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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • No cause for alarm on economy, says Presidency

    No cause for alarm on economy, says Presidency

    The Presidency has allayed fears over the nation’s parlous economic indices and their impact on the average citizen.

    At a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe said the situation is under control.

    Okupe was speaking against the backdrop of a tumble in the Nigerian crude oil earnings arising from a revelation of a discovery by the United States, of shale oil; signifying a possible loss of oil earnings from the US.

    He said the Nigerian economy is not in any way endangered by the apparent loss of the American market.

    The government, he said, had put in place the appropriate mechanisms aimed at not only cushioning the effects, but also blocking the various exit points for crude oil theft.

    Okupe said the Nigerian Navy and other maritime related security agencies have been equipped to stop the menace of crude oil theft.

    He added that an appeal had been made by the Federal Government to western countries to assist in blocking the sale of stolen crude from Nigeria in their various countries.

    According to him, the necessary reforms programmes are already in place in vital sectors such as agriculture and oil and gas.

    He similarly stated that phased reduction in the size of the public service had begun about three weeks ago, in line with the recommendations of the Steve Oronsonye Report.

    Okupe said the exercise, which is aimed at cutting down on the existing heavy recurrent public expenditure to the tune of N1 trillion, would be spread over a period of three years.

    Said the President’s aide: “Already, the Federal Government is adopting appropriate strategies to effectively mitigate the impact of decline in the US markets. The number and volume of term contracts with Asian refiners is gradually being increased.

    “Current term volumes to Asian refiners stand at 120,000 barrels per day. In both the short and medium term, a combination of market openings in Europe and Asia will effectively compensate the loss of US market and offer needed support for Nigerian crude oil exports.

    “Every discerning observer will notice that socio-economic challenges, which had existed for several decades and which the current Transformation Agenda is effectively tackling are clearly spelt out in the Mid-term report presented to Nigerians by President Goodluck Jonathan a few weeks ago.

    “These challenges include, among others, dependence on oil exports, high recurrent expenditure, high food importation, poor infrastructure, high inflation, falling reserve and rising domestic debt

    “The Jonathan administration has implemented key reforms to reduce dependence on oil and these reforms have resulted in the Agricultural sector alone contributing over 40% to the Gross Domestic Product in two years. Oil exports are now 69% of our total exports as against 91% in 2008”.

  • No cause for alarm on economy, says Presidency

    The Presidency has allayed fears over the nation’s parlous economic indices and their impact on the average citizen.

    At a press briefing in Abuja yesterday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe said the situation is under control.

    Okupe was speaking against the backdrop of a tumble in the Nigerian crude oil earnings arising from a revelation of a discovery by the United States, of shale oil; signifying a possible loss of oil earnings from the US.

    He said the Nigerian economy is not in any way endangered by the apparent loss of the American market.

    The government, he said, had put in place the appropriate mechanisms aimed at not only cushioning the effects, but also blocking the various exit points for crude oil theft.

    Okupe said the Nigerian Navy and other maritime related security agencies have been equipped to stop the menace of crude oil theft.

    He added that an appeal had been made by the Federal Government to western countries to assist in blocking the sale of stolen crude from Nigeria in their various countries.

    According to him, the necessary reforms programmes are already in place in vital sectors such as agriculture and oil and gas.

    He similarly stated that phased reduction in the size of the public service had begun about three weeks ago, in line with the recommendations of the Steve Oronsonye Report.

    Okupe said the exercise, which is aimed at cutting down on the existing heavy recurrent public expenditure to the tune of N1 trillion, would be spread over a period of three years.

    Said the President’s aide: “Already, the Federal Government is adopting appropriate strategies to effectively mitigate the impact of decline in the US markets. The number and volume of term contracts with Asian refiners is gradually being increased.

    “Current term volumes to Asian refiners stand at 120,000 barrels per day. In both the short and medium term, a combination of market openings in Europe and Asia will effectively compensate the loss of US market and offer needed support for Nigerian crude oil exports.

    “Every discerning observer will notice that socio-economic challenges, which had existed for several decades and which the current Transformation Agenda is effectively tackling are clearly spelt out in the Mid-term report presented to Nigerians by President Goodluck Jonathan a few weeks ago.

    “These challenges include, among others, dependence on oil exports, high recurrent expenditure, high food importation, poor infrastructure, high inflation, falling reserve and rising domestic debt

    “The Jonathan administration has implemented key reforms to reduce dependence on oil and these reforms have resulted in the Agricultural sector alone contributing over 40% to the Gross Domestic Product in two years. Oil exports are now 69% of our total exports as against 91% in 2008”.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • NGF: Accept defeat, Niger Delta group tells presidency

    NGF: Accept defeat, Niger Delta group tells presidency

    The Niger Delta Civil Society Coalition (NDCSC) has condemned what it called “the impunity and show of power in Rivers State” by the leaders of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the face-off between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

    It also asked the Presidency and the governors to respect the outcome of the duly-conducted election of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), where Amaechi was re-elected as the chairman, but which President Jonathan was reportedly not comfortable with.

    These were contained in the NDCSC’s communiqué in Port Harcourt yesterday, at the end of a special roundtable, with the theme: “Defending Democracy.” It was signed by the Chairman of the coalition, Anyakwee Nsirimovu and 23 others.

    The Rivers governor defeated his Plateau State counterpart, Jonah Jang by 19 votes to 16, with the humiliation leading to the emergence of factional NGF, led by Jang, to cover the shame.

    The NDCSC is a non-partisan, non-profit, non-governmental coalition of critical civil society organisations, drawn from across the communities of the nine states of the political Niger Delta region, academic community, labour unions and other stakeholders.

    Members of the coalition are united in their vision of a just, equitable and indivisible people and in the building of effective participatory democracy, good governance, social, economic and political justice, and the respect and promotion of the fundamental human rights of all citizens and residents.

    The communiqué read in part: “We call on the Presidency and all elected representatives of the people to end, the most undemocratic culture of impunity, by taking the rule of law and due process requirements seriously.

    “NDCSC calls on the President to void forthwith, in the public interest, any practice or use of powers democratically and constitutionally entrusted upon him to govern, protect life and property of citizens in an abusive manner, or manipulating the same in settlement of political scores.

    “We call on the Presidency and political elite to shun speeches that can be termed hate speech and have capacity to cause dissension, humiliate and or reduce the integrity of his office.

    “NDCSC calls on the Presidency and governors to respect the outcome of a duly-conducted Nigeria Governors’ Forum election that is considered free, fair and credible. Therefore, leave positive examples for broader future elections.

    “We call on the Presidency and colleagues to support the sustenance and consolidation of democracy that is accountable, respectful of the rule of law in which the constitution is supreme, all citizens are equal before the law, no one is above the law, corruption is minimised and punished, state authorities respect the rights of citizens.”

    The coalition also called on the Presidency to take its responsibility to protect all Nigerian citizens, under both international law and the nation’s constitution most seriously, noting that the presidency should prevent, rather than stoke conflict in any guise whatsoever.

    It also admonished Nigerian governors and legislators to respect the constitutional requirements for the third tier of government, stressing that the legislators and the relevant committees should effectively investigate suspicions, fraud and abuses within the state and local government agencies, under their jurisdiction.

    The legislators were also tasked by the NDCSC to monitor the overall efficiency and integrity of government and allegations of wrongdoing in an objective, transparent and in accordance with the requirements of known statutes.

    It urged Federal Government to effectively and efficiently conclude the amnesty programme in such a manner that its dangerous monetisation impact did not motivate peaceful and law-abiding young people into violence.

    NDCSC also admonished the Presidency to take capacity seriously in the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs and ensure that the East-West Road and other critical infrastructure in the region were given priority attention, to ensure job creation for teeming millions of helpless and frustrated young people.

    The group insisted that participation in the 2015 general elections should be based on performance, merit and all political parties should internalise democratic values and rule of law.

    It called on the Police Service Commission and the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar, to ensure that the Nigeria Police in all of their ramifications did not assume the character of a political, omnipotent force, that would be master, rather than servant of the people, while declaring that officers found wanting should be dismissed forthwith.

    The NDCSC also asked the National Judicial Commission, the Chief Justice of the Federation and the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to guard judicial independence and integrity most jealously.

    It added: “A democratic rule of law requires a judiciary that is, at every level, neutral, independent from political influence, and reasonably competent and resourceful.

    “Most of all, it requires a constitutional court, willing to constrain the power of the mighty and defend the rights of the meek.”

     

  • A presidency steeped in self-denial

    A presidency steeped in self-denial

    Like godfather like godson; President Goodluck Jonathan, it seems, likes to live in political self-denial, just like his presently estranged godfather and erstwhile benefactor, former president, General Olusegun Obasanjo. We are all too familiar, aren’t we, with the incredible denial by the former president that he ever even contemplated a third term agenda, much less want one. God, he has repeatedly said, has never denied him whatever he wanted. So if he had wanted a third term God, presumably, would’ve had no choice but give it to him. Therefore all those who had accused him of wanting to carry on beyond 2007, he has said to everyone who cared to listen, were nothing but malicious mischief makers.

    Like his estranged godfather, President Jonathan has been accusing anyone who says he has since made up his mind to contest the 2015 presidential election as a malicious mischief maker, possibly worse. He is too busy fulfilling the peoples’ mandate, he says, to have time to think of any re-election. Yet anyone with half an eye, indeed even someone with no eyes at all, must have the most credulous mind not to see through the president’s denial as so much hogwash.

    Proofs that our president not only wants a second term – some would say a third, because he has already been sworn in twice as president – but does so desperately are ten a kobo. However the two most glaring are the absurd drama that has surrounded the recent election of the chairmanship of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the authoritative lead story in the penultimate Monday’s edition of Thisday (June 10) about moves by the presidency to kill the Senate’s constitutional proposal for a six-year, single-term limit for the president and governors in place of the current four-year, two term limit.

    Actually it’s a misnomer to refer to the proposal as Senate’s, simple reason being it originated from the Presidency itself. It’s hard, if not impossible, to find a more classic case than this one of the curse, arguably of Chinese origin, that one should be careful what one wishes for lest it comes true.

    First, when the Presidency set up its constitutional amendment committee last year under former Chief Justice of the country, Justice Alfa Modibbo Belgore, members agreed that the committee should not waste time revisiting a number of issues that had been settled by a similar committee under President Obasanjo. Top of these was the issue of the four-year, two-term executive term limit. A minority, reportedly with the backing of the Presidency, tried forcefully to change the provision to five- or six-year single term. It failed.

    Undeterred, the Presidency sent an executive bill to the National Assembly still proposing same. This was in spite of the fact that during the nation-wide tour by the National Assembly committee on constitutional amendment to gauge public opinion, the idea was roundly rejected in all the six geo-political zones in the country, including the President’s Southsouth. The change was necessary, it had argued, because it would concentrate the minds of incumbents on the job at hand and save the country the corruption, sweat, tears and blood that has characterised elections under the status quo. Seemingly sensible arguments at first glance, but so much nonsense when you look again. (But this is a matter for possibly another day).

    It is this executive bill the Presidency, according to Thisday, has now made a volte-face about. Obviously, the Presidency was not careful enough in making this wish; apparently it did not think that it was possible to get its wish in a form it would not like. Which was exactly what happened; the Senate granted its wish, alright. But then it exempted the president and first term governors from being beneficiaries.

    Clearly the Senate’s caveat has exposed the motive of the Presidency’s attempt to force the issue since last year as purely selfish. It has also helped in no small way to expose the Presidency’s repeated denial that the incumbent wants to stay put beyond 2015 as untenable.

    What is true of the Presidency’s attempt to kill its own bill is perhaps even truer of the absurd drama that has surrounded the recent election of the chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum. Few arguments, if any, can be more ridiculous than those offered by the governors who have rejected the election last month of Governor Rotimi Amaechi as the forum’s chairman.

    The rejectionist camp of 16 governors led by the factional chairman, Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau, says the election of Amaechi by 19 votes against Jang’s 16 was in violation of the forum’s tradition of choosing its chair by consensus rather than through election. The camp also says by an understanding, the chair was supposed to have rotated back to the North after Amaechi had served two years. It also says the score-line did not reflect an earlier unanimous endorsement of Jang by the 19 Northern governors.

    The one simple answer to the first two arguments is, if the rejectionists knew all these, why did they participate in the election at all? Why, in the first place, did they not reject it outright the first time it was proposed last year and instead merely postponed it twice? Was it not because they were not sure they would make the numbers back then? Is it then not a mark of poor sportsmanship to reject the result simply because they calculated wrongly that this time they had the numbers?

    As for the last argument about the immorality of breaching agreements, where were they when the president and his erstwhile benefactor repudiated a written agreement written in black and white about rotation and power shift between the North and the South which both of them had signed? Chickens, it seems, have this nasty habit of always coming home to roost!

    The leading rejectionist, it would appear, is Governor Isa Yuguda of Bauchi State. So strong was his feeling about what he said was the immorality of some of his colleagues going back on their endorsement of Jang that he announced he was resigning from the Northern States Governors’ Forum for the remaining two years of his office. “By my own culture, background and religion,” he said, “I believed that whatever is agreed upon, we must stand by it unless it is illegal.”

    Coming from someone who won his office on one party platform only to abandon it for another so soon after his election and without any consultations with those who voted for him, this is indeed very rich.

    Untenable and ridiculous as the rejection of the election of Amaechi as chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum is it does not begin to compare in its hilarity to the Presidency’s claim through its spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati, that it had no interest whatsoever in who got elected. If the Presidency had no interest in the matter why was it quick, too quick, to receive Jang in the Presidential Villa as the new chair? And, except for a Presidency that thrives in self-denial, who does not know that it lost the contest essentially because in its desperation to replace Amaechi at all costs it could not even make up its mind who to substitute him with?

    The Presidency should stop pretending that good governance rather than the 2015 elections remains its priority – that is, if it ever was.

     

    Feedback

    Re: Mamman Kontagora

    Sir,

    I have read your tribute to late Mamman Kontagora who was a blessing to this country during his life time. May his soul rest in peace. However, the PTF of Gen Abacha’s regime you mentioned in the tribute was Petroleum Trust Fund not Petroleum Task Force as you said.

    Adewuyi Adegbite, Ogbomoso, Oyo State. +2347013065440.

     

    Sir,

    Reference your tribute to the late Maj-Gen Mamman Kontagora. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that he was Minister of Works between 1987 & 1993 not 1993 & 1995 as you said. Ahmed, Abuja. +2348020756861.

     

    Sir,

    I’m a son-in-law to late Gen Kontagora, married to Ramatu, one of his daughters. May Allah (SWT) forgive him. Contrary to what you said, his mother was Hausa while his father was Nupe.

    Muhammad Shuaibu Umar. +2348079975555.

     

     

    Correction

     

    In my piece last week on my thoughts from Amman, I gave the population of Jordan of which the city is the capital as over two million. The figure was wrong. Jordan’s population, according to the World Bank’s The Little Data Book was 5.7 million in2009. With a population growth rate of 3.2% annually it is probably 6.4 million today.

     

     

     

  • Sponsors of terror are mostly PDP members – ACN

    Sponsors of terror are mostly PDP members – ACN

    The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has rejected any attempt by the presidency and the ruling PDP to portray the opposition party or its leadership as terrorism sponsors, saying all alleged sponsors of terror in Nigeria are either within the ruling party, the PDP, or somehow associated with it.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the presidency and the PDP should tell Nigerians the names of all those mentioned as sponsors of Boko Haram in a well-researched article in the journal of the New York-based World Policy Institute, entitled: ”Anatomy of African Terrorism: Boko Haram, Nigeria’s homegrown terror network.”

     It said that a quick perusal of the article shows a former Nigerian Ambassador to Sao Tome and Principe and a serving Nigerian State Governor, all members of the PDP, as alleged terror sponsors.
    ”Contrary to the blatant falsehood being peddled by the presidency and the PDP, not one member of the ACN was mentioned in that document, which is available to those who are more interested in seeking the truth than calling the dog a bad name just to hang it.

    ”We abhor terrorism in all its ramifications, and have never and will never support terrorism under any guise. But our stand on Boko Haram is also well known to all fair-minded people whose thinking has not been clouded by political considerations: Terror has festered in our country largely because of widespread poverty/economic deprivation, massive unemployment, injustice and alienation of a large section of the society, all products of years of bad governance.
     
    ”For example, Nigeria is home to the largest number of out-of-school children in the world, according to UNESCO. What this means is that we are creating a large pool of possible recruits for terror.

    ”While these problems date back a long time, the rapacious PDP, which has ruled at the centre since our country’s return to democratic rule in 1999, and the painfully incompetent government of President Goodluck Jonathan have not made things better. It is therefore clear that as these evil twins PDP/Presidency) point one accusing finger at the ACN, four others are pointing at them,” ACN said.

    Meanwhile, the party has expressed total satisfaction at the speed with which the presidency and the PDP, in separate statements, repudiated the part of the Boko Haram/Ansaru proscription Order that is deemed to be at variance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The assurances given by the two are exactly what the ACN had demanded in its earlier statement that called attention to the fact that the vague and open-ended Order could stifle the freedom of the press and tamper with the fundamental human rights of the ordinary Nigerian.

    ”After much rambling, the presidency’s statement on the issue said: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, the order is not meant to stop journalists from carrying out their duties or function of news gathering or reporting as they differ from terrorist activities. Rather, the order is out to criminalize acts of incitement by anyone, group of persons or institutions to commit terrorist acts through dissemination
    of terrorist information’.

    ”And when it is stripped of its now boring cliches, the statement from the PDP said: ‘For the avoidance of doubt, no section of the Order stifled the press; violated or seeks to violate any provision of the constitution. Instead the Order reinforced the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing the security and welfare of all Nigerians’.

    ”This clarification is exactly what we demanded in our statement, and we can now happily say our work is done. As usual, we choose to ignore the use of uncouth language, needless vituperation and accusations that are not empirically-grounded – which are now the hallmarks of a sinking residency/ruling party,” ACN said.
  • Presidency, PDP flay ACN’s stance on proscription of Boko Haram

    Presidency, PDP flay ACN’s stance on proscription of Boko Haram

    Opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) came under fire yesterday from the Presidency and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its criticism of the proscription of Boko Haram and Ansaru by the government.

    The ACN on Sunday said although desirable, the proscription of the bodies violated the Constitution.

    AC N spokesman Alhaji Lai Mohammed said the Proscription order is capable of stfling the press in addition to tampering with the fundamental rights of Nigerians.

    But The Presidency in a statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, said the position of the ACN lacks sound judgement.

    The statement said: “What its present action suggests is that were the ACN in power it would have done nothing to stop the needless destruction of lives and property by the terrorist group proscribed by the Federal Government.

    “Are we to believe then that the ACN is unhappy with the present peace and calm enjoyed by residents of the states under emergency rule? Are we to conclude that Alhaji Lai Mohammed and his party are uncomfortable with the fact that following the intervention of our military, that children have returned to school and that markets have reopened for business?

    “This latest uproar by the ACN about the order affecting or circumscribing press freedom is a blatant lie. It is not supported by reason, logic or law.

    “By stating that, “the offensive section of the Order is Section 5 (1), which prescribes a term of imprisonment of not less than 20 years ‘’for any person who knowingly, in any manner, directly or indirectly, solicits or renders support for the commission of an act of terrorism or to a terrorist group’’, is the ACN suggesting that terror should continue unabated and unchecked?

    “Is the party suggesting that government folds its arms and let its citizens be murdered in cold blood and properties destroyed at will?

    PDP National Publicity Secretary Olisa Metuh described the ACN’s accusation as “despicable and a clear indication of how far the opposition party can go to distort facts to support violence and cause disaffection among Nigerians”

    He said: “This deliberate distortion of facts clearly betrays ACN’s support for such groups as well as the heinous attempt to whittle efforts by the Federal Government and well-meaning Nigerians to end insurgency in the country.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, no section of the Order stifled the press; violated or seeks to violate any provision of the constitution. Instead the Order reinforced the provisions of the constitution guaranteeing the security and welfare of all Nigerians.

     

  • Presidency replies Ribadu over comment on Jonathan

    Presidency replies Ribadu over comment on Jonathan

    •Ex-EFCC chair: Abati desperate

    The Presidency yesterday described the comment credited to former Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Nuhu Ribadu as false, hypocritical and self-serving.

    Ribadu, at a lecture in Kaduna on Saturday, was quoted as saying Nigeria is a “sinking ship” under President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the yearnings of the masses are being neglected by a tyrannical leadership.

    But Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, in a statement yesterday, noted that there is no tyranny greater than the tenure of Ribadu at EFCC when governors were removed through undemocratic means and illegally barring some persons from contesting elections.

    Ribadu, the statement said, ought to be grateful to the President for saving him from self-imposed exile, restoring his rank in the Nigeria Police and converting his dismissal from service to retirement.

    “We find it very sad and utterly deplorable that Nuhu Ribadu has resorted to shameless wolf-crying, the peddling of arrant falsehood and the denigration of the elected government of his fatherland in furtherance of his selfish quest for continued national political relevance after his wholesale rejection by Nigerian voters in 2011.

    “If Nuhu Ribadu wants to talk of tyranny then he should talk of the days when he orchestrated the impeachment of governors with an illegitimate quorum of legislators who had been threatened by the EFCC under his watch. It beats the imagination that Nuhu Ribadu, a man who once presided over an EFCC which in 2007 compiled a list of disqualified politicians aspiring for office without a court order or legal backing now has the guts to accuse the man under whom Nigeria has had the most credible elections in this Fourth Republic of being the leader of a “sinking ship”.

    “Can there be a greater tyranny than the tyranny of removing governors via undemocratic means and barring legally entitled persons from contesting elections?” The Presidency queried.

    But Ribadu, pioneer said it is Jonathan that is ethically challenged and struggling to redeem his lost morality and integrity.

    In a statement issued by his office in Abuja, Ribadu described Presidential spokesman Abati, as a fraud presidential spokesman, standing on crooked crutches of rehashed falsehood by corrupt politicians prosecuted by Ribadu while he was heading EFCC.

    The statement said “Reuben Abati’s statement, typical of his increasingly desperate personality, has exposed him as a fraud of a presidential spokesman who does not have the simplest level of media literacy. It is unfortunate that he stands on crooked crutches of rehashed falsehoods fabricated by corrupt politicians prosecuted by Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, in his desperate attempt to hold on to his job.

    “His conjectured statement is a sad commentary on the type of people we have at the helm of our affairs: even with the resources at his disposal, Abati could not conduct a little research to save himself from embarrassment before he set out barking.

    “It is a huge gaffe for Abati to charge Ribadu with ingratitude as the latter has more valid stand to make similar accusation having been betrayed after his selfless service to the nation in the Petroleum Revenue Task Force committee. The question of who is ethically challenged, however, is left for Nigerians to answer.”

  • ‘No rotational presidency’

    ‘No rotational presidency’

    THERE will be no rotational presidency, but a six-year tenure for president and governors is possible – should the Senate accept the recommendations of its Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution (SCRC).

    It expunged the State-Local Government Joint Account from the Constitution as well as recommended the creation of a mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

    Besides, the committee recommended the removal of Prisons, Railways, Stamp Duties and Wages from the Exclusive Legislative List – going by its report.

    This is contained in the report of the SCRC presented the Chairman of the committee, Senator Ike Ekweremadu to the Senate in plenary yesterday.

    Ekweremadu listed devolution of powers, creation of states, recognition of geo-political zones, local governments, fiscal federalism, mayoral status for the FCT and executive immunity as some of the issues highlighted.

    He said the recommendations of the committee were derived from the views of Nigerians as expressed in memoranda submitted to the committee.

    On Section 58 and Section 100 (Presidential Assent), he said in the light of recent experiences, the committee inserted a new provision I: “The Draft Bill to resolve the impasse where the President neglects to signify his assent or that he withholds such assent.

    “In our view, this will strengthen legislature’s authority and allow timely passage of laws for good governance.”

    On rotation of executive offices, Ekweremadu said the committee rejected the proposal on the grounds that the Constitution should not make Nigerian leadership subject to ethnic or regional considerations.

    This should be a matter of consideration among the various political parties.

    On the six-year single tenure, the committee noted that considering the financial expenses often associated with re-election and to ensure that executive heads are freed from the distractions to be able to concentrate on public policy issues, “a provision for a single term of six (6) years for president and governors is made in sections 135 and 180 respectively”.

    It added that ‘Subject to the provisions of subsection (1) of the section, the President shall vacate his office at the expiration of a period of six years commencing from the date—(a)in the case of a person elected as President under this Constitution, he took the Oath of Allegiance and the oath of Office and (b) in the case of the person elected to the office under this Constitution took the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office or would, but for his death, have taken such Oath.”

    The Committee recommended that “If the Federation is at war in which the territory of Nigeria is physically involved and the President considers that it is not practicable to hold election, the National Assembly may by resolution extend the period of six years mentioned in subsection (2) of this section from time to time; but no such extension shall exceed a period of six months at any one time”.

    The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review retained the subsisting four-year tenure for president and governors.

    On removal of State-Local Government Joint Account in Section 162, it noted that to make for accountability, and an effective local government system, the State-Local Government Joint Account is expunged from the Constitution.

    Section 302 (An Elected Mayoral System of Administration for the FCT), it said that according a mayoral status, the FCT is not only in keeping with the practice in many capital cities of the world, but it is also to ensure efficient administration of the FCT.

    On Second Schedule, Part 1 (Devolution of Powers), the committee said that the Exclusive list under Part 1 of the Second Schedule to the Constitution is congested, cumbersome and unwieldy.

    “There is, therefore, the need to decongest the exclusive list by maintaining only items of utmost importance to the federation as a whole, while transferring items of concurrent interests to the concurrent list.

    “The Committee, therefore substituted “Posts and Telegraphs” with “Posts and Telecommunications”. It removed Prisons, Railways, Stamp Duties and Wages from the Exclusive Legislative List and also added new items to the Exclusive and Concurrent lists namely: (Concurrent List) Arbitration, Environment, Healthcare, Prisons, Railways, Road Safety, Stamp Duties, Wages, Land and Agriculture, Youths, Public Complaints and Aviation and (Exclusive List) National Security.”

    On Section 121 (Creation of first line charge for certain bodies and offices at the state level), it said that to engender accountability and efficient service delivery, a provision is made for Houses of Assembly, State Independent Electoral Commissions, Auditor-General of the State and the Attorney-General of a state to get their funding directly from the State Consolidated Revenue Fund.

    The Houses of Assembly rejected financial autonomy when it was first recommended in the sixth National Assembly.

    Sections 150 and 195 (Office of the Attorney General)it noted that to guarantee the independence of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Attorney-General of the State, the office is accordingly separated from that of the Minister of Justice or Commissioner for Justice.

    On Section 6 of the 1st Alteration Act, the committee said that direct funding from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation is made for the Attorney-General of the Federation, the Auditor-General of the Federation, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission; and the National Human Rights Commission.

    The Committee recognised the role of the judiciary as the final arbiter over all disputes in the nation.

    “Thus, the recommendations seek to reinforce the independence of the Judiciary; provide for the elaboration of rules, regulations and administrative processes that enhance quick and affordable access to justice,” it said.

    On remuneration of past presiding officers of the National Assembly, the Committee recommended that they should be remunerated (provided that such officers were not impeached) just as it is the case with certain past judicial and executive officers.

    The Committee rejected:

    (i) Senate Bill 96, which is a proposal seeking to establish State Courts of Appeal in the six geo-political zones, introduce State Legislative list, adjust and modify the legislative powers of government between the Federal and State Governments and provide for the recognition of the six geo-political zones in the Constitution.

    Ekweremadu said the Committee thought the present structure/arrangement should be sustained.

    (ii) Senate Bill 136 – Constitution (Alteration Bill).

    The Bill seeks to provide for the implementation and or execution of the National Assembly resolutions and or approve report of investigations conducted by the National Assembly.

    “This proposal, good as it may be to assert the authority of the National Assembly, does not promote the spirit of separation of powers in a presidential system of government and it apparently encroaches on the powers of the executive arm of government,” the committee said.

    (iii) Senate Bill 139 – Constitution (Alteration Bill) 2012.

    The Bill seeks to provide for more responsibility to the State by transferring some legislative items from the Exclusive legislative list to the Concurrent list.

    It also provides for the creation of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation as distinct from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

    The scope of the transfer of items on the Exclusive list is too wide, especially considering the fact that the Committee has already transferred and included more items onto the concurrent list.

    The committee noted that it is necessary to maintain a strong federal government that can hold the country together.

    It said that in the case of the Auditor-General, the present constitutional provision is good and wide enough.

    What is required, it said, is financial independence which has now been provided for.

    (iv) Senate Bill 108 – Ministerial (Nominees Bill) 2011). This seeks to make provision that will enable the National Assembly to be more effective in the screening of ministerial nominees by ensuring that portfolio is attached to each nominee’s name.

    It said that assigning portfolios should remain the prerogative of the President for reasons of flexibility.

    “Besides, it has been shown that professional qualification does not necessarily approximate to performance in practical terms,” it said.

    (v) Senate Bill 162 – Constitution (Alteration Bill) 2012. The objective of this bill is to prohibit the education of children and wards of public officers abroad on courses offered by institutions in Nigeria save for specialised courses at post graduate levels.

    It said that this may amount to a violation of the rights of such children/wards. It is discriminatory and may also be difficult to enforce.

    (vi)Fiscal Federalism/Derivation:

    The committee said that the minimum had already been set in the extant Constitution.

    “It is the Committee’s view that fixing the present rate to reflect prevailing reality should be an administrative responsibility vested in the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

    (vii)State Police: We recommend that the preferred approach at this time is to critically look at the current federal police system with a view to sanitising and strengthening it.

    (viii) Special Status for Lagos:

    It noted that while the Committee appreciates the peculiar needs and challenges of Lagos, “it is our considered opinion that according such special status should be a matter of political decision, which should be kept out of the Constitution”.

    (ix) Ministerial slot for “Indigenes” of the FCT:

    It said that this seeks the inclusion of the FCT in the proviso to Section 147 (3) of the Constitution as it relates to ministerial appointments so as to ensure that an “indigene” of the FCT is appointed as a minister.

    It noted that desirable as that may be, “we are of the view that the provisions granting mayoralty status for the FCT will go a long way in ensuring equitability and is sufficient to ensure efficient administration of the Federal Capital”.

    (xi) Prohibition of Foreign Accounts (Section 3 Of Part 1 of the Fifth Schedule):

    “We recommend that the status quo be maintained in this regard. Making any alteration is most likely to be received with misgivings and outrage by Nigerians as it may portray the National Assembly as self serving. This may affect the entire legitimacy/credibility of the Constitution amendment exercise,” Ekweremadu said.

    (xii)Voting Rights – Diaspora Voting (S.77 (2)):

    Ekweremadu said that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is still grappling with strengthening its capacity to conduct elections within the country.

    “It would be counter-productive to extend INEC’S responsibilities abroad without the requisite capacity,” he said.

    (xiii) State Creation:

    Ekweremadu said that 61 requests for state creation were made to the Committee.

    He said that none of the requests complied with the entire provision of Section 8(1), which specifies the conditions under which new states would be created.

    The Deputy Senate President said that most of those who signed the requests for new states were not serving members of the National Assembly as required by the Constitution.

    “The Committee, therefore, recommends that, provided the

    House of Representatives received same, henceforth, the Clerk of the National Assembly should be directed to forward any memoranda that complied with Section 8(1)(a)(I, ii &iii) to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a referendum which itself is still half of the journey towards state creation.

    “This can be done at anytime, whether or not there is a constitution amendment exercise going on,” he said.

  • Belgore blames NGF division on Presidency

    Belgore blames NGF division on Presidency

    A chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State, Mr Mohammed Dele Belgore (SAN), has blamed the Presidency for interfering in the affairs of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF).

    Belgore addressed reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, at the sideline of a dinner organised for the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), Prof Ishaq Oloyede.

    The 2011 governorship candidate of the ACN said: “It is the interference and meddlesomeness of the Presidency that has led to this crisis. I think the Presidency, and nobody else, should be blamed for what has happened.

    “The factionalisation of the NGF is disgraceful. It is needless. The NGF is a body that could conduct its affairs. It is the governors’ forum, not a forum for the governors of the President. So, the forum should have been left alone without interference to determine who its chairman should be.”

    The senior lawyer hailed the action of Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) for seeking a legal solution to the imbroglio.

    He said: “That is what the courts are for. I commend anybody who takes its cause to the court. The problem is that people take the law into their hands. Some people abuse their positions.

    “But when someone has a grievance and takes it to the court, he submits it to the lawful authority and sets an example for orderliness in the society. So, I commend Governor Fashola’s action.”

    On this year’s local government election in the state, Belgore said: “We have not been given a date for the election, but as a political party, we always prepare. Our preparation will not take long time because we have always had the people on our side. So, we do not need any prolonged period of time. What we need is a level-playing field..”

     

     

     

     

     

  • AU Summit: presidency, CPC trade words

    AU Summit: presidency, CPC trade words

    The presidency yesterday joined issues with the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC) over the conduct of President Goodluck Jonathan at the just-concluded African Union Summit in Ethiopia.

    The CPC had criticised Jonathan for missing the opportunity to address the AU Summit, which was meant to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the union.

    But the presidency, in a statement through its Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, critisised CPC’s position.

    Abati said: “President Jonathan as the leader of the Nigerian delegation to the AU summit in Addis Ababa and the 50th anniversary of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) indeed put up a sterling performance, using the opportunity of the trip to further promote Nigeria’s interests and to strengthen Nigeria’s relationships with other countries.

    “He held bilateral meetings with the UN Secretary General and the leaders of Jamaica, Egypt, Swaziland, Ghana, Cote D’Ivoire. He granted interviews to the media, local and international. He also participated in a special session on HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, at which he invited other world leaders to the Abuja+12 conference to be hosted in Nigeria, mid-June. “President Jonathan is an accomplished diplomat and a responsible leader under whose watch, Nigeria’s foreign policy process and international relations have been strengthened with commendable results.

    “No slot was missed because no country was under any compulsion to speak. Any country that wished to make a statement indicated the interest to do so, by pressing the button at its own convenience.

    “Nigeria had indicated an interest to speak, but the President needed to attend an urgent ECOWAS meeting on the Lagos-Abidjan Highway, to be attended by five West African countries, to take a report by the Nigerian Minister of Works who is the chair of the regional inter-Ministerial body on the proposed Lagos-Abidjan Highway. I have since circulated the conclusions of that meeting.

    “While President Jonathan was attending that meeting, Ambassador Olugbenga Ashiru, the Minister of Foreign Affairs presented our statement to the OAU at 50 on President Jonathan’s behalf. I have also since circulated the full text of that statement.

    “ In other words, Nigeria’s voice was heard, loud and clear. Let it be noted that President Jonathan’s attendance of a meeting on the sidelines of the AU Summit was perfectly in order, and he attended quite a number, just as Minister Olugbenga Ashiru was not the only Foreign Affairs Minister who spoke on behalf of a President at the Summit. So, where did CPC spokesman, Rotimi Fashakin get his information from that nobody represented Nigeria?

    “In this attempt to pull President Jonathan down at all costs, lies have become standard stuff, mischief a major commodity, and indecency a character flaw. President Jonathan does not owe anyone an apology for serving Nigeria diligently and truthfully.

    “By the same token, I consider the reference to Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum in that statement as a red herring. Again, I advise Fashakin to read the newspapers so he can be abreast of developments, the only way he can get close to being an effective spokesperson. I had made it clear that President Jonathan has no hand in the Governors Forum crisis, and we stand by that position.

    But CPC’s National Publicity Secretary Fashakin, said the party was surprised that Abati’s response was laced with vile verbiage

    In a statement in Abuja, CPC spokesman said: “The Presidential spokesman, Reuben Abati, responded to the observation raised by the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) on the just-concluded African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with such unmitigated incivility that easily evinces the pressure currently enveloping the entire apparatus of the Presidency.

    He said: “I invite the discerning Nigerian public to come along as we sift the facts in the story as told by Abati the battered hireling.

    “President Jonathan, as head of the Nigerian delegation, left the country for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to attend the AU summit. In diplomatic arena, that was the primary objective of the delegation. This presupposes that any other business is secondary! Furthermore, Dr Jonathan indicated to address the summit, and was permitted.

    “But he, in his wisdom, believed other matters were more important than the primary objective of being in Addis-Ababa. Obviously, this line of logic showed Abati …is obviously hiding the vital truth from Nigerians.

    “Not done, he went on to say that the Minister for Foreign Affairs presented the President’s statement at the summit. We shudder to think that all the Nigerian tax payers’ funds used in paying the humongous estacodes for Reuben Abati and his colleagues on the President’s entourage was for mere submission of a statement after the summit!

    “He further asserted that Jonathan was not the only President that was represented by the country’s foreign minister. Again, the poor spinning skills of Abati came to fore. We know Dr. Samura Matthew Wilson Kamara, Sierra Leone’s foreign minister, represented his President, Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma, who was unavoidably absent at the summit. Abati failed to tell us the other foreign ministers, aside Nigeria’s, that represented Presidents who were physically present for the AU summit!

    “If we may ask: is submission of a statement by a foreign minister after a conference coterminous with the President, using the stage, to articulate the nation’s position on the regional discourse?

    “The entire hog-wash Abati chose to call a State-House press statement aptly underscored the incompetence that has become the trade mark of the Jonathan presidency!”