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Tag: resurgence

  • Cleric sad over resurgence of Ekiti killings

    A Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) cleric, Prophet Sam Olu Alo, has expressed regrets over the recent surge in wave of killings in Ekiti State.

    Alo was reacting to the killing of the Board Member representing Ekiti State in the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Mr. Bunmi Ojo, on August 10 at a viewing centre in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital while watching a live football match.

    The state has been gripped by spate of killings in recent times which has caused panic among residents.

    The clergyman who spoke with reporters on Sunday after a special service in his church stressed that the killing of Ojo, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not ordinary.

    Alo claimed that Ojo was killed by people he described as “enemies”, adding that the killing was an evidence that Nigerian politicians don’t love one another.

    He predicted many “powerful politicians” jumping from one party to the other in the name of defections would soon become irrelevant.”

    Despite the agitation of youths to assume leadership of the country through Not Too Young To Rule campaign, Alo said the salvation of Nigeria lies with the elderly and not the younger generation.

    The cleric said: “Ekiti elders in the Lord had called me over the recent spate of killings and what God has revealed to me is that there is lack of love among politicians and this made them to be killing themselves.

    “The killing of Bunmi Ojo is not ordinary. The spirit of God is telling me that his killing isn’t ordinary and he has something over which he was killed.

    “Some enemies are behind it. But I do not think it was as a result of an attack by cultists. Elderly men of God said the late Ojo has been very instrumental to helping the youths and I do not think the cultists can attack such a person.”

    Speaking on the gale of defections, Alo said: “As for defections, I

    foresee a situation where some big names in politics today will become irrelevant tomorrow.

    “The problem of this nation can only be solved from the house of God, Christians and Moslems and those of other religion have to ensure that we change things for the better from the church.

    “Men of God should stop being partisan and taking sides with political parties or politicians for their selfish interests.

    “Men of God should say the truth and always defend the truth. They must also not have religious bias in dealing with our leaders and politicians and in addressing issues of national interest.”

  • Resurgence of Middle Belt Forum

    On Monday, July 16, the people who constitute what is supposedly referred to as the Middle Belt Region (MBR) of Nigeria converged on Makurdi, the Benue State capital. The assemblage of these leaders had just one agenda: to examine the plethora of issues and challenges bedeviling the region and to also drum support for the restructuring of the country.

    Several prominent sons and daughters of the region attended this August gathering including two governors, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Dairus Ishaku of Taraba State.  But the delegations from southwest and southeastern parts of the country, on solidarity participation in the parley, were reportedly denied landing rights by the aviation authorities’.

    Apart from lamentations of denial of political patronage and development generally, one speaker after the other took turns to condemn the incessant and endemic attacks on communities within the region by herdsmen. Such attacks have annoyingly led to the loss of thousands of lives, destruction of properties and also, the displacement of thousands of citizens from their ancestral homes.

    I am aware that the Middle Belt has been through this path before now and what the conference is trying to do is really nothing new. Founding fathers in the region tried it before, successes were achieved and grave challenges encountered in the process, but the journey truncated mid-way.  We are bound to commit same mistakes again, if not today, then in future.

    Gven Nigeria’s present constitutional cum geographical arrangements which presently serve as a basis for power sharing, Central Nigeria/Middle Belt comprise Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger and Plateau states. Regrettably, only two governors in these states attended this August meeting.

    Why? The region is sharply divided along ethnic, but more seriously, along religious lines. Unlike other regions that enjoy some semblance of homogeneity linguistically and religiously, the Middle Belt region is not so. This largely explains why it is the only region that does not have a forum where their governors meet to discuss issues of common interests.

    Away from that, there is a sense in which historically, the region has experienced what I would call a fragile unity shortly before and since the attainment of independence. For instance, the idea of a separate Middle Belt Region originated from the Northern Nigeria Non-Muslim League (NNNML) formed by a small group of Christian leaders in 1949. It was this league that later metamorphosed severally and finally, as the United Middle Belt Congress (UMBC). It became the fulcrum of mobilization in the region particularly in the years leading to independence and thereafter.

    The dream and aspirations of the people of the region for self-determination was the overriding factor in the political horse trading posture of the area before and after independence.  And so, the UMBC-AG alliance of 1959 (which later collapsed following the victory of the NPC) would subsequently lead to the fractionalization of the party, as individuals and groups defected to other parties.

    With the electoral victory of the NPC at the centre and the collapse of the UMBC/AG alliance, the central coordinating organ of the Middle Belt became weak, broken and dashed. As a result, some ethnic groups within pitched tents with the hitherto deserted NPC.

    This experienced marked the beginning of politics of patronage. This effectively ended MBR’s politics of opposition to the northern hegemony within the north or in Nigeria generally.

    As a result of this political misfortune that befell the region between 1959 and 1964, the UMBC became essentially a Tiv affair, as its operational base was shifted to Gboko by its president, Joseph Tarka.

    In the Second Republic, some of the Middle Belt politicians such as J.S. Tarka, who had criticized the northern oligarchy in the First Republic, ostensibly due to personal gains, joined the same political party formed by the same northern oligarchy – the National Party of Nigeria (NPN). Several states in the region would in the passage of time join the northern oligarchy.

    This injurious posture by leaders of MBR  has been replicated in subsequent democratic dispensations-   1999-2003, 2003-2007,  2007 -2011,  and worse in 2015,  as the  entire states that constitute the region shifted their tents to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The failure of the region to achieve set goals as shown from the events of the First and Second Republics and the present Fourth Republic, stem from the fact that the elites in the region have been enmeshed in politics of patronage which is antithetical to the logic of the region as espoused by its founding fathers.

    The decay took a nosedive in the present dispensation. For instance, despite the region’s involvement in mainstream politics in the last 19 years, it is difficult to see the practical benefits in terms of infrastructure and development.

    It may be apt to argue that the killings in the region and perhaps, the need to canvass for the restructuring of the country may have necessitated the convocation of the Makurdi Conference. But my observation when I visited the Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida (IBB) Square, venue of the event would indicate that some elites in the region are possibly on the march to yet another political machination to satisfy personal and selfish ends to emasculate the MBR.

    First, the meeting is coming few months to the 2019 general elections. The fundamental question is why now? Secondly, the venue of the event was inundated with posters of contestants into various elective offices, which blighted the main purpose of the event, ordinarily aimed at critically discussing the variegated challenges confronting the region.

    Thirdly, I still do not see the ideology upon which the resurgent struggle is built upon. What is the ideological foundation that would be used to unite the various multi-ethnic and multi-religious groups in the region for the purpose of achieving set goals? History has taught us that politics and partisanship led to the break up of this union in the First Republic. What is it that we are doing differently now to sustain this reunion? This is critical, if the region must chart a new course.

    The major challenge confronting the region presently is the herders’ attacks.  However, the body language of the governors of the region does not seem to suggest that they are on the same page as far as checkmating the killing spree by the marauding herders is concerned, as manifest in the revulsion of the governors to the passage of Open Grazing Prohibition Bill into Law, indiscernibly preferring other reconciliatory approaches, which is a problem itself.

    As 2019 approaches, there is likely to be political convulsion epitomized by the infiltration of the forum by politicians from other sections of the country.  Several elites and political hawks in the region are more interested in achieving personal benefits rather than group or collective attainments. And it signifies that the intention of the forum is likely to end up as a déjà vu.

    While there is need to have a MBF, such a union must be deeply rooted in a solid ideology to drive the process. Such an ideology must be inclusive and must necessarily carry the people in the region along irrespective of language, religion and culture and devoid of politics and partisanship.

    This would afford the region the opportunity to carry out periodic SWOT analysis of its activities. Also, governors of the region – clearly defined – must come to a round table and chart a course for the area. Such a meeting would provide an opportunity for peer review with a view to meeting the ends of development.

     

    • Ukase, PhD is of the Department of History and International Studies,

    Kogi State University, Anyigba.

  • Update on Odu’a group’s resurgence

    Update on Odu’a group’s resurgence

    Whatever may be their personal idiosyncrasies, political inclinations or attitudinal dispositions, the current crop of South West governors deserve commendation for the efforts and energies they have expended thus far in pursuing the cause of South West regional economic integration. It is under the purview of the current governors, for instance, that the Development Agenda of Western Nigeria (DAWN) was established to serve as the intellectual powerhouse to generate ideas and provide a forum of robust discourse to constantly renew and strengthen the cause of South West regional economic integration.

    A momentous milestone was reached in this regard when, on assumption of office of Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode as Governor of Lagos State in 2015, the region’s Megacity state officially became a formal member of the Oodu’a Group of Companies in February, 2016, through the Ibile Holdings, the Lagos State Investment Company thus bringing the phenomenal asset base and economic potential of Lagos to bear on the fortunes of the Oodu’a conglomerate. Throughout 2017, the South West governors demonstrated their commitment to the economic integration of the region and one can say that the South West is showing the light for others to find the way in this regard. At various times in 2017, the South West governors held meetings to assess and deepen the process of South West integration in Ado-EKiti, Ekiti State, in February 2017; Abeokuta, Ogun State, in July, 2017; and a South West Economic Forum in Ibadan on November, 21, 2017.

    The governors utilized each of these deliberative sessions to elaborate on their plans for a collaborative developmental enterprise in diverse areas including education, agriculture, security, transport, infrastructure, trade, commerce and sports. Some of the far reaching goals and objectives the governors set for themselves include harnessing the competitive advantage of constituent states for sustainable regional development; the establishment of a Western Nigeria Export Development Initiative (WENEDI) to drive the region’s export potentials; the codification of Yoruba values and ethos to strengthen Yoruba identity and unity of purpose; building a multi-modal transportation system, including highways, water and air, energy and power and the adoption of the South West Regional Integrated Commercial and Agricultural Development Programme (RICARD) with Lagos earmarked to be at the vanguard of a structured regional food exchange programme.

    It is not surprising that in their determined pursuit of regional economic integration and cooperation in the South West, the region’s governors have opted to utilize the Oodu’a Group of companies, a massive investment outfit that traces its roots to Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s visionary Action Group (AG) Western Region Government in the First Republic, as its Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) in this regard. Although the conglomerate had been largely moribund before the assumption of office of the current Mr. Adewale Raji-led management team in 2014, its resurgence and growing financial vibrancy must have encouraged the governors to place their confidence in it for the realization of their regional economic integration objectives.

    For instance, the Group’s audited accounts revealed that its Profit Before Tax grew from N378 million to N597 million in 2015 thus making it possible to pay the sums of N167 million and N194 million respectively as dividends to its shareholders for the 2014 and 2015 financial years. It is instructive that no such dividends had been paid in the preceding six years. Impressed by the performance of the conglomerate under its new management, the owner State governors, after a meeting in Ibadan on January 19, 2016, resolved to help raise the company’s revenue base from N4 billion to N20 billion in 2019. They also resolved to re-position Oodu’a Investment Company as the engine room for the economic growth of the South West.

    Even more importantly, the governors resolved to allow the conglomerate to run as a purely commercial and professional outfit without the political interference and partisan interventions that had impeded its progress over the years. Given a free hand to operate professionally, the Adewale Raji-led management team has also corrected critical organizational lapses that had helped erode the efficacy and profitability of the Oodu’a Group over the years. For instance, in his anniversary lecture to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Oodu’a Group in December, 2016, Professor Wale Omole (OFR) had noted that “It is disturbing that a Board of a conglomerate will have neither the Statutory Audit Committee, nor Finance and General Purposes Committee. This is a clear violation of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990 (CAMA). How are domestic reports dealt with? Where is the heart of the business? Where are strategies formulated, evaluated, tested and refined?”.

    With these gaping loopholes plugged by the Adewale Raji-led management team with the staunch support of the Board Chairman, Engineer Olusola Akinwumi, and other board members as well as owner state governors, it is not surprising that the Oodu’a Group continues to consolidate on the recovery and gains of the last four years. Thus, the company announced a profit before tax of N789 million from a turnover of N1.89 billion for the financial year ended 31st December, 2016. As a result of this performance, the Group declared and paid out a gross dividend of N277 million to its shareholders, which represents a 43% increase over the N194 million paid for the 2015 financial year.

    Despite the effects of the recession from which the economy is only gradually emerging, Oodu’a Group’s revenue in 2016 grew by 11.3% while profit increased by 32% in comparison with the 2015 financial year. Even though much of this year will be given to electioneering campaigns towards next year’s elections, it is important that the South West governors do not relent or allow themselves to be distracted from their laudable efforts towards regional economic integration particularly through DAWN and the resurgent Oodu’a Group.

     

    Icon of change

    All too often, most of us look to those in key leadership positions especially at the political level to initiate and embody the change we desire to see in our society.  Thus, we tend to believe that the positive change we crave for can only begin and end with President Muhammadu Buhari, state governors, national and state legislators or other leaders who hold prominent positions of influence. Yet, there are others who believe that change can actually begin with their personal examples in the little corners in which they find themselves. This was probably what the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohamed meant when he launched his ‘change begins with me’ campaign early in the life of this administration.

    One of such self-motivated, highly influential change agents in their professional spheres is Dr. Benjamin, Oluwatosin, Olowojebutu, a dynamic, 36-year old medical doctor and surgeon who graduated from the College of Medicine, University of Lagos, in 2006. An alumnus of the 2017 Leadership in International Health Management, University of Washington, USA, Dr. Olowojebutu was on the 1999 Merit List for academic excellence of the University of Lagos and the best biology student in Lagos State JETS competition in 1997 in addition to several other professional and academic awards.

    Dr. Benjamin Olowojebutu
    Olowojebutu

    After stints at various private hospitals across the country, this dynamic professional established the Liberty-Life Hospital, Ogudu, Lagos, in 2016 where he is Medical Director. If the acquisition of wealth was his primary preoccupation, Dr Olowojebutu would have absolutely no problems given his consummate skills. However, this is a medical doctor with a difference. He is motivated by compassionate and altruistic considerations. Thus, in 2016, Liberty Life Hospital conducted 865 free medical screening and surgeries for indigent persons. In September 2017, his hospital undertook 85 free surgeries for hernia, hydrocele, breast lumps and Lipoma. And between October and December, 2017, he carried out free fibroid surgeries on 57 indigent women.

    For 2018, Dr. Olowojebutu and his team are scheduled to carry out free surgeries for hernia, hydrocele, breast lump, Lipoma, Keloids and fibroids from April 9th – 27th; August 6th – 24th and December 3rd-21st. More than 70 indigent persons have already registered for the first set of free surgeries in April. Surely, this patriotic and selfless icon of change deserves the moral and financial support of Nigerians.  

  • Resurgence of waste will soon be over, Ambode assures

    Resurgence of waste will soon be over, Ambode assures

    •Inaugurates new board of environmental sanitation corps

    The resurgence of waste on major highways and streets of Lagos will soon be over Governor Akinwunmi Ambode assured yesterday.

    He said the government was working round the clock to tackle the menace.

    Ambode spoke after inaugurating the new board of the Lagos State Environmental Sanitation Corps (LAGESC) to be headed by a retired Assistant Commissioner of Police as Corps Marshal, Daniel Isiofia.

    The governor said the new waste management policy of government encapsulated in the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) was designed to holistically address the challenges in the sector.

    He said adequate officials of LAGESC transformed from the former Kick Against Indiscipline (KAI) have been employed to police all nooks and crannies of the State to curb indiscriminate dumping of waste and other acts inimical to clean, hygienic and sustainable environment.

    Ambode, who was represented at the inauguration by his Special Adviser on Education, Obafela Bank-Olemoh, said concerted efforts were ongoing to clear the heaps of refuse across the metropolis.

    He assured there would be marked improvement in coming days. He said: “We are all living witnesses to the restructuring we are trying to do in the environmental sector.

    “That restructuring culminated in the introduction of CLI which is focused at ensuring that the way we clean Lagos is comparable to what is being done in first class cities in the world.

    “As a result, we are changing the way environment in Lagos is being managed and to help us to achieve that, this Sanitation Corp is important.

    “But more importantly now is to speak to the fact that yes, we are having some challenges in the area of waste management in Lagos today.

    “We all live in Lagos but I want to reaffirm that we are doing everything to ensure that this becomes a thing of the past.”

    The Governor, who recalled similar challenges in the State in 1999 under the administration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, expressed optimism in the workability of the new initiative, saying that the challenges with the teething stages would soon be over.

    “Let me assure the people that in the coming weeks, there will be improvement.

    “We are already witnessing a high-level of improvement; we promise that throughout this week and throughout next week, people will see a marked improvement in our State as more equipment come in to the country and we are able to deploy the equipment accordingly.”

     

  • The resurgence of Boko Haram and unfolding questions

    BY appointing the National Security Adviser, General Baba Gana Monguno (rtd), Lt-General Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army, and Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar, the Air Force boss, all from the North-east, President Muhammadu Buhari was making a statement. The National Assembly was also aware of the happenings in the North-east where Senator Abu kyari was made Chairman, Committee on Defence, and until recently, Mallam Aliyu Betera, Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence. While General Monguno hails from the Monguno Local Government Area of Borno State, General Buratai is from the Biu Local Government Area of the state. Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar hails from Gombe State. Senator Abu Kyari and Mallam Betera are both from Borno State.

    Thus, from the onset of his administration, President Buhari and the National Assembly deliberately or thoughtfully entrusted the battle against the insurgency to men from the North-east with Borno taking the lion’s share. Commenting on these appointments, the Governor of Borno State, Hon. Kashim Shettima, said: “Borno could not have asked for more?” He is absolutely right, for it is the man wearing the shoes that knows where they pinch.

    There is a Yoruba proverb which says the masquerade has given birth to his child, how to dance well is not the father’s responsibility. Besides these appointments, President Buhari gave the military the capability and capacity to bark and bite through the provision of weapons, incentives and an order to subdue the insurgency in three months. At the end of the deadline and beyond, the military gave a good account of itself. All the local government areas occupied by the terrorists were taken back in all the states concerned, while the heat on the insurgents was intensified through ground and air attacks. The climax was late December, 2016 when the military demystified Boko Haram by occupying the Camp Zero, the headquarters of the Boko Haram sect in the Sambisa forest.

    Ever since, the profile of the military in terms performance has been rising. We have been told repeatedly that:“Boko Haram has been degraded and and would not be in a position to take over any local government or community again.” While people sleep with their two eyes closed,the economy of the affected zone, especially Borno State, the epic centre of the insurgency, is gradually picking up. Both the federal government and states concerned have intensified efforts at the rehabilitation and reconstruction programme, especially in the relocation of the over one and a half million Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their respective communities.

    Borno State that took the lion’s share of the IDPs established the Ministry of Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Resettlement and pledged that by May 2017, all the IDPs in the state would be relocated to their permanent homes. As a matter of fact, thousands of the IDPs were relocated to their original communities in Benisheikh, Konduga, Gwoza and others.

    Encouraging as these efforts and commendations are, the dramatic events for about two months now have negatively impacted on the forward match, especially in the rehabilitation and resettlement process. The sudden upsurge of the activities of the insurgents in some parts of Borno, especially in Maiduguri, the state capital, is to say the least frightening and worrisome. For example, for weeks now, the state capital has no respite from a series of suicide bombings and attacks from the insurgents. Even on the eve of the recent visit of the Acting President Yemi Osibanjo to the state, Maiduguri was under siege. For about a month now, the University of Maiduguri has experienced not less than ten bomb blasts with attendant causalities, including security personnel.

    From June 25 to 26 instant, Maiduguri and its environs recorded seven bomb blasts with many killed and injured. The Maiduguri – Damboa – Biu Road which leads to the southern part of the state which travellers use daily under military escort to other parts of the state has now become a death trap as the insurgents attack at will, killing passengers, taking some hostage and taking away their goods, especially, foodstuffs. Even the decision of the Borno State government to relocate all the IDPs to their homes by May 2017 has been put on hold for security reasons.

    Sadly, the pervading fear and uncertainty that originally engulfed the people at the inception of the insurgency is now back with a sense of hopelessness, despair and lack of confidence in the governance gradually creeping in and questions are being asked: How come the sudden turn of events where people are driven from certainty to uncertainty? How come the sudden resurgence of the insurgency with no commensurate response from the military? Could there be a fifth columnist within the authority concerned to undermine the efforts of both the government and military in favour of the insurgents? Why is it that insurgency remains in Borno, whereas Yobe and Adamawa states are witnessing peace? Who wants Borno destroyed? How true is the allegation that some individuals in the military would prefer the war to continue? At a time, the military, in a statement, warned that some prominent men and politicians from the Northeast, especially from Borno, are undermining efforts to end the insurgency for their own gains.

    Are the accused be the brains behind the present ordeal of the people? Who are the sponsors of this heinous crime? Are they untouchable? Who wants to make Borno Afghanistan? Who wants to pull back the wheel of progress of this administration? These are some of the questions that now rattle the minds of the distressed ones in the zone. If the insurgency persists in Borno, the elite as well the politicians from the state in particular, would not escape the harsh judgement of history as they had the opportunity to reverse the trend for better, but they refused.

  • Super Four: Pyagbara predicts Enyimba’s resurgence

    Super Four: Pyagbara predicts Enyimba’s resurgence

    Enyimba striker,  Christian Pyagbara is confident that the reigning Nigeria Professional Football League (NPFL) Champions will make a bigger statement at the second leg of the NPFL Super Four Tournament billed to start in Uyo on Monday.

    The People’s Elephant are placed 2nd after the conclusion of the Kaduna leg of the 2016 Super Four tournament courtesy of their one win, one draw and one loss record at the Ahmadu Bello Stadium.

    In a chat to www.npfl.ng, the soft-spoken Pyagbara said he expects that the more time spent together by his richly talented team, the better the results they will get.

    “We’ve been training hard since the end of the Kaduna tournament and we will always be training hard. You know there are many new players here and I’m sure as we spend time with each other, our results will get better,” said the former Flying Eagles star.

    Pyagbara, who joined from relegated Sharks Football Club scored his first goal for Enyimba in their 2-0 win over Warri Wolves in his team’s last match at the Kaduna Super Four. A native of Gokana in Rivers State, the attacker is delighted to have quickly gotten off the ground with his new team and is ready to make contributions to the team’s success.

    “I am doing my best to contribute to the success of the team and I am happy to have scored on my second start. It eases the pressure on you as a striker and the coach has told us he would field us based on how we perform during training sessions. So I will continue to give my best to ensure the team performs well,” added Pyagbara.

    Having amassed four points from three matches in Kaduna, Pyagbara is fully aware of what the team has to do in Uyo starting from Monday if they hope to be crowned Super Four Champions.

    “I strongly believe we have all it takes to win the Super Four at Uyo. All we need to do is to put our heads together, play like a team and help one another. I’m sure that with the quality we have, we will achieve victory,” he said.

  • Mancini hoping for resurgence

    Mancini hoping for resurgence

    Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini hopes Sunday’s 3-0 home triumph over Palermo will be a turning point in their season.

    Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini hopes Sunday’s 3-0 home triumph over Palermo will be a turning point in their season.

    The Nerazzurri had won just one of their previous six league games heading into the encounter at the San Siro.

    The victory halted a three-match losing run for Inter and lifted them to ninth in the Serie A table.

    “We hope the patient (Inter) has finally healed,” Mancini told his club’s official website. “But we must continue to train hard.

    “We played a great game against Palermo and things are starting to turn for the better for us.”

    Inter had lost their previous two league games, a 1-0 defeat to Torino followed by a 3-1 loss at Sassuolo, to pile the pressure on Mancini, who replaced the sacked Walter Mazzarri in November.

    “It’s clear that when you win, things seem different,” Mancini said. “But the fact is that we had done well in other games before this one.

    “The only difference is that we won against Palermo.

    “I believe in recent weeks we have done better than our results suggested and I’m sorry for my players because I really have seen them work hard in training.

    “We still have to improve.”

    Inter are 13 points adrift of third-place Napoli, who hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.

    The Nerazzurri travel to Bergamo on Sunday to face Atalanta, before taking on Celtic in Glasgow in the Europa League last 32 first leg on February 19.

  • Resurgence of politics without bitterness, and ideology?

    Resurgence of politics without bitterness, and ideology?

    The facile claim by most politicians in our country that politics is a game of number does not apply to indiscriminate recruitment or admittance of members of ideologically opposed political parties

    As he exits the All Progressives Congress (APC) and migrates to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Nuhu Ribadu, a one-time fellow at the Centre for Global Development for his reputation as Nigeria’s anti-corruption czar thrown into irrelevance by the same party that appointed him to the country’s anti-corruption agency, re-introduced recently into the polity what Alhaji Waziri Ibrahim of Greater Nigerian People’s Party during the second republic called ‘politics without bitterness.’ In the same breath, Malam Ribadu raised the problem of the scrambling of the culture of progressive politics in the country.

    Ribadu’s commitment to the politics of bitterness is unmistakable in his letter of withdrawal from the party that sponsored him as its presidential candidate in 2011: “My defection shouldn’t be seen as an initiation of political antagonism with my good friends in another party. I still hold them in high esteem, and even where there are marked differences, I believe there are decorous and honourable ways of resolving them.” He also added that there is no desire for any short-term gratification or love of ‘stomach infrastructure’ in his migration from APC to PDP, adding: “I wish to assure you that my defection is in pursuit of a good cause and never out of any selfish interests.”  Ribadu’s assurances should be believable, given the moral high ground that he occupied at the time he was head-hunted to run as ACN presidential candidate at the end of his fellowship at the Centre for Global Development in Washington.

    There will be many more qualified observers of partisan politics to comment on Ribadu’s choice of PDP as a platform for him to pursue his project of good cause. Today’s piece is about how Ribadu’s abrupt exit from APC, which he co-founded with other leaders of the Action Congress of Nigeria, provides  motivation for a narrative about the threat to the tradition of progressive politics in the country’s post-military era. When individuals like Ribadu migrate from APC to PDP and others like Nyako transfer their political seat from PDP to APC, students of political affairs are bound to raise questions about the character of progressive politics and parties.

    To call one party or movement progressive in the context of Nigeria is to recognise the role of ideology in the organisation of the polity and society. In Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History,” he predicted that the end of the cold war may lead to the end of major ideological conflict in the world at large. However, Fukuyama added that in countries that have not attained liberal democracy as a dominant value, the tendency for conflicts remains until such countries accept the inevitability of liberal democracy. This implies that there will be reasons for creating ideologies in transitional societies like Nigeria until the end of history, if Fukuyama’s theory is accepted as capable of explaining human historical trajectory.

    From the 1950s till date, there has been the imperative for any political party created by the Yoruba to construct a clear ideology that presents its vision and mission statements to the electorate, as a means of mobilising for citizens’ support. Whether it was the Action Group, the Unity Party of Nigeria of Awolowo’s time (with no reference to the use of such names by contemporary politicians), the Social Democratic Party, the Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress, Action Congress of Nigeria, and now the All Progressives Congress, politicians in the Yoruba region have always known that any party that wants to be listened to by the generality of voters in the region must present a progressive face and agenda.

    It was the belief that most Yoruba people are politically ‘to the left of the ideological spectrum’ that also explained why it was the SDP (a little to the left party) out of the two party-structures created by General Babangida that the Yoruba espoused in 1993, leaving the non-threatening number of Yoruba conservatives to NRC. The recognition among a majority of Yoruba people that government exists for the sake of the governed also explained the attraction of Yoruba intellectuals to Aminu Kano’s NEPU or Balarabe Musa’s PRP.

    Now that the country’s presidential system makes it easy for politics of personalities or god-fathers to eclipse that of ideology or of ideas, it is understandable when governors or former governors catch headlines when they migrate out of and into parties whimsically. The fact that political parties no longer scrutinise the ideological leanings or credentials of politicians crossing into their folds should be a source of worry for truly progressive politicians and thinkers. Most of the nomadic politicians that move from one party to the other are more besotted to power than to service to the people. This also explains why most of such politicians have no qualms in moving back to their first political party when their assessment of their new political party changes. To such itinerant politicians, a political party’s normative vision is of no relevance. What matters is the opportunity to use their belonging to or disengaging from political parties as a bargaining chip for power and privilege.

    It is too soon to point at what made Ribadu run from APC to PDP. It is also premature to say that he will not run back to APC from PDP later. What is important is for political parties that are progressive and want to be seen to be progressive not to leave the gate to the party wide open. There needs to be a mechanism within the culture of progressive parties to resist the temptation of being ensnared or seduced by individuals capable largely of generating sound bites and hype. What makes multi-party democracy meaningful is the distinctiveness in the vision and mission of each political party in contest with others for state power, not the readiness of parties to serve as fall-out shelters for members of other political parties.

    What has been obvious in the last fifteen years of post-military governance is the search by the ruling party for a one-party system. The saying that the PDP will be the party in power for the next 65 years is a code to other parties seeking power at all cost and with immediate effect to merge with the ruling party. It is the desire for absolute power that must have pushed the ruling power at the centre to stigmatise opposition political parties periodically as working and talking to undermine the party in power. While it is right and respectable for opposition political parties to resist being swelled by the ruling party, it is a puerile strategy for opposition parties, especially those that carry the image of progressiveness, to open their doors wide for politicians that may have differences other than ideological disagreement with their home parties.

    The facile claim by most politicians in our country that politics is a game of number does not apply to indiscriminate recruitment or admittance of members of ideologically opposed political parties. The game of number principle applies to the electorate. It is the number of voters that political parties can woo to their sides on account of the relevance of their vision and mission statements to the citizenry that matters in a proper democracy, not the number of individuals in office or seeking office who choose to change political parties without any reference to the ideological stance of such parties.

    Just as Malam Ribadu has pledged to avoid any acrimony with members of the APC during his stay in the PDP, so should APC leaders and their image makers refrain from demonising him for what may appear to be political nomadism in a country where whatever goes up politically must always come down.

  • Global commodity resurgence boosts Presco’s profit

    Presco Plc gained more than N1 billion from improvement in global commodity prices to boost its first-half profit by 84 per cent.

    A management report on the operations of the company for the six-month period ended June 30, 2014 indicated that the palm oil-plantation and processing company recorded a gain of N1.29 billion from revaluation of its biological assets in line with the global commodity prices for the period. It had recorded a paltry N37.48 million as gains on similar revaluation in the first half of 2013.

    The revaluation by the end of the first half restored the company’s margin, which was earlier depressed by relatively higher cost of sales.

    The International Financial Reporting Standard (IaFRS) requires commodity-based companies such as Presco to revalue their biological assets on the basis of the international price of the assets as at the end of the reporting period.

    Chairman, Presco Plc, Mr. Pierre Vandebeeck, had blamed similar revaluation at the end of the audited year ended December 31, 2013 for the steep decline in the performance of the company in 2013.

    According to him, while there were no decline in the price of oils in Nigeria by the year-end, there was a decrease in the world market price of biological assets and oils, which led to a revaluation loss of about N1 billion.

    The first-half report gained from the positive change in the global commodity prices. The six-month report showed that sales rose marginally by 3.6 per cent from N3.92 billion in first half of 2013 to N4.06 billion in first half of 2014. Gross profit however dropped from N1.37 billion to N1.27 billion. The revaluation gain of N1.29 billion in first half of 2014 meanwhile boosted operating profit to N1.84 billion compared with N995.91 million in corresponding period of 2013. Profit before tax thus increased from N791.68 million to N1.69 billion. After taxes, net profit stood at N1.09 billion by June 2014 as against N591.83 million by June 2013. This implied earnings per share of N1.09 in first half 2014 as against 55 kobo in first half of 2013.

    Presco primarily engages in the development of oil palm plantations, palm oil milling, palm kernel processing and vegetable oil refining. The main products of the company included refined bleached and deodorized palm oil, palm olein, palm stearin, palm fatty acid distillate, palm kernel oil (crude and refined) and palm kernel cake.

    Presco is expected to leverage on its first half results to encourage shareholders to support its impending rights issue.

    The company might raise about N3.5 billion from existing shareholders through a rights issue. At the annual general meeting last month, shareholders had approved the increase in the authorised share capital of the company from N500 million to N550 million through the creation of 100 million ordinary shares of 50 kobo each.

    The rights issue will be pre-allotted to shareholders on the register of the company as at July 4, 2014 on the basis of one new share for every 10 shares held as at the qualification date. Directors of the company had earlier indicated the rights would be offered at N35 per share.

    However, in the event of under-subscription of the rights issue, shareholders will not have any pre-emptive right, paving the way for other investors to acquire the unsubscribed shares. The underwriter to the rights issue will be able to acquire the unsubscribed shares, subject to the approval of the regulatory authorities.

    Presco will use the net proceeds of its equity issue to offset foreign loans and growing overdraft. Latest audit of Presco showed that it has outstanding foreign loan of N2.02 billion obtained from its majority shareholder, Siat sa. Besides, the company also obtained N1.07 billion loan from Stanbic IBTC Holdings under the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)’s Power and Airline Intervention Fund (PAIF). It also has about N221.9 million outstanding as import finance facility from Zenith Bank and another N845.55 million from United Bank for Africa (UBA) under the CBN’s Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme (CACS). Bank overdraft has jumped by 1,015 per cent from N63.06 million in previous audit to N702.9 million in the latest audit.

    Presco’s interest expense on overdrafts also leapt by 608 per cent from N28.4 million in 2012 to N201.4 million in 2013. Interest expense on overdraft represented about 52 per cent of the total interest expense of N390.4 million in the latest audit. The audited report and accounts for the year ended December 31, 2013 showed that net profit dropped by 62 per cent, which partly accounted for 90 per cent slash in cash dividend to shareholders.

    The additional capital, according to the resolutions, would be used to eliminate the loans with foreign exchange exposure risk, accrued interest on these loans and overdraft.

    Sa Siat nv, which holds 60 per cent majority equity stake in Presco, will provide nearly two-thirds of the rights funds. First Inland Bank/Fidelity Finance Company (TRDG), which holds 8.0 per cent equity stake, is expected to provide the second largest chunk of the funds. Presco has some 9,415 shareholders with the largest group of shareholders holding small units within the range of 1000 to 10,000 shares.