The Nation Newspaper

Tag: restore

  • Restore military checkpoints

    SIR: A few weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari directed the removal of all the military checkpoints put in place nationwide in the wake of the onslaught by the Boko Haram sect. The president, who gave the directive during a meeting with the service chiefs, noted that the decision was meant to eradicate the hardships being experienced by commuters and motorists due to the existence of the checkpoints. Since then, Nigerians have received the decision with mixed feelings in view of the increased and recent attacks carried out by suicide bombers in many cities in the North such as those that occurred in Kaduna, Borno, Plateau and Yobe states, thereby fuelling fears that the insurgents might have exploited the opportunity of checkpoint removal to be launching further attacks on the nation.

    Honestly, the order by President Buhari that military checkpoints should be dismantled is understandable, sensitive and appreciated, based on the imperative of making the movement of road-users less cumbersome and the premise that the job of internal security actually belongs to the police since the military have enough to cope with in safeguarding sovereignty of the nation. The truth however is that the Nigeria Police, as presently constituted, is incapable of providing adequate internal security for the nation. It is logical to advise that in trying to ameliorate the suffering of the people, though laudable, the government should not be seen as throwing away the baby with the bathwater. On announcing the scrapping of the checkpoints, the Inspector-General of Police, Solomon Arase, had stressed that the additional 158 patrol vehicles would be deployed across the country to fill any security vacuum that may occur with the removal of military checkpoints. This may not be assuring enough because the issue of fighting terrorism and national security go beyond the acquisition of additional operational vehicles.

    The complete disengagement of the military from the responsibility of internal security appears too sudden and dangerous for the country. If this would have to be done, it is better to make it a gradual process. Many vulnerable flash points still remain in several parts of the country that cannot be left unsecured without the military. We should not forget that the reason military operatives were involved in internal security in the first place may not be too far from the fact that the police has to contend with the challenge of adequate personnel and its inability to effectively protect lives and property, especially with the introduction of terrorism into the nation’s security landscape. Hence, no vacuum should be created with the removal of checkpoints such that insurgents would deceptively take advantage of the situation to further launch more deadly attacks.

    The police should be better motivated and strengthened. No doubt, there are brilliant and capable officers and men in the Force; With less than 400,000 policemen in a country of about 170 million people, the reality is that the country is grossly under-policed.  Regrettably, a large number of our police personnel are still being attached to private individuals and politicians. There is the need to correct this anomaly that has greatly limited the capability of the police to work optimally.

    Until Nigeria has a police force that is formidable and well-decentralized in the true sense of federalism, effective policing would continue to be a mirage. That is why the idea of state police should be revisited. With the appointment of a new National Security Adviser and other service chiefs, it is hoped that the security situation in the country would improve considerably. For now, to ensure that the nation is not over-run by terrorists, military checkpoints should be restored.

    • Adewale Kupoluyi,

    Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta

  • Can Lalong restore peace in Plateau?

    Can Lalong restore peace in Plateau?

    Correspondent YUSUFU IDEGU examines the challenges before the new All Progressives Congress (APC) government in Plateau State and how Governor Simon Lalong intends to tackle them.

    For almost a decade, Plateau State has not known peace. Thus, elections in the state have always been rough. When the All Progressive Congress (APC) was introduced to states across the country, it was laughable to predict that the relatively unknown political party will form the government in a state like Plateau. Even soothsayers were not ready to stake a fortune on this. As a matter of fact, no one gave the ruling party a chance; it was unthinkable that the new party will form the government in the state two years after it was formed.

    “The APC came to Plateau like a notorious armed robber to snatch the state out of the grips of the PDP,” said a political analyst, Mr. Cletus Matawal. “Plateau State has been in the firm grips of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) since 1999. Until April 11, 2015, the PDP had made it difficult for any party to make inroads into Plateau political terrain.” When the APC was introduced into Plateau during the build- up to the general elections, many were reluctant to join the party. One of the founding fathers of the party, Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, said: “A lot of our people never gave the party a chance when we started. During the state congresses of the party for the election of its state officials, I was begging people to come and contest.” However, the rejected party has become the ruling party at the federal and the state level, to the consternation of many PDP chieftains.

    Also, the emergence of Simon Lalong as the governor was a surprise. However, the emergence of Lalong as the governor on the platform of the APC signified three major political realities in Plateau State: The emergence of two main political blocs led by Senator Joshua Dariye and Senator Jonah Jonah. When Dariye was governor, Jang was the leader of the opposition that made Dariye uncomfortable in  Government House for eight years, with his style of opposition.

    When Jang emerged as the governor in 2007, he pushed Dariye out of the PDP. Jang also made futile attempts to probe Dariye. During the rivalry, Dariye defected to the Labour Party (LP) and became a senator in 2011. In the build- up to the 2015 governorship election, Dariye led the crusade for the defeat of the Jang- anointed governorship candidate, Senator Gyang Pwajok of the PDP. Efforts by Dariye and other opposition politicians paved the way for the emergence of Lalong as the governor. The emergence of the APC-led government also means that Jang has been pushed back into the opposition again as he was in 1999.

    Lalong was the Speaker of the Plateau State House of assembly when Dariye was the governor between 1999-2007 and they never fell apart since then. The government of Lalong is therefore seen as the return of Dariye government. So, political developments in the state have been a rotation of power between the Dariye camp and the Jang political camp.

    Jang had the opportunity of becoming the political godfather. He, however, abused the opportunity by refusing to implement the zoning agreement. He insisted on handing over power to his Berom kinsman, Senator Pwajok. With that single attempt, Jang lost grip of the state and paved the way for the APC to take over power. With this political development, Plateau is today without a formidable political leader as it was when its first civilian governor, late Chief Solomon Daushep Lar, was alive. Lar was the political icon who was a rallying point. But, since his demise, the vacuum created created by his absence has not been filled. It was widely expected that Jang will step into the shoes of the late Lar. But, it’s now obvious that the shoes are too big for him.  So, the state now revolves between two political figures; Dariye and Jang.

    Dariye has an overwhelming influence on the government of Lalong. This has prompted the return of all former commissioners and special advisers who served in Dariye administration; they are now surrounding the new governor as political jobbers.

    Gov Lalong has many challenges to tackle. One of the challenges is restoring unity. The state with its multi-lingual and multi-ethnic disposition need to do more to unite the people. The diversity of the people obviously played out during the build-up to the 2015 general elections. The three geo-political zones of the state made claims to the number one seat in the state. The original zoning arrangement ended with the tenure of Jonah Jang. It started in 1979 with the late Chief Solomon Lar and Sir Fidelis Tapgun from Plateau South. After that, Plateau Central had their turn during Dariye’s tenure. The final slot was that of Jonah Jang, which represented the turn of Plateau North.

    So, if the zoning arrangement was to commence again, the slot rightly belonged to Plateau South. But, the three zones were fighting over the governorship. This was why the All Progressives Congress (APC) gave the governorship ticket to Lalong from that zone. On the contrary, the PDP picked their own governorship candidate from Plateau North.

    Hence a lot of differences were created among the people during the build-up to the election, especially among the political class. So, Gov. Lalong has a duty to bring the people back as one so to ensure political stability within the next four years of his administration.

    How Gov. Lalong hopes to go about this will be seen in his policies and programmes. but, at the moment, no one expects him to take off soon even though he has taken over the reins of power. The delay in the take-off of the new administration can be seen in the kind of state handed over to the administration. First, there is the issue of empty treasury. Gov. Lalong has announced to citizens of the state that he inherited empty treasury from his predecessor. The governor said: “I inherited empty treasury and a debt of N104b.” Gov Lalong while addressing judiciary workers led by the chief Judge of the state Justice Pius Damulak at the Presidential Lodge, old Government House, Rayfield,  Jos, said: “I found no kobo in the state treasury; I only received a total debt of 104billion, including the non-payment seven month workers salaries, as well as unpaid pension arrears. This debt profile is contained in the handing over note I received.

    “I want the judiciary to know that the past administration left 104billion naira documented in the handing over note to me and there is also no kobo left in the treasury of the state and we will have to battle again with the seven months unpaid salaries of workers, including pensioners in the state.”

    The implication can only be imagined, said Mr. Santos Ayuba Larab of the History Department a University of Jos. He said: “For such a new government you can’t expect it will take off smoothly. As a matter of fact, the debt profile of the state could be far more that quoted in the handing over note, with a careful investigation, more hidden debt will be discovered. So, whoever expect too much from Gov. Lalong so soon may be ignorant of the rotten state of our dear state at the moment”

    With or without fund, the APC-led government cannot overlook some immediate challenges which requires immediate attention. One of such is the poor condition of the state workforce. No doubt, Gov. Lalong inherited a demoralised civil service. As at May 29, 2015  when he took over mantle of leadership, the state civil servants were on strike; they were owed salaries for upward of five months. It took a written agreement between Gov Lalong administration and the labor union for the workers to suspend the strike. Gov Lalong promised to seek credit facilities from bank to settle his workers so as to ginger them up.

    Another issue that requires immediate attention is the prolonged insecurity in some parts of the state, especially in Plateau North and Plateau South. The insecurity predates the Jonah Jang administration, but it was not effectively managed. It has been handed over to the new government and everyone expect a different approach by Gov. Lalong to bring the violence to an end.

    One of the immediate challenges before the new government is the issue of uncompleted projects. One could count up to 50 of them. But, the most challenging among them all is the intra-city road project in Jos, the Plateau state capital. At the moment, the situation of Jos city is pathetic. The uncompleted state of the road is causing pains to residents. The new government is battling tooth and nail to get the contractors back to site to ensure the roads are completed. The governor is at the moment appealing to residents of the city to bear the situation with promises to get the contractors back soon.

    Besides, some close associates of Gov. Lalong believed that the new administration has a lot to do to unbundle it from groups of political jobbers that are already suffocating the new governor. One of Gov. Lalong’s close aides who will prefer to remain anonymous said: “The governor is already overburdened with pressure from people seeking political appointments; some are looking for appointments as commissioners, while other are seeking to become Special Advisers etc. I have noticed that the pressure on the governor was becoming unbearable.”

    Governor Lalong is being by pressure from those who served in Dariye’s administration eight years ago. They see the emergence of Lalong as a golden opportunity to return to powerand they are doing everything possible to lobby their way in.

    Above all, Gov. Lalong has an immediate task to dispense the litigation over his election at the tribunal. The Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is challenging the election of Gov. Lalong and until the case is successfully dispensed with, the governor will remain distracted.

    Against tgis background, it remains to be seen how Gov. Lalong will tackle the immediate challenges facing the state. Are the people ready to exercise patience and for how long? The APC is new in the state and needs to make impact fast, if it must retain power in the state beyond a single term.

  • Masari: I‘ll restore Katsina’s glory

    Masari: I‘ll restore Katsina’s glory

    Former House of the Representatives Speaker Hon. Aminu Bello Masari is the Katsina State governor-elect on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with reporters in Katsina, the state capital, he unfolds his plans for the state. TONY AKOWE was there.

    This is your second attempt at becoming governor of Katsina State and by the grace of God, you became the winner. We want you to share your experience with us.

    It is really an experience for somebody to contest election in a party that is in the opposition, especially because of the way we see opposition in this country. I believe that opposition is also a partner in development in the democratic process of a country. Unfortunately, in some quarters, people in opposition party are seen as enemies and not as partners. So, my experience since I joined the opposition in 2009 is that for you to be in the opposition, you have to be very patient, persevere and also to be steadfast. Once you have an idea which you believe in, you should remain constant and consistent and, at the end, God will definitely be with you in terms of succeeding. So, my experience has really been mixed in the sense that the ordinary person want change all the time, but the powers that be always want to maintain the status quo. The worst situation is the lack of level-playing ground which has been lacking. Now, with the introduction of the card reader, it is almost impossible to inflate votes and this has made a little difference. Really, with the right leadership in right place at the right time, Nigeria will get it right.

    What should the people expect from you when you are sworin in?

    If you passed through our campaign office, we said our project is Restoration 2015 for Katsina. What are we restoring? Traditionally,  Katsina is known for investment and producing highly educated and technically sound people. So, our main area, our first target, second target and third target is education, because the standard of education is poor in Katsina today. Public schools in the state  could not even achieve three per cent success in last year’s WAEC. If you take the entire Katsina indigenes, whether they live in Lagos, Abuja or elsewhere in the country, 45,800 of them sat for WAEC and only 4,500 got five credits and above. This is a shame for a state where the first middle school in northern Nigeria was established. First generation, second generation and third generation of students from that institution, including the President-elect, have made their mark in different fields of human endeavour. We were the first to open an education account in the United Kingdom for the training of our people. But, today, from 1999 to 2014, we have presented over 255,000 students for WAEC. What did we get out of that? Only 32,000 of them secured five credits and above. During my campaign, I was able to travel to all the 34 local government areas. I slept in 27 and in each local government I made sure that I did not follow the tarred road. This was to assess the state of infrastructure in the state. What did we see? The roofs of about 60 per cent of our primary schools have their roofs blown off, windows and doors destroyed and no concrete flooring. On the average, one classroom houses about 97 children. What are we talking about? There is a particular district only one child successfully completed senior secondary school. The rest dropped out because there were no teachers and no classrooms. It is a terrible situation. There was a time we presented over 17,000 students for WAEC and only 370 passed. We cannot continue like this. So, what we are bringing on the table is the issue of education. Secondly, Katsina is an agrarian state. Our economy was until the discovery of oil dependent on agriculture and livestock. Where are we today? We can’t feed ourselves. Forget about imported rice, imported macaroni, imported spaghetti, imported everything. If, for whatever reason, the import stopped, how do we feed ourselves? People said they are surprise that could not feed themselves at a time, when they ran short of food. That exposed the weakness in the system they were operating. We cannot sit down here and depend on rice from China, rice from India, rice from Thailand when we have water and the land. Before Katsina was created as a state, it was a province. This province was constructing roads, schools, hospitals, court, it had the police, prison services, the judiciary; they were paying salaries and carrying out development projects. Why can’t we replicate that today? The province was also making its contribution to the running of the Northern Regional government. Where are we today? If this money coming from Abuja stops, the state cannot survive for one month.

    How do you intend to attract funds to run the state?

    The problem is that we have not always been open and honest with our people. It is not about resources alone. You think that development depends on money alone, but it is not so. Even the military were building roads, hospitals  and others. Under the colonial administration, the emirate system was building everything. Democracy is about being open with the people. If you have money, let the people know that you have money and let them have a say on how this money is spent. Each time, we talk about lean resources. No, it is not about lean resources, but about good management of resources. If you allow the local councils to operate, if you allow a ward to produce a Councilor that represents the people and not himself, things will work out well. We don’t have councils now. The key word is not lack of resources, but involving people in decision making. That is the essence of democracy. This state under the Native Authority as a Province was doing well looking after itself. But, today, this is not so. We want to look at Katsina in the next 20 or 30 years. There was a time when crude oil was less than 10 dollars and it can happen again tomorrow. We’re not in a position to determine the price. The world powers decide how much they will buy your oil, what quantity they need. So, we have no control over pricing, we have any control over the market. We have no control over even the imported products. How can we depend on something that has a life span? Let us depend on the land to give us food. No country is great when it cannot feed itself.

    What is your plan for those you defeated at the APC primary?

    We have already passed that stage. Nine of us contested the primary and all of us worked for the success of the APC in Katsina State. Everybody was also involved in the preparation for the presidential and National Assembly elections, as well as the governorship election. They all brought in materials and their physical presence into the project. So, we don’t have problems in that regard; that’s why we say that we are going to do things differently. Even though the APC emerged as the winner of the election, the other parties are from Katsina and we will offer them a hand of fellowship too. We are going to be magnanimous; we are going to be leaders. We are going to provide leadership and not rulership. We have no problem in carrying along anybody who has the interest of the people of Katsina at heart. Our key word here is the people. It is not about skyscrapers. It is not about roads that will not go anywhere, but to develop the people and the people will develop the land.

    In what ways would the emergence of Buhari at the centre help your administration?

    We are not meeting with Buhari on the platform of political party alone. We have a long standing relationship and now, we have a political relationship. That Buhari is from Katsina State is a plus for us. But, it depends on how we manage it. We want Buhari to be a Nigerian leader. We don’t want Buhari to be a regional, zonal or provincial leader. We want him to be a Nigerian leader that will leave a legacy of positive contribution to this country and that is the basis on which people elected him. So, we will help him to maintain and improve on those qualities which the people of Nigeria see in him. We will never do anything that will tarnish his image, his reputation or his standing internationally and nationally. So, for us, the emergence of Buhari is a plus. When we go somewhere and say I am from Katsina, we want the doors to be open. So, for us, it is a plus.

    Taking you back to the issue of education, are you going to follow your party’s policy on education or do you intend to initiate your own home-grown policy?

    The first item on the agenda of the APC manifesto is human resource development. How can you develop human resources without education. Fundamentally, the position of APC in education is known. In Katsina, the figures not produced by me, but in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Education gives Katsina about 20 per cent enrollment rate and some states have achieved 80 per cent enrollment rate. So, their approach and mine will be different, but the goal remains the same. Here in Katsina, we will design a road that will lead us to success on the basis of the basket provided by our political party in the area of education. We will take roads that will lead us, that will lead Katsina to salvage itself, restore the honour, dignity and integrity of the people of Katsina state. We cannot do that outside education. The road that other states will take to arrive at their destination may be different from ours, but the objective would remain the same.

    You were Speaker of the House of Representatives for four years. What kind if leadership will you suggest for the 8th Assembly to assist Gen. Buhari in piloting the affairs of this nation?

    Luckily, we are going to have a comfortable majority in the National Assembly. What I have seen as a former member of the House of Representative is that because of patronage system by the governors, they have destroyed the institution. Patronage system in the sense that for you to become a senator, you must be in the right books of the governor. For you to be a member, you start lobbying the governor to make you a candidate for you to be a member of the National Assembly. Not because the governor believes that you have something to offer other than being attracted by the package and the limelight. Definitely, at the National Assembly, if you play your cards well, it is an opportunity to come into limelight. Really, most people derail when they get to the National Assembly. If we go there, what interest do we represent? How do we subsume our local interest into national interest? If you are making an act, it is for the entire country. If you are participating in the budget, you have to find a way of subsuming your interest into national interest. As long as the interest you represent cannot be subsumed into the national development agenda, which is the budget, you are no longer providing representation. The reality of the situation is, let us allow the system to work. In determining the leadership, the leadership has to be focused on why we need the change. So, we must get leaders that understand why we need the change in Nigeria. It is not about changing faces or names. It is about changing how we conduct businesses of government at any level, how do we as Nigerians do things. After all, South Africa said it is returning our money after Buhari is sworn in. Why? The international community is comfortable that somebody who will manage the resources well is coming. These are the kind people we need and it should be the vision of those coming to the National Assembly. I hope they are not attracted by the package, but also by the work.

    Finally, how would you describe your emergence as the governor-elect?

    If you know me well, I am a normal person. I don’t look at things in such a way that it will carry my mind off the direction. We have promised, we have pledged and we have prayed that God will give us the opportunity to restore the honour, dignity, prestige and integrity of the people of Katsina State and this is what we are going to work for. We see it as a challenge. I am not here not make a new name. As Speaker, I was the only person in the country and was given a presidential treatment anywhere I go in the country. I am here because we believe that without executive power, you cannot make any meaningful contribution to development in this country at this point in time. That is why I have decided to come back home and see how I can repay what the society has invested in me. I am a product of public institution. So, I cannot be there and watch public institutions, where 99 per cent of our people started from, crumble. If you are having 20 per cent pass from Katsina State, where will Katsina be in 20 years time? It means we will be nowhere in the scheme of things in Nigeria. There are some states in Nigeria that if they stop going to school, it will take us 30 years in Katsina to catch up with them.

  • Police restore Ekiti speaker’s security

    Police restore Ekiti speaker’s security

    •Fayose kicks as lawmakers insist he must go

    The police have restored  Ekiti State House of Assembly Speaker Adewale Omirin’s security team.

    Omirin, who leads the 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) majority lawmakers, lost his security backing after seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers claimed to have removed him from office.

    The restoration of his security  on the orders of Inspector-General of Police Suleiman Abba,  follows the restoration of the Department of State Security (DSS) personnel attached to him also at the weekend, a source close to the Speaker told our correspondent.

    The Omirin-led lawmakers, who returned from ‘exile’ last week will likely hold a plenary at the  House of Assembly complex tomorrow, based on  last Thursday’s adjournment.

    Thepolice have stepped up security in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, and other parts of the state following moves to remove Governor Ayo Fayose from office.

    Nineteen members of the House of Assembly who belong to the All Progressives Congress (APC) have signed a notice of impeachment, which they sent to Fayose and his deputy, Kolapo Olusola.

    The lawmakers alleged that Fayose committed eight impeachable offences since returning to power last October.

    But the governor described the attempt to sack him as the “joke of the century”, saying the lawmakers were attempting to test the people’s will.

    The police are not taking chances as the plot to impeach Fayose has heightened tension in a week the people will go to the polls to elect members of the House of Assembly.

    Commissioner of Police Taiwo Lakanu yesterday said his command was up to the task in ensuring that there is no breakdown of law and order.

    Lakanu said the command had put in place a 24-hour security surveillance around the House of Assembly complex and other flash points.

    Said the police chief: “I have emplaced security. Personnel have been placed on alert while high visibility patrol is being conducted around Ado-Ekiti.

    “We know the tension generated must have caused some apprehension, but we are being proactive because the security of lives and property and general peace of the people is our topmost priority.

    “We are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety of our citizens

    and for everybody to go about their normal business without fear or harassment.”

    The APC Youth Wing has hailed the impeachment move.

    Youth Leader Femi Ogundare described the lawmakers’ action as “timely and courageous to save Ekiti from the grip of one-man dictator who has violated the Constitution he swore to defend”.

    Ogundare said  Ekiti people were tired of what he called the unending rape of the Constitution going on under Fayose’s watch, adding that the emerging new Nigeria would not tolerate the impunity and lawlessness being witnessed in the state.

    “No single individual can be bigger than Ekiti. A governor is on the executive seat by the grace of the mandate of the people and anytime he carries out any act that violates the Constitution, the House of Assembly is there to perform their functions.

    “The people of the state have witnessed unprecedented infractions on the rule of law, etiquette of public office standard of governance and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “The emerging new Nigeria won’t tolerate the serial illegalities being witnessed in Ekiti State and something urgent must be done to halt the slide into anarchy in the Land of Honour.

    “Nobody is above the law and the law must take its course to deal with any act that violates the Constitution,” Ogundare said.

  • ‘We ‘ll restore our social values’

    ‘We ‘ll restore our social values’

    Governorship candidate of the Kowa Party in Lagos State, Oloye Victor Adeniji has said that the goal of his party is to evolve a social movement process that will bring about fundamental change to improve the life of  Lagosians.

    Speaking at a forum in Lagos on Thursday, tagged: “2015 Gubernatorial Debate” organized by the Diocese of Lagos (Church of Nigeria) Anglican Communion in conjunction with the Diocese of Badagry and Lagos Mainland for gubernatorial candidates of all political parties in Lagos State, Oloye  Adeniji said his party would restore our social values and ethics and return our society back to the core family life that would make people to accord respect to whom it is due.

    The candidate said his party would provide a service-oriented leadership that will fast track socio-economic development of Lagos State through social welfare programmes  that will give all good things of life to Lagosians.

    The candidate stated that the mission of the Kowa Party was to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor and ensure the emergence of a formidable middle class in Lagos State, with a view to ensuring proper articulated human capital development through improvement of the working conditions of schools at all levels with special attention to teachers’ training and welfare.

    According to Oloye Adeniji, focusing on proper training of teachers would inspire them to students development to the optimum from nursery to tertiary level.

    On the provision of affordable housing, he said the party will on getting to power, embark on massive housing development programme by liberalizing procedure of land acquisition and by encouraging land owners to go into massive housing development through a tripartite arrangement,  involving land owners, local councils and the developers which could eventually lead to affordable houses to the masses.

    He explained that another major area the party would bring about fundamental change to the state is through social infrastructural development  whereby metro line and light rail transportation system will be introduced to ease transportation.

    He added that on getting into office, the party will decentralize business locations and markets all over the state by encouraging community development associations (CDA’s) and the local council to run joint ventures that will allow location of markets within their localities, thereby bringing business locations closer to the people.

  • Ikpeazu: I’ll restore middle class in Abia

    Ikpeazu: I’ll restore middle class in Abia

    Dr. Okezie Ikpeazu is a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirant in Abia State. He spoke with Assistant Editor GBADE OGUNWALE on the succession battle in the Southeast state, his ambition, zoning and other issues. 

    Why do you want to succeed Abia State Governor Theodore Orji?

    I have about 19 years experience  in politics as a home baked politician in Abia. I understand the sentiments of the average Abian and I also represent the middle class. I spent these 19 years in the trenches with my people, fighting and battling alongside the present governor for the elevation of Abia State. I know some of the things he did, to make sure that the Ochendo magic becomes a reality. I have served all the political gladiators in Abia State diligently. This is pay-back time. Secondly, I represent the middle class. Regardless of that, I am just a regular guy, but I’m in touch with the people. The people know that the best person to trust is one of their own. The greatest challenge in the country is that the economy is in shambles and the middle class has disappeared. We now have two classes of people; its either you are rich or poor. So, the middle class is what I represent and they know that their pain is my pain and their joy my joy. My mission is to restore the middle class in Abia State and give them a pride of place.

    What would you do differently from what the governor is doing?

    When the incumbent governor took over, the socio-economic framework of Abia State was in shambles. There was no discipline in the political arena. It took the transparency of Ochendo to bring everybody together under the big umbrella of the PDP. Even those that are not within the PDP family are also going to him. He came to unify Abia. So, what I think I bring to bear is the fact that I have the capacity to contribute towards the unity of Abians, here and in the Diaspora. We need to bring a little more of Abians that possess expertise in one field or the other, to come and join in the rebuilding and rebirth of Abia State. This is also the time for other Abians to bring to bear other competencies and contacts because modern states are developed not only with internally generated revenue or from the federation account, but with ingenuity. One must be able to attract the interest of development partners across the globe to come in and help develop your state. We do know that no government anywhere has enough resources required to jumpstart the development of a state.

    Besides, I also think that I have a very good knowledge of the Aba environment and the philosophy of my team is that by developing Aba, you have developed Abia State. The development of Abia State can be driven from the rebirth and re-engineering of Aba in terms of what you will get from internally generated revenue. You know the potentials of Aba. The place is referred to as the Japan of Africa. But, we need to fix a few things like electricity, roads, the environment and structure of the markets. I am thinking along the line of industrial clusters. We have the competence and expertise in leather works. We are good in textile processing. There is no reason why Abians, Nigerians and the entire West Coast cannot depend on Aba for their belts, shoes, bags and clothing materials.

    How do you intend to tackle youth unemployment, if you are elected?

    One edge I have over other aspirants is my footprints in the platform of employment generation in Abia State over the years. I have been involved in an enterprise that engaged about 340 persons. The latest one offered employment to about 500 youths. Besides, I was secretary of the Abia State youth empowerment programme that engaged about 4, 500 youths. I know the locations of the beneficiaries; they are in every community. Through sanitation and traffic management alone, we can employ between 5, 000 to 10, 000 people within my first year in office.

    Abia is one of the states with the least Internally Generated Revenue. How would jerk up the IGR?

    The reason for that is not far-fetched. If you recall, two, three, or four years down the line, Abia had very serious issue of kidnapping that adversely affected every sector of the economy. Even the collapsing road infrastructure in Aba can be traced back to those days. I am aware that the present government tried many times to get contractors fleeing from kidnappers back to site. But some of them recalled their staff and kept them away from sites as a result of the activities of kidnappers. The last time that the present Minister for Finance was coming to attend an Economic Summit in Abia, she was warned by the World Bank that she would be coming to Abia at her own risk.

    But, as I speak today, Abia has been lifted from the red zone and people come and do their business without molestation. We have lost so many years that would have been useful in terms of reconstruction. No contractor came and nothing was done for two years. While that was going on here, other parts of Abia like Umuahia were benefiting from the activities of the present government in terms of good infrastructure. Security is in place now, so we need to address our poor rating by the National Planning Commission by providing the enabling environment for people to do business in Abia. There is need to establish a one-stop shop. There is need to place on the desk someone that is very knowledgeable, not only about our local environment, but also in those things that we have comparative advantage. We also need to keep abreast of developments in our neighboring states. For instance, how do we tap into the activities of the oil companies in Rivers State? What do we do about the oil wells around Ukpa? There is no reason why we should not be thinking about developing our city towards Port Harcourt. Besides establishing a one-stop shop, I think also that we should be able to strengthen our service delivery institutions because government is built around institutions. If you don’t strengthen institutions and build institutions, you cannot get the desired result. How do you build institutions? You must be able to implement time-tested policies. You must be able to put together people that are very competent and give them a free hand to operate. Finally, the process and procedure for doing business must be transparent such that an investor can come with his briefcase, walk into your one-stop shop, get every information that he or she needs to get without being encumbered by bureaucratic bottlenecks.  There shouldn’t be hidden charges or hidden taxes because they discourage investment. Institutions must be built around very competent people. They must be built on strong policy frame work, time-tested procedure and transparency. Once we can put all these things in place, I think that Abia will bounce back to be one of the first five investment-friendly states in the country.

    How do you intend to tackle corruption?

    The best approach against corruption is to build institutions because those are the things that would outlive you. One must also lead by example for others to follow. I am not a trader, I come from a teaching background. If I am not doing politics, I would be teaching. So, if you lead by example the only way you can know whether you are doing well or not, is how serious you are in terms of building institutions. You must appoint people that are capable, competent and who can deliver. You must not appoint them based on political sentiments or which part of the state they come from. You bring on board people with little or no inclination towards enriching themselves at the expense of the state. I intend to run a very transparent government. I intend to bring all shades of Abia people into governance; the traditional rulers the youths (which is my primary constituency) and the women. You must bring in people that have something to offer, so that they can help in building the state.

    How would you develop Aba, where land and facilities are already overstretched, without choking up the place?

    Part of the problem is that Aba was allowed to outgrow its existing facilities with increased housing stock. But, infrastructure in terms of drainages, roads, and water have remained the same. There are vast areas of land in the local governments that are within the vicinity of Aba. For instance, we are thinking about the new bridge across the Aba River. This would facilitate the building of a ring road around Aba as far as Benin. The only way to ventilate a chocking city is to build a ring road. Once you do that, the city begins to expand. There will be a deliberate effort to build a new Aba where everybody can live; with water treatment plant, ultra-modern schools, roads, adequate security, regular power supply. These would be complemented by a waste management plant. This is the kind of city we are thinking about and Aba is over-qualified for it.

    How would you rid the city of filth?

    Incidentally, I don’t think anybody has a better knowledge of the garbage challenge in Aba than I do. I have worked as the Deputy General Manager, Environment and Protection Agency and I know what we met on ground. I also know what we did to make the modest impact that we have made so far. But the gap, the missing link is that as I speak, government is not in charge of waste management at the primary level. What I mean is that there are three different segments – the primary, the secondary and the tertiary. We are only intervening at the secondary and the tertiary segments. We collect at the receptacle or dumpsters and take to the landfills.

  • Restore our pride beating Sudan, Mark charges Eagles

    Restore our pride beating Sudan, Mark charges Eagles

    Senate President, David Mark, has charged  the Super Eagles to restore their integrity as the reigning champions in Africa by beating their Sudanese counterparts in  the qualifier match .

    Mark said the Super Eagles needed to step up their games and restore the confidence of Nigerians in their abilities to remain the African champions.

    A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh said that Mark gave the charge when he received the new Pinnick Amaju’s led Executive of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) and the Director General of the National Sports Commission ( NSC ) Gbenga Elegbeleye.

    It said that Mark insisted that only an emphatic win over Sudan would assuage the feelings of Nigerians after the Super Eagles woeful outing against Congo.

    Mark tasked the new NFF to rise to the challenge of improving Football administration in the country saying ” your predecessors did their best but you just have to improve on their records and bring our footfall to an enviable position in the world.”

    To achieve this, the Senate President urged the new NFF to develop a system of early preparation for competitions as well a process of grooming young players to maturity.

    According to Mark, ” We have all the potentials and talents. We need to tap and harness them.”

    It said that Mark bemoaned the incessant rancour among sports administrators and advised the new NFF to work as a team as well as to carry all stakeholders along in a manner that would give all a sense of belonging.

    It said that Mark harped on the need for transparency and accountability in the administration of football stressing that the rule of law must be sacrosanct.

    It quoted Amaju  to have assured the Senate President that he would run the NFF in a scientific manner that would bring pride and honour to all Nigerians henceforth .

    Amaju also told Mark the he would redefine the way football is administered in Nigeria in line with international best practices and ultimately bring positive result to the nation.

    Amaju stated:”My road map towards improving soccer administration is very clear. It is a road map that is result – oriented . It is a new dawn in sports administration. By the time we give our report card, Nigerians would be proud of what we have done”.

  • Will national conference restore true federalism?

    Will national conference restore true federalism?

    Nigeria is at crossroads. It is beset with crises of nation-building and development, triggered by its refusal to confront the national question germane to its survival as a plural country. Will the national conference make a difference and restore true federalism? Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the challenges before the 492 wise men.

    Sixty seven years ago, the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, raised the national question. Which form of government would be suitable for the emerging country of heterogeneous peoples? he asked. The same fundamental question, which successive administrations have evaded, would confront the 492 delegates at the national conference, which is being inaugurated today by President Goodluck Jonathan in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    There are indications that the conference will become a platform for the ventilation of political grievances. The conflicts of agenda and divergent views underscores the gravity of complaints, disaffection and dissatisfaction among the unequal and competing tribes under the lopsided federal arrangement. The agitations are two-fold: the scramble for federal power and disagreement over the sharing of the national revenue. Analysts have suggested that the non-resolution of these issues have led to identity crisis, dissention, feeling of marginalisation and fear of domination and cries of despondency among the reluctant component units that have failed to develop national outlook.

    The agenda of the delegates underscores the gravity of the national question. Although they represents the states, they will mostly canvass regional viewpoints. Many contentious issues on the front burner at the conference are fiscal federalism, indigene/settler relationship, devolution of powers, regionalism and autonomy, security and state police, status of local government, state creation and boundary adjustment. Others are resource control and revenue allocation, zoning and rotation of the Presidency, single term tenure, and land use act, federal character, federal/state/local government relations.

    In his book, ‘Path to Nigeria’s Freedom’, Awo, who reflected on the amalgam of incompatible, in-cohesive and antagonistic tribes forcefully lumped together by the first colonial governor, Lord Fredrick Lugard. “Nigeria is not a nation”, he wrote, stressing that “it is a mere geographical expression”. He observed that “all these incompatibilities among the various peoples in the country militate against unification”.

    The book was published 13 years before the flag independence of 1960. In the view of the foremost nationalist, federalism was the answer. “A federal constitution is the only thing suitable for Nigeria. And for the sake of smooth and speedy progress, steps must be taken now to develop the various ethnical groups in the country along this line”, he said. Awo explained that only federalism could give birth to a situation whereby the diverse elements could progress at varying speeds towards a more closely integrated economic, social and political unity without sacrificing the principles and ideas inherent in their divergent ways of life. He also emphasised the importance of autonomy for the preservation of racial group identity and promotion of peculiar social, cultural and political interests.

    “Experts can propound learned theories as to why people having different languages and cultural backgrounds are unable to live together under a democratic unitary constitution. But, the empirical facts of history are enough to guide us. It has been shown beyond all doubt that the best constitution for such diverse people is the federal constitution. This is exemplified by the constitution of Switzerland, which is acclaimed to be the best and most democratic in the world, since it gives complete autonomy to every racial group within the framework. The amended constitution of the USSR, wherein each republic becomes autonomous, is also an instance in point,” Awo stressed.

    Many historians have pointed out that the practice of federalism has not been adequately explored. Although it did not adequately moderate the tempestuous relationship among the big three-Hausa/Fulani of the North, Yoruba of Southwest and Igbo of the Southeast-there was hope in the First Republic. Acrimonies and inter-tribal intrigues generally shaped the quest and competition among the tribal leaders for federal power, but the three, later four regions had a measure of autonomy in local matters. In that atmosphere of regionalism, there was healthy competition among the diverse nations cohabiting together in the larger nation-state.

    A political scientist, Boniface Ayodele, noted that the “federal beat” stopped abruptly, following the displacement of legitimate authorities by soldiers. The military ruler foisted the unitary system on the supposedly federal country, igniting sporadic agitations for decentralisation and devolution of power. “What we now have and which is difficult for the leadership to reverse is the legacy of the military. This id the defective federal structure”, said Ayodele, who teaches political science at the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti.

    Almost 54 years after independence, federalism is still on trial in Nigeria. It has remained an elusive target, especially in post-military period. Efforts by the military to redesign the map and boundaries of the ethnic groups through state creation have led to more problems. The distribution of the states and local governments have generated anger because it is skewed, making the South to complain that it was aimed at confirming the dubious numerical claim by the North. In 1947, Awo had warned against creating new states without regard to ethnological factors. “The Yoruba of Ilorin, Offa and Kabba are included with the Hausas in the Northern Region. There is no justification for whatsoever for this arbitrary grouping. Certainly, these minority groups are at a considerate disadvantage when they are forced to be in the midst of other peoples who differ from them in language, culture and historical background,” he pointed out.

    Former Afenifere Secretary Ayo Opadokun, who hails from Offa, is bitter at the creation of the state by the military without taking into consideration the linguistic parameters. “That is why the Yoruba in Kwara and Kogi are asking for the adjustment of the boundaries so that they can join their kith and kin in the Southwest, especially in Osun and Ekiti states”, he said. Opadokun maintained that when diverse tribes are lumped together in a state, it will breed friction. “The Gwari people are now in Kaduna and Niger states. Some of them are also visible in Kaduna and the Federal Capital Territory. The Nupe People are in Niger and Kwara states. Why? The Igbominas are in Kwara. Their traditional headquater is Ila-Orangun. The Ekitis are in Kwara. Look at Ijaw people. They are found in Ondo, Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers states. They are minority in several states. It is an unkind and ungodly decision made by the military”, he added.

    In 2005, one of the controversial issues that created tension at the Abuja Political Reforms Conference, apart from the third term, was resource control. Apparently, there is no controversy over revenue generation. The bulk of the national revenue is from oil from the Niger Delta. The bone of contention is the distribution of the wealth, which is typically referred to as the national cake. In 1999, the vertical allocation formula inherited by the civilian regime sparked off an agitations for review. Then, the distant Federal Government had 48.5 per cent, 36 state governments; 24 percent, 774 local governments; 20 per cent, ecology; two percent, stabilisation; 0.5 per cent, derivation; one per cent and oil minerals producing development company; three per cent.

    The Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO), which held an alternative conference in Lagos, kicked against the arrangement. The group proposed a new fiscal formula as follows: 50 per cent to the region of derivation, 15 per cent to the Federal Government, 35 per cent to be shared by all regions, 85 per cent Valued Added Tax (VAT) to be retained by the regions and 15 percent should go to the first-line charge account. Other stakeholders called for a drastic reduction in the proceeds accruable to the government. Since the economy is not diversified, the region producing oil, the main source of income, intensified its struggle for more earnings. The Abuja conference proposed 21 percent earning for the oil-producing states. But, the report did not see the light of the day. The existing distribution formula is still being contested by stakeholders. Their grievance is premised on the fear that the federal government has financially emasculated the 36 states and 774 councils. The formula, they maintained, is anti-federal in nature.

    Many believe that the neglect of the core federal principle has contributed to the fragility of the nation-state. No doubt, the enlarged national question, which involves the division of the public sector functions and finances among the two tiers, has underscored the renewed debate on fiscal federalism and devolution powers. The All Progressives Congress (APC) Interim Chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, who dissected the federal structure, lamented that all is not well. “The peculiarities of the Nigerian landscape demand a creative search for answers to Nigeria’s unique challenges through federalism, “ he said.

    Echoing him, a legal scholar, Prof. Itsey Sagay (SAN), said that only true federalism can avert the collapse of the country. He observed that the foundation of the country was faulty, adding that the mistake of amalgamation was responsible. Sagay pointed out that the basis for co-existence was neither defined nor mutually agreed upon by the natives. “Nigeria represents a classic condition for the operation of a very loose federation, “ he added. But, he contented that, since the Nigeria may not embrace conferalism, “true federalism is a condition precedent for the survival of the country as a voluntary union of nationalities and autonomous communities”. The late nationalist, Chief Anthony Enahoro, aptly shared this view. He posited that any form of unitary system harboured the danger of not giving maximum expression to the peculiarities that differentiate the groupings co-habiting involuntarily and without basic, unifying agreement on the terms of co-existence.

    A political scientist, Prof. Dipo Kolawole, also studied some heterogeneous countries across the globe, including the United State, submitted that they are doing well because they are practicing federalism. In addition, he pointed out that two factors also accounted for their survival. “They are federal in nature. Apart from promoting participatory democracy, partici-pation in the federal arrangement is voluntary,” he added.

    Kolawole, the former Vice Chancellor of Ekiti State University, observed that, the lopsided federal arrangement has driven Nigeria to monumental crises, which its weak foundation cannot withstand. “If the Nigerian project was perceived as unworkable from the onset, the form of government to sustain it had no foundation to rest on and therefore, was bound to be a still birth. The argument is that the mode of emergence of the Nigerian federalism constitutes an albatross on its effective workability as an instrument of good governance”, he stressed.

    What is worrisome to many stakeholders is that the the agitation for restructuring has often been resisted by the government. Frontline lawyer and politician Chief Ayo Adebanjo, who lamented the resistance, said Nigeria has become a struggling unitary state retarded by its colonial heritage and havoc wrecked by long years of military rule. In fact, the activist cleric, Pastor Tunde Bakare, warned that the “fake union” risks disintegration, He said that Nigeria should return to the initial agreement at the constitutional formative stage in the fifties. “Government that is centralised is satanic and evil,” he said.

    A delegate, Gen. Alani Akinrinade, who fought in the three-year civil war to keep Nigeria together, said that the agitation for self-determination by the ethnic groups, are not misplaced. He explained that they emanated from long years of disillusionment, anxiety, injustice, and rejection of the existing flawed system. A retired university don, Prof, Ropo Sekoni, said that federalism collapsed when the central government hijacked the responsibilities of the states and local governments, adding that the massive inflow of petrol-dollar also made the federal government to acquire more money and responsibilities which it has poorly or improperly performed at the expense of the coordinate units.

    At a lecture in Lagos, former Executive Secretary, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Prof. Adebayo Adedeji, warned that, when true federalism, which is the strength and consolation in a multi-lingual, multi-ethnic country is axed, the result is disaster. The consequence is that, “unity in diversity”, which is the consoling slogan of federalism, is unattainable. The climax of the abuse of power by the centre, as pointed out by Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), manifested in the overriding power of declaration of state of emergency, in accordance with the whims and caprices of the powerful head of government. “When Obasanjo, a military man became the civilian President, he conducted the affairs of the state as a soldier in utter insensitivity to the core principles of democracy and federalism, which should guide his steps”, he said. Flaying the military for the ‘nationalisation policy’, Sekoni, who observed that a virulent attack against the federal structure was consistent with Obasanjo’s antecedents, blamed the former military ruler for starting off the process of “deferating” Nigeria.

    In his book: ‘How President Obasanjo subverted Nigeria’s federal system’, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN) stated that “the former President exercised supreme, absolute and all-encompassing power”, adding that he related to the governor as if they were his agents and subject to his direction. “His attitude towards the state governors as his subordinates, rather than as heads of autonomous governments; a carry-over from the days of his tenure as the Head of the Federal Military Government from 1976-79; is reflected in his insistence that governors must inform him, perhaps, even obtain his permission, before travelling abroad, implying a relationship of subordination, the subjection of the governors to his authority.”

    He also objected to the attempt to make the states beggars by the federal government. Nwabueze said: “The mechanism for the disbursement to the state governments of the share of money due to them from the common pool of revenue, the Federation Account, as it is called, is so contrived by him as to force the governors and their officials to leave their various capitals and go physically, cap in hand, to the federal government at Abuja and hassle for it every month, a situation which creates in them an understandable docility towards the federal government as pay-master”.

    Kolawole, who frowned at this, said: “Today, Nigeria is a federation of an excessively strong Central Government, supposedly partnered by ridiculously weak 36 states, with a Federal Capital Territory, supported by obviously ineffective 774 local governments. All the other 801 governments combined in Nigeria are weaker than the Central Government.

    “In Nigerian Federation, Abuja dictates the pace and other governments slavishly acquiesced, thereby making a mockery of the purpose, essence and utility value of federalism as a vehicle of good governance for effective service delivery to the country.”.

    A Southsouth leader, Chief Fred Agbeyegbe, condemned the federal/states power relations. “The tail (federal or centre) now wags the body (federating units or states). Even, where the states exercise legislative power, they have no enforcement machinery of their own, since the central police belongs to the federal government”, he said. The APC leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, shared this opinion. He said the centralised policing system is counter-productive. “It is useless giving governors the appellation of Chief Security Officers of the states when they lack the powers to ask the police command to rise to the challenge of maintaining law and order”.

    Also lending his voice to the clamour for state police, a legal luminary, Kola Awodein (SAN), said: “A united central police organisation is still in place, making serious and effective policing difficult and almost impossible. The chain of control in the Nigeria Police Force today is too long and remote from the centre of operation, weakening discipline and resulting in an ineffective law enforcement process.

    “The force is still poorly supported and poorly trained and motivated. Centralisation and unification have also resulted in significant delay in the administration of criminal justice. The Nigerian Police Force today is over-burdened as it is responsible for enforcing all federal, state and local government laws and regulations. This is in addition to its responsibility to investigate cases, prosecute offenders, control traffic and do other welfare activities. Little wonder that the Nigeria Police Force is more ineffective, insufficient and corrupt that it was more than 30 years ago.”

    The analysis of the distributions of powers between the centre and regions at independence and later, between the federal and state governments in post-1966 showed that federalism has derailed in Nigeria. Sekoni pointed out that, in 1960, there were 45 items on the Exclusive List, while there were 29 on the Concurrent List. In 1979, federalism had already shown sign of strains. While the items on the Exclusive List had jumped from 45 to 66, those on the Concurrent List had only increased from 29to 30. Also, Agbeyegbe observed that, in the 1999 Constitution, which came into effect following the promulgation of Decree No. 24 of 1999, the Exclusive List, which the federal government could legislate upon, had increased to 68. “That means that the subject matter, which fell within the competence of the regions or states, have been hijacked. Even, the 30-item Concurrent List in that constitution gives unqualified precedence to the centre over the federating units. We are now ‘federal’ only in name”, he said.

    But, is hope lost for true federalism in Nigeria? Sagay said: “Any constitution review should make the restoration of true federalism a cardinal objective”. Adebanjo said the contentious issues would be debated at the national conference. But, will the report see the light of the day? Will the conference restore true federalism?

  • ‘PDP should restore party discipline’

    ‘PDP should restore party discipline’

    Former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Hon. Chibudom Nwuche spoke with reporters in Lagos on the crises rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the perceived 2015 ambition of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    The Baraje faction of the PDP has declared tha President

    Goodluck Jonathan would be gunning for the third term, if he seeks re-election in 2015. How do you react to this?

    As far as I’m concerned, there is no faction in the PDP because Nigerians were witnesses to the colourful and well attended convention, where every state in Nigeria was represented. It was covered live on television and we had a free and transparent primaries that began from 10 a.m to almost midnight. Before we dispersed, we elected officials in a free and fair manner before the INEC and other observers. So, if a few people felt disgruntled and decided to create and impression of a split by walking out, I think it is not consequential. In a family as big as ours, if certain persons walk out, even though they may be governors to me, it doesn’t affect the family because it’s a big family. PDP is a party that has come to stay.

    I want to also caution that those who don’t respect the President are showing disdain for Nigerians. You cannot have the President of a country seated in a convention and you walk out. That was a bad behaviour and Nigerians must tell them off.

    So, I don’t believe that we have a faction. We have disagreements, which the party, in its usual manner will solve and people should understand that the PDP has come to stay. That is why those that are aggrieved do not want to leave the party and they want to carry the same name again, if possible. I think that the problems we have are surmountable. They are problems within a family and they will be solved. People should understand that they mustn’t take extreme positions because ultimately, we will sit together as family and solve the problems. So, you must not show disrespect to the president of a country by walking out because you offend Nigerians, who gave him the mandate by doing so. Again, it is also an office that you hope to occupy one day. How will the governors feel if the local government chairmen walked out on them at a ceremony in their States? They will not like it.

    On the argument of a third term, the President I know and which most Nigerians will admit, has been President for only one term and he is going to do a second term in 2015 by the grace of God, if Nigerians give him the support. If he declares for the Presidency and wins the votes, he will do a second term, not third term.

    The argument is that, if he wins the 2015 elections, he will be sworn in the third time, having been sworn in as Acting President and as a President?

    When he was sworn in the first time as a President, he was sworn in to complete somebody’s tenure. Are you saying that he should do only six years as President of a country and not eight years? He should do eight years. The first time he was sworn in as President, he was finishing the tenure of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua (may his soul rest in peace),who passed on unfortunately. It wasn’t his doing that Yar’Adua died. What should he have done? He had to complete the joint mandate that they had and that was another man’s tenure that he was completing. His own tenure began in 2011.

    You are saying that walking out of the national convention shows disrespect to the President?

    Not only to the President, but Nigerians as a whole. Nigerians have a stake in the Presidency because they voted for the President and, if Nigerians want him to be President, it should be respected by everybody, including governors.

    So, what do you think should be the appropriate punishment for any party member ,who shows such a disposition and disrespect?

    The party constitution prescribes clear measures. First of all, if you form a faction or to split the party, it is anti-party and the punishment is suspension and expulsion. It is very clear in the constitution. But in this case, our elders have intervened in the crisis and they have agreed that everybody should sheath their swords. I hope that the agreements will hold and in this instance, we cannot really apply the constitution. We hope that everybody will sit as a family, but we should also learn the lessons that, in the future, we should not try to split the party unnecessarily.

    Shortly after the peace meeting in Abuja, the aggrieved PDP members visited the National Assembly. Was that not suggestive that dialogue has collapsed?

    I think that the dialogue, as I said, is still on and it has been adjourned till the October 7. We shall keep appealing to people that they should realise the value of the platform they currently are in. Most people, who are in politics, their victories, be it landslide in their states, be it by majority vote, owe it to the party they are in. The PDP is a driving force. The PDP is the vehicle they are in. They will be surprised that, if they were to leave the party and go somewhere else, they will be walking alone. For instance, in my state, if anybody leaves the party to another party, he will go alone because our people are for the PDP. They don’t care about any new PDP because they know the PDP that we all know, of which Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader. That is what they know about.

    They don’t know about any new PDP. So, anybody who leaves the party and goes elsewhere, you can’t just take Nigerians to any other place. They are used to a particular culture and a particular party. So, if anybody decides to leave the party and go to another party, he may not be able to command the kind of crowd he believes he will command. He will be walking alone and I think they should have a rethink.

    In politics, what devalues a politician is constant movement. I am a founding member of the PDP since 1998 and I have been in the party since then till now. The party hasn’t been fair to me in many instances, but I’m still in the party. In England, if you are in a particular party like the Labour Party, you will stay there for live. Sometimes, you may run for eight years and at other times, you lose. So, people must learn to focus on the ideology within the party. You shouldn’t see a party as a vehicle only for getting benefits and once you are not favoured, you leave the party for another party. It doesn’t show consistency. That is why I advocate that politicians must have a the party interest so that desperation of going from place to place will not be there.

    As one of the organisers, what were the noticeable ills that dot the convention?

    No convention can be perfect because perfection belongs only to God, just as no elections are perfect. Yes, there were minor complaints in very few states, but I don’t think they were adequate to affect the overall outcome. I will say that, if out of 10 you score 9, then, you’ve passed. You did very well and Nigerians have to see this fact. The convention went very well according to international standards. Nigerians saw it clearly on the TV and those who were there live saw it as well. So, to talk about it being cancelled, you can’t do that. You cannot have something that you scored over 90 percent and you say it has failed.

    The seven governors have said that the President entered into an agreement with them not to re-contest in 2015. As a party leader, are you privy to such agreement?

    I have no idea at all of any agreement. Agreements that are made between party stakeholders may not have been made with other stakeholders. Agreements that are made secretly but nobody can verify such agreement and I think people should disregard all such talks.

    You cannot bind people behind their backs. The President holds a mandate for all the people and I’m not sure the agreement they talk about exists. They haven’t shown us the agreements. Even, if they were to show us such agreements, they will not be valid because I’m a lawyer. So, I think those things are mere sentimental distractions. If the President wants to run for a second term, they should allow him to contest and defeat him, if they can at the polls. Of course, that is, if the President wishes to contest. So far, he hasn’t said he wants to contest, but they mustn’t abridge his rights with a purported agreement, even before he declares. Those who say he signed an agreement with them, do they own the country? How come he had an agreement with them? What is their own stake? Do they have more stake than myself in Nigeria? What is their own locus that prompted an agreement with them? Is it because they own the country or what? Nigeria is owned in common by all of us. Nobody has a right to force another person to have an agreement with him over a property that we all own together. It’s our country and we are governed by the constitution. Whatever is not allowed there, we shall leave it. What is allowed, we contest it.

    Do you think that the President should re-contest?

    First of all, he has a constitutional right to contest and I believe that he has done very well and his records are there for anybody to see. He deserves to re-contest if he so wishes and if he does, I’m sure that he will get the support of Nigerians.

    But what I must urge at this time is that we should not focus attention too much on the second term ambition of Mr. President for 2015. We have close to a year and six months to go and he can still do a lot by trying to address the major problems that confront the country like insecurity, provision of infrastructure, educational backwardness, medical health, infant mortality etcetera.

  • Atiku to PDP: restore my rights

    Atiku to PDP: restore my rights

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for the restoration of his rights as a senior member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Atiku, a founding member of the PDP, left the party after his disagreement with former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a result of which he was forced out of reckoning.

    He left to contest the 2007 presidential election on the ticket of the Action Congress (AC).

    Atiku retuned to the PDP in 2010 and got a waiver approved at the PDP National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on September 15, 2010.

    He subsequently contested the presidential ticket of the party with President Jonathan. He lost.

    But Atiku has not been participating in PDP’s activities. He has not been getting invitations, according to his associates.

    “He is being tactfully de-registered, yet again so that he does not realise his full right as a member of the party,” the associates said.

    Atiku was not invited to the last National Economic Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja. He is also not invited to meetings of the Board of Trustees (BoT), led by Chief Tony Anenih.

    The latest exclusion of the former VP from the party’s activities is the dropping of his name from the delegates’ list to the mini-convention, which will hold later this month.

    Atike last month wrote to PDP National Chairman Bamanga Tukur about his exclusion from the list. He is yet to get a reply to the letter. Atiku hails from Adamawa State. Tukur is also from Adamwa.

    In his letter, Atiku described his exclusion as “curious”, saying it amounted to the withdrawal of his privileges as a former number two citizen, founding father of the ruling party and member of the Board of Trustees (BoT).

    Atiku, who claimed that his enquiries at the PDP National Secretariat confirmed the omission, urged the PDP National Chairman to make a public statement on the matter as a prelude to the correction of the anomaly and restoration of his right as a party leader.

    The former Vice President recalled that he had been prevented from re-registering at his ward in the past by those who hijacked the party from the legitimate founding fathers.

    He said the omission of his name contradicted the PDP Constitution. He recalled that he applied for and obtained a waiver along with other returnees to the party to participate in the last presidential primaries. He alleged that the amended constitution of the party was being implemented proactively to shove him aside from the party.

    Atiku said: “Section 8, Sub-section 8(b) of the Constitution of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 2012, as amended, states that “a person who desires to rejoin the party after leaving it, unless given a waiver by the National Executive Committee of our party, be placed on probation for a period of less than one year.

    “The 53th meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of our party, which held on Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at the PDP Secretariat, approved the application of the Adamawa State Executive Committee for my waiver alongside similar applications from Imo, Abia, Anambra and Kogi states. as a result of that waiver, I proceeded to participate in the presidential primaries of our great party as well as other activities of the party. So, my membership or return to the party predated the 2012 constitution amendment”.

    Abubakar maintained that the omission of his name contradicted the Section 32, Sub-section 1(a) of the PDP Constitution, which states that the Board of Trustees members shall consist of “all past and serving Presidents and Vice Presidents, who held or hold the respective posts as the members of the party and who are still members of the party”.

    He added: “As a member of our party, I look forward to the respect and privileges conferred on the office of the Vice President and founding fathers of the party by our party constitution. I therefore, request for a correction and restitution of my right to attend the forth-coming special national convention of our great party and also membership of the Board of Trustees”.