The Nation Newspaper

Tag: single-term

  • Our Girls; FRSC; Single term!

    It is now four years + since our Chibok Girls were viciously kidnapped on April 15, 2014. However we await the release of the remaining Chibok girls and the Dapchi girl-child, 14 year old, Leah Sharibu. Disarming villagers, without providing protection is like preparing them up for slaughter as the herdsmen have not been so disarmed.

    Can FRSC clarify why one FRSC official Olanrewaju stopped me on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway before Ogunmakin on Sunday 13th May at 8 o’clock and kicked carelessly at my plate number and informing me that my vehicle registration plate number was ‘not in the FRSC database’? Is that a crime?

    Name a single politician at presidential, Governorship, LGA or even NASS, or professional in any parastatal who has done better in a second term than in the first term. Very few and far between.

    We are a nation supposed to be in a hurry, because of our low ranking in all UN development indices and the relative disadvantage of our citizens. Having even a good leader demanding a second term as of right and rigging his or her way back into power deprives us of even better leaders. If the recycled leader is bad it further impoverishes the quality of life and the level of service delivery for another four years. We know that the people’s will is not always carried out at elections. As for federal and state parastatals, the heads hold office and re-appointment by the President’s will and his circle or the Governor and his own circle. Any renewal or extension of terms has become more of a burden than a blessing of continuity.

    More often than not new Vice Chancellors and other parastatal heads, governors and even Presidents spend a good deal of time belittling the achievements and dismantling or abandoning construction work of predecessors. This happens worldwide. There are several ghostly see-through incomplete buildings to confirm this, Federal secretariat in Lagos is a disgraceful waste of the Nations patrimony as is the Ilubirin Estate.  In Nigeria a sect in power has managed to make the school subject history redundant. We are all witnesses as students or workers, to Heads of Departments and such places, going off at a tangent to the previous direction while warning that their predecessors name must never be mentioned again.

    However such issues do not call for perpetuation in power by anybody. There is an obvious decline in productivity during the second term. In Nigerian ethnic politics compounds this problem as the longer one ethnic group or one part of the state is in power, the less content are those who feel left out leading to perceived and often genuine cries against marginalization following a 2 term, 8 years rotation,  instead of a single term 4 year rotation. At the presidential level the present acrimonious 8 year North –South cycle of power has done no one any favours. The cycle is too long and requires revision and reduction to a single term of four or maximum five years. With a teeming population of qualified professionals why should one person be allowed to take up someone else’s job, depriving other Nigerians of the same job and depriving   and the citizens of new ideas, directions and goals every four years? Second term has become a cancer depriving Nigeria of exposure to the tree of leadership. Of course there are exceptions – few and far between.

    Today therefore let us think deeply about the value to Nigeria and Nigerians and the cost : benefit analysis  to our rapid development by introducing a single term of four or maximum  five years. Let us contrast that gain with as yet unwitnessed gain and losses from the ‘second term syndrome’. We must change the mindset of the citizen and the politician in this regard. All political parties should initiate studies and look seriously at the second term. Imagine where Nigeria would be today if it had had a new President every four years. Better or worse?

    At some point in our future we Nigerians have got to face and deal with the ‘8 year- two term right’ because it is wrong and has stunted our political and economic and even our ethnic recognition development. We all know that ethnic differences may be brewing at every national political opportunity but they also fester at state and LGA level. A compulsory four year system with create a wider playing field with more winners and hope for aspirants and more opportunity for development delivery.

    The strangely boastful Obasanjo claim that he ‘made’ several billionaires while he was president may be correct. The other way of saying ‘I made billionaires’ is to say that he did not make 1000 people with $1,000,000 each but a few who had over $1,000,000,000 each. Imagine the different impact on citizens in the wider spread of wealth. The result is cement is more expensive in Nigeria than anywhere in the world. Strange abi? Are billionaires not supposed to be generous? Of course not! Perhaps only in later life?

    Please note that the security of material and elections in not the responsibility of INEC who has no security personnel. It is government’s full responsibility.

    NASS has failed to deliver a budget in 7 months. Why should even a single one be re-turned to office in 2019?

     

    • NB: Uncover ‘I LOVE NIGERIA’ KNOWLEDGEABLE CANDIDATES for 2019 -SDG 16.

     

  • I didn’t sign single term agreement, says President

    I didn’t sign single term agreement, says President

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday denied signing an agreement with governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to spend one term in office.

    He challenged those who have the pact to produce the document.

    The President spoke last night during a Presidential media chat – his fifth since his election in 2011- aired on national television.

    Jonathan also spoke on various topics in the two-hour live programme in which he fielded questions from five journalists in the studio. He also took questions sent by some Nigerians.

    He also spoke on the ongoing university teachers’ strike which is nearing the 90th day, the Boko Haram activities and the controversy over the death or otherwise of its leader Abubakar Shekau, oil theft, the state of the economy, corruption and the sack of some minister, among others.

    Jonathan said: “I did not sign agreement with anybody; if I had signed an agreement, they would have shown you.

    “What I said in Ethiopia was that should Nigerians agree to a single term of seven years, I would not be part of it so that they would not say I canvassed it in order to spend 12 years in office.

    “A lot of people are misinforming Nigerians. I was in Addis Ababa when I advocated for this single tenure. I said if we look at the politics of Nigeria, especially now that the country is just developing…in terms of the political evolution, we started the First Republic, it collapsed, the Second Republic collapsed, the Third Republic collapsed. This is the very first time that we have stayed.

    “So, I said if we look at the way we go about our politics, to be productive, definitely if a president a tenure of seven years of one term without any interference, he must be productive more than even in the so-called eight years. I advocated for that, people would say the president, having completed the late President Yar’Adua’s tenure and another four years that make it five years, want to serve for another seven year single tenure, that would make it 12 years.”

    “If Nigerians agree to that single tenure, I believe it will be more

    productive for the country because I am thinking more about the

    country. I did not say oh, Jonathan is or not going to contest election. I discovered that  the concept of the single tenure which I was advocating at that time, it was when I was interfacing with some Nigerians in Addis Ababa, that some said I signed an agreement. They should show you the agreement.”

    On his 2015 ambition, Jonathan said it is too early to declare.

    He said: “We have laws in this country and our electoral laws regulate political activities. It gives the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) time frame to declare campaign open.

    “My declaring early will create more problems for the system than solving it. A lot of people have been holding meetings silently but have you heard any of them coming out to say I want to be president or governor?”

    On Boko Haram, Jonathan said it was not caused by poverty. He insisted that poor people cannot afford the weapons used by the sect.

    When asked if Boko Haram’s leader Abubakar Shekau is dead or alive, Jonathan said: “I do not know whether he (Shekau) is dead or alive. I do not know him and have never seen him before. You cannot have clear information on security operation.

    “If he was talking regularly in the past and suddenly stopped, there should be speculations.”

    On the cademic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) strike, the President said politics had crept into so many things. He said: “We have agreed on all issues, except transferring government’s assets to the university.

    “Until we get to that level where universities that claim to be autonomous are autonomous in funding and other areas, we will still face similar challenges.

    “The earned allowances which the lecturers are talking about are supposed to be paid from the Internally Generated Revenues (IGR) of the universities. The Federal Government cannot close all other departments because we want to solve ASUU problem.”

    Jonathan wondered why state universities’ lecturers should join those in the federal universities to embark on strike.

    He said: “Is it Federal Government that will provide infrastructure for state universities when we say we are in a federation? ASUU strike is very unfortunate because the union knows we are committed to revamping the infrastructure.”

    The President also spoke on revenue, saying the monthly meetings to share allocation were not necessary.

    He chided those who said the country was bankrupt, wondering why people play politics with serious issues.

    Jonathan said: “How can someone say Nigeria is bankrupt? What are the yardsticks used when Nigeria currently has the highest Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa. If Nigeria is bankrupt, investors will remove their money overnight.

    “We should be mindful of what we say as citizens. Despite all political interests, we must take our country first when making statements.”

    Appealing to ASUU to suspend the strike, he said the government’s commitment to make changes is total but that everything cannot be done overnight.

    He said: “ We set up a team, technical team, they visited all the universities, all the hostels including the toilets that we had in the hostels, they  took photographs and videos records and when it was present to the executive council, I said it must be presented to the governors.

    “So , I asked the Vice President that during the National Economic Council meeting with the governors, the Finance Minister is a member, the Planning Minister, Chief Economic Adviser to the President and the Central Bank Governor, the report should be presented.

    “The report was on Federal Universities and states, we did not go to the private universities and we saw the enormous responsibilities that we have as a nation; the Vice-President could not recognise where he learnt his Architecture.

    “I believe we can say there is misunderstanding; definitely, politics has come into so many things that we do, some we observe that the way we do certain things I have a feeling that something else is happening, they may be saying something different.

    “Anybody who talked about Nigeria being broke is just playing politics with the issue, we should be mindful of what statement we make.”

    He said Boko Haram did not start in 2009 and that because it was not handled properly at the initial stage, it became cancerous.

    He denied the allegation that the sack of ministers has anything to do with the aggrieved governors.

    On privitasation, he said: “There is no selective privatisation, you cannot privatise everything the same day.”

    On power, he said: “We are not talking about how many megawatts. That is not the issue, because. When we generate  and you do not have the capacity to evacuate, then you have done nothing.

    “As at the time we were talking about megawatt, we couldn’t  even have done more than 5500 megawatts, but  We are taken the whole chain, including the privatisation of Gencos and Discos.”

    He said those criticising the Petroleum Ministry are those who want to get oil blocks or lift oil and are not able to do so.

    “They will complain. Most of the stories are based on perception. Some of the stories are ‘molue’ stories. We are now paying a little less than a Trillion.”

    On oil theft, he said: “When something starts in a very small way, if it is not checked it will result in what we are seen now. I can assure you that we will get it under control. Government is also working with other heads of states outside Nigeria. There is no reason why you should accept stolen crude oil. It is not done by poor people.”

  • Senators oppose single term for president, governors

    Senators oppose single term for president, governors

    The stage appears set for the Senate to kill the recommendation of a six- year single tenure for President and Governors made by its committee on Constitution review.

    Out of 20 Senators that spoke Tuesday on the recommendations of the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, none supported the recommendation for six year single tenure for the president and governors.

    The committee headed by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, recommended six year single tenure for President and governors.

    The Committee had said, “Considering the financial expenses often associated with re-election and to ensure that executive heads are freed from the distractions to be able to concentrate on public policy issues, a provision for a single term of six (6)) years for President and Governors is made in sections 135 and 180 respectively.”

    But majority of Senators who contributed to the debate on the issue described the recommendation as an invitation to chaos and an attempt to institutionalize corruption.

    Senator Isah Galaudu (Kebbi North) in his contribution said the committee failed to provide adequate justification for six year single term.

    Galaudu described the recommendation as retrogressive, saying it would open a floodgate to loot the treasury by those who find themselves as president and governors.

    He also opposed the decentralization of prisons, arguing that the prison Service should remain in the Exclusive List.

    Senator Clever Ikisikpo (Bayelsa East) opposed removal of the immunity clause.

    He said that removal of immunity clause will be a major source of distractions for the president and governors.

    On six year single term, he described it as undemocratic.

     

  • Jonathan’s single-term proposal

    Jonathan’s single-term proposal

    At this point, I think it appropriate to ask: What exactly does President Good luck Jonathan want? His cheerleaders and godfathers have been campaigning for s return ticket for more than one year now. They did not wait to see their man perform and sell himself to Nigerians before seeking to seize the public domain to canvass a second term. For them, it does not matter that only one good term should deserve another. Or, could it be that they took a cue from Igbinedion’s Edo where the father said his son deserved a second term precisely because he had failed to perform at the first opportunity?

    It could also be that proponents of the Return Jonathan Project felt he had demonstrated sufficient capacity during the preview of his first tenure offered by the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010. Jonathan had nearly two years to show that he understood the problem with Nigeria and had the capacity to fix it. His men could have taken the verdict returned at the poll in 2011 as a validation of the theory that Nigerians were satisfied with his performance. He, too, in turn, could have been served the vodka of power, believing, like Louis the XIV, that he has all it takes to force his decision on the people, not minding the difference in epochs, systems and personalities.

    Thus far, it would appear that President Jonathan has been misled into believing the superiority and invincibility of his opinion. He has now come up with the campaign for a single term of six years. It is not an altogether new proposition. In the Abacha Constitutional Conference, it came up alongside such strange suggestions as collegiate presidency and multiple vice presidency. It is not the first time President Jonathan would be backing such a proposal. He had earlier surreptitiously passed the corrosive view to the federal lawmakers and sought, in a nation-wide televised debate, to justify the plan. He said it would save cost of electioneering, win more time for a government to work, perform and win the hearts of the people. He also feigned concern for the health of the polity, arguing that, with elections in the third world taking the form of battles, it would be unfair to subject the country to such consistent tension that grips it at election periods.

    What our dear president failed to tell us is what he, as a loving leader, has done to douse tension and concentrate on governance. By the end of this tenure, he would have been in office for about six years, why is he finding it difficult to shut up his paid agents hopping about spreading the gospel that he has a right to another term and would exercise the right? Isn’t it obvious to our president that it is not every right that you exercise? If Jonathan so loves this country, he would make a categorical pronouncement immediately that he has no interest in 2015 and much of the needless fog on the scene would clear.

    No one would be taken in by the suggestion that he might not offer himself for another tenure that would push his rule (or reign) to an unprecedented ten unbroken years. I am of the view, as most Nigerians, I suppose, that the Jonathan years have been an unmitigated disaster. The administration is a study in cluelessness and ineptitude that only the Shagari years could rival. How would anyone justify the expenditure of public fund in celebrating 100 years of a colonial contraption? And, that, over a period of one year! How would anyone explain the actions taken in recent times by a government that claims to be fighting corruption but is, at the same time, rewarding sleaze? In the Jonathan government are people who were being investigated for corrupt practices at the point of appointment.

    Under his administration, corruption has been given a boost. The pardon of former Bayelsa State governor, Dr. DSP Alamieyeseigha is the latest in the series of activities marking the leadership as one that worships in the temple of corruption. There is the job scam, the pension fund scam, the fuel subsidy fraud and the rot in the judiciary, among others. The most charitable analyst can only describe the federal government as confused.

    If corruption were limited to the financial, it probably would not be as dangerous as the situation has assumed now. All institutions and processes have been compromised and most public officials believe that they can literally get away with murder. The worst is process leading to recruitment of political leaders (or dealers). Party officials are turned at such points to auctioneers at bazaars. Consequently, nothing is working.

    The president is not alone in this promotion of corruption; the tin gods and mini-despots at the state level -governors- are as guilty. Officials have turned Nigeria into a private estate in which elected officials and their cohorts are the only beneficiaries. God save our country and the people.