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  • Why fuel scarcity will persist, by unions

    Why fuel scarcity will persist, by unions

    •Security checks, bad roads, forex, others blamed

    For more than two months, the fuel situation has been unpredictable. Today there is product and the next day – the pumps at the filling stations are dry. Major players in the oil industry say the government should go beyond products’ importation. They are pushing for a friendly Foreign Exchange (forex) rate, a good road network and reduced security checks, among others, writes Emeka Ugwuanyi.

    THERE seems to be no letup in the blame trading game over who should be held responsible for the perennial fuel scarcity.

    Since the queues returned to filling stations across the country at the turn of last year, the Federal Government and those in the distribution chain of petroleum products have been passing the bucks.

    The supply flow has been unsteady following the withdrawal of oil marketers from importation, leaving the business to the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    The fuel queues, which began on December 7 in Abuja, eased on January 2 but re-surfaced on January 5. They have been off and on in the FCT and many parts of the country.

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said the petrol supply and price situation deserved an urgent and lasting solution.

    Its local chapter chairman in Anambra State Jerry Nnubia said it was expected that the price of petrol would return to normal soon after the Yuletide period but the crisis had lingered.

    According to him, the unofficial hike in the price of petrol was having a severe effect on Nigerians, especially workers.

    Nnubia said: “The Federal Government should ensure that the sector returned to normal through massive supply products.

    “You are aware that petrol is the driver of every other sectors of the economy and you can see the suffering this hike has brought to the people.

    “The labour is holding government responsible for what is happening because they are the only people that can save the situation.”

    Some unions have warned that Nigerians may have to contend with irregular supply for now. They blamed persistent queues on Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Foreign Exchange (forex) rates, decaying infrastructure and security checks, among other factors.

    According to them, the insatiable quest of DAPPMAN members for maximum profit as major players in the distribution chain has not been helping matters.

    They alleged that the depot owners sell product to others for distribution above the rates fixed by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).

    The development, they explained, leave with two options. They either stop restocking their filling stations or retail at above the litter price.

    To them, the second option is the devil’s alternative as officials of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) deployed to enforce compliance with the PPPRA ceiling constantly sanction erring stations.

    More than 78,000 litres of petrol were dispensed free of charge to motorists in Abuja from the various stations that were caught selling above the approved pump price of N145 per litre during a six-day monitoring by the Joint Task Force at the turn of last year.

    Seventeen fuel stations were at the weekend sealed in Niger and Anambra states by DPR monitors.

    Isah Jankara, Operations Controller of DPR in Niger State, where 13 stations fell under the hammer, told reporters: “If you want to sell petrol in Niger make sure you sell at government’s approved rate of N145 per litre. Also, make sure that you don’t divert the product because if you are caught you must face the penalty.”

    Jankara said that all the affected stations must pay necessary fines before they would be allowed to re-open for business.

    He said: “All marketers whose stations have been closed down for violation of the N145 pump price per litre are to pay the sum of N100, 000 per pump as penalty through the TSA (Treasury Single Account) and submit receipts of payment and bank teller to the Head of Operations before their stations will be re-opened for sales to the public at N145 per litre.”

    Jankara said that before now earring filling stations were only compelled to revert to government’ approved rate without sanction.

    Two of the four filling stations sealed in Anambra State were for alleged fuel diversion and the operators of the two other outlets were reprimanded for selling the product above N145

    The DPR officials forced five other stations to sell at the approved pump price.

    In Awka, Nnewi and Onitsha, fuel sells for between N185 and N200 per litre.

    DPR Head of Safety, Environment and Health Department, Linus Ikegbunam, who led a five-man enforcement team, said the marketers were suspected not to have discharged products meant for their stations accordingly.

    Ikegbunam said the filling stations sealed for suspected diversion had the product designated for them as contained in their manifests.

    He said DPR was worried over the rising cases of product diversion, especially at this time of supply challenges but assured that the agency was ready to combat the menace.

    Ikegbunam wondered why a marketer who procured as much as between 40,000 and 50,000 litres of petrol would not sell to the people rather divert them to other locations.

    He said the stations would remain closed until investigations were concluded on them and warned that those found culpable would be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    “Selling above government approved price of N145 is an offence and that is why we enforced compliance at some stations. Those who are habitual offenders were also sealed and penalised,” Ikegbunam warned.

    The Chairman of Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Salihu Butu, confirmed to reporters at the weekend that the retail business has become unprofitable for his members.

    Besides paying higher for products at the depots, IPMAN, which accounts for 80 per cent of the retail outlets in the country, get 10 per cent products to sell, Buto told reporters on the tarmac of the Pipelines and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), at Suleja depot, Niger State.

    According to him, they buy above the ex-depot price to keep their stations open and remain in business.

    DAPPMAN, it was learnt, gets the product at N117 from the NNPC, the sole importer, and sells to marketers at N152 as against the approved ex-depot price of N133.80.

    Butu said: “The private depot owners do not sell to us at the official price. We buy at the unofficial price. How do we break even?

    “Our stations sell at N180 – N190 because when you get to the depots, you are presented with two accounts for payment: one for the actual price and the other for the extra, otherwise you cannot lift.”

    On the way forward, Butu said only President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Assembly could intervene in the fuel situation.

    He said: “Only President Muhammadu Buhari can solve this. He should come in, people trust him. When he increased price, people accepted, no questions asked. We knew it was for the better.

    “The National Assembly also should invite all aggrieved members to get to the bottom of this. There should be equity in distribution. NNPC depots should be stocked back to back. Only Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) is loading.

    “Mr Umar Ajiya of PPMC held meetings with us. We decided to cooperate and so, I went to Aba, Warri, Mosimi and found that our members are given two-three trucks to share.

    “To keep their stations open and stay in business, our members have to buy. All these should be looked into.”

    A marketer at Seaman’s Petroleum in Anambra State, Geoffrey Anioke, said it has been difficult procuring products in the last two months, making it impossible to sell at the government approved price.

    Anioke said selling petrol at N145, when the landing was between N165 and N170 was a huge loss for them.

    He urged the Federal Government and the NNPC to supply enough petrol to eliminate the black market and artificial price increase.

    He said: “We get fuel from N165 to N170 at the moment and it is not possible to sell at N145 and forcing us to sell at that price is punishing us and driving us out of business.

    “We are ready to serve the people and keep the economy going and that is why we are making extra efforts to have product, we expect government to address the shortage rather than making us suffer.”

     

    Dilapidated infrastructure

     

    In times past, the Petrol Tanker Drivers’ (PTD) branch of the National Union of Petrol and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) threatened to call its members out of work because of the state of the highways.

    The condition of the roads is not only adding to their travel time, it is making them to visit the mechanics frequently.

    According to the Secretary of the Suleja branch of the PTD, Yakubu Ibrahim, the queues would have disappeared if the government had provide infrastructure, reduce the security checks that caused gridlock on the expressway.

    He described as harrowing that drivers spend several hours on s stretch that should take minutes.

    Ibrahim said: “Jebba to Mokwa is less than 100km (about 45 minutes’ drive), yet our members spend five hours there. Another gridlock is on the Agaie-Lapai-Lambata route.

    “Another issue they can look into is the security checks. They cause gridlock of 10-15 and sometimes 20km. Our members spend two days on those spots.

    “Like now, we are waiting for them here and they are there. The check points are too many.

    “The security agents keep stopping the drivers to dip, check specimen, or collect bribes even without having the right apparatus to check. All these cause unnecessary gridlocks.’’

     

    Interventions

     

    On the efforts being made by the various security outfits to halt hoarding and diversion of products by marketers, the Assistant Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) in charge of Operations, Abdullahi Aminu, said his men and the NNPC have been collaborating.

    Aminu said: “Dr. Baru (NNPC Group Managing Director) and the Commandant-General of the NSCDC, Mr Abdullahi Muhammadu, collaborated to bring down the menace of diversion.

    “Part of our mandate is to monitor national assets and distribution of petroleum products and so every truck distributing petrol has a personnel attached to it to ensure the tankers get to the intended destination.’’

    He urged all station managers to check boots for jerry-cans, extra-fitted tanks for profiteers, who queued repeatedly, thereby hindering other motorists, saying they should be handed over to security agents.

    The NSCDC chief said: “There has been no complaint of collusion to divert products from our personnel because they know it will lead to instant dismissal.

    “We have arrested many miscreants who deal illegally and their cases are undergoing prosecution. They construct man-made tanks of 1,500 litres instead of the 50-60 litres.

    “If 10 of these cars queue up, they can finish half a tanker that should have served more motorists, hence we carry out a stop-and-search car boots.”

    DAPPMAN, MOMAN: we’re not saboteurs

    TWO major stakeholders in the fuel distribution chain – Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and Major Oil Markers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) – have distanced themselves from the perennial queues in some parts of the country.

    They described as untrue the allegation of their involvement in acts of sabotage.

    DAPPMAN Chairman Prince Dapo Abiodun, told The Nation that it will amount to standing logic on its head to accuse his members of selling above approved ex-depot price when “they don’t even have products.”

    To him, to solve the recurrent fuel scarcity, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has to use all distribution channels (depots) including MOMAN, DAPPMAN and Independent Petroleum Marketers of Nigeria (IPMAN).

    Abiodun: “These are false and baseless allegations sponsored by IMPAN. The truth is that DAPPMA has hardly gotten product allocations. Almost 90 per cent of the total product from NNPC is being given to MOMAN including Total, Forte, MRS, Mobil, Oando and Conoil.

    “The fuel scarcity is because of supply gaps. If petrol supply is enough and consistent all these stories will fizzle away. The question to ask is, why didn’t this situation happen before December last year?”

    The Secretary of MOMAN in Suleja, Niger State, Femi Akano, said the association was not involved in any act of sabotage.

    “Our members have complained of gridlocks, infrastructure and security checks as reasons for delays and we have cooperated with the government. So, acts of sabotage on our part are untrue’’, he said.

     

  • Forex policies: Why hurdles persist (I)

    Forex policies: Why hurdles persist (I)

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been fixing the foreign exchange (forex) crisis triggered by the crash in crude oil prices about two years ago. But economic saboteurs, including financial sector operators, have frustrated the regulator, forcing its well-thought-out policies to falter. From liberalisation of the forex market to tactical devaluation of the naira and subsequent ban on 41 items’ access to forex, the apex bank’s  policies have been thwarted by those expected to protect it. However, the CBN’s commitment to non-oil sector funding and improved dollar disbursements to key sectors of the economy may hold the ace to naira’s recovery and stability, writes COLLINS NWEZE.

    It’s no longer news that the Nigerian economy is facing one of its worst crises in decades.  From the crash in foreign reserves to a weakened local currency, the economic indicators look frightening.

    Foreign exchange (forex) reserves have crashed from $34.43 billion in December 2014 to $23.95 billion by the weekend.  In less than two years, the naira has also lost over 80 per cent of its value, sliding from N210 to N450 to the dollar in the parallel market. Inflation, which stood at nine per cent in January 2013, and has remained at single digit for nearly three years, almost doubled at 17.9 per cent last month.

    The symptoms of the economic carnage were manifesting when former President Goodluck Jonathan named Godwin Emefiele as Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor in June 2014.

    Seeing the level of work to be done, Emefiele set an agenda for himself in his maiden speech tilted: “Entrenching macroeconomic stability and engendering economic development in Nigeria.” He promised to maintain exchange rate stability and preserve the value of the domestic currency.

    The CBN chief also vowed to work with stakeholders to aggressively shore up reserves. “We hope to engage the fiscal and political authorities, as well as other stakeholders to improve our policy buffers, which will further create space for the apex bank to implement monetary policy using its limited instruments,” he asserted.

    Continuing, he also promised to enhance the bank’s supervisory mandate over the banking system as well as strengthen macro-prudential regulation by improving supervisory diligence, ethical standards as well as ensure the highest level of professionalism.

    On finance development promotion, he said: “The core principle here is that the CBN will act as a financial catalyst by targeting predetermined sectors that can create jobs on a mass scale and significantly reduce our import bills.

    “The CBN would deploy developmental initiatives to create an enabling environment with appropriate incentives to empower innovative entrepreneurs to drive growth and development.

    “It is important to stress here that the CBN would not be targeting individual companies but rather specific sectors. We would establish rules and criteria that create a level playing field so that anyone who fairly qualifies can benefit from these schemes.”

    With those templates brought to the table by the CBN-led Emefiele, everything looked promising until the prices of crude oil – the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy – began to fall, gradually pushing the indicators to the red zone.

    Statistics showed that crude oil prices dropped by about 43 per cent from an average of $100.35 throughout 2014, to an average of $57.20 for the first half of last year. It closed at $50.29 per barrel at the weekend. Oil accounts for over 85 per cent of its forex. The country’s monthly forex earnings has dropped from over $4 billion to less than $1 billion due to the tumbling prices at the international market.

    Expectedly, the local currency deteriorated, foreign reserves shrunk and inflation figures rose to unimaginable levels.

    A bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) in one of the Tier-1 lenders likened the forex crisis to an economic war. The bank chief concluded that some saboteurs somewhere had resolved to ensure that whatever policies put in place by the CBN to fix the forex crisis fail. According to the bank chief, the saboteurs are those benefiting from the old order.

    “They are the big currency speculators and financial sector operators profiteering from the crisis. They are the banks involved in round-tripping. Hence, no matter how genuine and well-thought-out the CBN’s polices were, its full and successful implementations always met a brick wall,” the bank chief who asked not to be named said.

    President of the Association of Bureaux De Change Operators of Nigeria (ABCON) Aminu Gwadabe blamed the worsening naria crisis on speculators, who he accused of creating huge gaps between the official and parallel market rates.

    Gwadabe said: “The gap is very worrisome. As a Nigerian, anytime I see the gap increasing, I become concerned and say that this gap has to be reduced. I told you before, the reason that creates this gap is compromise.

    “Nigeria is an economy where you see compromise. Speculators are always standing to ensure that the naira recovery does not see the light of the day. Speculators are the biggest challenge facing the naira. Don’t forget that speculation is on its own, a business.

    “Once the CBN follows one road, they will find a way to frustrate the policy and ensure that their business is ongoing. But with increased transparency, liquidity, the activities of speculators will be reduced and the volume of parallel market operators will also be reduced. People are now talking about how to earn dollar from how to spend it. We should move from the era of saying allocation to think of how to bring in the dollar.”

     

    Banks fail integrity test

    The failure of 22 commercial banks to comply with the CBN’s directive to sell $50,000 weekly to Bureaux De Change (BDCs) has been worrisome. Also disturbing are their alleged breach of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and international money transfers. To worsen the matter, the Money Deposit Banks (DMBs) engage in round-tripping.

    It was after studying their continuous breach of dollar allocation policies, that the CBN  appointed Travelex to replace the lenders in selling dollars from the Diaspora remittances estimated at $21 billion annually to the commercial banks.

    Another doubt over banks’ integrity was raised with the publicised indictment of nine lenders by the CBN for failure to remit $2.3 billion belonging to the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)/Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Company into the TSA as required by law.

    The affected banks were banned from trading in the forex market but were re-admitted after they presented repayment plans for the funds in their custody. It could not be verified if the affected banks have fully repaid the funds.

    The CBN accused the banks of violating international money transfer rules by establishing private and company accounts to harvest dollar inflows from abroad without following the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements.

    The CBN accused the banks of engaging in round-tripping, taking advantage of the huge forex gaps between the official and parallel markets. About 20 to 25 per cent of the volume of forex traded in the country is from autonomous sources, usually diverted into the parallel market through round-tripping.

     

    Money transfer rules violated

    The DMBs have been accused of compromise in their handling of proceeds from international money transfer inflows.

    In a memo, “Illicit international money remittances through the banking system”, CBN’s Acting Director, Trade & Exchange, W.D. Gotring, accused the lenders of opening multiple illegal companies and personal accounts where they harvest dollar proceeds for onward disbursements to local recipients. The practice, he said, is against the September 26, 2014 guidelines for the operation of International Money Transfer Service (IMTS) in Nigeria. He warned the lenders to desist from such unwholesome practices.

    He said: “Further to the guidelines for the operation of International Money Transfer Service (IMTS) in Nigeria of September 26, 2014, we have observed that some DMBs are operating accounts either as companies or companies masking themselves as individuals for the purpose of illegally receiving money transfer flows into the accounts for onward disbursements to recipients in Nigeria.”

    Gotring therefore ordered the lenders to carry out Know Your Customer’s Business (KYCB) checks on all their customers to ensure that they do not transact in illegal/illicit flows and also freeze compromised/ identified defaulting accounts.

    His words: “The CBN therefore reiterates that the DMBs have the absolute responsibility to conduct KYCB checks on all their customers to ensure that they do not transact in illegal/illicit flows.

    “Consequently, DMBs are hereby directed to identify and freeze accounts receiving illicit flows, submit the mandate and account details of these accounts held in naira or foreign currency to the CBN for onward reporting to the security agencies.”

     

    Fixing the forex crisis

    The CBN, under Emefiele, has so far instituted several policies meant to strengthen the local currency and preserve dollar for critical sectors of the economy. The kick-off of the naira-settled Over-the-Counter (OTC) Forex Futures Market and resumption of dollar sales to BDCs operators as well as restriction of debit card use abroad are some of the policies meant to curtail forex crisis and save the local currency.

    The CBN Director, Monetary Policy Department, Moses Tule, explained that the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card restriction for foreign transactions might continue until there is an improvement in forex earnings.

    According to him, if banks had not restricted the use of ATM cards abroad, some of them would have been experiencing challenges meeting the demand of their overseas’ customers.

    Such occurrence, he said, would have caused huge liabilities in the balance sheet of the banks, balance sheet thus affecting their operations.

    Tule said that much as the CBN sympathised with depositors for the inconveniences they go through in their transactions abroad, there was little the bank could do to reverse itself.

    His words: “The limitation on the use of debit or credit cards outside the country was not a limitation that was placed by the CBN. They were restrictions that MDBs placed because their customers have to settle whatever transactions make with your debit cards with corresponding banks in foreign currency. And if the banks do not have the foreign currency to do that, then such customers create a liability problem for them.”

    The priority of the CBN, he said, would be to use the forex to settle matured Letters of Credit (LCs) for the importation of petroleum products and other raw materials.

     

    OTC Forex Futures Market

    Other measures put in place by the CBN to end the crisis include the first Naira-Settled Over-the-Counter (OTC) Forex Futures Market (FFM) launched on June 27 with FMDQ OTC Securities Exchange and the planned resumption of dollar sales to the BDCs.

  • ‘Insecurity ‘ll persist without state police’

    ‘Insecurity ‘ll persist without state police’

    Hon. Abayomi Ogunnusi is the Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance and sponsor of the bill on state and community police. The legislator from Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency spoke with VICTOR OLUWASEGUN on national security and other issues.

    You are the sponsor of the bill on the state and community policing. What is your motive?

    The bill, if you look at the title, speaks for itself. The title reads: “A bill for an act to alter the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to provide for the establishment of state police and to ensure effective community policing in Nigeria.” So, it is obvious that the intent of the bill is for effective security at the state and local government levels. The security situation in the country is at an all time low. There are escalating incidents of robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, militancy and many other vices that a centralised police system has not been able to stem. The way forward is the establishment of state and community policing. The purpose of having lawmakers at the parliament is to represent the interest of the people. For me, the security of the people I represent and, by extension, the generality of Nigerians, is paramount. Hence, the bill is seeking to alter the necessary sections of the constitution to allow for the establishment of state and community police in Nigeria to ensure effective community policing as a modern security strategy.

    Specifically, what sections are being targeted for amendment in the constitution by your bill?

    The bill is seeking to alter the provisions of Section 214 and sections 217, 218 and 219 and sections (d) and (e) and Part Two of the Third Schedule of the 1999 Constitution. The bill seeks to delete the clause that bars the establishment of state police and community security structures in the country.

    We have the neighborhood watch and vigilantes in some states. Is that not what you seek?

    What we seek is something better. What you are referring to exists only in a few states. In 2004, the Federal Government introduced community policing as a security measure. In fact, it was funded by the United Kingdom Department for International Development ( DFID) through the Nigeria Safety and Security, Justice and Growth (SJC) programme. Only six states participated and they were Jigawa, Kano, Benue, Enugu, Ondo and Ogun States. Though the project was a success, it was not effectively institutionalised. There is the need for security structures and powers to be devolved across the tiers of government. That way, it will be effective because it will involve the people and communities. Criminals have families; they live in houses. There is no way a force of just about 350, 000 men will effectively police a nation of over 150 million people. Do the mathematics. What’s the ratio? But state and community policing will resolve the issue of lack of manpower and also provide employment to the teeming youths.

    But, critics have said that the concept cannot work. What is your view?

    Change is difficult for some people. The only thing that is permanent is change. Why would the concept not work? This is probably the only country in the world that operates a federal structure and uses a unitary police system. And where has that taken us? We are all aware of what happened in Rivers State recently when Senator Magnus Abe was shot because the Presidency was not comfortable with the rally held by the opposition party. The kind of impunity being shown by the police in Rivers State, with the backing of President Goodluck Jonathan, shows that it is time that state and community policing is established by constitutional means. The centralised system of policing is being abused and used as a vendetta against perceived political foes.

    Would the change in the policing system not lead to the disorientation of the security system?

    We are living in a dynamic society and you can’t get a different result when you do things the same way. We will get over whatever challenges there may be. In terms of security, there must be a paradigm shift in the way we think. Obviously, the merits of running state and community policing far outweighs what may be considered as the demerits or what we have now. Those opposing it have not advanced superior arguments on why state police and community policing should not come to stay. Running a centralised police force is no longer feasible or effective. We must come to terms with that. It is evident for everyone to see. The police force is stretched and are often times clueless as to how to deal with the increasingly sophisticatesd criminal organisations. On the flip side, many people are supporting the concept. This is because they have seen the immense benefit that would bring peace and security to all the states should it be created. In a true federation, the state police would be an option of choice and all federating states would participate in the maintenance of peace as opposed to a centralised system that has woefully failed to address the ever increasing need for a secured society.

    The Federal Government is underfunding the centralised policing system. Can the state fund the state police effectively?

    From the onset, the funding of the police has always been a joint effort between the Federal Government and the state governments. No state would want to be overrun by criminal elements. Hence, you find the states providing support, in terms of vehicles, communication equipment, accommodation and finances in order to have effective security in their states. Of course, funds would be provided by the states because they know that peace and security will lead to economic growth.

    Can state poliec be insulated from corruption?

    Problems can only arise with corrupt political regimes that would want the state police force to harass, intimidate and commit crimes against political opponents. For instance, in Rivers State, the police is being used to undermine the authority of the governor and create insecurity in the state. Challenges of corruption can only creep in due to, among other factors, poor oversight or accountability from the political regime appointing the police, which could lead to poor organisation, corruption and chaos in dealing with crime. There must be checks against bribery.

    In some countries, there are no minimum standards or requirements to becoming a police officer other than political favour or connections. The lack of effective supervision and oversight, poor selection criteria and political favoritism lcan lead to criminal enterprises within the police. One is also not ignorant of the fact that training may be limited, usually performed through “on the job” training and mentorship by veteran officers perpetuating corrupt practices. We should not also pretend that there won’t be the challenge of career advancement that may be based on political connections, instead of meritorious performance and service to the community.

    Having identified these challenges, it goes to show that half the solution has been provided. To completely eliminate these problems that may turn state police to exactly what we have presently, any serious-minded state must be ready and willing to massively invest in its police infrastructure, in form of offices and accommodation, security equipment, communication gadgets, security vehicles in form of patrol vans, and Armoured Personnel Cars (APC). On the other hand, the training, welfare, emoluments and other motivating packages of the personnel must not be handled with levity. It is only when these are taken care of that the best and maximum benefits of state police can be derived. If not, political interference and favoritism will infect the highest ranks of the state police, thereby jeopardizsing its independence and plunging its leadership into unnecessary political battles.

    Do you think that the bikll will be nationally accepted?

    I strongly believe that the national appeal for state and community policing is on the rise and its total acceptance is just a matter of time. Nigerians are becoming well informed of its benefits. Already, former President Ibrahim Babangida, Governor Babatunde Fashola, Rotimi Amaechi and Kayode Fayemi are unequivocal in their support for it. A host of other people, including the former Director-General of the defunct National Security Organisation (NSO), Alhaji Umar Shinkafi, have also spoken in support of it. I believe their support is anchored on the recognition of the key element of state and community policing that place emphasis on crime prevention.

  • Why crises persist, by Nnamani

    Why crises persist, by Nnamani

    FORMER Senate President Ken Nnamani has identified lack of public infrastructure as source of the country’s socio-political crises.

    Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration of Governing Council of the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), which he chairs, Nnamani said: “Factors behind insecurity in several parts of the country are complex and multifaceted”. Experts, he said agreed that “one of the proven sources of social discontent is a sense of alienation that comes from lack of access to essential public services.”

    Nnamani warned that government’s failure to fulfill its obligations to the people portends grave danger for the polity, ‘because the inability of the citizenry to have access to the vital infrastructural and utility services that make life worth living is a potential source of social discontent and societal instability.”

    Pledging that the Board would live up to expectation, Nnamani said considering the overburdened public sector budget “government resources are not even sufficient for the maintenance of existing infrastructure to say nothing of providing new ones.”

    He added: “Any policy mechanism that will facilitate the delivery of public services to all corners of our great nation will contribute in no small measure in giving our people a sense of belonging”

    Inaugurating the council, President Goodluck Jonathan, represented by Vice President Namadi Sambo, said: “As a nation, we must in every respect, manifest our capability for the practical transformation of our country, through mutually beneficial partnerships. Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS) must now show a greater commitment to creative productive and fruitful partnerships with the private sector.”

    He urged the board to build on the achievements of the pioneer board, headed by former head of the Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan.

    The president implored the Nnamani team to hasten the delivery of Public Private Partnership (PPP) projects, particularly the 19 recently identified by the Commission, which included the construction of the 2nd Niger Bridge, the development of deep sea ports and concession of railway lines. He stressed the need to “achieve seamless financial closure as soon as possible”, adding “That is what the people expect and this is what the government must deliver.”

    The President added: “The ICRC has a leading role to play in driving the PPP programme. “We have no doubt that members of the Governing Board will pursue this mandate with commitment and patriotism to achieve prompt success.”