The Nation Newspaper

Tag: STATE

  • The worrisome state of Nigerian economy

    I am prompted to write after reading the Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) as released by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) for the month of April 2016. The report was released on May 2nd. For the purpose of education and enlightenment, The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI),  is an indicator of the economic health of the manufacturing sector. The PMI index is based on five major indicators: new orders, inventory levels, production, supplier deliveries and the employment environment. Going through latest figures, we will all agree that the federal government under President Mohammadu Buhari need to act swiftly to avoid the country going into recession. I am not here to apportion blame, but it is always necessary to point fingers at the man at the helm of affairs.

    Manufacturing industries represent a vital part of any economy. Bigger and more powerful nations across the world feel jittery whenever figures are rolled out probably it might not be favourable. I expect our leaders to do same after they should have gone through CBN’s PMI for April 2016. As a matter of fact, the document showed that Nigeria’s PMI went down to record low. Again, for more insight, a composite PMI reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing/non-manufacturing economy is generally expanding, 50 percent indicates no change, and  below 50 percent indicates that it is generally declining. Alas! Our economy is now clearly declining and at a faster rate. This should raise concern among everyone irrespective of party affiliations.

    How do we describe a situation where the economy has declined so low to 43%? This is the same economy that was at 54% in September 2014, I am concerned, out of the 16 manufacturing sectors chosen by CBN during the period of the research, only 4 industries shows a growing tendency. As a matter of fact, only cement industry shows a serious sign of growth on our economy, no thanks to Dangote Cement Plc and Larfarge/WAPCO who invested a lot in the sector for for mass production for local consumption as well as exportation. Contrarily, all other sectors including petroleum & coal, chemical and pharmaceutical products, furniture & related products, textile, apparel, leather and footwear and host others are declining faster.

    Since we all know what can be the last implications of these trends, it is high time we call on the leadership of our dear nation to rise to the task. Nigeria cannot afford a recession, as it is.  Poverty is already ravaging the land, hunger and anger have become the nature of the man on the street, homelessness, lack of access to good health and education etc. In all honesty, the new administration is trying in its efforts, but is it enough?

    To stem this economy from further declining, we need stimulus to aid growth. A number of jobs lost in recent months need to be absorbed back into the system. It is clear that the price of crude oil might end up fluctuating as it is today, why could our government not  spell out their plans for us at least to give Nigerians a hope of a better tomorrow. The major issue with any government across the world is the distance between them and those that they governed.

    The unnecessary gulf always leads to the non-balance of information, at  long last, the leaders themselves always pay but in a hard way. I hope President Mohammadu Buhari and his team will be humble enough to listen to know the feelings of their citizens and act fast before the silent dogs start barking.

    • Ogunseye is a UK based social commentator

  • Power of National Assembly to scrap a state

    In its Tuesday, May 3, edition, on pages 43 and 48, The Guardian carried the contents of an interview it granted to Kemi Balogun, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in which interview he wrongly asseverated that the National Assembly could easily set at naught, to use his language, scrap, any of the federating units (states, like Ekiti, for instance) as currently constituted if it is able to mobilize two-thirds of its members to do so. According to him, “they (the States) have no option because they are the creation of the centre….” Continuing, he said, “The centre that created them can swallow up the states here. An Act of the National Assembly can scrap them…If 2/3 of national assembly elects to scrap a state, it is scrapped.”

    Two-thirds of the National Assembly? That is, about 312 national parliamentarians can scrap a state, a federating unit?

    I beg to disagree, with respect.

    Apparent in the foregoing statements of the learned Senior Advocate is a certain sad misconstruction of the constitutional provisions on the limits of the powers of the National Assembly. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), the fons et origo of the Nigerian legal system, provides in its section 2 subsection (1) that “Nigeria is one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign state to be known as the Federal Republic of Nigeria.” Subsection (2) thereof forcefully reinforces that stipulation by announcing that “Nigeria shall be a Federation consisting of States and a Federal Capital Territory.” For good measure, section 3 (1) thereof bolsters up subsection (2) when it expressly delineates the number of states in the federation. So, for the National Assembly to ever think of doing something about scrapping a state (a federating component), it has to amend section 3 (1) and the first column of Part 1 of the First Schedule to the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in line with the restrictive provisions of section 9 (1) (2) thereof.

    Where that gamble ever succeeds, it must be noted that in a federation, each of the constituent units has homologous powers, never mind that the Nigerian federating units were the creation of decrees. The learned Senior Advocate ought to know that if the military decreed any matter into being, such a matter acquired the irrefrangible and inviolate sanctity of continuance until set aside by another decree. Not so easy in a democratic dispensation! A federating unit created by a decree immediately acquired a coordinate status with the central authority.

    Political pundits, worldwide, agree that a federation is characterized by a union of partially self-governing states (as in Nigeria) or cantons (as in Switzerland) or regions (as in Australia) or Bundeslander (as in Germany and Austria) under a central government. In a federation, the self-governing status of the components, as well as the division of power between them and the central (federal) government, is typically constitutionally entrenched and may not be altered by a unilateral decision of either party, the states or the federal political body.

    According Sir Kenneth C. Wheare, former Rector of Exeter College, Gladstone, and Professor of Government and Public Administration, University of Oxford, and author of “Federal Government”, “The federal principle requires that the general and regional governments of a country shall be independent each of the other within its sphere, (and) shall not be subordinate one to the another but co-ordinate with each other….” The Constitution of Nigeria says that Nigeria, by reason of its being a disparate congeries of ethnic nationalities, is a federation. So, whether the practice of federalism in Nigeria by over-ambitious Nigerian rulers dovetails into that entrenched constitutional provision or not is immaterial. The centre cannot legislatively wish away one of the component parts of the federation. The National Assembly cannot even remove a state governor or his deputy let alone scrap the state over which they preside. The proviso to section 11 (4) of the Constitution warns the National Assembly:

    “Provided that nothing in this section shall be construed as conferring on the National Assembly power to remove the Governor or the Deputy of the State from office.”

    The powers of the National Assembly over the states are limited to those spelt out in section 11 (3) (4) of the constitution and to those adumbrated on the Exclusive Legislative List, which are outside the jurisdiction of State Houses of Assembly. Even where the National Assembly, under section 11 (3) of the constitution, can legislate on behalf of any State House of Assembly during a period of war involving Nigeria, the extension of such legislative powers terminates with the end of the war. Prof. K.C. Wheare, in his “Federal Government”, warns that “this extension of authority cannot be justified in time of peace, of course, and it is natural that after a war the limits of the general government’s authority will recede.”

    Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution provides that, “The National Assembly may, SUBJECT to the provisions of this section (i.e. subsections (3) and (4) thereof), alter ANY OF THE PROVISIONS OF THIS CONSTITUTION” (emphasis added). The scrapping of a state (a federating unit) is NOT one of the provisions of the 1999 Constitution, which the National Assembly has powers to alter, neither is such a power located in either the 68-item Exclusive Legislative List nor in the 30-item Concurrent Legislative List.

    I dare say, with the profoundest respect, that it becomes clear that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria laboured under some insuperable confusion and a penumbra of irrationality when he blurted out that: “Majority of them (i.e. of the states) were created by decrees. We do not have decrees again. What we have now is the National Assembly,” suggesting that the National Assembly has more powers than the military authorities ever paraded! He knows or should know that the military and its decrees, unrestricted by any rule, written or otherwise, could and did promulgate, by military fiats, laws which the National Assembly, hedged about by restrictive constitutional provisions, cannot venture to enact?

    Today, the powers given to the National Assembly by the Exclusive and even Concurrent Legislative Lists of the 1999 Constitution are so unwieldy, so enormous, they make the national legislature hard put to it to find its way in the labyrinth of law making. Mr. Kemi Balogun, SAN, should not add more to the functions of the National Assembly. Instead, he should lend his influential voice, as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, to the strident calls for devolution of powers from the centre to the federating units, and for fiscal federalism. For the scrapping of a federating unit or the merger of two or more such units, a plebiscite or referendum within that unit or those units, is a desideratum devoutly to be wished, a sine qua non, a condition precedent that cannot be pretermitted.

  • Whither the Nigerian state?

    SIR: “I stand for a Conservative government because I believe that the state was made for man and not man for the state,”was one of Margaret Thatcher’s campaign slogans, to put her Conservative Party in the hearts of the people and against the Labour Party long before she became the greatest post-war Prime Minister Britain has ever produced. Labour in her estimation shirked in its duties to the British people.

    I watch events elsewhere and see how liberalist policies are tearing societies apart, from abolishment of prayers in public places even in countries founded under religious precepts, to freedom of speech taken too far leading to religious radicalisms, gun rights, etc., etc., and I can’t help but shake my head at the weakness of state.

    I hear irredentists somewhere campaigning for separate sovereignty with gusto, tearing the state and other people with piquant opinions about her and them.

    It is worrying because many people of my acquaintance who have joined the fray were educated in Nigerian institutions of higher learning (provided by the state), won scholarships offered by the state to other Ivy Leagues outside our shores, even came back to work in state-owned institutions but yet still denounce the state.

    Many who do not enjoy stately benefits are more nationalistic than many who enjoy these benefits provided by the state.

    Who has ever fought the state and succeeded? All through history men negotiated with the state when push came to shove.

    Now is the time for the state to act stately. Why is the Fulani onslaught not yet check-mated?

    When did the Fulani trade sticks and knives for guns? We are in the 21st century, there are no more empires to conquer. It is the collective responsibility of state’s administrators and the police to help the federal government in nipping this malaise in the bud.

    These days, when I read about the atrocities attributed to the Fulani, I dare to ask; are these fellows the Fulani, I saw as a growing child who were so unassertive, minding their own business?

    These days, when I read about the ritual dens in Nigeria with people caught with human heads and political persons larking about discussing everything else but the onslaught, I do wonder.

    These days, when I walk around hearing dangerous hate speeches denoting that our problems are caused only by a section of the country, I can’t but shake my head.

    When I am told about the man-eating communities in Nigeria, I can’t help but say we evolve badly.

    When I hear of people killed at elections, women and children killed where I am now and governmental persons dismiss it as only a cult war, I can’t help but wonder. Then you are tempted to ask: how come most of these so-called benefactors of the cultists are never apprehended by the state?

    What is happening to the Nigerian state? Every man jack in Nigeria today threatens the state and gives it ultimatums. Even folks with tainted image and no history. Man was made for the state and the state must rise up quickly to condemn all acts by man that are not friendly to the body politic.

     

    Simon Abah,

    Port-Harcourt, Rivers State.

  • Security Trust Fund chief seeks state police

    Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSF) Executive Secretary Dr Abdurrazaq Balogun has said the time is ripe for state police.

    “In Lagos State we have everything that can enable us to create state police. The time is ripe to start for it,” he said.

    Balogun said LSSTF has achieved its core mandate, noting that from statistics, the rate of reported crime cases went down in the last six months.

    He said 12 cases were reported in March, adding that the prevailing peace was achieved by empowering the security forces.

    Balogun praised the government, corporate organisations and individuals for donating to the fund, adding that because of their gesture, the LSSF was able to increase the number of vehicles, vessels and modern equipment given to the security agencies.

    He said: “In the last few months, you would have noticed the increased presence of security on our streets, and also a greater number of our patrol vehicles reaching farther into our towns and keeping the peace. All of these have served as a deterrent to criminal elements who might want to take advantage of the unsuspecting people either on the street or in their homes. Apart from this, other initiatives, such as the street lighting project of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, which has lightened up the black spots and the encouragement of vigilance among the populace, have added to the overall sense of safety and well-being in Lagos. We can state as a matter of fact, that all the indicators are pointing to a decline in the rate of crime, including traffic robberies, vehicle snatching, kidnap cases, gangsterism and others – all of them have reduced significantly in the past six months.’’

  • Cry, Beloved Confluence State

    The event was planned as a grand celebration of some sort. But before it ended, the chief celebrant converted the arena to a mournful spectacle. That was on Wednesday, January 27, when Yahaya Bello took his oath of office as governor of Kogi State. The 40,000 capacity International Confluence Stadium, Lokoja was reasonably filled with guests made up of party members, government officials, religious leaders and a very large contingent of cultural groups and masquerades. When it was time for Bello to deliver his inaugural speech, he suddenly remembered his father who died when he was a toddler and inappropriately chose the occasion to cry openly in his memory, as if he was freshly bereaved. While many people called it tears of joy, others tagged it crocodile tears. Showmanship or not, and whatever the motive of the weeping governor, the ironical funeral dirge of that day, has turned out to be a perfect prelude to the tears his ascendancy has brought to the people of Kogi State. Tears heralded his coming and most of his actions or inactions, like canisters of tear gas, have continued to make the people cry, cry, and cry.

    The epitome of the governor’s thoughtless policies is the removal of all road roundabouts in Lokoja, the state capital. Operating with the type of energy found in a demented soldier, Bello ordered the demolition of the roundabouts within days of his assumption of office. The order was carried out in a jiffy with clinical precision. In most cases, the demolitions took place in the dead of night. Thus, most residents woke up with rapture-like experience to find the roundabouts gone with the winds. The affected roundabouts are Paparanda Square, Kogi Circle and Lugard Circle. Others are Kogi Hotel, Welcome to Lokoja, Zone8, NTA and Ganaja roundabouts. With their removal, motorists now regularly overrun the crossroads with the attendant risks to life and property.

    The governor’s media aides offered incoherent, indolent and lack-lustre explanation for the demolitions. When tongues began to wag, they said that the roundabouts were unfit and too old for the anticipated modern state capital Lokoja is supposed to be. However, there may be other reasons. Unofficial sources claim the demolition exercise was at the behest of marabout and voodooists who advised to that effect. Their reasons? The roundabouts were evil and have been used as vaults for dangerous charms and amulets which past governors kept hidden under them. If Bello must have a successful tenure, he therefore needs to first smoke out the powerful charms from their comfortable zones beneath the roundabouts!

    Such thinking is certainly anachronistic in today’s world. Without doubt, the governor’s religious and spiritual persuasion or the lack thereof, is part of his privacy. Nevertheless, this privacy should not be a drawback to his public life. It is worrisome when governance degenerates to the level of diabolism or witchcraft. Government’s ostensible reason is a misadventure in the extreme. The roundabouts are legacy projects that commemorate the history of the state. While some of them like Paparanda Square and Kogi Circle were as old as the state, others like Lugard Circle and Zone 8 were constructed by the immediate past administration headed by the aviator, Capt. Idris Wada. They were all constructed with taxpayers’ money. Painfully, they have now also been destroyed with the same taxpayers’ money. No doubt, it will take far more than the original cost to reconstruct any of those legacies. People are now asking, “What manner of governor, who is an accountant, is this new Sheriff?”

    The governor does not leave anyone in doubt that he is in charge of the cluelessness in the Confluence State. His obsession with power is stupefying. On becoming the governor his first assignment was to convert the double lane road along his private residence and adjacent to Lugard House, into a single lane. His arbitrary and retrogressive blockage of the road inflicts pain on road users who are forced to endure harrowing traffic delays. The state chapter of the People’s Democratic Party shouted itself coarse about the impropriety of the blockage and called on the governor to dismantle the ‘illegal barricade’.

    Policy somersaults and the over amplification of powers of the governor have defined his incursion to power. Two issues will drive this point home. In his first week in office, Bello exercised the powers of his office retroactively by directing that all appointments and promotions approved by his predecessor since January 2015, one clear year before the end of that tenure, be reversed. Included in this category were about 1,000 teachers employed by the state Teaching Service Commission TSC, much needed engineers employed by the Ministry of Water Resources and other professionals validly appointed by his predecessor. The policy has effectively pushed back these people into the saturated labour market from where they were only recently liberated. This has caused much pain and gnashing of the teeth for the affected families.

    When he came on board, he considered a reformed local government administration as soft target to impress the grass roots. In truth, years of maladministration and nepotism have kept the third tier of government prostrate in the land. Bello frowned at the tradition of percentage payment of salary in that tier, blaming it on the meddlesomeness of his predecessor. Summarily, he cancelled the Local Government Joint Account and promptly announced full financial autonomy for the councils. The decision was praised to high heaven. In spite of this however, no council has been able to pay full salaries since the so-called approval of autonomy. It is also gathered from the grapevine, that the aforesaid autonomy was fake. Most of the deductions he frowned at have been restored through the back door, with a few others added.

    That is not all. The governor has now arrogated to himself, the power to seize the funds of any ‘offending’ council. That is the experience of Ofu and Ijumu Local Councils for their February allocations. The governor was said to have ordered the withholding of Ofu LGA’s allocation because of gross insubordination by the cashier of the council. The said official allegedly flouted the governor’s directive that all cashiers, treasurers and other top level finance staffs proceed on indefinite compulsory leave to give room for a thorough checking of the books. To enforce compliance by this erring official, the governor ‘wisely’ held on to the allocation of the whole council thereby denying the entire LGA its due financial accrual.

    The case of Ijumu, home of Hon. James Faleke, the governor’s formidable political opponent is more worrisome. The governor’s wife, Hajia Rashidat Bello was said to have been embarrassed during an ill-advised visit to the council. She had gone to Ekinrin-Adde, Faleke’s home town to re-commission a community-initiated and financed health facility that was first commissioned in 2007. Apart from the charge of giving her imperial Excellency cold shoulders during the all important engagement, a grotesque masquerade was said to have scared the First Lady away from the community. Now, the chairman of the council has been asked to produce the daring masquerade or forfeit the council’s monthly allocation! Bello at his tyrannical best?

    It is clear that there are issues in Kogi State. Salaries are not being paid, yet government officials are acquiring the most exotic SUVs – the types never seen in the state. The House of Assembly is functioning with only five members while 20 others are being denied the ability to function as elected official of their respective LGAs. For a governor still grappling with legitimacy as a result of challenges at the electoral tribunal, his abrasive style does not bode well for him on the long run.

    It may be too early to evaluate the new Sherif in Lugard House. But since morning shows the day and his tenure is absolutely circumstantial, an early appraisal of this style and nature may be an effective remedy to halt the free flow of tears.

    Weep not, dear fatherland. For though weeping may endure through the night, joy comes in the morning.

     

    • Abudu writes from Lokoja, Kogi State.

  • Mr. President, time for state of the nation address

    I am writing this to you for two reasons. One, as a very passionate Nigerian who wants you to succeed, because in your success is ours. Two, as a professional who believes you definitely need help at this point. And I am not playing any blame game; you are probably already under immense pressure, and blaming you can only aggravate the situation.

    I am writing about the situation in the land. I don’t know how much time you have for news; whether you read the papers or your aides simply extract details for you. I don’t know if you watch TV, or you are like OBJ who curiously boasted that he didn’t read local newspapers or watch local stations. Sir, either you have been doing this or not, the news out there is not very good.

    Nigerians are suffering in more ways than you would believe. And I am not talking about the endless queues for fuel that never arrives. There is no electricity either. As I write this, we have several homes and business facilities that have all manner of generators using fuel that is hard to get. Worse, the power companies have increased tariffs even when we are not getting value, with the promise that the additional income would help them operate better. So we are funding their investments when we are not stake or shareholders.

    Things are very expensive in the markets. Companies are labouring to keep their plants open because they cannot get enough forex for packaging and raw materials. People are complaining about too many things. I don’t even want to talk about parents who are finding it hard to get forex to fund their wards’ education outside Nigeria; we have been repeatedly told it’s indulgent to send children out for quality education. No one is talking about the reason why this is happening; that the overall quality of public education is down and private schools cost as much as sending children out.

    Sir, I believe it’s time to speak to Nigerians as a father and President in a State of the Nation Address. Usually we are told that silence is golden; this is one time when it is not. You missed the opportunity to say some critical things during your inauguration. Many had hoped instead of the 11 minutes speech, it would be an opportunity to form the basis for bonding with your people. At that time, it would have been appropriate to let Nigerians into the mess you inherited, far worse than what you feared. It would have helped if you told us that as a result of this, some election promises might be slow in coming or might not even come. (IBB was a master in this communication style). You were so hugely popular then that Nigerians would have understood and would have empathised, and would have accepted your words.

    Now the things you did not say are happening and everyone understandably is upset with you because, let’s be honest, you and the APC over promised during the campaign. It was understandable that after three unsuccessful attempts, you were throwing in all to clinch the ultimate prize. Still, some of the promises were way above reality. The chicken has come home to roost. People are asking for the CHANGE you promised us. And sir, don’t be upset, for as long as you promised, Nigerians have a right to demand a performance. It probably has not helped that the government communication machinery has not rallied to cover these areas and your flanks.

    Mr. President, the effect is that we have this gap between you and your people. They are wondering if you are aware of their suffering. They are asking for the CHANGE they voted for. They are not getting answers; instead they are getting plenty of excuses and spin and propaganda, but not the genuine truth they crave. And mind you sir, they know things are tough. They are literate enough to know that our oil is not selling. But they are not hearing it from YOU in a way that suggests you care about them and what they are going through. And don’t let the spin-doctors deceive you, this is not about PDP and APC; I have lately heard die-hard APC stalwarts totally condemn your administration and the party.

     

    What to do?

    It’s time to speak to Nigerians. I am not talking about one of those interviews where the questions might have been agreed before the interview session. I am talking of a direct, one-to-all communication, where you will address every Nigerian. It’s time to let us know how we got to this pass, the efforts you are making, the huge challenges you inherited and have to manage, the plans and work-in-progress, the good times that are ahead, the hard and painful fact that Nigerians once more must be prepared to sacrifice again at this point. Fortunately for you, Nigerians are not like our North African brethren who will riot over a few cents increase in the price of bread; Nigerians are patient and stoic and don’t really demand too much. Some of your ministers may not have helped. Ibe Kachikwu has forgotten he is no longer in MOBIL; he spoke with impatience to a people suffering from the lapses of our oil management policies. Lai Muhammed? I do not want to say anything that may upset or offend.

    So sir, please choose a date, let the best of your wordsmiths prepare a speech after discussing with you. Open up to Nigerians. Give the necessary assurances. Many smart leaders, especially the Americans do this during periods of crisis; and trust me we are in a period of crisis at this point. I assure you sir that your speech will calm many frayed nerves and give hope to many who are so despondent now.

    We are praying for this government and your good self; we want you to be very successful. But we also owe it a responsibility as part of our civic commitment to tell you things like this; it is not unlikely that within the hallowed chambers of the Villa, words like these are a taboo. Nigerians want to hear you. Nigerians want to hear from you NOW.

    Mr. President, PLEASE DO IT!

     

    • Akinwunmi, frpa is Immediate past chairman, APCON.
  • Ibadan State: How feasible?

    Ibadan State: How feasible?

    Despite the popular belief that many states are not viable, the people of Ibadan are not relenting in their quest for a state. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the feasibility and viability of the proposed Ibadan State.

    The agitation for states creation has dominated the public space for many years.  But, whether these requests have met the constitutional requirements is another puzzle. Analysts are of the view that the proliferation of states stemmed from the fear of the minorities and the feelings of marginalisation and domination.  The agitators believe that the creation of new states would quicken the pace of development and bring governance closer to the people.

    At the close of submission of requests for new states to the Seventh Senate, 62 memoranda were received. One of them was the demand for the creation of Ibadan State. The request resonated at the installation of the Olubadan of Ibadan, Oba Saliu Adetunji last week. The monarch made no pretence over his commitment to its actualisation during his reign. He told the dignitaries at the ceremony that it is his main priority.

    Oba Adetunji argued that only Ibadan had not become a state among the old regional capitals, unlike Enugu and Kaduna. He said: “God sparing my life, I will work with the government and the people of Ibadan and our friends to ensure that Ibadan State, which we truly deserve, is made possible”.

    The population of Ibadan is 3.5 million according to geographical data base. Out of 33 local governments in Oyo State, Ibadan has 11.  It has six out of 14 federal constituencies and 16 out of 32 state constituencies.

    Ibadan State was a campaign issue in the last general elections in Oyo State. PDP chieftains, including the governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, and Former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Jumoke Akinjide and former President Goodluck Jonathan promised that, if the PDP was re-elected, Ibadan State would become a reality. Dr. Jonathan disclosed that he deliberately did not hand over the document on the creation of new states to the last Senate because they might not be able to conclude the process.

    Folarin explained that to create states in a democratic government is not a child’s play. He said while he was in the Senate, he and his colleagues kick-started the process of creating Ibadan State. However, he recalled that he was hamstrung by the procedures laid down in the constitution, unlike under the military regimes when states were created by fiat.

    Constitutional requirements

    Section 8(1) of the 1999 Constitution states that: A request supported by at least, two-thirds majority of members representing the areas demanding the creation of the new state in each of the following namely: The Senate and the House of Representatives, the Houses of Assembly in respect of the area and the Local Government Councils in respect of the area, where the demand is received by the National Assembly.

    “A proposal for the creation of the state, approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area from where the demand for the creation of the state originated; the result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the Federation supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly and the proposal is approved by two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.”

    A member of the Senate committee on Constitution Review in the last dispensation, who spoke in confidence, said: “In all, none of the requests for state creation at the close of receipt of memoranda satisfied the requirement of Section 8 (1) (a) (i-iii) to justify recommendation for the next step in Section 8 (1) (b) that is directing Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct a referendum.”

    Besides, he said the Committee, in its report stated that the signatories to the requests are not currently serving as members of the Senate, House of Representatives, Houses of Assembly or Local Government Councils as required by the constitution. As such, if the signatories of those that are no longer serving at the various legislative levels are removed, the signatories of serving members will not satisfy the provisions of Section 8 (a) (1) (i-iii), he said.

    Analysts believe some of the states have not lived up to expectation, when considered from the point of view of their economic viability. According to them, most of the states   have failed to explore opportunities to boost their revenue base. Rather, they are contented with the national allocation.

    But, a prominent indigene of Ibadan, Chief Niyi Akintola (SAN), ruled out that the proposed Ibadan State will depend on the federal allocation. He said Ibadan State will be economically viable.

    Akintola, the Basorun Bamofin of Ibadanland, said: “The creation of Ibadan State is not only viable, but desirable. About 92 per cent of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Oyo State comes from Ibadan. With a visionary leader, the state will be self sufficient”.

    He stressed: “Ibadan State will be viable more than some states in the Southwest. Land is the crude oil of Ibadan. Its proximity to Lagos and Ogun States will enhance the value of its land and boost the economic activities of the proposed state. Ibadan is endowed with fertile land good for production of cocoa. Take for instance, along Lagos-Ibadan expressway the boundary is Ogunmakin village about 39 kilometres away from Ibadan; the boundary between Ibadan and Osun State is Papa which is about 103 kilometres to Ibadan.

    “It will be travesty of justice to deny Ibadan a state of its own. It remains the only province that has not become a state. I make bold to say that Ibadan State is long overdue.”

    But, another indigene of Ibadan, Dr Gbade Ojo, said Ibadan State is not feasible. He said many people will be shocked that an Ibadan man is not supporting the creation of Ibadan State. Ojo, former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to Governor Abiola Ajimobi, added: “If you are talking about Ibadan State, in terms of mere nomenclature, like Kaduna State, Enugu State and we are saying Ibadan should be a state, I will tell you it is not feasible. There are some criteria for state creation, which we need to put into consideration.

    “Based on scientific finding, the first principle is that the new state must be economically viable. If in Nigeria today, out of the 36 states, you cannot pinpoint six states that can pay wages and salaries without the federal allocation, then, why talking about state creation? Does it make any sense that you want to create an additional liability?

    “Talking of the geographic and demographic size of the state, if the new state is not economically strong to tell the Federal Government ‘go away with your allocation’ and we are now agitating for a new state, our people need to check the level of exposure of politicians deceiving them.

    “Secondly, as we want Ibadan State, other parts of the country are also agitating for the creation of more states. The fragmentation of the federal structure will make the Federal Government to be stronger in political theory and the component part of the federation becomes weaker because they depend on the federal allocation. The Federal Government can use that as a weapon to fight states.  If it refuses to give them allocation, the states won’t be able to pay workers’ salaries and their respective contractors.

    “Most of the states could not pay January salary because they are yet to get their allocations. What does that connote? It is simply lack of economic viability. If the new states are not economically viable, it is a fundamental problem. That will make the Federal Government to become stronger than as it is today”.

    Civil Rights activist Comrade Moshood Erubami disagreed with Ojo’s submission. He said Ibadan, by all standards, met the criteria of transforming into a state. He said Ibadan is the largest and most populous city in the country and in West Africa.

    Erubami said that the agitation for the creation of Ibadan state is not an exception or not out of place because it is the belief of many that if federalism must exist, it must be on the basis of equitable control and ownership of natural resources, cohesion and unity of the people that constitute the geo-politics of each state.

    According to him: “The main factors that motivated the creation of Ogun, Ondo Ekiti and Osun states out of Western State continues to cry for the creation of Ibadan State. There is no way Ibadan will be considered less qualified. In fact it is long overdue.

    “It is economically viable more than many of the existing states today. In fact Ibadan merits being a state because of its history, geography, administration, population, monuments, landmarks and other advantages. Under the present national circumstance and for justice to be seen to be done to all, Ibadan is viable, feasible in all contexts; a meaningful and desirable project.

    “The creation of Ibadan State will consolidate the current development in the city, enhance the current infrastructural facilities and in the long run bring about sustainable development to the city and its people if it continues to be led by strong leaders who are visionary, courageous and imbued with character of integrity.”

    Akintola said Ibadan State was not considered by the late Gen. Sani Abacha in 1996 because Ibadan was the theatre of war against Abacha’s plan to transform himself into a civilian president and the struggle for the revalidation of Chief Moshood Abiola’s mandate. The plan to launch his campaign in Ibadan was truncated, the giant bill boards carrying Abacha’s portraits were pulled down by pro-democracy activists. According to him, there was no way Abacha could have created Ibadan State.

    Ojo chided Jonathan, Akinjide and Folarin for attempting to mislead the people of Ibadan by making state creation a campaign issue. “You don’t make issues out of no issue if you have not consulted properly from those who specialise in that area. Politicians being what they are, they can go out to hoodwink the electorate just to get what they want,” he fumed.

    According to him, what the politicians did was to cajole the electorate thinking that the aspiration of an average Ibadan man was Ibadan State, let us promise them Ibadan State so as to have our way. It was a mere gimmick and not a campaign promise, he said.

    He noted that the process of creating an additional state is rigorous and that is why since 1960, no democratically elected government has created a single state; all existing states were created by the military.

    Although Erubami is in support of creation of Ibadan State, he noted that the main purpose adduced for state creation has always being for expedited national development and integration but, the outcomes of state creation exercises in Nigeria have failed to meet the genuine desires for state creation.

  • Ondo ’ll become model state, says Akinnola

    Ondo ’ll become model state, says Akinnola

    Akinyinka Akinnola is an All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ondo State.In this interview with reporters in Lagos, he speaks on how zoning deprives the electorate of the opportunity to pick the best person for the job. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there.

    Why are you in the Ondo governorship race?

    There have been a lot of developments in the country of recent. A wind of change is blowing all across the country and it is important that everybody should be part of this change. I found that most of the time people like myself with exposure and experience do not participate actively in politics, but we complain loudest when things are not going well. It is for us to get involved to bring a change to the country.

    Coming from the same district with the incumbent governor, what gives you the edge over other aspirants?

    The man on the street is less interested in where the governor comes from, but more in what the governor is able to do to better the life of the common man. What is important is the passion, the commitment and the competence to do the job. Too many times we have been short-changed by the politics of placement and positioning which insinuates that there should be a direct benefit from the people of a particular area because the governor comes from there. But, the fact is that a turn by turn approach to governance doesn’t give us the best we deserve. Let us look at it. There is representation for wards  at local councils and  for local governments at the state House of Assembly. The governor does not represent any ward or local government. He is the governor of the entire state and is not mandated to represent any group or area. Thus, his origin is of no importance. Ondo State is at such stage where it needs somebody who has the experience, the exposure and the commitment to put things in order. I believe people of Ondo and indeed Nigerians generally are getting more and more enlightened in this regard. So, what is important is the competence and ability to deliver.

    Revenue is at an all-time low. If elected, what would you do to ensure governance does not suffer?

    First of all, success in governance, like any other human endeavour, is determined by the quality of people you have in charge. I will assemble a team of competent people with more experience and knowledge than myself in their chosen field of endeavour. We have all had experience in the private and public sector, confronting problems and proffering solutions?.  We are going to take our eyes off the federal allocations because that can hardly sustain us as it continues to dwindle, and  concentrate on internally generated revenues through various activities  and programmes.

    What is the assurance that the delegates will vote for you at the primary election?

    First thing is that I am running on a platform that has democratic values. I mean my party the APC. The delegate system now being adopted gives a wider voice to party members as it is more inclusive. We are engaging the delegates. A lot of them we have spoken to and interacted with, and what I see is that people are beginning to understand that this is beyond a game of immediate gratification. Everybody has been pushed to the level where they cannot fulfil basic aspirations or take care of the family and they are realising that it is time to bring in sincere and appropriate people into government. It is about building confidence and  good relationship and we are developing this relationship with them everyday and I’m confident that by the time we go for the primary we will be in a position to appeal to a very large segments of the delegates to support us for the office.

    The incumbent governor has different ratings among different people. What do you hope to do differently?

    What we need to realize about governance is that continuity is the bedrock for growth. We’ll review all programmes we may inherit and certainly such programmes that are good and viable will definitely be sustained. We do not know the financial models upon which they are based but if these programmes are beneficial to the people and are financially viable in terms of sustainability they should endure. That is my view regarding that.

    As for what I hope to do differently, my experience over the last 30 years has been in engineering, infrastructure and manufacturing and that is what I really bring to the table here.

    Your sister was the immediate past minister from Ondo. Your late father was a former commissioner in the old Western State. And you are also running for governor. People are tempted to ask whether your family is the only one in Ondo State.

    My father was a commissioner in Western State more than 45 years ago and had since been in private business but constantly contributing to the progress of the state. Apart from industries set up in Ondo state during his stint as commissioner for Industries in the western region, he was also the representative of Ondo state on the federal revenue mobilisation committee and pushed for the adjustment of our boundary with Edo state that saw more oil installations falling within Ondo State and thus increasing our revenue from derivation. My sister Omobola Johnson is a very accomplished technocrat?. She was the Country Manager of Accenture in Nigeria and it was from there she was chosen to be on the Vision 2020 programme of the Yar’Adua government and she excelled. From there again she was called to be part of a presidential advisory committee with President Jonathan and it was from there she was selected to be minister. She is not a politician; she never contested for any office. She was  selected on her merit and she performed creditably well. I, in contrast to my father and sister,  am going in for an elective office along with about 20 other contestants to compete.

    So, there is no issue of the Akinnolas being the only family in the state. Everybody should have the right to compete and everybody should work hard to distinguish themselves.

    What is your position on zoning?

    Ondo state is very rich in terms of human capital. From all over the senatorial districts we have very competent people?. The question is do all these people always come into government and compete? In a competition – which this exactly is – I don’t think anybody should be saying anybody from here is good or anybody from there is better or it should be reserved for anyone. We should all come out and compete. The party (delegates) will decide who emerges at the end of the day and then the electorate will decide. Zoning, a lot of the time, doesn’t create an atmosphere where the best can be gotten. It doesn’t create healthy competition. And so without zoning, which is what the party is saying now that they are yet to adopt zoning as a formula, they are asking everyone to come out and compete.

    The theme of your campaign is ‘less politics, more governance.’? How did you arrive at this and what do you mean exactly?

    As you rightly observed, that is the theme of my campaign. Less politics, more governance. The reason we get into governance is because of the electorate: to provide services? To the people, security, social services and employment and so on. But we see that politics is given more time than governance. At a time government should busy itself with governance all you hear of is political scheming, re-alignments, camping and decamping, etc., etc. The amount of time that ought to be given to governance, relative to what it should be, is not so. Governance is about the executive and the legislature coming together to work for the people. All actions ought to be geared towards governance. There should be a shared objective and a cohesive plan of implementation that the executive, the legislature and the local government and our elected federal representatives key into. We should all hold each other accountable and extend to each other the regard the respective offices deserve.  Where there is weakness in terms of capacity within any of these groups we should work together to support them. Of course there will always be politics but what we are saying is that it should not be the main thing once we are in government. Governance is the reason people get elected to public office.

  • State airport projects as conduit pipes

    SIR: The novel shift in executive priorities from the usual recurrent template to a sudden subscription to the luxury of capital project in the amplitude of airports among Nigerian cash-crunched states gives a copious room for suspicion.

    It is paradoxical for states that could not envision such capital intensive projects during oil boom to start contemplating it when they are getting bankrupt.

    Moreover, the backlog of unpaid workers’ remuneration, pensions and ubiquitous moribund social infrastructure makes an immediate repudiation of these elephant projects expedient.

    Much as airports enunciate the vestiges of modern civilization, the timing of its denouement in a state like Ekiti for instance is inauspicious, incongruous and superfluous.

    A state that is owing teachers ‘salaries for more than two months lacks the financial capacity and technical acumen to complete an airport project.

    The state lawmakers have a duty to put these elephant projects in abeyance from their conceptual stage otherwise they would not be extricated from a vicarious liability in the likely event of failure or abandonment.

     

    • Bukola Ajisola,

    Victoria Island, Lagos.

  • State police: Back on the front burner

    The agitation for state police, one of the components of true federalism, has resurfaced in the national discourse.  MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE examines the issues that have been militating against its establishment and how it can become a reality. 

    There has been growing calls for the establishment of state police over the years, to complement the efforts of the federal police in combating crime and criminality in the country. The idea has always been shut down each time it surfaces.

    Nevertheless, it is one issue that continues to generate interest. During the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan, delegates canvassed different positions. It was also a campaign issue during the last general elections.

    It resonated once again during the screening of ministerial nominees by the National Assembly. Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola brought it back into national discourse when he was screened by the Senate. He said it is grossly inadequate for Nigeria to have only 500,000 police personnel for the over 170 million Nigerians.

    Fashola said it has become imperative to for the states to establish their own police, in line with the federal structure of the country. According to the former governor, state police could be saddled with cases of domestic violence and rape issues, while the federal police should be engaged in other matters related to crime prevention.

    He further explained that the creation of state police would provide job opportunities for graduates roaming the streets. The police, he noted, have much to gain from the reservoir of knowledge laying fallow across.

    Graduates of criminology and strategic thoughts abound across the country, but have not been offered the opportunity to serve in the force because of the limited slots only available under the federal police.

    Those arguing for the creation of state police believe that since the state government have their own executive, judiciary and legislature, it would be wrong to prevent them from establishing their police.

    One of the major duties of the police is to investigate criminal activities, based on the finding of the police; those seeking justice would have the benefit to get it.

    Analysts say if the states are made of executive, judiciary and legislature, it would be wrong not to have state police. They contend that the establishment of state police would speed up criminal investigation in the state, which is often bugged down by federal bureaucracy.

    Speaking on the lopsided federal structure of Nigeria, Sen. Olubunmi Adetunbi said the country has the unique opportunity to address some of the historical imbalances in Nigeria’s federalism.

    He said: “I am not surprised that in recent times, there has been a lot of debate for and against state police. The fact that Nigerians are debating it is a healthy development. The federal police in other places like United States of America (USA) have full authority to enforce federal laws at all level. The states in the US have state-wide police organisation that provide law enforcement duties in the states.’’

    Adetunbi explained that even in Britain, Nigeria’s colonial master has its territorial police which perform duties in defined jurisdiction. He cited India, Pakistan, Argentina and Ethiopia as countries with less sophisticated political structures, adhering to the principle of federalism.

    He said: “In Argentina, the job of policing the country is done not only by the federal police, but also by 23 provincial police forces.

    “In Nigeria, the state governments have the power to set up the executive, operate independent judiciary that has relationship with the federal government justice system. They have parliament, but they have no authority over law enforcement. It is an imbalance composition of a modern state. There should be a consensus on how states can police their territories.’’

    Those against state creation argue that the structure could be used for witch-hunting. They believe that many governors have the tendency to use power excessively. During the last general elections, the raw use of power was prevalent.

    They also argue that the creation of state police will lead to armed proliferation. This, according to the traditional ruler of Ossomala Kingdom, Anambra State, Chief Victor Awogu, the country is presently having security challenges because of too many arms circulating the landscape.

    He said if the 36 states are allowed constitutionally independent police, its means more arms would have to be put into circulation.

    Political analysts say the debate over the establishment of state police has been politicised. They argue that the division between the North and South over the matter could be gleaned from the fact that the bulk of those calling for its establishment are from the South.

    For instance, Senator Godswill Akpabio said state police is the only solution to resolving most of the intra- conflicts in the country. He said: “In most developed democracies, policing is not a federal thing alone. Policing 160 million Nigerians by the federal police alone is not possible. You must allow the local council to have its say in the policing. The state should have its say and the federal government should equally have its say.’’

    Sharing the same position on the creation local police, former Presidential candidate of the United Peoples Party (UPP), Chief Chekwas Okorie, said state police is the reform needed to check criminal activities and reduce corruption.

    He added that the country is too big geographically for the central police to oversee. Okorie added: “There are some states in the country that have far more number of Commissioners of Police that even the entire geo-political zones.

    “Let the revenue be adjusted to give to give the states more money to handle their police and it they decide to make everybody Commissioner of Police, it is their headache so that the normal growth and reward will be noticed.’’

    Former Kaduna State Governor Balarabe Musa underscored the division between the North and the South over the issue of state police when he said state police is a weapon of oppression.

    He explained that their experience on the use of state police in the North was a bitter tale. According to him, it was state police that were used in rigging election and scaring voters from performing their civic responsibilities.

    Musa added: “I still hold to my position that state police is weapon against human rights. The police in the North was used against the people during election. In this dispensation, they will not be any different from the way they were used in the past.’’

    Defending the North’s opposition to the creation of state police, he said those who supported its creation in the North and used it to campaign during the elections have realised that state police is anti-people.

    He said: “That is why they have changed their position and no longer interested in supporting the creation of state police. They now understand that state police will work against the people and it is not a popular idea.’’

    Former Military President Ibrahim Babangida said in spite of the divergent views by different interest groups on the matter that there is need to forge ahead with the establishment of state police.

    He added: “There is the need for us to go forward; I don’t think thing there is anything wrong with state police. I believe that state police will work. In 1959, the local police were used to beat and harass people during election, but the situation is different today.

    “I don’t believe the fear of what happened in the 1950s should continue to haunt us; we should try to move on. We have gone beyond that level in this country. Honestly, I don’t think any governor today can use state police to intimidate and harass anybody.”

    Though the agitation for state police is weighty, it has not been able to scale through because of divergent proposition. For instance, during the last National Conference, it was expected that creation of state police would fly.

    “The idea suffered some setbacks when it was rejected. The Presidential Committee on Police Reforms opposed the creation of state police. According to the chairman of the reform committee, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Parry Osayande (rtd), the country would break up if introduced.

    “According to Osayande, if the Police Council functions properly, with the President as the chairman, the Chairman of the Police Service Commission being a member, the Inspector General of Police a member, then the police would function well. We don’t need state police. The country will break up.’’

    Human rights lawyer Femi Falana said the issue of state police is not about how prepared the country is for it. He noted that in a federal system of government state police is necessary.

    “The issue of establishing state police is not really about whether the country is ready for it or not. It is necessary in a federation. What has been militating against the re-establishment of state police has been the fear that the state executives, just like the Federal Government, can use it to harass political opponents.’’

    Tracing the history of state police in Nigeria, Edo State-based political analyst, Mr. Neville Obakhedo, said when the British established the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in 1961, it had 30-member consular guard in the Lagos Colony.

    He said in 1894 the Niger Coast Constabulary was put in place under the Royal Niger Company, Lokoja. But, with collapse of the Northern and Southern Protectorates in 1914, the police was merged and its headquarters was in Lagos.

    Obakhedo added: “It is this merger that had grown to become the centralised police system in Nigeria. This is at variance with the federal system of government currently operated in Nigeria.’’

    Political analysts equally believe that the call for state police was borne out of genuine and patriotic zeal. Pro-National Conference Organisation (PRONACO) Director of Strategy, Linus Okoroji, said Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was one of the few patriots who identified the need to save Nigeria from incessant security failure.

    He said: “With regards to issue of state police, it was Tinubu who saw the need for it in his first term as governor of Lagos State. He saw that the security of state was porous, giving room for criminality.

    “There is the need for state police to effectively combat the ugly trend in Lagos State. If states have their police, they would battle crime to a standstill because they understand and know people who live within the locality.’’