of the struggle for liberation of Nigeria against century long British colonialism. In 1960, he led the Nigerian delegation to the Conference of Independent African States. In 1976, he became the Federal Commissioner of Public Complaints, a position that made him the nation’s pioneer ombudsman. He was appointed Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations during the Second Republic and commendably championed the campaign for the struggle against apartheid in both Namibia and South Africa. Again the death of Alhaji Maitaima Sule was a huge loss to my union, where during the pointed military dictatorships of Sani Abacha, he courageously identified with the working people to demand for decent work and life and independent and democratic trade union movement. He was a special guest of honour at the last 11 Delegates Conference of the Union in Kano in March 2015 who at his age came promptly with quotable quotes of wisdom and patriotism for the participants.

    At a time Nigeria seems to be under attack by misguided local and external centrifugal forces of various hues, Nigeria has indeed lost voices in the departed compatriots. The best tribute in honour of the dead is for the living 170 million compatriots to rise and heed the clarion call of our national anthem “To serve our fatherland, With love and strength and faith” such that the “The labour of our heroes past, shall never be in vain”.

    May their souls rest in peace.

     

    • Comrade Aremu, mni, is General Secretary, National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Kaduna.
  • Thumbs down for passage of PIGB

    Thumbs down for passage of PIGB

    The Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) was an all-encompassing bill when it went to the National Assembly a few years ago. But the lawmakers have broken it into bits. The first part of it, the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) has been passed, but its passage seems to have left a sour taste in the mouths of labour leaders, stakeholders and experts. To them, the passage of the bill in tranches and the non-incorporation of the host communities’ demands pose dangers. TOBA AGBOOLA reports.

    The last may not have been heard about the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) passed into law by the Senate. Although the development has been generally hailed as a milestone achievement, some labour leaders, stakeholders and experts have picked holes in the piecemeal approach in passing the bill and the non-incorporation of host communities’ demands. Some of them who spoke with The Nation argue this could endanger the peace in the Niger Delta.

    For instance, an oil & gas analyst, Mr. Ifeanyi Izeze, said the passage of the bill in tranches could delay efforts at addressing issues concerning oil communities, which may endanger the peace in the Niger Delta. He said it would be wise for the government to ensure that the bill properly addresses the needs and interests of oil producing communities.

    Warning that the passage of the bill in tranches may delay community development, which may lead to crisis in the Niger Delta, Izeze said the Federal Government should ensure that it earns higher revenue from crude oil resources. According to him, the International Oil Companies (IOCs) have cheated the country for too long in respect of fiscal policy, warning that “If they (IOCs) are not ready to agree with the government’s fiscal policy, they should sell off their assets and leave the country.”

    A former Chairman of the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Mr. Assisi Asobie, also said the piece-meal passage of the PIB by the lawmakers was a grand conspiracy against the Niger Delta people often seen as victims of the country’s bad politics. “I think some people are playing very bad politics with a serious matter,” he charged.

    Asobie said the best thing would have been for the National Assembly (NASS) to collaborate with the executive to ensure that rather than private member bills, they can agree on a draft from the executive to speed up the process. “It is not going to be that easy for them to expect the executive to accept and assent to what they (the lawmakers) have just passed,” he said.

    While insisting that the handling of the passage of the PIB by the NASS was poor, Asobie, who is a lecturer at the Nasarawa State University, accused the lawmakers of playing costly politics with a serious national issue like the passage of the PIB. According to him, the PIB is the draft law containing proposed legal, fiscal and regulatory frameworks guiding operations of the  petroleum industry.

    He, however, said despite the importance of the document to the oil industry, which accounts for more than 80 per cent of foreign exchange earnings, its passage has been delayed for almost three successive dispensations. “Look at the timing of the announcement of the passage of the Bill, which was very close to May 29, to present a picture that the NASS had achieved its objectives,” he pointed out.

    The PIGB only deals with the one aspect of the PIB, which is the governance and institutional framework of the Nigerian petroleum industry. Other aspects of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) such as The Petroleum Fiscal Framework Bill; The Petroleum Industry Downstream Administration Bill; The Petroleum Industry Revenue Management Framework Bill and the Petroleum Host Community Bill are yet to be passed..

    The PIGB aspect, which has been passed, provided for a new legal framework for the sector, a new fiscal regime, governance and regulatory framework for the petroleum industry. It also defined who gets what and how between government and investors on various business arrangements in the sector.

    The main objectives of the Bill, according to the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, include the creation of efficient and effective governing institutions with clear and separate roles for the petroleum industry; establishment of a framework for the creation of commercially oriented and profit-driven entities that will ensure value-add and internationalisation of the petroleum industry.

    Others are the promotion of transparency and accountability in the petroleum industry; and the creation of a conducive business environment for operators in the petroleum industry.

    Speaking on the need for quick passage of the Bill, the President, National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), Igwe Achese, called on the NASS to expedite action on its passage in order to return the industry to growth.

    He said NUPENG had examined the progress so far made in the passage of the PIGB and other components of the proposed PIB, and expressed disappointment at the slow pace of work in the passage despite the assurances by the leadership of the NASS that the bill will receive accelerated hearing and passage.

    Achese said: “We consider the delay in the passage of the bill to be majorly responsible for the rot in the industry and the slide in the returns accruable from investments made by successive governments and investors.

    “We call on the NASS to expedite parliamentary actions for speedy passage of the bill for the purposes of engendering transparency, accountability and commensurate returns in the operations of the oil & gas sector. We believe that this will further enhance the sector’s visibility and attractiveness to foreign and local investors.”

    Similarly, the Acting General-Secretary of Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), Mr. Lumumba Okugbawa, described the passage of the bill as a step forward in addressing the many challenges facing the nation’s oil and gas sector.

    He, however, noted that the PIGB was only part of the entire PIB, adding that it was necessary to pass it to create a law to regulate activities in the industry.

    The Chairman, (PENGASSAN/NUPENG) National PIB Committee, Mr. Chika Onuegbu, said Nigeria had lost about $235 billion investments to failure to reform the oil and gas industry, even as the Federal Government struggles to pay up over $9 billion cash call arrears to oil firms.

    Onuegbu noted that Nigeria’s plan to increase crude oil production capacity, raise crude oil reserves, and eliminate gas flaring, among other objectives, required significant investments in the petroleum sector. This, he said, will in turn require the appropriate funding levels and mix to deliver the investments.

    In his own estimation, the Chairman of Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria (PETAN), Mr. Bank Anthony Okoroafor, said Nigeria lost $10 billion fresh investments to the non-passage of the PIB. He said passing the PIB will help establish a new framework for good governance and best practices.

    Okoroafor also said that the law would enhance government revenue and block leakages through better tax codes and undo the harm done by the Producing Sharing Companies contracts of 1993.

    The Ijaw National Congress (INC) said there was not much to celebrate in the passage of the PIGB by the Senate without the passage of other bills that will help to bring about the much needed reform of the sector along the wishes of stakeholders in the industry.

    Spokesman for the INC, Mr. Victor Burubo, said that with the recent passage of the PIGB, the Senate has shown once again that it was not acquainted with the yearnings and needs of Nigerians.

    Burubo said: “For the avoidance of doubt, we demanded that the land of the host communities should count. Land is the people’s investment, their shareholding and equity in the business conducted on it.

    “It should count rather than the current exploitative system where the land owners are treated as ‘noisy neighbours’ to be suppressed or appeased with pea nuts. This remains our demand.” He called on the House of Representatives to do the needful and pass a bill that resonates with the wishes of people in the Niger Delta.

    Burubo insisted that the PIGB, without the interest of Niger Delta people was totally unacceptable. He said the INC and other stakeholders insist that the new bill would be meaningless without meeting the aspirations of the host communities and other stakeholders.

    Martin Onovo, a petroleum engineer, also dismissed the applause for the Senate on the passage of the PIGB, saying, “It ought to have been a comprehensive approach covering the entire document.

    “The action of the Senate has defeated the original idea of the proponents of the PIB, who sought the harmonisation of the different laws governing the operations of the oil and gas industry.

    “What they have succeeded in doing is further introduction of different laws, a process that will involve money in paying for the different stationeries and other administrative costs,” he said, noting that there was nothing to celebrate until the passage of the bill that considers the interest of the oil communities in the reform of the oil sector.

    The immediate past chairman of the Agric and Agro-Allied Group of Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Mr. Adeola Elliot, noted that though the PIGB covers institutions, regulations and command structure, he fears that implementation of the provisions of the bill might pose a challenge.

    He also argued that the host community aspect of the bill ought to be given accelerated hearing and passage for the much expected reform in the petroleum industry.

    The Managing Director of Afrinvest Securities Limited, Mr. Ayodeji Ebo, agrees with Elliot. He said although, the passage of the PIGB was a welcome development, there was need to implement it fully.

    Hear him: “This is a positive move towards attracting investment into the Nigerian oil & gas sector. Nigeria has lost significant investment to other African nations due to the delay in the passage of the bill.

    In addition, Nigeria has a poor record of implementation; hence the focus will be on how the Federal Government goes about its implementation. With the restructuring of the NNPC into three major companies, we expect this will reduce the revenue leakages as well as cost of operations.”

    The PIGB, which deals only with the administrative aspect of the proposed PIB, split the NNPC into the Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC), Nigerian Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAMC), and the National Petroleum Company (NPC).

    Although, the bill has nothing to do with the protection of the interest of the oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta, the Senate had explained that the other segment that would address the contentious host community issues would soon be presented for fresh legislative work.

  • PACAC seeks quick passage of anti-graft laws

    Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Executive Secretary Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye has urged the Senate to pass pending bills on the anti-corruption war into law.

    He said several of such bills have been pending for long without consideration.

    Owasanoye spoke with reporters at a one-day Conference on Financial System Integrity Improvement, organised by PACAC, the Association of Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Chattered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN) and the Convention on Business Integrity (CBI).

    According to him, apart from the Mutual Legal Assistance law that has been passed, others such as the Proceeds of Crime Bill, have been “hanging”.

    Owasanoye said: “They (senators) have passed the Mutual Legal Assistance legislation, which is to facilitate and improve exchange of information and evidence between states. The House of Representatives passed the Proceeds of Crime Act, which is going through the motions in the Senate.

    “But we’ll admit that the process is very slow. This is with regard in particular to certain key legislations, such as Proceeds of Crime Bill, Witness Protection Bill, Whistleblower Bill, Crime Data Register Bill and the Money Laundering Bill, which have been hanging there.

    “So, there is no doubt that there is merit in the criticism that pro-anti-corruption bills are not moving as quickly as we would love to see them move.”

    The PACAC chairman urged the lawmakers to speed up the consideration of the bill on special crime court, which he said will enhance the anti-graft war when passed.

    “We’ll like to see also the Special Crimes Court bill passed expeditiously, so that all of this would help improve the fight against corruption. All the bills are before the National Assembly.

    “We would wish to see faster processing of such legislation. But, at the same time, we’re not necessarily saying they should compromise quality or standards,” he said.

  • We’ll fast-track budget passage, says Gbajabiamila

    We’ll fast-track budget passage, says Gbajabiamila

    House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila yesterday said the nation’s lawmakers would work towards speedy passage of this year’s budget.

    But he said they would not sacrifice thoroughness in doing so.

    Gbajabiamila spoke with reporters in Lagos on the occasion of his constituency’s celebration of the New Year baby at the Maternal and Child Care Hospital, Surulere, Lagos.

    He also donated gift items to children with health challenges at the Heart of Gold Children’s Hospice, also in Surulere, to mark the New Year.

    The lawmaker said though the budget was presented late, efforts would be put in place to pass it promptly.

    “It’s unfortunate that the budget was presented late. I have always been an advocate that budget be presented in September or first week in October as done in advanced democracy.

    “You don’t present the budget late in December and expect quick passage. The financial year is supposed to start by December 31 or January1.

    “We cannot sacrifice thoroughness and good work on the altar of time, we still need to do our work; we will ensure we fast-track the passage in the shortest possible time.

    “When we go back to the house, we will double and triple all efforts and make sure that this budget is passed on time,” he said.

    Gbajabiamila said that hopefully, the budget would revive the country’s economy and make life better for Nigerians.

    “The good thing is that the budget year has been extended to March and there are safeguards in the constitution that provide that when the budget has not been passed during a certain period, there are certain things that can be done to keep the government running.

    “But the budget will be passed soon and like it has been tagged -‘Budget of Recovery and Growth’, hopefully, that is what we will see in 2017,” he said.

    President Muhammadu Buhari on December 14, 2016 in Abuja, presented a budget proposal of N7.30 trillion for 2017 before a joint session of the National Assembly.

  • ‘Lagos budget’ll enjoy speedy passage’

    The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday assured residents of a speedy passage of  the 2017 budget, to provide succour at this time of recession.

    Assembly spokesman Tunde Braimoh gave this assurance in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.

    Braimoh, who chairs the House Committee on Information, Strategy and Security, however, said the Assembly would not compromise its statutory mandate on budget scrutiny.

    “The House of Assembly promises to live up to its billing as partners with the executive to the ultimate benefit of the citizenry.

    “We assure the residents of swift passage and implementation of the budget to provide succour for the people at this time of recession.

    “The Assembly promises earnest, diligent, conscientious but scrutinising consideration and passage of the budget, subject to amendments, where necessary,” Braimoh said.

    According to him, the Assembly, has directed its committees, organs and other apparatuses to handle the budget with utmost concentration.

    He said standing committees would report back to plenary by the next adjourned date.