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Tag: Ripples

  • Ripples over EU report on 2019 elections

    The European Union Election Observer Mission that monitored the 2019 general elections has released its final report on the polls. The report has generated mixed reactions from stakeholders, Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI reports.

    MIXED reactions have trailed the European Union Election Observers Mission’s report on the 2019 general elections, which stressed the need for urgent improvements in the electoral process. In the report, the Chief Observer, Maria Arena, highlighted some electoral issues and gave 30 recommendations to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The mission, which released its preliminary report in April, said the election was characterised by violence, underage voting, lesser women participation, biased media reportage, particularly by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA), and other state-owned media establishments and vote-buying. The report equally questioned INEC’s credibility.

    It also stated that the suspension of former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Mr. Walter Onnoghen, prior to the election, was questionable, adding that due process was not followed.

    Arena said: “It was seen by many as undermining security of tenure, damaging judicial independence and compromising the division of powers. The suspension did not follow due process, was divisive, and undermined confidence in the electoral process and opportunity for remedy.

    “The mission observed that questionable procedures were followed by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. The removal of the chief justice of Nigeria during the elections had an inhibiting effect on the judiciary. Very few electoral offences result in arrest or prosecution, and thus there is an enduring culture of impunity.”

    However, it said the election recorded some improvements compared to past ones. “INEC made a number of improvements, including making electoral participation more accessible through simplified voting procedures. INEC made efforts to strengthen electoral integrity by issuing regulations making smart card readers mandatory to accredit voters, but there were insufficient accompanying transparency measures.

    The report reads in part: “The systemic failings evident in the elections and the low levels of voter participation show the need for fundamental reform. Without this, there is a risk of unaccountable leadership and citizen disengagement. Such reform requires principled political leadership committed to the rights of Nigerian citizens and an inclusive process of national dialogue involving state institutions, parties, civil society, the media and other experts. This needs to be urgently undertaken to allow time for debate, legislative changes and implementation well in advance of the next elections.”

    The Chief Observer also urged the authorities to put in place an electoral law that will guarantee direct transmission of results from the polling units to the headquarters of INEC.

    The report suggests that there was a relatively low level of voter participation and that the major political parties were at fault in not preventing acts of violence and intimidation by their supporters. The key recommendations, Arena said, include the call to strengthen INEC procedures for the collation of results to improve integrity and confidence in electoral outcomes and the establishment of requirement in law for full results transparency, with data made easily accessible to the public.

    Arena said: “Such reform needs political leadership that is dedicated to the rights of Nigerian citizens, and an inclusive process of national dialogue involving state institutions, parties, civil society and the media. This needs to be urgently undertaken to allow time for debate, legislative changes and implementation in advance of the next elections.” She, however, noted that the elections were competitive, because parties were able to campaign and that the participation of civil society organisations enhanced accountability.

    Presidency spokesman, Mr. Garba Shehu, welcomed the report, promising that government will analyse it fully and act on its recommendations in the best interest of the country. Shehu, who is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, noted that the EU observers were invited to the country by INEC and that the move was welcomed by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. He said the attitude of  the commission, as well as that of the Federal Government were a clear indication of the administration’s good intentions, commitment to a purely democratic process and desire to improve on the next elections.

    Shehu said: “The administration of President Buhari will work with all Nigerian citizens, state institutions, parties, civil society, the media and other experts to make sure that the improvements recommended by the EU are implemented, and that these areas of concern are addressed. It is noteworthy that INEC is in receipt of a number of recommendations that form a part of the EU report.

    “The Presidency assures that the commission is in safe hands and happy that they are currently engaged in root and branch reviews of the 2019 general elections and will input lessons learned into its recommendations for electoral and constitutional reforms. We believe that the commission conducted a good election and will continue to improve on its processes and procedures.”

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) also commended the EU. A statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, lauded the union for stating the facts on the elections, saying the fresh revelations of manipulation as detailed in the report further vindicates the position of the party and that of millions of Nigerians on the election.

    Ologbondiyan said that the world could now see that the PDP had not been crying wolf in insisting that the election was outrightly rigged with the alleged cancellation of millions of PDP votes. He added: “Nigerians are still in shock over the revelations by EU of how about 2.8 million votes were deliberately ‘cancelled without sufficient accountability’ and how several returning officers gave no reason for the cancellations.”

    He said more shocking was the distortions and “a large discrepancy of 1.66 million more registered voters, as announced by INEC on January 14, compared to those announced by state returning officers during the collation of presidential results.”

    Similarly, the PDP vice presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, said Nigerians should learn some lessons from the report and ensure that future elections were conducted in the standard and international best practices. Obi described the report as a ‘vindication of a section of Nigerians’, who had raised issues on the outcome of the election.

    A statement from his Media Office quoted him as saying that the recommendations contained in the report should be taken very seriously by Nigerians to ensure that necessary steps were taken for their implementation. The statement added: “I have always maintained that the process through which a person gets into an office is far more fundamental than what the person does thereafter in that office, because of the integrity of the office being occupied.”

    One of the fringe political associations, the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) said the EU report is a major indictment on INEC and its officials. In a statement from its Acting National Chairman, Abiodun Bamigboye, and National Secretary, Chinedu Bosah, the SPN said the report suggested that INEC, security agencies and the two major parties manipulated the 2019 general elections.

    The statement states in part: “We insist that INEC or another agency for that matter has no moral authority to seek to deregister any political party under the flimsy excuse of winning no seat at local government, state and Federal Government level. INEC has the responsibility to provide a level-playing field for political parties to vie for peoples votes without vote-buying, intimidation, violence, manipulations, heavy monetization, and other factors that marred the 2019 general elections. As the SPN has said before, the 2019 general elections were an expensively packaged charade and INEC, security agencies and the pro-rich political parties, especially the APC and the PDP, have to be blamed for this.”

    The party said the reactions of the Presidency to the allegations are typical of the Buhari administration. It said: “As far as the SPN is concerned, this kind of superficial and face-saving response to what are weighty allegations that indict INEC, security agencies and ‘leading parties’ already shows that the Buhari government and the ruling elite is not serious about improving the conduct of elections either now or in the foreseeable future. Otherwise, the starting point ought to be to identify officials of INEC, security agencies and ‘leading’ political parties that the report claimed to have compromised the integrity of the 2019 elections through their actions and inactions and seek to investigate and prosecute them with a view to ensure deterrent.

    “INEC itself need to be asked to justify how it utilized the huge billions of naira voted to it over the past four years to prepare for 2019 general elections, if at the end of the day, the exercise is found to suffer ‘severe operational and transparency shortcomings’. At the moment, there are nothing less than 799 cases at the election petition tribunal.

    “As a key participant in the election, we are very sure from our experience that none of the manipulations that occurred in the 2019 general election could have taken place without the connivance of INEC officials and security agencies, especially those at the top echelons. But, so far, no top member of INEC, the police or the army is under investigation or being prosecuted for their roles in manipulating the elections. The EU report also found that at least 150 people were killed during the elections. This in itself shows that what took place across the country on February 23 and March 9, 2019 were brutal struggles between different factions of the capitalist ruling elite for political power and not a democratic exercise.”

    Against this background, the SPN said it is prepared to initiate a mass campaign combining legal challenge and political mobilisations in collaboration with trade unions and civil society should INEC or the National Assembly dare to seek deregistration of any political party. It added: “We insist that without manipulations, monetization, vote-buying and outright rigging committed by the pro-rich parties and their accomplices in INEC and security agencies, a party like the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) stood a chance of performing better than it did.”

    An Onitsha, Anambra State-based human rights watchdog, the International Society for Civil Liberties & Rule of Law (Intersociety), also lauded the EU report, but added that, like every social science research or investigation, it is not expected to be complete or full in its findings, without missing some important points.

    In its statement signed by its Head of Publicity, Chidinma Udegbunam (Esq.), Head of Democracy & Good Governance, Chinwe Umeche (Esq.), and Chairman of the Board, Emeka Umeagbalasi, Intersociety said as thorough and commendable as the report is, some fundamental issues or areas are still left unaddressed. It said the polls were substantially below the international best standards.

    The statement said: “For instance, the EU had in its final report noted that the governorship segment of the Nigeria’s 2019 polls was more hitch-free, open and fair than the presidential poll, yet the report did not answer the question of why the latter was so; which has to do with chronic ethno-religious divisions in the country, promoted by the country’s present political players.

    “As a result, Intersociety has found the following missing points in the EU Report: Underage Voting: the EU report noted the underage voting during the polls, but failed to specifically mention which geopolitical zone or zones involved in the underage voting; how they got to be issued with PVCs, by who and the intent behind their capturing and certification to vote. “For instance, the EU Report was silent on whether it witnessed or not any incidence of underage voting in the Southeast, Southwest and South-south regions of Nigeria as well as non-Muslim areas of the North.

    “Card Reader Failure: the EU Report noted the failure of card readers during the Polls but did not specifically state whether the Card Reader failure was recorded more in the Southern part of the country particularly Southeast and South-south than the Northern part particularly Northwest and Northeast or whether the electronic card readers failed across board throughout Nigeria.

    “Uneven Use of Card Readers: the EU Report did not tell Nigerians and the world whether Card Readers were deployed and used across board in the whole of Nigeria’s 176,000 polling units, irrespective of the ethno-religious composition of each of the polling units and whether all the results arising from the 2019 Polls as announced by INEC emanated from the ‘faultless’ Card Readers only.

    “Possible non-Card Reader generated results: the EU report did not specifically inform whether many, if not most results from the North particularly Northwest and Northeast were generated from Card Reader or non-Card Reader sources or manual/massive thump printing.  For instance, were there massive thump printing and use of other non-Card Reader voting procedures in the Northwest and Northeast parts of the country as well as Muslim held areas of the North-central Nigeria?”

    Intersociety called on international observers to expand their election observation or monitoring from “election observation” to “electoral process monitoring/observation”, because, in its view, the country’s electoral process (i.e. voter registration) is chronically disproportionate, divisive and sectional.

    It added: “As it stands today, independently speaking, it is likely correct to say that 4.5 adult persons out of every five including the physically and visually challenged are captured as registered voters in the Muslim areas of the North, while as much as two adult persons out of every five are captured as registered voters in the Southeast, South-south and non-Muslim areas of the North, as well as the “non-Muslim areas” of the Southwest. That is to say that the number of registered voters in southern Nigeria is far below the number of the number of unregistered ones who are 18 years and above.”

  • Ekiti panel report causes ripples

    Ekiti panel report causes ripples

    The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose to probe the management of finances during the administration of his predecessor and Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has submitted its report. The report is already causing ripples among political gladiators in the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as the state marches towards the governorship election. ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA reports.

    THE Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose to probe the management of finances under his immediate predecessor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has submitted its report. The panel, which had the former Acting Chief Judge, Justice Silas Bamidele Oyewole (retd.), as Chairman recommended that the former governor should account for the N2.75 billion allocated from the N25 billion bond obtained by the government for the execution of the contract for the construction of an ultra-modern market in Ado Ekiti, the state capital.

    The panel also recommended that the contractor who handled the furnishing of the Government House built by the Fayemi administration should refund N324.8 million, because the contract should not have been more than N280 million. The panel said that Kitwood Nigeria Limited to which the furnishing contract of over N600 million was awarded had no traceable address and that “the address on the Letter of Award is a virgin land opposite the new Central Bank on new Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti.

    On the purchase of vehicles, the panel said the claim by Coscharis Motors that it supplied 235 and/or 250 vehicles was fraudulent. The report added: “That Coscharis Motors supplied some vehicles outside Ekiti State, especially at Ibadan liaison office when Ekiti State Government does not have a liaison office in Ibadan. In respect of this, seven vehicles were supplied outside the state and signed for by unknown persons. Coscharis Motors only supplied 219 vehicles to the Ekiti State Government and that 1 7 Joylong Buses were supplied to the Ekiti State Government as gift, but later carted away.”

    On the controversial N852.9 State Universal Education Board (SUBEB) fund, the panel accused the Fayemi administration of hoodwinking the Federal Government into paying its own matching grant by obtaining N852, 936,783.12 loan from Access Bank on November 25, 2013 without perfecting documentation in respect of the loan, thereby flouting the provisions of Section 11(2) of the UBEC Act, 2004.

    But the All Progressives Congress (APC) rose in stout defence of Fayemi, alleging that the probe was premeditated and programmed to arrive at an answer to indict Fayemi for political reasons. The party said the report cannot pass integrity test when taken before a proper court of law. In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, the APC Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, scoffed at the report, dismissing it “as a product of a premeditated script by a panel of Fayemi’s haters who were acting the script of the governor bent on ruining the reputation of his predecessor.”

    Olatunbosun said the report was nothing but a direct opposite of what the former governor represented in government. He said: “Fayemi ran a transparent administration and his programmes were people-oriented and targeted at making Ekiti greater with strong economic base.

    “The panel of inquiry set up to implement a scripted blackmail cannot stand a judicial scrutiny. Fayose’s government is a failure and therefore, always looking for a distraction to deceive the public and particularly the people of Ekiti State. Fayose has impoverished Ekiti people by his refusal to pay Ekiti workers and pensioners several months of salaries and pensions.”

    The probe has raised some questions begging for answers: was it raised with the patriotic zeal to recover the state’s assets or to nail a political opponent? Why did it take Fayose three years to set up the probe? Would Fayose have taken the action, if Fayemi is a member of PDP like Fayose?

    If the White Paper on the report is eventually released, will it stop Fayemi from contesting for a political office in the future, if he so wishes?

    The panel was handed six terms of reference. These are: to ascertain how much was received as statutory allocations between October 2010 and October 2014; to look into the financial transactions of Ekiti State between the period under review; to ascertain the amount received on behalf of the state from Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC); to ascertain the amount Ekiti State took as loan during the period under review and how they were utilized. It also includes all other issues relating to the state finances and to make appropriate recommendations.

    Other members of the panel are: Mrs. Bola Wale-Awe, a lawyer; Mr. Idowu Ayenimo, a retired Chief Magistrate; Mr. Vincent Omodara, a senior civil servant; Mr. Oladele Blessing, a labour leader; Mrs. Oluremi Adesoba, a senior civil servant; Mr. Gbemiga Adaramola, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), who served as Secretary; and Mr. Sunday Bamise, who served as counsel to the commission.

    The panel was inaugurated on May 22, last year and it was constituted in compliance with Section 2(1) of the Commission of Inquiry Law, Cap. C10, Laws of Ekiti State, 2012. That would be the first time in the history of the state that an administration would probe its predecessor.

    The inauguration of the panel came under the haze of controversies and brickbats between the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC. While the PDP administration alleged that the immediate past APC government looted the state, hence, the need to launch a probe to recover whatever that might have been stolen, the opposition maintained that the alleged looting only existed in the imagination of Fayose and his henchmen.

    Fayose had on his assumption of office on October 16, 2014 alleged that the Fayemi administration plunged the state into debts, which made it difficult for his administration to deliver on its promises to the people. The governor was believed to be taking after his Rivers State counterpart, Nyesom Wike, who set up a similar panel to probe his predecessor, Chibuike Amaechi, who now serves as Minister of Transport.

    Fayemi is in a similar situation with Amaechi; their two home states (Ekiti and Rivers) are now ruled by the PDP, while they are in the APC where they are leaders of their respective states. Fayemi and Amaechi are expected to play pivotal roles in future elections coming up in their states.

    The report of the Rivers State Judicial Commission of Inquiry, led by Justice George Omeregi, indicted Amaechi. He was accused of looting the state to the tune of N53 billion. The commission sat for 30 days and turned in its report on October 9, 2015.

    Earlier in the year, Fayose alleged that Fayemi, now Minister of Mines and Steel Development, and his party, were working with a section of the judiciary to remove him (Fayose) from office. Later Fayose paid a visit to Wike in Port Harcourt and he was believed to have bought into the idea of probing Fayemi on his return from Rivers.

    When he returned, Fayose tightened the screw on the move to whip his predecessor into line, which came at a time rumour was rife on a possible governorship ambition of Fayemi in 2018, even though he (Fayemi) had kept silent on the issue.

    Fayemi tried to stop the probe. Before the panel started work, he filed separate suits at Ekiti State High Court and the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti to challenge the composition of the panel and sought for the nullification of the warrant of arrest issued against him by the state lawmakers.

    Before the constitution of the panel, the former governor  also filed a libel suit at a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Abuja against a member of the House of Assembly, Dr. Samuel Omotoso, and Fayose’s media aide, Mr. Lere Olayinka, on some issues before the panel.

    The former governor did not appear before the panel on account of the suits he filed to stop the probe. He also alleged that members of the panel are cronies, associates and sympathisers of Fayose, who will not do justice. Fayemi also claimed that they have been handed a hatchet job to pass a guilty verdict on him to please their paymasters who empanelled them.

    One of the cases filed by Fayemi at Ekiti State High Court 6, presided over by Justice Adekanye Ogunmoye, challenging the House of Assembly’s resolution to empower Fayose to raise the panel, was dismissed.

    Justice Ogunmoye held that Fayose has powers to set up the panel of inquiry without the prompting of the House of Assembly and that he acted properly. The judge held that Fayose acted pursuant to Section 2 (1) of the Commission of Inquiry Law Cap C10 Laws of Ekiti State.

    The trial judge said the governor does not need to consult the House of Assembly or anyone before setting up the Commission of Inquiry. Justice Ogunmoye, however, agreed with Fayemi that the House of Assembly had no rights to direct the governor to set up the inquiry.

    Fayose emphasised while receiving the panel’s report that the panel was instituted to give the people of Ekiti the opportunity to see how their commonwealth was being used. He said asking his predecessor to account for his stewardship does not amount to witch-hunting, as being insinuated by members of the opposition party.

    The governor has inaugurated a four-man administrative panel to study the report and come out with a White Paper. The panel is headed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Kolapo Kolade.

     

  • Ripples over ambassadorial nomination in Ondo APC

    Ripples over ambassadorial nomination in Ondo APC

    Crisis has hit the Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC) over the recent ambassadorial nomination by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    A group within the party, the Movement Against Imposition (MAI), has called for the removal of the name of  Mr. Igbekele Daodu Jacobs from the list.

    Igbekele is a former Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development.

    He  defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), a week to the 2015 presidential elections. He was allegedly involved in anti-party activities during the recent governorship election.

    But, the Itesiwaju Consultative Forum, Akoko (ICFA), lauded the nomination of Igbekele by Buhari and denied his involvement in anti-party activities.

    The coordinator of MAI, Austin Pelemo, and its leader, Mr. Saka Yusuf Ogunleye urged President Buhari,  and the APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to intervene in the issue.

    Yusuf said: “I am a member of the state excutive of this party. He joined our great party one week to the Presidential election, after serving six years in governor Olusegun Mimiko administration

    “After the governorship primary, the man left for the Alliance for Democracy (AD). When Buhari came here to canvass for vote for our governor – elect, Igbekele was with Olusola Oke canvassing for votes for him

    “We realised that there must be discipline in our party and that Jacob Daudu must be disciplined for anti party activities and not that he should be compensated for anti party activity

    Also, another group, the Ondo State Progressives Youths (OSPY), faulted the replacement of the former Chairman of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Sola Iji’s name with that of Igbekele.

    Iji, who is from Ese-Odo local government, was on the first list, which was rejected by the Senate.

    The former Commissioner, who is from Akoko, has been named has his replacement.

    A statement by OSPY coordinator, who is also the former deputy youth leader of the defunct ACN in South West, Mr. Enas Muhammed, said those behind the removal of Iji’s name were unfair to him.

    It noted that Iji has paid his due in the party by remaining with the progressives without defecting to any party during the period they were in the opposition for 16 years.

    OSPY added that Iji had been a unifying factor among members of the party, who see him as one of their respected leaders.

    The group said the party national executive body had trust in Iji by asking him to be in charge of the then crisis-ridden APC Kwara State chapter.

    It added: “Iji is a party man. He had remained in Progressives fold without jump ship to another political party.

    “We won’t allow this injustice to stand. We are urging the President to have a rethink on the representative of the state.

    “We know their antecedent in this state and their loyalty is always in doubt because they are found of running around in order to reap from where they do not sow.

    But, ICFA, in a statement by its Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Akinwamide Jayeola, said the Presidency took the right decision by removing Iji’s name from the list.

    ICFA noted that the federal appointments had favoured the southern senatorial district more than other districts.

    The group pointed out that the only minister appointed from the state, Prof. Claudius Daramola, is from the South and Ife Oyedele, an Executive Director on the board of Niger-Delta, is also from the South.

    “Moreover, the State Chairman of our party, Isaac Kekemeke and the deputy governor-elect, Mr. Ajayi Agboola, are also from the South.

    “We are urging those allegeding Igbekele of anti-party to come out with facts.

    “Apart from this, his appointment is beyond the party because Igbekele and Mr. President have been good friends when Buhari was still at the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) as Chairman.

    “Also, the appointment is to serve as compensation for the people of Akoko, who have been marginalised” the group said.

  • Ripples over senate recession debate

    Ripples over senate recession debate

    Search for the solution of the current economic challenges in the country was the major concern of the lawmakers at the Senate as they resumed this week, reports Assistant Editor, Onyedi Ojiabor

    THE senate resumed on Tuesday to kick-start the long awaited debate on the economic challenges the country is going through. The aim of the debate is for the lawmakers to articulate appropriate measures that will be passed over to the executive to address the difficulties.

    That the country is in deep economic recession may no longer be news. What may be news are the various suggestions, prescriptions and actions by stakeholders to pull the country out of recession.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, flagged off the debate with a speech. He laid a broad template for his colleagues to follow. Saraki’s outlines included measures he thought should be adopted to quickly lift the country out of recession.

    Saraki made it clear that the debate must not only be solution-driven but must also be people-oriented and less political.

    For him the questions that require immediate answers included how to tame the widespread hunger in the country, how businesses should be protected from collapse and how to save jobs for the majority and create even a lot more. Apparently to provoke senators to act fast, Saraki said Senate’s response to the economic challenge must be dictated by the urgency of the hardship that Nigerians suffer on a daily basis.

    His expectation was that when the Senate was done with the debate, key actionable recommendations should be made to the executive on what the Senate considers as the way forward in the immediate, mid-term and long term solutions to the harsh economic situation.

    What  Saraki wants?

    Some of Saraki’s prescriptions to bail the economy out of recession have already sparked negative reactions, particularly the suggestion for the sale and concession of some strategic assets of the federal government. But for him, government should immediately raise needed funds from assets sales to shore up the country’s foreign reserves

    He said, “I must hasten to add in my own opinion that the Executive must begin to take the following needful steps to show Nigerians, the international community and investors, both local and international, that we are ready to reform and do business.

    “The Executive must immediately put in place leadership-level engagement platform with the private sector. This must be one that is pro-business and shows unequivocally that government is ready to partner with the private sector towards economic revival. This is a critical signpost towards market confidence which is a key ingredient to help us revamp the economy out of recession

     “The Executive must raise capital from asset sales and other sources to shore up foreign reserves. This will calm investors, discourage currency speculation and stabilize the economy. The measures should include part sale of Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Holdings; reduction of government share in upstream oil joint venture operations; sale of government stake in financial institutions such as Africa Finance Corporation; and the privatization and concession of major/regional airports and refineries.

    “The Executive must consider tweaking the pension funds policy within international best practice safeguards to accommodate investment in infrastructure and mortgages.

      “The Executive and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) must agree on a policy of monetary easing to stimulate the economy and harmonise monetary and fiscal policy until economic recovery is attained. We must ensure local government borrowing does not crowd out credit for the private sector.

     “The Executive must re-tool its export promotion policy scheme with export incentives such as the resumption of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG); and introduce export-financing initiatives.

     “The Executive is urged to engage in meaningful dialogue with those aggrieved in the Niger Delta and avoid an escalation of the conflict in the region. The National Assembly is very ready to play any role in the process and offer ideas on approaches that will deliver quick win-win in order to move the region and the economy forward.

     “The Executive must, as a deliberate response, consider immediate release of funds to ensure the implementation of the budget for the near short term to inject money into the economy.

     “Similarly, the agricultural sector and the agro-allied businesses should be directly supported to boost value addition and job creation.

     “While government works on the medium to long-term plans, immediate strategies must be devised that would ease the suffering of the ordinary people across our country. In this case, particular attention should be given to our citizens in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. The images emerging from this zone of deprivation and hunger is no longer acceptable. Government should accelerate interim measures to provide social safety-nets to our people and assuage current high level of misery in the land. Such intervention should seek to fully execute the social spending framework already provided in the 2016 budget.”

     On their part, Saraki insisted that the National Assembly must ensure the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as soon as possible to stimulate new investment and boost oil revenue.

     “As we all know, this bill is long in waiting and is very crucial for vital investment in the oil and gas sector. The impasse of not passing the bill is doing great harm to the industry and the Nigerian economy as a whole,” he said.

     Saraki’s suggestion for the sale of the national assets appears not to have gone down well with some senators.

     At Wednesday plenary, which was dedicated wholly to the recession debate, a total of 24 senators bared their minds on how the country can exit the harsh economic realities.

    Some short and long term solutions proffered by the lawmakers included power devolution, granting of autonomy to states and local government, sale of non-performing assets, renegotiation of agreements with oil majors to free resources for development, confidence building to attract Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), restructuring of the polity,  direct engagement of the people by President Muhammadu Buhari as against the town hall meetings being held by ministers, cabinet reshuffle and Constitution amendment to empower the Federal Government to save a percentage of the nation’s revenues against rainy days.

    The senators also suggested full diversification of the economy, encouragement of small and medium scale industries to thrive and produce for export, increase spending by government, reduction of interest rates, provision of guarantees to safeguard bank deposits by the Federal Government, creation of new sources of forex earnings, constitution of boards of federal agencies, blocking leakages in the system, pacification of Niger Delta Militants, ban of some food items that can be locally produced, deployment of recovered funds to finance the 2016 budget, investment in agriculture, revisiting the Treasury Single Accounts (TSA), borrowing on the short term to stabilize the economy, provision of legal backing for the Sovereign Wealth Fund and the recently launched ‘change begins with me’ campaign by President Buhari.

    Opposition from unexpected quarters

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Senator George Akume particularly kicked against the suggestion for the sale of assets.

    While Ekweremadu saw asset sale as unfair deal for the generations unborn, Akume read ulterior motive behind the suggestion.  Some others are asking what the country has been able to achieve from the privatization of such entity as the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) and other high profile entities.

     Ekwerenadu said, “I have heard about the issue of selling of our assets. I need to caution that other countries are not doing the same. United Arab Emirate (UAE) does not even allow you to own oil wells talkless of selling them. And of course a country like Saudi Arabia, their budget each year is run by investments from their oil revenue not even the earnings. While other countries are investing, we want to sell the little we have. I’m not sure we will be fair to the next generation if we go ahead to sell the little we have. So, if we must sell, we have to sell the non-performing assets so that people can turn them around and create employment.”

    The Enugu West lawmaker specifically suggested the unbundling of the federal government from the security, to power, to agriculture, to social sectors.

     He contended that a situation where the federal government is in charge of everything is not helpful. “We need to unbundle this country, if you like call it restructuring. It might be a long term strategy and it might be in phases and it is something that we need to do quickly,” Ekweremadu said.

     Senator Akume on his part was blunt that the talk about the sale of assets should be perished.

     “When we say that the blame game is over, I want to emphasize that the blame game is not yet over. We have to know what went wrong.

    “Most of us were governors and we knew what President Obasanjo did to create huge reserves for this country and saved for the rainy day.

    That was why, by the time he was leaving, over $60 billion was in our foreign reserves: this was very important.”

     Akume recalled that a lot of money was reported to have been stolen from the nation’s coffers.

     He recalled that former Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Charles Soludo, reported that $60 billion was stolen from the country’s foreign reserves while another former CBN governor, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, also reported that another $20 billion was stolen. He said that the money could be recovered.

    He added, “From these and from monies going through other sources, at least we, should be able to recoup over $50 billion. If we succeed in doing this, do we still have to sell our assets as is being canvassed?

    “The thing is very straight; there is a buyers’ market and there is a sellers’ market. If we want to dispose of our oil assets at this time when the prices of oil has crashed, precisely how much are you going to realise?

    “We are making a mistake here; what we are intending to do is to very unpatriotically ensure that those who are within the bracket of the stolen dollars will still come to buy.

    “I believe that this is not the time to strip these assets. Fortunately, the CBN governor made a very powerful statement that the worst days of the recession are over and therefore we have to look elsewhere and not to sell our assets.

    “We should rather focus on industrialisation through agriculture and try to revamp this economy. I am worried because people who are telling us to sell these assets are people who have deep and huge pockets. Our assets must remain for us. Even Saudi Arabia didn’t sell part of their National Assets as alleged. There are other areas that we can tackle.”

    The beat goes on as the talk on how to get the country out of recession appears unending until the country exits the dangerous curve.

  • Ripples as Dickson extends services of retired HoS, Perm Sec

    Stakeholders are angry with the decision of the Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, to extend the services of the state’s retired Head of Service (HoS), Dr. Peter Singabele and Permanent Secretary, Mr. Joseph Akedesuo.

    The governor extended Singabele’s appointment as Head of Service by six months and Akedesuo who is the Head of the state’s Protocol Service by one year. The governor’s action is breeding bad blood among the permanent secretaries and other senior civil servants. They are grumbling and accusing Dickson of violating the civil service rules.

    A statement sent through the office of Dickson’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson said the extension was in exercise of the governor’s executive powers.

    The statement quoted the Secretary to the state Government, Chief Serena Dokubo-Spiff as saying that the extension was informed by the numerous important ongoing service related issues being handled by Singabele.

    It said allowing the retried Singabele “to leave the service now” could be detrimental to the administration’s programme of repositioning the civil service for greater efficiency.

    The governor in the state also extended the appointment of Mr. Joseph Akedesuo as a Permanent Secretary and Head of State Protocol services for a period of one year.

    But some elders under the auspices of Bayelsa First Initiative (BFI) kicked against the action of the governor. BFI said there was no basis for Dickson to extend the appointment of Singabele.

    The Director-General, BFI, Chief Nathan Egba, accused the governor of manipulating government’s institutions and policies to advance his personal interests.

    Egba said: “This development is coming on the heels of the Bayelsa State government’s inability to pay salaries of their Civil servants, teachers, University lecturers, local government employees as well as retirees, after series of Staff Verification exercises since January of this year.”

    Egba recalled that Dickson on assuming office in 2012 sacked the HoS who was barely a year in office because she was appointed by his predecessor, Chief Timipre Sylva.

    Also, the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) frowned on the decision of the governor to extend the service of the retired HoS. They called on Dickson to with immediate effect appoint a new HoS to fill the exalted vacant position.

    The state NLC Chairman, Mr. Ndiomu Bipre and his TUC counterpart, Mr. Tari Dounana in a joint statement warned against the politicization of the HoS office in the state. According to them no Head of Service stays in office beyond the retirement age of 60 or 35 years whichever is applicable.

    “The continuous stay of the current Head of Service Doctor Peter Singabele beyond the retirement age of sixty years or thirty five years in service is a source of worry to workers in the state.  The Public Service Rules 02081 is very clear about retirement of public servants.

    “As a career civil servant, we expect the Head of Service to step aside or refuse any form of tenure elongation in order not to truncate promotion in the civil service,” they said.

    Furthermore, the leadership of the state’s branch of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) rejected the extension of Singabele’s and Akedesuo’s appointments.

    The Association, in a statement signed by its Secretary, Mr. Ebi Sikpi, said the contract appointments were a violation of the Public Service Rules, PSR 020810.

    Quoting the rule, he said: “No officer shall be allowed to remain in service after attaining the retirement age of sixty or thirty five years of pensionable service whichever is earlier”.

    Sikpi said there were qualified and competent permanent secretaries in the service to choose from for apportionment as HoS.

    But the state Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Jonathan Obuebite, insisted that Singabele’s reappointment is part of the governor’s efforts to reposition the civil service for effective performance.

    Obuebite said the governor recently met with Permanent Secretaries, Directors and Heads of Departments of various ministries, departments and agencies and commended them for supporting all his reforms in the civil service.

    He said Dickson assured them that whatever the government doing was purely to properly reposition the service to function effectively, in line with best practices. According to him the permanent secretaries, directors and heads of departments were unanimous in their support for the ongoing reforms in the service.

    He said they declared their total support for the six-month extension of the tenure of Singabele and expressed confidence in the ability of Singabele to ensure the proper implementation of the new reforms.

  • Ripples over multi billion naira Apapa Port Terminals’ project

    Ripples over multi billion naira Apapa Port Terminals’ project

    The redevelopment contract of Bullnose I,II and III terminals in Apapa, Port Complex by the Federal Ministry of Transportation and Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) awarded to Eko Support Services (ESS) in 2008 at $124 million (about N40,920,000,000) is causing ripples in the maritime industry.

    Maritime stakeholders said they were uncomfortable, not only with the cost of the contract, but also the process that led to the award of the project to ESS which they alleged was shrouded in secrecy.

    The push for the redevelopment and the award of the contract which was through a letter from the Managing Director of NPA dated 3rd of June, 2008, to the then Minister of Water /Transportation, was said to have been done in response to Federal government’s initiative for private sector participation in ports development.

    But maritime watchers opined that in line with due process and transparency, the initiative should have gone through a public tender to afford other interested private sector players the opportunity to bid. Officials of the Federal Ministry of Transportation last week declined comment on the issue. The NPA also refused to comment on the controversy over which some stakeholders are contemplating petitioning the Presidency, the ICPC, and the Bureau for Public Procurement which vets awards of contracts. They argued that since it was government’s idea that the private sector should be involved, then it was only fair that the contract award and pricing, should also have been subjected to private sector participation.

    A maritime industry insider said it would be difficult not to assume that the beneficiary firm was handpicked by the awarding authority. ‘’Obviously, the NPA handpicked ESS and went ahead and recommended the company for this project,” the insider said, wondering why the supervising ministry did not raise any issue on the process leading  to submission of the proposal by only ESS.

    It was learnt that in the proposal, ESS offered to handle the project at a cost of $127 million, but that following what the then NPA boss said was the approval of the proposal by a Technical Committee and vetting of the proposal by NPA’s Technical Channel Auditors, Messrs Coastal and Reclamation Engineering Services, (CARES), NPA recommended that the project be scaled down to $124 million, indicating a margin of just $3 million lower than what ESS proposed.

    Said the insider: “Even by today’s standard, that redevelopment project could be achieved with a little over $50million,” stressing that a technical audit of what is on ground would tell you vividly that this is not a project that should cost what was allegedly approved.

    Also being contested by ports observers is the fact that the project cost would be amortized through service boat charges in all the ports in Nigeria. “In simple term, said an investment analyst, NPA has awarded a Terminal redevelopment project to, as the insider put it, “ a so-called private player, with NPA providing the exorbitant and inflated cost of contract, through charges collected on behalf of NPA by the contractor,” adding, “yet NPA will not have control of the Terminal for 25 years.” What that means, the insider explained, is that the facility will be used exclusively by the same contractor for the quarter of a century.

    Other stakeholders, in picking holes with the contract, pointed to loopholes with regards to the estimated cost of $124million recommended by CARES, with the proviso that it is accepted pending the determination of the actual cost from the final design; that the cost of financing of 16 per cent be applied to the cost of the project and hat the lease should be for an initial period of 25 years.

    The stakeholders argued that the term which says $124million is accepted pending the determination of the actual cost from the final design is loose, What would then happen if the winners now make a detour, and insist from the final design analysis, that the cost has increased by 200 per cent, they queried?

    They said on balance the development is quite troubling. “Since the money will be amortized from the service boat charges which belongs to NPA and is a sure stream of inflow, why should the cost be this high? they queried, saying the more crucial implication is that both the cost of the project plus the cost of financing put at 16 per cent would be borne by the Nigerian Ports Authority.

    “Since that contract was signed the government may have incurred an interest charges equivalent to over 100 per cent of the $124 million price tag claimed by ESS. Ultimately this company could collect as much as $500 million for a project that its real cost should not be more than $50million. This is very saddening because there are even investors that are ready to acquire these terminals and redevelop them with their resources, not using government money and charging government interest on it,” another NPA insider said.

    Another insider said it is because of alleged anomalies like this that experts have always called on Federal government to beam its searchlight on the running of the ports from 1999 to 2010.

    They said past governments made efforts to bring sanity to the sector, but such efforts appear to have ended up being  frustrated by top government officials with more than professional interest in such questionable transactions.

  • Ripples over Ayetoro monarch’s stool

    The Supreme Council of Elders of Ayetoro community in Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State yesterday warned a man, Michal Ajijo, to stop parading himself as the Ogeleyinbo of Ayetoro.

    The elders claimed that Ajijo was allegedly imposed on them and insisted that the stool of Ogeleyinbo is still vacant.

    The elders’ action was backed by protest from people, calling those whom they tagged enemies of the community to desist from causing problems in the community.

    The community was embroiled in crisis early last year when Ajijo was allegedly imposed on the people.

    This led to the closure of the only church in the town for four months.

    Speaking with reporters, the Principal Secretary of the Holy Apostles, Atimishe Ademolu, said the spiritual and traditional ways of selecting a new king in the community is sacrosanct.

    According to him, “the long-tested and immutable procedure for enthronement of the Ogeleyinbo of Holy Apostles’ Church and Ayetoro community has been under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

    He stated that after the demise of any king, the prophets and the Supreme Council of Elders and board of management constitute a council that will assume the status of regency till the Spirit anoints a new king.

    The council resolved that it is only an adherence to the traditional process of selecting a king through spiritual anointing that can broker peace in the community rather than the present imposition or politicisation of the throne by some individuals.

    When our reporter visited the embattled monarch at his palace, he was not allowed to see Ajijo.

    The man who identified himself as the Secretary General of the faction, Dele Kudehinbu, said the embattled king could not speak with our correspondent because there was no initial notice.

  • Ripples over plot to sack Ekiti TUC chief

    Ripples over plot to sack Ekiti TUC chief

    •Govt: it’s a purely civil service matter

    There is disquiet in the Ekiti State Civil Service, following an alleged plot to dismiss the court-validated Chairman of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kolawole Olaiya.

    Olaiya has been calling for the payment of workers’ entitlements from the bailout fund released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    In an interview with some reporters in Ado-Ekiti on August 30, the TUC Chairman said he was aware that the government had received the bailout cash.

    The outstanding entitlements  include September 2014 salary, leave bonuses for 2014 and 2015 and arrears of deductions from workers’ salaries.

    Olaiya’s comments rattled the government, which set up a disciplinary panel to try him.

    Olaiya, a principal legal officer in the Ministry of Justice, received two queries for alleged involvement in partisan politics and dissemination of false information on the receipt of the bailout fund”.

    The Nation gathered that the panel was chaired by the Solicitor-General/ Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Lawrence Ojo.

    The sitting was held on October 2. Olaiya appeared to defend himself on the accusation of “spreading false information”.

    Other members of the panel were Director of Civil Litigation S.B.J. Bamise; Director of Public Prosecution Gbenga Daramola; Director of Law Review Adeniyi Familoni; Director, Citizens’ Rights A.E. Akpan; Director, Service Matters in the Office of Establishment Jide Akinleye and representative of the Civil Service Commission Sanmi Adedoja.

    Olaiya won a legal battle at the National Industrial Court, Akure Division, on October 21, 2013 in a suit he and three others filed against the TUC national leadership, led by former President Peter Esele and 10 others.

    The court, in a ruling delivered by Justice A.N. Ubaka after hearing the submissions of counsel, held that Olaiya and 15 other executive members of Ekiti TUC shall remain in their positions effective from the date of the verdict.

    But the government in August organised what a source described as an “illegal” Delegates Conference in which Odunayo Adesoye was elected chairman.

    Adesoye, an ex-officio II in the Olaiya-led exco, has been dealing with the government as TUC boss.

    Efforts to get the Head of Service to speak on the matter proved abortive as a director in his office referred our reporter to the Office of Establishment and Training.

    But the Permanent Secretary, Office of Establishment and Training, Mr Banji Ojo, described the Olaiya saga as a “purely internal civil service affair”.

    Ojo said the matter was inconclusive hence he would not want to speak on it.

    He denied receipt of the report of the panel, saying “as soon as we receive the report, we are going to work on it and forward same to the Head of Service but at this stage, we can’t comment on it”.

     

  • Ripples over death of guard at UniUyo

    Ripples over death of guard at UniUyo

    The death of a security guard attached to the home of the Chief Medical Director (CMD), University of Uyo Teaching Hospital (UUTH), Prof. Etete Peters, is causing ripples.

     The security guard, simply identified as Mr. Isong, was said to have been attacked by a dog when he reported for duty last week.

    A security guard, who did not want his name in print, said Isong was still coping with the dog bite until last Sunday morning when he was found struggling on the ground, with saliva rushing from his mouth.

    His words: “We reported the dog bite to the CMD but he did nothing about it. Mr. Isong was quite helpless because we have not been paid for five months. On Sunday morning, he reported for duty, but when we turned behind the building, we saw him struggling on the ground with saliva gushing from his mouth, we rushed him to the hospital, but unfortunately he died.

    “Life has been generally very hard with some of us who are working with the CMD. They keep giving very delicious meals to these wild dogs, but we humans are denied the opportunity of a comfortable life. How do you survive when you are being owed by a man who is not poor?”

    But the CMD denied the allegation.

    He said the news that one of his employees died as a result of dog bite is not true.

    He explained that there was an incident of one of his security guards bitten by a dog three months ago,adding that the guard was well-treated and taken care of.

    He said: “The story is false. We do not owe our staff. The security man in question is not our employee; he was a contract staff from a security firm.

    “We have actually received report that a guard slumped and died. Any dog bite related issue does not last more than 10 days. The incident occurred three months ago, and the victim was well treated and taken care of by the hospital.”

    It was gathered that Isong’s clansmen and family, who were not happy about the death of their son, blocked all entrances leading in and out of the UUTH, alleging that the CMD denied them the opportunity to see their son in the mortuary.

    One of the relations, Mr. Ime Ekong, who spoke with The Nation, said: “We wouldn’t expect him to personally treat our son, why did he not at least pay his salaries? Then the young man would have been able to take care of himself. He killed him out of wickedness.”

    Ekong said that the CMD invited men of the Quick Response Squad to the hospital, who shot sporadically into the air to disperse the protesting Isong’s relations.

  • Ripples over Obanikoro’s portfolio

    Ripples over Obanikoro’s portfolio

    It’s no longer news that controversial Lagos politician, Musiliu Obanikoro, has been assigned the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as minister of state 2, the third in line in hierarchy.

    While his opponents within and outside the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) argue that the portfolio is belittling of Koro’s status, another school of thought believe that the former senator’s new ministerial posting was a strategic move by President Goodluck Jonathan to divert ceaseless attention from the minister who has been enmeshed in series of controversies, chief of which is his alleged involvement in the manipulation of the last Ekiti governorship election. And for those who believe Obanikoro’s influence has diminished his influence in the ongoing campaign of his party, particularly in Lagos State, a source revealed that the minister will continue to play a pivotal role in the presidential and governorship campaign in Lagos State in the next few days.

    The minister, it was gathered, was instrumental in the holding of almost all the strategic consultations the president had with several interest groups in the state within the last few weeks.