The Nation Newspaper

Tag: reforms

  • Nigeria needs more agric reforms, say stakeholders

    Nigeria needs more reforms to boost agricultural productivity and competitiveness of the economy, the Acting Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr. Olufemi Oladunmi has said.

    While he acknowledged the government’s success in pursuing macroeconomic and structural reforms, Oladunmi said more attention was needed to improve the attractiveness of the agriculture sector through domestic investment.

    In an interview with The Nation, Oladunmi said growth driven by agriculture could be effective at reducing poverty, calling an enabling environment to drive greater investments from the private sector.

    Oladunmi urgedthe government to reform the land use act to attract the kind of direct investment it needs to build and  expand food production and infrastructure.

    He said: “The Land Use Act should be reviewed to give unhindered access to land by the small holder farmers,especially the women farmers.”

    On funding he added: “We have to carry out microcredit reform from the perspective of the microfinance banks and institutions.The small holder farmers should be able to access funds at single digit interest rate when the need arises.”

    Also, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) National Publicity Secretary, Anga Sotonye, said the nation’s agricultural growth could be raised further, if the government   implemented necessary reforms, including unifying the tax regime, as well as opening the economy further to investment and trade.

    According to him, inclusive agricultural policies could have a remarkable impact on sustainable production and food security, adding that   the time had come for finance and investment firms to consider investing in the sector, especially in the production of cashew.

  • As Obaseki begins civil service reforms

    When the Edo State Civil Secretariat buildings were first inaugurated during the military administration of late Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia, they were a cynosure of beauty.  Located along Sapele Road in Benin City, the secretariat buildings were the second high rise building in the country after the Cocoa House built by late Obafemi Awolowo.

    The buildings were supposed to housed all government ministries and agencies in the defunct Bendel State. As at the time of inauguration of the buildings, three out of the five buildings were completed. Those completed were the Palm House which consisted of 12 floors, the secretariat building (eight floors) and the two storey Civil Service Commission building. The buildings especially the Palm House was tagged the Pride of Bendel.

    Two other buildings tagged Block C and Block D which are eight floors each were yet to be completed. In 2008, the Block D was awarded and completed but government officials did not move in until while the uncompleted Block C served as a place of abode for some policemen until 2010 after a report was published about the living place of policemen in Edo State.

    Today, the completed secretariat buildings are an eye sore. State Chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Comrade Ohue Marshall aptly captured the rot and decay in the buildings in his May Day address to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

    He said, “We expect government to pay attention to its buildings and offices to make work environment conducive. A first time visitor will wonder the kind of people we are given the nature of our infrastructural decay.

    “Our offices as at today are not qualified to be called offices but simply put “Abandoned kitchen”. This is as a result of complete neglect of various work places by past government over the years. The environment is hostile and all elements for effective and efficient working system are completely abandoned.”

    The 9th and 10th floor of the Palm House that was gutted by fire in 2003 are yet to be  renovated. The only lift operational in the building is always faulty that people preferred to use the stairs. Many of the offices except the part recently renovated by Edo SEEFOR are an eyesore. Files are scattered in many of the offices and many of the furniture are old. In fact, for the past 40 years that the buildings were erected, no major renovation work has been done.

    When Obaseki paid a working visit to the secretariat, his verdict was that “You do not expect people to work in this condition and get results”.

    Obaseki went on: “This complex was designed and most of it constructed, almost 40 years ago. So, the decay started quite a while ago.

    “We need a total overhaul, not only cleaning, but the entire process. You could see squatters, you could see traders all over the place, and that in itself creates insecurity for people working here. So, we are going to look at the entire gamut; from ensuring that this place is properly fenced to having a power system.

    “Rather than each ministry having a generating set, we need to have an efficient system that powers the secretariat and the entire complex, ensure that they have water, ensure that the place is properly cleaned and ensure that you have control in terms of access of who comes here and that government documents that are kept here are safe.”

    During the presentation of the 2017 budget, Obaseki said his policy focused on six key areas which include Economic Revolution, Infrastructural Expansion, Institutional Reform, Social Welfare Enhancement, Culture and Tourism and Environmental Sustainability.

    In carrying out institutional reform, Obaseki said he would put required facilities in place so that civil servants could work in a safe and efficient environment.

    He commenced the renovation of the secretariat buildings. A visit to the secretariat showed that work has commenced in the building housing the Local Government Service Commission, Law Review Commission and Civil Service Commission.

    The floor tiles in the top floor were being removed while many of the doors and furniture were removed from many of the offices.

    Chief Press Secretary to Governor Obaseki, Mr. John Mayaki, said the renovation  was systematic fulfillment of electoral promises.

    He said: “In his first week after assuming office, he was clear on the condition of workers, welfare, environment, safety and general infrastructure. He inspected Palm House, Secretariat building, Block D, Benin Technical College among others to ascertain their conditions and how to put them in befitting order for workers’ optimum productivity. He left nobody in doubt that he would match words with action.

    “What is clear here is that Mr. Governor is not distancing himself from his campaign promises. He is not your type of politician who will say what he does not mean, knowing fully well that voters choose one politician over another because of campaign promises and personality.

    “It is disingenuous to get the votes of the electorate based on specific promises but turn back on those promises once elected. The governor is a man of integrity and must be regarded as making genuine efforts to fulfill his campaign promises.”

  • Club tasks FG on prison reforms

    Aviary Club of Nigeria, Ogun state chapter, a nongovernmental organisation has called on the federal government to give more attentions to the welfare of prison inmates across the country.

    Giving this advice at the weekend was president of the club, Mr. Gbenga Sowunmi.

    Sowunmi made this appeal when he led members of his executive on a courtesy call on Ibara Prison, Abeokuta, where they were received by Deputy Comptroller of Prison, Mr. Kolawole S.O, Assistant Comptroller of Prison, Mr. Atoyebi S.T, among other officers.

    While commending the federal government’s efforts at improving the conditions of inmate, he, however, urged that such efforts need to be scaled up for optimum results.

     

  • LG poll: Aspirant vows to continue with Gov. Ambode’s reforms

    Mr Adamson Ayinde, an All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirant in the Lagos State Local Government elections slated for July 22, has promised to continue the reforms of Gov. Akinwumi Ambode at the council level.

    Ayinde made this promise in a statement he made available to newsmen on Monday in Abuja, in which he declared his interest to contest the chairmanship of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA).

    He said that it was obvious that Ambode was changing the face of Lagos State by bringing to fruition the Lagos of “our dream” through hard work and this would be replicated in the council,’’ Ayinde added.

    According to him, Onigbongbo LCDA is an important council area that needs a visionary and charismatic leader, who will help to realise the desire of the people.

    He said he would bring the dividends of democracy to the grassroots, adding that Onigbonbo would be better off with his candidature, even as he implored delegates to elect him as flag bearer in the primaries.

    Ayinde said that the era of sharing money, impunity and other acts of sabotage that had held the council hostage would end if elected.

    The APC primary election is slated for May 6 and 13 while the Local Government poll is slated for July 22.

    Lagos state has 20 Local Government Areas (LGA) while it also has 37 Local Community Development Areas (LCDA), which was created during the tenure of former Gov. Bola Tinubu for administrative purpose.

    Ayinde said that the cardinal point of APC party manifesto was to create wealth and fast-track development through massive infrastructure, adding that he would pursue them with zeal and vigour.

    According to him, wealth will not only be created but he will ensure an enabling environment for business to thrive and engage the youth in ventures that will make them productive.

    “I will pursue a development drive that will have a multiplier effect on the people of Onigbongbo LCDA,” he added.

  • ‘Reforms ‘ll reposition Bayelsa civil service’

    ‘Reforms ‘ll reposition Bayelsa civil service’

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson spoke with reporters in Yenagoa, the state capital, on the challenges confronting his administration and efforts being made to tackle them. Excerpts:

    What are the challenges facing Bayelsa State?
    The challenges are very obvious. The challenges of funding are clear as we are living in trying times and our country is officially in a recession. That immediately affects our capacity as a government to complete our programmes on schedule and that can sometimes be very frustrating. It also impacts on our ability to carry out some of the social issues we have been dealing with. Investment in health care, development, education, security and other related issues are the major challenges we have been having.
    Why are you initiating civil service reforms?
    Every state is expected to have a functional,  effective and efficient civil service and one of the things I noticed on assumption of office was that our civil service was not just bloated, but was steeped in much that was unprofessional and  a lot of indiscipline. But, even in the midst of this, there were many  civil servants that were good, that worked hard and professionally. The general issues we have had  are of orientation, of politicising the public service, of lack of training,  of indiscipline generally. We have people who have their names on the payroll who do not earn their salary,  do not go to work and  just sit at home. We have health facilities and patients go there, but the workers do not go to work. The services are not provided. but, this is what we call the public service in Bayelsa. And we have so many unions fighting for welfare only and salaries and not addressing the core issues of discipline and professionalism. We have instituted a lot of reforms since this government came on board. The unions have been carried along and they are also working with us in most of these initiatives. What I have always told the unions is for them  to be part of this process because in the end they are the beneficiaries. I call the civil servants the real landlords; we the political leaders are tenants. They should have more interest in having  a more disciplined and productive service. I have also made it clear to them that it will be in everyone’s interest for us to  re-position the public service for  greater service delivery and efficiency.
    Where there are challenges and where the reform impacts in a way and manner that people complain about legitimately, labour leaders  who I see every so often can attest to the fact that I have had more meetings with them than any other governor before me. It is an on-going reform and I expect everybody, political leaders, traditional and opinion leaders and all Bayelsans to key into it. We cannot be a state that will be a laughing stock, where people will say the Bayelsa payroll is over N6b every month. We have managed to reduce it from N6.4b to about N4b. But, the local government are paying almost N1.3b and if you add that to our wage bill it is almost N5.3b and these are core issues impinging on the capacity of people to deliver especially at the local government level. They cannot even pay salaries not to talk of meeting their other obligations.
    These are the reforms: we will no longer have a situation where graduates that have a teaching qualification and are in environmental sanitation, for instance, earning salaries and promotions and  have been there for ten or fifteen years. Our schools need teachers so I will send them to  teach in  school. No one will be sacked but if you do not go to work, you will sack yourself and I will have no hesitation in endorsing it. At the end of this, when we have removed all the ghost names and those who do not go work have sacked themselves, there will be a lot of vacancies for our young people.
    Your administration recently set up the University of Africa, Toru-Orua. The thinking  in certain quarters is that it is aimed at crippling the Niger Delta University. What is your reaction to this?
    That is completely baseless and an irresponsible thing to say or insinuate. We have demonstrated commitment to education. We have spent so much at the primary school and secondary school levels. You all know what is going on, especially at the secondary school level. Schools in every LGA with boarding facilities. Even in this recession, we are buying beds, lockers etc. We are equipping libraries, building fences and so on. These schools are like tertiary institutions now. Some local governments have three of such schools. There is  the Ijaw National Academy, very soon to be commissioned.  Now, most of the challenges we have in this state, the way I have come to conclude are rooted in years and decades of insufficient investment in education and  that is why any time any where I see people demonstrate a commitment to education as a government I have an obligation to support and assist. And this should be a collective approach to our development. Anyone can come and build roads but the greatest investment is investment in the human mind.
    Let me make it clear again that the University of Africa is a state- owned university, an initiative of the state government because by the time we have worked on all our tertiary institutions and their needs and re-organized all of them including college of health technology, school of health, school of nursing, and BYCAS because they all have the same challenges of over bloated staff, indiscipline and low productivity but with a very high recurrent cost which higher institutions will be there to accomodate the products that want to proceed further with their education? The University of Africa is established by law of the state but we want it to be run on a different model, we want to try an idea which we hope will be successful and probably will be a model for others to copy moving forward. The university is a public one, that is why I will be making the first appointment very soon and I will be acting as visitor. But the model is this we will only support infrastructure as much as we can but the university must take responsibility for its funding and also support its development. It has to raise funds. It is a fees- paying university and because we cannot tell NDU students to pay those very high fees since it did not start on that model  we want to have a situation where we will have a publicly funded university like NDU but one everybody knows will charge fees from day one. The university will use the fees to maintain academic as well as non-academic  staff so that we no longer have the challenges that we are having with NDU and most other public universities  in Nigeria.
    What is the motive behind the allocation of land for a ranch to herdsmen?
    Let me acknowledge that the conversation going on is legitimate. I told a number of people the other day that I christened Bayelsa the Jerusalem of Ijaw Nation in my Inaugural speech in 2012, and because it is centred on promoting Ijaw unity and identity and culture and history, I believe that it is legitimate for any Ijaw man or woman to express an interest or even venture an opinion or a suggestion on the development of Bayelsa. I said no body should take an exception especially with respect to the comments credited to my dear sister Mrs. Ann Kio Briggs who is a friend and sister, a colleague in the struggle. Even though I feel that she was unfair because she knows she has access to me and she more than most people should knows my type of person and what I stand for as far as protecting Ijaw fundamental interest is concerned. What I can say is that while I concede to people their right to disagree and even to venture alternative points, they too should concede to me that we know our governor, he must be driving this policy for a good reason. They should also concede that to me, especially on matters that affect the protection of Ijaw people and the defence of Ijaw fundamental interest because none of this people can say they rank higher than me in terms of pedigree. And as governor, you look at all you have done and you will also concede to me that I am running a government that will stand by you and protect Ijaw national interest. I also know and it is a fact that the undertone behind most of these concerns has to do with the barbarity and  criminality associated with some elements who are said to be herdsmen.
    As your governor, I have made a judgement that the dangers we face on this cattle problem are such that providing this place of confinement is the best solution now. We intend to construct a security post where security men will be.  And very soon we intend to enforce the registration of every cattle rearer. It is not in the security interest of our people to allow herdsmen who may be armed to be roaming our communities. I am not one that will take your security lightly. There is no benefit for me in this decision. But this is the right thing to do and it is a model that a lot of states are looking at. There will be no permanent structures there. My judgement in consultation with the state security council says we should confine them. They go round destroying peoples farms and if we do not contain them it will lead to a major clash which we do not want to see. Or what other option do we have? is it to leave the herdsmen that come from far and anywhere to come and wander about and take over Amassoma or other communities?  That is not good, I cannot allow that. I would  like  our young men to  even own cattle and rear them as a means of livelihood, because most of the cattle there now are even owned by Bayelsans. Some of the cattle is owned by our people, Igbo traders, Yoruba traders and so on.
    Is Bayelsa State thinking of resorting to loans to complete the massive developmentprojects you started in your first term?
    Thank you for asking that question as it has given me an opportunity to shed more light on an issue, the one about vehicle loans for legislators which some persons have been using to incite our people against us. We have been making a lot of sacrifice  in this state, all arms of government. For the past one year my vehicle cannot even take me to Port Harcourt. My vehicles are all old, overused, for five years now. Same for the deputy governor and all our aides; nobody has functional vehicles anymore. The Assembly is almost two years and, unlike their colleagues, they have been working without vehicles. A number of the new members were going to work on Okada. They have managed for two years and so we had an arrangement with a bank, because we do not have money to pay for it. The Doo-Akpor vehicles are all condemned, which is reducing their effectiveness. We had an arrangement with a bank to purchase the vehicles for Doo-Akpor and also for the Assembly members so that we can pay gradually. It is not as if we took loan of N3b to go and pay for vehicles. It is on lease and we are servicing it gradually.
    Governments borrow, but what is most important is what you are borrowing for and how you execute that objective. We took a loan, which we are servicing and that has to do with the critical infrastructure project going on at the airport and every month the cost of servicing it is so high. People mention figures that Bayelsa Government receives as allocation. but, they do not calculate the cost of paying salaries and paying obligations every month. We are currently servicing that facility for the airport and we all know that there is no federal involvement in that airport. Initially we wanted a partnership but the federal government failed completely on this and even the navigational instruments at the terminal that they were to build they have not done and we cannot wait. Our state, as far as we are concerned in the government, is in a hurry for development so we had to take that facility, we are working on it and it is almost completed. I have received financial advice from the finance team that at some point we may need to re-finance that obligation. Because we cannot be sure how our monthly earnings will be and I have made a commitment this year that we will not delay payment of salaries and moving forward I will not want to pay workers’salaries in any manner than paying fully. So with this commitment, whether money comes in or not, or whether the allocation is low or high, we have a binding obligation to authorise expenditures of over N4b and this does not include local government salaries.
    Because there is need to complete these life changing projects, at some point there may be need for loan in one form or the other. Every project has a gestation period as part of its design and signing process. We do not have the federal interventions.  It will be nice to have the acting President move into the creeks, I have invited him already. Let them come and see how we confront issues of development. The entire state is below sea level. What we call roads are actually bridges. Even now we are still sand  filling Sagbama-Ekeremor road and we will soon resume that of Oporoma. So if at some point we have to approach the market, we will raise funding to complete our critical roads.
    What is really delaying the completion of the Samson Siasia Stadium?
    We had an unfortunate development we did not anticipate. The contractor gave a wrong impression and has been given all the facilities that he needed on ground because he said he needed to be remobilised to site to fix everything u and we said ok and he kept working only for me to hear about three weeks ago that the gentle man says he needs more money to import more materials. As a matter of fact, the money he needs now is more than the total initial cost of the whole project so for me, that was difficult to comprehend and there was need to say this was not our understanding. That is the point we are at now. But let me also say this: for a contract that was given 2012/2013, and particularly with the devaluation of the Naira, it is not unreasonable for some adjustments to be made in overall cost of the job. I have given instructions to the finance team and commissioner for sports to meet with the gentle man who incidentally is a Bayelsan . They are working out the details that is why the anticipated date of commissioning became unrealistic. The stadium will be put to use very soon.

    Listener:I would like to be employed into the University of Africa Toru-Orua, I am a fresh graduate with a second class upper degree.

    Governor’s reaction: This is the first application I have received on radio. But because of the new model we want the university to follow, I or anybody else in Government will not be permitted to send names for employment because these are the things that contributed to the over bloated wage bill we are complaining about.  I was delighted at the last report that over 6,000 of our sons and daughters applied for scholarship places of only 4,000. That shows that there is need for more universities. I invite the private sector to participate actively in this area. In this state we do not even have a private university which is a contribution to development and human capacity building.

    At the end of this ongoing re-organization, the only thing I can do is send a lot of qualified people who are already in our payroll with teaching qualification to our primary and secondary schools because this state needs a lot of teachers. Because of the boarding schools we are building everywhere, we have set up the Education Safety Corps. We will recruit and I have asked the security people to prepare a training manual for our young boys and girls to enable them acquire the skills to secure our schools. As a matter of fact, there is  a lot of employment opportunities coming this year. But first you must be prepared to go to work.

    QUESTION:  When will you make the appointments for the caretaker committee for the RDA’s  so that the people in our villages and communities will also feel your presence?

    Ans: The reality in the RDA’s is that, every RDA has a minimum staff strength of 250-300. If you multiply that by 32 you know what that means. That is the ugly reality in Bayelsa. I am happy you raised the issue because that is one area we have the biggest wrath. People do not go to work. Those RDA’s were created with the intention of bringing government closer to the people. Now you have very senior people posted there and they do not go to work. Some of them do not even have secretariats yet we have up to 400 people earning salaries. This is part of the challenge. We appreciate the grass root support because that made it possible for us to win the election so do not worry we will reach out. This government has also made a lot of appointments and we will recognize that.

    QUESTION: Why is the state having University of Africa as state -owned private university and having NDU as state- owned public university? How do you think the AU can create access road for the poor Bayelsans to afford its tuition fees if NDU is getting tough on school fees?

    Ans:  Fees are high but children are being sent even from Bayelsa to Ghana and they pay fees in dollars. Nigerians send their children to UK, Canada and so on. Our calculation with this model is that very soon, the UA will be an international university where people in Nigeria will send their children to.  This is part of the big dreams of this government. The UA is an opportunity not just for Bayelsans but for Nigerians to send their children to and receive education instead of sending them outside. The programme is such that in 4 years the children will finish, no ASUU strike and so on. The UA attracts world class lecturers.

    I want to use this opportunity to appreciate Bayelsans for their support especially for the election and for the triumph in spite of the challenges.  We are now concluding the first year of our second term to the glory of God. The last two years have been very challenging as a result of  developments in our national economy. We are trying our best to utilise our public resources in such a way to advance our common good. We have also been working hard to look at all the areas we need to look at, addressing the work culture and delivering on the paradigm shift in  governance that we brought this year. Be rest assured that every resource coming to Bayelsa is well spent. Your state is in safe hands and we hope that things turn out well for our country. I want to use this opportunity to call on all Bayelsans, Ijaw people, this is no time for bickering especially over small things. This is a time for unity, closing of ranks, for encouraging and supporting one another because these are very interesting times for our country and you can be rest assured that you have us that have been here as servants of our people that you have all known me to be. I am not saying I am perfect, but you cannot take away the fact that we are committed, passionate and we are following a broad comprehensive vision.  We need your support, encouragement on the issues of economy, to broaden the base of our economy, issues of investing and expanding critical infrastructure and on the issues of security.  We are open for discussion as to how we can make initiatives better. Let me make it clear that as a governor, I will not sit here and allow herdsmen to invade our communities. Any herdsmen that is found with arms will be dealt with accordingly.
    Tomorrow will be the end of my first year. We still have three years to go God willing. And because this is a season of love, I being the only Valentine Governor, I want to wish you all happy Valentine!

    And for your information I have directed the establishment of the motor cycle patrol squad and very soon they are going to have their communication facilities co-ordinated from our security command control centre to keep all of you safe.
    ENDS.

  • NIMASA…One year of Buhari’s reforms

    NIMASA…One year of Buhari’s reforms

    On May 10, last year, President Muhammadu Buhari began to reform the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) with the appointment of Dr. Dakuku Peterside as director-general. Associate Editor OLUKOREDE YISHAU examines how far the agency has gone with the president’s directive.

    It used to be a place to go for free cash. Scary revelations in court rooms have shown how some people got money for work either not done or done half way. Witnesses’ accounts show inflation of contracts and all kinds of malfeasances and public funds ended up being used for personal needs and greed.  That was the profile of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) inherited by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The president, who all through his campaigns showed his disdain for corruption, was scandalised by revelations from the agency.  He gave Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi a ‘marching order’ to end the malfeasances in NIMASA. The first step was the appointment of a director-general and a board to implement the president’s vision.

    The mantle to change the NIMASA narrative fell on an ex-council chair, one-time Works commissioner and former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), Dr. Dakuku Peterside. He was appointed the director-general on March 10.

    One of the first challenged that confronted Peterside was an organisation with resourceful but unmotivated members of staff. To address this, the agency introduced a professional and leadership series to grow staff capacity.  Promotion to director cadre, which had not been done for over a decade, was carried out. Over 300 employees benefited from the exercise.

    The management came up with the Medium-Term Strategic Growth Plan covering three years. The plan has reform, restructure and repositioning as its core mission at the agency for sustainable growth and development of the maritime industry.

    The pillars on which the strategy was built are: survey, inspection and certification transformation programme; environment, security and search and rescue transformation programme; as well as capacity building and promotional initiatives.

    Other pillars are: Digital transformation strategy and structural and cultural reforms. The digital transformation strategy aimed at removing human interface with stakeholders and hastening of processes will see clients being able to register their vessels and do other transactions with NIMASA with a click of a button on their lap top.

    “In information driven age that we live in, access to information definitely enhance operations of any maritime Administration. Within six months in office, the Peterside-led management has upgraded Nigeria’s subscription of the Lloyds list intelligence to a full bouquet which is beyond the previous capacity of the sea searcher and this now guarantee unfettered access to current data in the maritime industry. This has improved on the volume and value of data available to Nigerian maritime stakeholders,” the agency explained.

    The management also realised that there must be devolution of powers to its zonal offices. Until that was done, most operations at the agency were centralised. Matters, such as sailing certificates and payment of bills by stakeholders were coordinated from the Lagos head office. This, no doubt, was cumbersome and must have led to loss of valuable business time and engendered less productivity.

    The agency’s board recently approved the construction of new offices for the Eastern Zone in Port Harcourt and the central zone in Warri. This will make stakeholders able to begin and conclude transactions at the zonal level.

    Though, the process of devolution of powers has not been concluded, it has seen most zones now headed by substantive directors. This, a source said, is to ensure that more responsibilities are carried out in the zones.

    “This will also reduce time to do business with the agency, thus improving efficiency. In this era of online communication, a semi-autonomous zonal structure will surely enhance the operation of the agency,” said the source.

    In January last year, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) came up with the IMO member state Audit Scheme (IMSAS). This is a scheme developed by the IMO to assess the extent to which a member state complies with its obligations. Peterside saw the benefits in adhering to this scheme and less than three months after he came into office, he enlisted NIMASA. When the audit was carried out, Nigeria was rated highly.

    The manner the agency was run before the advent of the Buhari-administration also saw it losing face at the international maritime scene. For over half a decade, the country was not on the IMO Council. This saw it being relegated in international maritime politics. IMO is the United Nations (UN) specialised agency, responsible for the safety and security of shipping and prevention of marine pollution by ships. In a bid to end this, the heads of African Maritime Administration have agreed to converge in Abuja on April 22 for the Third Association of African Maritime Administration Conference.

    At the event, President Buhari will unveil the new NIMASA brand, aimed at aligning it with other foremost maritime agencies in the world.

    Aside of the immediate benefits of having maritime stakeholders in Nigeria, the country’s chances of returning to Council at IMO at the Category C level will be enhanced. The Presidency has approved that NIMASA should seek election into the category C of the IMO Council.

    The IMO Council comprises 40 countries which are elected in three categories – A, B and C. Category A consists of 10 countries with the largest interest in providing international shipping services, such as China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom and the United States of America.

    In Category B are 10 countries with the largest interest in international seaborne trade. They are: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden and Category C is made up of 20 countries “with special interests in maritime transport or navigation and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world”.  In this Category are: Nigeria, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt and Indonesia. Also in this category are Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Turkey.

    The agency’s bid to improve its international rating got a boost when the United States Coast Guard (USCG) visited the country to ascertain the level of security at the ports. NIMASA has been the Designated Authority (DA) for the implementation of the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code in Nigeria since May 2013.

    The ISPS Code is an amendment to the Safety of Life and Sea (SOLAS) Convention (1974/1988) on minimum security arrangements for ships, ports and government agencies. This code, which came to life in 2004, prescribes responsibilities to governments, shipping companies, shipboard personnel and personnel to detect security threats and take preventative measures.

    Peterside, who described the USCG as the most valued partner in ensuring that the ports are safe for business, added that Nigeria places high premium on security issues, adding that the agency was leaving no stone unturned to achieve 100 per cent implementation of the ISPS Code in Nigeria.

    He said: “There is absolutely no doubt that we are determined to get it right; we only need support, assistance and all the encouragement we can get. We are determined to work with the USCG to get it right in order to ensure our ports are safe. Let me also reiterate that as a country, we appreciate the importance of getting security right at our ports, jetties and terminals and that we are committed to it.”

    The delegation, which was led by Commander Thomas Foster, hailed NIMASA for its strides in ensuring safety at the ports. Foster expressed satisfaction with the infrastructural development on ISPS Code implementation in the ports.

    “It appears that the energy that NIMASA has at the ports is very tremendous, as seen in all the ports visited in Lagos. The level of compliance has tremendously improved compared to our last visit. I therefore assure NIMASA that we will continue to work closely to achieve a safer ports, jetties and terminals in Nigeria”, Peterside said.

    Instructively, the Cabotage Law implementation has been given a breath of fresh air in the last one year. The Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF). CVFF came into being with the promulgation of the Coastal and Inland Shipping Cabotage Act 2003. The fund was meant to help indigenous ship owners get capital to acquire vessels.

    Under Peterside, abuse of waivers is being checked. He admitted that a roadmap was being worked out to realise the full potential of the CVFF.

    “We have not realised the full potential of the Cabotage Act but we have moved a step ahead. Just to be sure that we are committed to the full implementation of the Cabotage Act, issues relating to waiver abuse are currently being dealt with accordingly,’’ he said.

    He added that the CVFF would only be disbursed to people that would put it into the use for which it is intended. He said applicants must have the requisite criteria as beneficiaries.

    “We will rigorously screen the applicants of the CVFF in order to ensure that the funds are disbursed to people who would use it for the purposes the funds are meant for,’’ he said.

    A few days ago, the agency, through its Nigerian Seafarers Development Programme (NSDP), graduated 130 cadets from the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport in Alexandria, Egypt. This feat increased the pool of seafarers in the sector to 1,045. This represents 42 per cent of the over 2,500 NIMASA-sponsored beneficiaries.

    Peterside noted that NIMASA sponsored over 2,500 aspiring cadets to the best maritime institutions around the world, including Egypt, Romania, The Philippines, United Kingdom as well as India.

    He said 226 graduated from the Arab Academy in Egypt, 76 from South Tyneside, Newcastle in England and 743 from partner universities in The Philippines.

    The NIMASA chief, who was represented at the event by the agency’s Executive Director, Maritime Labour and Cabotage Services, Mr. Gambo Ahmed, said the graduands were trained in various maritime related disciplines, such as marine transport and logistics and nautical engineering.

    He added that NIMASA was exploring ways of enriching the NSDP for the impact to be felt globally, saying Nigeria would soon start exporting seafarers and thus reduce unemployment and attract foreign exchange.

    Analysts believe the agency has not done badly in the last one year but will certainly keep a tab in the next one year and more to see how it will fare in implementing key policies, such as ISPO Code, CVFF and many others.

     

  • Issues in local government reforms

    The question of local government effectiveness in the present democratic dispensation has continued to agitate the minds of Nigerians. There is the widespread view that the impact of local governments has not been felt across the states of the federation since the inception of the fourth republic in 1999, leading to clamour for reforms to make the local governments accountable and service – driven. Proposals for local council reforms have understandably heightened in the face of the ongoing constitution review process. While the subject has constitutional, legal, political and administrative implications, this essay is concerned mainly with a tripod of the debate, namely, local government autonomy; state – local government joint account; and service conditions of elected office holders in the local government.

    By the common interpretation of constitutional and legal experts, the framers of the 1999 Constitution [as amended] conceived of local governments as extensions of state governments and accordingly granted only semi-autonomous status to local governments. This subordination of local councils to the authority of the states, especially via sections 7 [1] and 162 [5] of the constitution has however been cited as hampering effective operations of local governments. It is argued that the control exercised by the states over local governments has left the latter vulnerable to the manipulations and arm-twisting of the states. With this structural limitation, local government leaderships are under pressure to see their councils as accountable to state governments rather than the constituency that elected them. This is seen as a negation of the principle behind the establishment of democratically elected local government system. The strong need to insulate the local governments from undue influences of the states therefore, forms sufficient basis for granting the former full autonomy.

    The aggregate response to the above demand has centred on the traditional concept of federalism as a political system with only two tiers of government. Thus, local government autonomy is objected to on the ground that it is only the federal government and states that are recognised as the coordinate entities of the Nigerian state. Local governments do not qualify as federating units of the Nigerian state. They lack the institutions and structures of authority such as the judiciary and ministries which the recognised tiers of government are endowed with. Consistent also with the two-tier structure of Nigeria’s federalism, the constitution has vested states with the power to create local governments and regulate their activities. Consequently, to seek to upgrade local governments to autonomous councils would amount to creating a third tier, a perfect condition for endless conflicts between states and local governments.

    While acknowledging the merits of these positions, it is to be noted that we cannot speak in absolute terms in human affairs. It seems to us that the constitution is clear enough about the status of local governments and there is nothing inherently wrong with its provisions in this regard. Local councils should be free of encumbrances to play their roles in governance. There may be need for reaffirming the inviolability of the democratic order of local governments in the constitution. However, a system of checks and balances is necessary to preserve the overall system. Where there is clear evidence of the breakdown of governance, law and order in a local council, the state government should in our view, be empowered to temporarily intervene in the administration of the council in question.

    The state joint local government account has proved to be another source of controversy in the relationship between the councils and the states. There have been calls from some quarters for abrogation of section 162 [6] of the amended 1999 constitution which establishes the said joint account for eroding the fiscal freedom of the councils. The joint account has been criticized as detrimental to the interests of the local governments as its operation has allegedly been attended by diversion of council funds; sundry deductions; as well as delay in release of council funds. These factors may have had the cumulative effect of weakening the system and discouraging bright people from wanting to serve in the local government.

    The other perspective to the issue of state joint local government account is arrived at from an understanding of the constitutional intent for this system of governance. Local governments as earlier observed, underscore the decentralization of the state into smaller units for closer administration. And a principal means of this grassroots administration is the financial control exercised by the state over the local councils. The case for a joint account is further captured by the combined provisions of sections 1 [a] [i] [ii] and 2 [a] [b] [c] of the fourth schedule of the constitution which itemizes functions of local governments to be carried out in collaboration with state governments. With such extensive joint ventures, the issue of joint account becomes a given. What should be of concern then is devising ways of facilitating operations the joint account to ensure that the councils receive what is due to them accordingly.

    It would be worthwhile to have a fixed tenure for elected council office holders. The continued tinkering with the tenure of local governments by state legislatures is retrogressive and an unnecessary display of power.  A two-year term of office will hardly achieve anything for obvious reasons. Let the local governments have a constitutionally guaranteed three-year mandate.

    In view of the limited functions of local governments, their lean geographical size and financial capability, it makes sense to consider a system of part – time councilors to be paid only sitting allowances and other working expenses. It should be enough to have only the chairman and deputy chairman on full time basis. This view is canvassed mindful of the fact that part of the council’s sphere of responsibility also falls within the terrain of traditional rulership and town unions. Part – time councillorship would discourage those who have no value to add to governance from crowding the process.

    Focused and committed leadership can make the difference at the local government level. But above all, the electorate must take their destiny in their own hands. The various town unions, interest groups, community associations etc have a duty to periodically demand a report card from the local political authorities. The local governments will be compelled to sit up when the electorate insists on verifiable stewardship.

     

    • Afuba is a political scientist and media consultant.

  • Oyo unfolds education reforms

    Oyo State Government has released a White Paper on its education reform which it hopes would end six months of crisis in its education sector.

    Under the new reforms, each public secondary school would get a School Governing Board (SGB) that would oversee the smooth running of the school.

    The white paper is the product of a committee of stakeholders inaugurated on July 12 in the wake of protests in May over alleged plans by the government to sell some schools.

    The 30-man committee, chaired by the Vice Chancellor, Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomoso, Prof. Adeniyi Gbadegesin, had other members drawn from Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), All Nigeria Confederation of Principals of Secondary Schools (ANCOPSS), National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Market Advisory Council and the Muslim Community of Oyo State.

    Others included independent education experts, community leaders, retired civil and public servants, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and representatives of the state’s ministries of education and justice.

    Apart from the SGB, the committee’s recommendation adopted by government include: classification of the schools into five, restructuring of education agencies for effective interaction and information management, adoption of schools by willing partners, equitable distribution of teachers, improvement of quality assurance and implementation of Education Trust Fund (ETF).

    Others are retention of N1,000 school levy to be administered by each SGB, restructuring of science and technical education and linkages of technical schools with polytechnics and universities of technology in the state, introduction of short-term in-service training for artisans in technical schools, and improvement of ICT education in schools.

    Under the new dispensation, schools would be categorized into three according to their population, infrastructure and other criteria. The categories are: Urban Schools (with1000 pupils and above), Semi-Urban Schools (250 – 999), and Rural Schools (60 – 249).

    In the new era, each agency is to gather, store and provide dependable data on its purview. However, the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology must be the repository of the data, authenticate same and be the sole issuing authority.

    The SGB for each school is to be composed of representatives of the old students association, Parent-Teacher Association, two community members, traditional ruler, a community-based Non Governmental Organisation, the Head Boy and Head Girl, principal, Local Inspector of Education and two faith based organisations in the community.

    Members of the board, who will not be paid by government, will administer the levies collected from students for infrastructural development. However, government is to continue with payment of salaries.

    Reacting to the reforms, the Assistant Secretary NUT, Bayelsa State, Mr Abiodun Oyediran, said the union participated in drafting the report and hopes that they would work fine.

    “We have no objection to the reform. It is a welcome development. We were part of the committee that made the recommendations. We are only waiting for the implementation to start to enable us assess its effectiveness.” He said.

    Also, an education consultant and proprietor, Educational Advancement Centre, Ibadan, Mr Muyiwa Bamgbose, said the reforms would help the government run schools better with the help of the community.

    He said: “The whole essence of the White Paper is for people to take ownership of the schools because things are not working well as they are right now. Even employers of labour know there is need for a new policy to help education. Parents, communities, teachers, old students association etc are all stakeholders. When given the opportunity, they will make meaningful contributions. If the reform is well implemented, it will totally transform the sector.”

  • UN praises public service reforms, anti-graft fight

    The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Nigeria has praised the Federal Government for its efforts at reforming the public service through its anti-corruption drive.

    UNDP Country Director Mr. Lamin Beyai gave the commendation at the Training of Trainers on Corruption Risk Assessments (CRA) at the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria (ACAN).

    ACAN is the training wing of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), located in Keffi, Nasarawa State.

    Speaking through the UNDP Deputy Country Director-Programme, Mandisa Mashologu, Beyai said the government being aware of the rating of Nigeria by Transparency International (TI) as the 136th most corrupt country out of 168 countries.

    He said the rating was lower than the average for Sub-Saharan Africa and that government has put in tremendous efforts through institutional reforms, enforcements, prosecution, entrenching the culture of integrity and capacity building of staff of anti-corruption agencies to tackle the menace.

    ‘Tackling corruption remains a top priority of the government as one of the means to facilitate efficient delivery of public services and enhance national development opportunities.

    ‘The process has resulted in on-going institutional reforms, which are already yielding positive results. We believe that an efficient and effective public service can positively contribute to the ease of doing business in Nigeria and act as stimulant to curb corrupt practices,” Beyal said.

  • Commissioners call for health reforms, financing

    Lagos State Commissioner for Health Dr Jide Idris, and his  Ogun and Kwara state’s counterparts, Dr Babatunde Ipaye and Mr Abolaji Alege, have canvassed proper financing, capacity building and health reform to move the sector forward.

    According to Idris, stakeholders need to pressure the government to fund healthcare and ensure the sector is reformed.

    Idris spoke in Lagos during PharmAccess Strategy Day on Nigeria. The theme was Making health markets work for low-income people in Nigeria.

    The major problem, Idris said, lies with those who run the country’s health system, stressing that many lacked the capacity to function effectively.

    “Many of them are not computer literate. This was disturbing as it did not allow for improvement in the use technology in the hospitals,” he said.

    He said the reality of poor funding of the sector came to the fore during the Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the country.

    “When Ebola struck, we saw issues of logistics coming up. But we the government what we need and the money came,” he said.

    Idris whose topic centred on health delivery and sustainability, said technology has a role to play in improving access to healthcare delivery system.

    Dr Ipaye identified poor funding of healthcare as the primary issue affecting the growth of the sector.

    He advised the Federal Government to invest in the sector, adding: “Nobody can give what he does not have”.

    The Ogun State Health commissioner said the present three percent of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to healthcare was poor, stressing that more fund should be invested in the sector.

    Ipaye said the country’s per capita income has bearing on the state of health.

    The Country Director, PharmAccess Foundation Nigeria, Njide Ndili said her organisation was interested in increasing access to inclusive quality health care for low income communities in Nigeria.

    According to her, lack of access to inclusive quality health care is one of the primary challenges facing Nigeria.

    This, she said, was in spite of the efforts being undertaken by stakeholders in the industry.

    She said the programme was organised to facilitate discuss among key players to get response from stakeholders, long standing partners, new and potential partners.

    The programme, she said, would enable the company find a way forward to advance access to quality healthcare to low income communities.