Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) is partnering foreign investors to build affordable houses for the poor, its Executive Director, Mrs. Uju Baba, said yesterday.
Mrs. Baba, who said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, noted that there was a huge gap in the country’s housing sector.
She added that the NIPC partnership was with investors from Brazil and Turkey.
The commission’s executive director explained that it was the commission’s pet project to bring in foreign investors into the country, noting that “I am hopeful that by the end of this year, the companies will be in the country”.
The NIPC boss said the companies were willing to build certain category of houses using a new system that would be affordabile for the poor.
The furor elicited by President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to promptly declare his assets upon his ascendency to power has now been consigned to garbage bin. A snippet of the Buhari and Osibanjo asset declaration form, as released on September 4 by Femi Adesina, the presidential spokesman, jolted us from our reverie. As it has become synonymous with PMB’s shrewd tactics of governance, he patiently waited till the eve of his 100 days in office to prove cynics wrong.
Let us say Mr. President became oblivious of his campaign promise to quickly declare his assets due to the exigencies of office. Why didn’t Shehu Garba and Adesina, his image-makers who have his ears, advise him? Established, he had his plate full as the nation’s helmsman. However, he ought to know that campaign promises are not items that undergo mutation at various periods. I am categorically sure that the greatest undoing of former president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration is its penchant for broken promises. The former President’s “transformation team’’ innovated, canonized and entrenched the culture of broken promises. And we just hope this presidency will draw a moral lesson from President Jonathan’s misfortune.
It is with nostalgia I remember President Umaru Musa Yar’adua of blessed memory. It is fascinating to recall how the late president declared his assets without the slightest agitation and drama. Barely less than a month in office in June 2007, he declared his assets to the consternation of Nigerians. It is no conjecture to state that he was unconsciously carving a reputation for integrity and by extension, engraved his name in the tombstone of time. Little wonder, he was celebrated as a shining example of sincerity by prominent world leaders after his demise.
Without prejudice, PMB by declaring his asset too, absolutely fulfilled a covenant which resonates with his gospel of a transparent and truly democratic government. Although, it came at a time when our patience had been massively tested. Yet it is heart-warming that he finally did. No doubt, President Buhari and Senator Shehu Sani who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District are perhaps the only genuine progressives amongst their peers. While other pseudo-progressives could not act in tandem with their reformist philosophy, this duo exhibited raw courage in making their assets publicly known to the Nigerian public. That’s the spirit of democracy. But beyond commendations, there is the fundamental need for us to painstakingly analyse Buhari’s properties. By so doing, the claim that he his affluent would be better understood. However, let me give a caveat. This writer is not doing the bidding of any paymaster. To put it harshly, my conscience is not an auctioning material. And for the benefit of hindsight, the following is the abridged details of Mr. President’s assets.
He has less than N30 million to his name. Buhari has a single account with Union Bank and no foreign account. He owns neither a registered company, factory nor oil blocs. Among his assets are five houses, a farm, orchard and a cattle ranch. In his farmstead are 270 cattle, 25 sheep, five horses, some economic trees and a variety of birds. Again, he is a proud holder of some exotic cars. To be frank, the list appears modest. But regrettably, it belies the assets expected of an archetypal Nigerian president. A typical Nigerian president ordinarily should be richer than what Buhari puts to our face.
While our erstwhile leaders are yet to become international billionaires, they’ve stamped their authorities in the continent with stinking wealth. Without prejudice, an international magazine once credited former President Jonathan to be the richest African leader. That was in the age of unbridled stealing from our collective vault. Now, one does not need to consult the oracle to affirm the modest acquisitions status of Buhari compared with other flamboyant African leaders.
I make bold to state that Buhari’s asset declaration is a conundrum. This is so, because it defies not only logic, but philosophy. The declaration even by a scintilla was not revelatory. Rather, it was an issue which defied our understanding of the worth of political leaders. At the risk of being sentimental, Yar’adua’s declaration was far, and far more credible than Buhari’s. Why? Because it did not give us a ‘take home assignment’ to figure out the monetary worth of his houses, cars, livestock, etc. It was explicit in disclosing the net worth of his assets.
At this moment, it is pertinent to ask some questions. Can someone who allegedly collected bond to purchase his presidential nomination form become a millionaire upon his inauguration as President? What do you make of a person with five luxurious houses in choice locations? Perhaps, how much do you think the properties may be worth? If one has to pay through his nose to procure a parcel of land in your hamlet, then imagine what it would be in mega cities like Port Harcourt and Kano? These are places where President Buhari has undeveloped lands. And, is Buhari’s farm not a commercial venture? If yes, what are its annual proceeds? What about his cars? Just how many are they and probably their monetary value? I am sure the federal government’s juicy packages for previous leaders have not been abolished. So, how much has PMB’s share accumulated in 30 years? How much does his shares in Union Bank worth? Naturally, his spin doctors may wish to clarify this. But does it matter?
Now, the line has been drawn. The masses have independently formed their opinions. And not a few are cynical about PMB’s assets declaration. They may not be able to hazard a pin-point guess, but they stubbornly believed that Mr. President may not be living a Spartan life, after all. While their arithmetic instinct may be warped, it’s obvious they scored an ‘A’ by concluding that PMB is perhaps, wealthy too. At the risk of appearing sarcastic, most of them wish they are as poor as Mr. President. To be candid, there is need for Mr. President to be forthright in his policy statements. To be otherwise would be a great disservice to the entire nation.
The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Adesina, had assured Nigerians that copies of the declaration forms would be made public after the Code of Conduct Bureau are through with their statutory scrutiny. I think that is another golden opportunity awaiting the presidency to right the wrong of their gaffe. Until that is done, we consent that Buhari is not a wealthy President. But can we conclude that President Buhari is a broke Nigerian?
One remarkable thing about the graduation ceremony of the Rochas Foundation College, Kano was not merely the presence of dignitaries among whom were four governors, but that the graduates, being children of the poor, would probably never have made it to secondary school. OKODILI NDIDI reports
There were tears but they were of joy. If it was not for the Rochas Foundation College Kano, the 460 graduates of the school would have found it difficult getting any form of education. That was why their economically challenged parents wept for joy seeing their children applauded at the event.
•From left: Governor Okorocha; Governor Tambuwal; Alhaji Maitama Sule and a representative of Emir of Kano at the ceremony
It was an unimaginable moment for the students as they stood before the president of the College and Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and his Kano, Niger and Sokoto counterparts, as well as other highly placed Nigerians as they received their graduation certificates.
Ordinarily, graduation ceremony for secondary school students is hardly remarkable but this one was special because the students were the children of the poor, who could not have had secondary education because their parents could not have afforded it.
Some of them could have ended up as motor park touts, political thugs, street hawkers and prostitutes, among others, as is often the case with children of the poor but these ones were rescued by the benevolence of the President of the College, who founded the tuition-free college to cater for them and others in their category.
So, their joy and that of their parents on that special day was understandable. For them, it was a rare privilege to acquire quality education, which is usually the exclusive preserve of children of the rich.
That is something to celebrate.
Although some of the graduating students are already undergraduates in some of the best universities in the country and abroad, the import of the ceremony was not lost because that was where their story was changed.
As they filed out in a long procession, some of their parents who could be identified by their pale looks and cheap dresses could not hold back their tears as they watched their children receiving ovation from the high and mighty. For them it was truly an unimaginable moment.
Another peculiar feature about the students was the bond they share. They related like children from the same parents, irrespective of their religious and ethnic backgrounds. This is so because they were all adopted by the president of the college.
This affinity does not even end after the secondary school years as the students continue to relate under another platform, the Rochas Foundation Old Students Association (ROFOSA).
The President of ROFOSA, Mr. Iheanetu Chukwudera, said that the association has over three thousand members currently studying in tertiary institutions within and outside the country, with over 150 university graduates in all areas of study.
He noted that the association is “a living testimony of unity in diversity and the epitome of one Nigeria despite the religious, behavioural and tribal differences”.
He said, “The association has helped the indigent people of our great nation through its reach-out-and-touch programme, like the administration of medical treatment to the people in the different parts of the country by its various branches.
“Most of our members are studying in China, Russia, Benin Republic, Ghana, USA and the UK and the association contributed immensely to their successes”.
During the six years stay in the school, the students were clothed, fed and accommodated by the college for free.
Recounting how he got the inspiration to build the tuition free college in Kano, Governor Okorocha who spoke amidst tears of emotion, said he was moved by the number and the plight of children hawking at a petrol station he stopped to refuel his car on his way to Kano.
He said, “In one of my trips to Kano, I stopped over at a filling station and a flock of children hawking various items crowded me but when I asked one of them a simple question in English language, he could not answer until I spoke Hausa language. It was then that it dawned on me that we were sitting on a keg of gunpowder and something has to be done to avert the impending disaster. That was how the idea of the Rochas Foundation College Kano started.
“For the fact that these children are poor does not mean that they should be denied the opportunity of going to school like the children of the rich.
“Children cannot choose the family they are born into and even the most gifted children cannot flourish in a world mired by poverty and hardship where education is only available to the children of the wealthy. And who knows whether one of these children hawking on the street could be the one to find the cure to HIV and other dreaded diseases. That is the idea behind the Rochas Foundation Colleges across the nation”.
“Poverty does not have to mean hopeless future. It is my vision that by 2025, one million children would have received a world class and completely free education at Rochas Foundation Colleges. There are already five colleges set up throughout Nigeria, Kano, Ibadan, Owerri, Jos and Ogboko. Each year a further one thousand children enroll. That is my joy and my reward”.
The chairman of the ceremony and elder statesman, Alhaji Maitama Sule, commended the Governor for investing in the education of the children of the poor and needy.
He compared the efforts of the Imo Governor in providing free education for the people to that of the late Obafemi Awolowo, Sarduana of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello and Nnamdi Azikiwe.
The frontline northern leader noted that Okorocha, who he said is the direct successor of the late Azikiwe, through his actions is uniting the country more than any other Igbo leader.
He said, “Our founding fathers laid the foundation for Nigeria’s unity and Okorocha is the symbol of that unity today this is so because his actions are uniting the country and he is using the best tool of uniting a people, which is education. His benevolence does not benefit on his people but the entire nation’’.
Kano State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, in his remarks, observed that the Rochas Foundation Colleges across the country has laid the foundation for free and compulsory education in Nigeria.
He commended the Imo governor for citing one of the colleges in Kano, assuring that the state government will give every available support to the College.
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, in his speech, described Okorocha as an exemplary Nigerian who is contributing to the greatness of Nigeria through education.
He called on other Nigerians with the means to follow the example of the governor.
The Abia State chapter of the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) has expressed its discomfort over the apparent waning interest in reading in the country.
The body added that this poor reading scenario can be blamed for examination malpractices.
Speaking during the association’s week in Umuahia, the state chairman of NLA, Dr Udo Nwokocha said it is a shame that students are no longer reading which is among the reasons behind their poor performances during examinations.
Nwokocha said that the onus is now on parents to join hands with the association through ensuring that their children read books like in the olden days, instead of watching films on televisions on daily basis.
He also blamed the parents for encouraging their children against reading, “They do this by ensuring that they obtain special or magic centres for them to sit for their examinations which do not make them better students or workers at the end of their education”.
The Abia NLA chairman said that the theme of the week’s celebration, ‘Bring Back The Users’, said that there is need for governments at all levels and relevant agencies to improve upon the funding of libraries of all types.
Nwokocha said, “By so doing it will enable the libraries to provide modern facilities that will make our libraries more comfortable and attractive to users, as we can never do without libraries for all academic works”.
He commended the state government for building the e-library saying that it will help to boost the enthusiasm and attract users back to the library, since it will offer electronic services to the users.
The Abia NLA chairman said, “We advise that the e-library should be integrated into the state public library system since it will provide electronic services under the library board, as it will help to form the hybrid library that is in vogue all over the world”.
Nwokocha regretted that people are relying more on Information Communication Technology [ICT], which he said has gone a long way in affecting the way the modern day students write.
He noted that students across the country are currently finding it difficult to write correct spelling of simple words, “This could be attributed to their ability to write text messages in short words
which has made them to lose focus on correct spellings”.
The Abia NLA boss then called on federal and state governments to order for the opening up of all locked up libraries in different schools as well as provide the necessary materials that will make the place attractive to students and other users.
He said that unless the libraries are reopened across the country for students to make use of them, “This may means that in the near future we will be training graduates who will be illiterates since they would not be able to read or write well”.
SIR: Crime, as we all know is a anti-motivator to hard-work, innovation and ingenuity. This is why there are laws and orders in every country to guide people on how to live decently. The difference between Nigeria and other countries is not that we don’t have enabling laws but our non-implementation of our laws. We are also a people with the most creative lawyers.
According to Chief Afe Babalola “there are two types of lawyers in Nigeria. Those who know laws and those who know judges”.
In Ghana, the Deputy Minister of of Communications, Victoria Hammah, was sacked for allegedly making a statement that suggested that she will quit office after making enough money. But in Nigeria, controversial ministers with corrupt instincts were retained because they are untouchable.
In United States of America, Former Illinois Governor, George Ryan, served more than five years for corruption. His departure from prison follows a rich, if ignominious, history in Illinois of ex-governors arriving in and departing from prison. Of Illinois’ last seven governors, four have ended up going to prison. They are: Rod Blagojevich – Governor from 2002 through 2009, who became the first Illinois governor in history to be impeached. He was convicted of numerous corruption charges in 2011, including allegations that he tried to sell/trade President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.
Others are: George Ryan – Governor from 1999 through 2003. After leaving office, Ryan was convicted of racketeering for actions as governor and secretary of state. In November 2007. He started serving a 6 and a half year sentence in federal prison; Dan Walker – Governor from 1973-1977. Walker pleaded guilty to bank fraud and other charges in 1987 related to his business activities after leaving office. He spent about a year and a half in federal prison. Otto Kerner – Governor from 1961-1968. Otto Kerner resigned to become judge, then was convicted of bribery related to his tenure as governor and entenced to three years in prison. Not in Nigeria will a judge be committed to prison when there is “espirit de corps”.
China executed the former head of its food and drug watchdog who had become a symbol of the country’s wide-ranging problems on product safety. Zheng Xiaoyu was a symbol of corruption when he was in charge of its foods and drugs administration (State Food and Drug Aministrati (SFDA)) our equivalent of National Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Xiaoyu was condemned for taking bribes to approve an antibiotic blamed for at least 10 deaths and other substandard medicines that caused havoc in China.
In order to avoid embarrassment and public disgrace, Bai Zhongren, the president of China Railway Group, a state-owned engineering giant behind many of the country’s largest railway projects, jumped to his death from the 21st floor of his highrise apartment. The 53-year-old chief executive jumped to his death after suffering from depression due to desertion by friends and families in the recent years. In Nigeria, this kind of man with large stolen money will be swarmed by people who wants to be part of his largesse.
Former Virginia governor Bob McDonnell was sentenced to two years in federal prison for public corruption. McDonnell was convicted for trading access to the power of the governor’s office for more than $165,000 in loans and high-end gifts.
Jacqui Smith, former Home Secretary of United Kingdom, decided that she couldn’t carry on because of “expenses allegations” in her “petty-cash account”. She was one of the first and most high-profile targets of the expenses leaks. Her misdemeanor was the two pounds sterling (equivalent of N600) blue film she bought for her husband using tax-payers money.
All these could happen to high-class people in developed clime, but in Nigeria, it is only the downtrodden and the poor. the vulnerable and have-nots that the laws are made for.
Residents of Eha-Alumona community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State lamented the disrepair of a road which links them with other communities in the state.
They urged the state and federal governments to fix the only road in order to ease business.
•Some parts of the road
The poor condition of the 14km road has for long adversely affected the people in the area.
One of the road users, Mike Ekeh said that the deplorable condition of the road was due to the lackadaisical attitude of the representatives of the area in the House of Assembly and at the National Assembly.
He said, “The road is very bad and it is a clog in the wheel of our development in this community. Access road is the major problem in the development of this community. This road has been like this for decades. Each time one government comes they promise to construct it, but all to no avail. Till now we have seen no positive development…To some extent peasant farmers who produce agricultural products like yam, palm oil and other cash crops do not make much profit from their products, owing to the fact that they pay heavily for transportation, due to inaccessibility of the road. At times you just store the products till they get rotten. But we do believe that the incumbent governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi will do something about it.”
ýSimilarly, a businessman in the area Mr. Charlse Eneje said,
“The first thing the governor should do is to construct this road because there is no road in Enugu State worse than it.”
Regular succour would soon be coming the way of widows, orphans and other less-privileged members of the seedy and ancient community of Igbo Olori Ota, in Ado/Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State.
A century-old church in the community-African Church, Nigeria, said it has concluded plans to have “special collections” in monetary form from its members on a regular basis in aid of the widows and other less-privileged persons not only in its fold but also for others in the missionary environment.
Beside the monetary assistance, the prospective beneficiaries would also receive gift items as well as entrepreneurial trainings in soap and cream-making, among others to enable some of them to be productive and have modicum sources of income of their own.
Igbo Olori Ota is home to the imposing St Michael Bethel Cathedral, the seat of the newly created Awori Central Diocese of the African Church (Nigeria). It is believed to have been built in 1904, and situates few metres away from the Palace of the Olota of Ota.
The Bishop of Awori Central Diocese, Rev. Ade Fagbayi, who was enthroned on Sunday as the Pioneer Bishop by the Primate of African Church in Nigeria, His Eminence, Emmanuel Josiah Udofia, unfolded this agenda at the Cathedral in commemoration of the maiden anniversary of the diocese.
Fagbayi, who noted that Christians should impact on the society positively, said early church grew steadily because of love and care shown to people in their missionary areas.
“Charity begins at home for the people in the household of God; but that does not mean we should close our eyes to the needy in the society and our neighbourhood.
“We still have to help others and give beyond the shores of the church, to reach the widows, young unemployed graduates and other less-privileged persons.
“The society and the church are symbolically related; to a reasonable extent, they are inseparable. Church members live within the society and members of the same society attend the church.
“So, it becomes imperative on us to demonstrate the virtues of love, charity, holiness and truthfulness which characterised the early church and enhanced their steady growth,” Fagbayi said.
The Bishop, however, rued the proliferation of churches in the society, saying it has only had “little impact on morals and good character” of Christians.
According to him, Nigerian Christians must guard against losing the saltiness in them as the “hope of a better society, to a large extent, rests on the church.”
Vice President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo yesterday said there are 110 million poor Nigerians.
He added that some past polices and planning, including budgeting, did not reflect the needs and conditions of the people, who have become disempowered.
He spoke while receiving the Alumni Association of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), in Abuja.
Expressing concern about extreme poverty in the country, Osinbajo said two third of the population had become disempowered following the policy formulation in the past.
“When you look at the economic and social policies, and you look at the level of illiteracy, some are extremely bad and some with cases of about 80 or 90 per cent of children out of school, and other cases of unimaginable decayed infrastructure,” he said.
Stressing that policies should address the needs of the people, he said the main challenge now is how to make this possible.
“Governments have not been accountable to the people, otherwise policies should have roots in the real condition of the people.”
The Vice President challenged the notion that a country could be described as rich when about two-thirds of its people were extremely poor.
He said one of the challenges of policy formulation is how to speak to the people and address their plight, adding that the people were concerned about “how do I get a meal, how do I get health care and how to send children to school.”
Vice President Osinbajo urged the Alumni Association to discuss how policy formulation ought to take root in the conditions of the people.
Speaking earlier, President of the association, Major-General Lawrence Onoja, appreciated President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to fight corruption and reposition the economy.
He pledged the support of the Association for the actualization of what he called the Three-Point Agenda – Security, Corruption and Economy of the Buhari Administration.
Onoja urged the Administration not to only conduct a forensic audit of the government agencies but should jail all those found guilty of looting the country and seize the looted assets as well.
A former lawmaker, who represented Ajeromi-Ifelodun State Constituency II in the 7th Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Abdoulbaq Ladi Balogun, has presented gift items worth thousands of naira to Bab-es-Salam, an orphanage at Joel Ogunaike Street, GRA, Ikeja Lagos.
He had earlier reached out to So’Said Charity Home in his constituency at Ajegunle where he donated several gift items and empowerment items worth millions of Naira to some less-privileged persons such as widows, as well as his political supporters in the constituency at the event which took place at the premises of Ajeromi-Ifelodun Local Government Area secretariat.
The empowerment items donated included six mini-buses for transportation, fridges and 50 packs of table water for each of 12 beneficiaries. Twenty-five other beneficiaries also received gas cookers as food vendors received cooking utensils and satellite decoder for viewing centres, among several other items.
Hon. Balogun said the gesture was part of programmes lined up for his 40th birthday. Making the presentation, Hon. Balogun appealed to wealthy Nigerians to always remember the less-privileged as a way of reducing the socio-economic inequality among the citizens. Reaching out to the less-privileged people, he said, will make the environment a better place to live in for all.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the presentation, Balogun, who said he felt very happy at 40, thanked his supporters and those who have been part of his success story. He appreciated God for giving him the magnanimity and the means to assist the less-privileged people as well as be a blessing to those around him.
“Giving to charity from what God has given to me has been a way of life for me right from when I was in the private sector. I thank God for giving me the magnanimity and the heart to do this.
“It is my 40th birthday and it is a milestone in my life. I chose not to confine the celebration to my nuclear family alone. I had always celebrated my birthday through the years by reaching out to the less-privileged.
“This has been the practice in the past,” he said.
Dignitaries present at the event included the Leader of Lagos West Senatorial District, Chief Rabiu Adio Oluwa, Senator Ganiyu Olanrewaju Solomon (GOS), Hon. Adekanye MHR, Hon. Funmlayo Tejuosho, Hon. Kasumu, immediate past deputy Speaker, Lagos Assembly, Kolawole Taiwo, former Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa and other stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Permanent and casual workers of China Civil Engineering and Construction Corporation (CCECC) yesterday stormed the office of the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, to protest the sack of about 500 workers by the corporation.
The workers who are engaged in ongoing construction of Lagos Blue Line Light Rail also lamented the poor working condition that the company subjected them to.
The workers, in a protest letter to Governor Ambode said many of their colleagues had been employed by the company for the past five years and were laid off without any form of payment.
They demanded the governor’s intervention in their plight to ensure that what duly belonged to them was paid by the Chinese firm.
One of the protesters, Mr. Mark Okila, who lost one arm while working for CCECC said the protesters want CCECC to pay the casual workers sacked N600,000 severance package and workers laid off N800,000 severance package.
He said: “We were deprived of our rights while working for the company in such a way that the company will offer us a job without appointment letters. Even when they employ most of their workers for the space of five years, they will not convert them to staff.
“We are treated like slaves in the company and whenever we try to defend our rights, they will start dismissing us from work. They will say that if we are not ready to work in accordance with their policies, we should leave.”
Okila lamented that casual workers with the Chinese firm earned N550 per day while workers were paid N850 per day, adding that issues of safety had been jeopadised by the company as lots of industrial accidents had occurred during work-hour.
“We were given appointment without any safety induction, certification and safety gadgets. This has led many workers to have permanent disabilities and others even death in the process of working for the company and nothing serious has been done about it.
“We are seeking the intervention of the governor for justice to be done in this matter of abuse of citizen’s right by CCECC,” he said.
He vowed that the sacked workers would shut down the site of the rail project today if their entitlements were not fully paid by CCECC.
The protesters stated that in the process of working for the company, Mr. Okila was involved in an accident which led to his right arm being amputated while Mr. Aondowase Fidelis lost his eye and Mr Moses Ajar lost his left thumb.
