The Nation Newspaper

Tag: troubled

  • Rescuing Kaduna’s troubled education sector

    Sir: It is no longer  news that  over  21,780  teachers  in   the   employment   of  Kaduna  State government could not pass the primary four examination organised to assess their competence for continuous employment. What is rather baffling is the attempt of the teachers under the state chapter of the Nigeria Union of Teachers to blackmail the state government into condoning mediocrity in a critical sector of the polity.

    The Kaduna saga again brought to the fore the rot in our educational system.  The latest   discovery reveals the quality of individuals who find their way into the noble calling of teaching. It clearly indicates that those we entrusted the future of our children are not the best of us.  Teaching nowadays has become the last resort for both the unemployed and the unemployable graduates. Hence, it is now a refuge for all types of charlatans.

    However as deplorable as the situation is, it is only a symptom of a more fundamental cause in our educational system. We are only scratching the surface if we think we can isolate the teachers as the only problem in the entire education sector.  We need to fundamentally address a situation whereby educational disciplines in our tertiary institutions are not attractive to students.

    How come our faculties of education suffer perennial poor enrolments? How come teaching does not ignite passion in our youths? Are teachers accorded the same respect with the bankers or other lucrative professions in our society?

    Why would landlords prefer to let their houses to bankers rather than teachers? What are the teachers’ remunerations like? How committed is the government to the training and retraining of teachers?

    These posers raise fundamental issues of funding, remunerations, motivations and recognitions. These are critical issues that must be addressed.

    The kind of premium placed on teaching profession in other climes is not replicated here. In Cuba, for instance, according to a 2014 report by the World Bank, the country has the best education system in Latin America and the Caribbean and the only country on the continent to have a high-level teaching faculty. Peter Dolton, Sussex University Economics Professor and author of the Global Teacher Status Index stated that attracting good quality and well-qualified people into teaching is accepted as the essential prerequisite to raising educational standards. In Finland and Singapore, teachers are recruited from the most-qualified graduates, all with a second degree. Here in Nigeria reverse is the case as recruitment into public service including teaching service is for “political settlement or compensation”. And because you cannot sow pepper and reap onions, the seed of years of inequities have now germinated and become full grown before our very eyes. Unfortunately it is the innocent children who bear the brunt of the recruitment error.

    This problem needs to be tackled holistically because we cannot be paying lip service to the sector and expects a dramatic result. The compromised recruitment system whereby selections are largely based on patronage as against merit need to be revisited. Only those who are competent   and passionate about the job should be recruited. The Kaduna experience is a clarion call to refocus on the sector. The opportunity it provides to get rid of the bad eggs in the system should not be lost to political consideration. Special attention should be devoted to teachers’ training. Special incentives should be created to stimulate interests in the study of education related disciplines. Teachers should be well motivated such that they would have pride in the profession. This would ultimately attract the best brains to the profession.

    As for the ‘casualties’ of the proposed reforms in Kaduna, they should assisted with training for other vocations while those who are trainable should be retained and made to undergo necessary skills acquisition  to  enhance their capacity for teaching.

     

    • Babatunde M. Tijani

    Isolo, Lagos State.

  • Brad Pitt still troubled over paternity crisis

    Brad Pitt still troubled over paternity crisis

    Hollywood actor Brad Pitt is still having visitation issues with his kids after separation from spouse Angelina Jolie.

    Reports say the actor was recently heartbroken as Jolie ‘cuts him’ out of children’s life against his wish to visit constantly and be active in the lives of the kids.

    The couple’s split in September last year, after 12 years of marriage shocked the world. Jolie, 41, who cited irreconcilable differences, decided to end their marriage because she was “extremely upset” with the way the 53-year-old star was parenting the kids. Thus, she decided to seek joint legal custody, but not joint physical custody.

    While the father-of-six continues weekly supervised visits of 5-hour with his children, he is worried that Jolie could be cutting him out of their children’s lives.

    The estranged couple had agreed to a temporary custody agreement according to which, the Allied actor will be visiting his children in the presence of a therapist, but reports suggest that there has been some conflict regarding the frequency of the visits.

    “As far as Brad is concerned, Angelina is doing everything in her power to keep the kids away from him, and it’s breaking his heart. Brad’s really concerned Angelina is poisoning the boys against him, and they are becoming more and more distant towards him with each passing day,” a source told HollywoodLife.

    Meanwhile, as the couple is still finalizing their divorce, there are rumors that the actress plans to involve the actor’s ex, Jennifer Aniston, in court hearings.

    Since Pitt and Aniston were in a relationship for quite some time, Jolie allegedly wants to ask the actress to testify against Pitt and to expose his history with drugs and alcohol.

    A celebrity divorce attorney, Raoul Felder, who recently weighed in on Pitt and Jolie’s ongoing divorce told Radar Online that Pitt is at the losing end. “Brad was in an impossible situation. No matter what happened, there was nothing positive in it for him. The charges that have been made against him may or may not be based on facts. We still don’t know – and Angelina’s played him like a violin,” he said.

    In court documents obtained by PEOPLE, Jolie’s lawyer Laura Wasser says Pitt has seen his younger kids at least once a week since Oct. 8. And per their voluntary custody agreement, a therapist has been present at each visit.

    “The frequency and duration of these visits have been determined by the minor children’s therapist, who were put in place jointly by parties immediately after the Sept. 14 incident.”

    The papers also state that weekly visits of “five hours each” have been scheduled through the end of January.

    “His visits may increase at any time based on the therapists’ evaluation of each child’s feelings and progress,” state the documents.

  • On the troubled states’ finances

    On the troubled states’ finances

    For some years now, the finances of the state governments have been in a mess. They have become largely insolvent and financially bankrupt, and this sad state of affairs is a major source of public concern. Of the 36 state governments, some 27 owe salary arrears and pensions of four to five months to their workers. If these bankrupt states were private companies, they would have been legally required long before now to wind up their affairs. This deplorable situation is unprecedented in Nigeria’s fiscal history. The grim financial situation, which has had the predictable effect of deepening mass poverty in our country, has been blamed on the 70 per cent fall in oil revenues on which all the governments of the federation depend. Oil revenues account for over 80 per cent of the revenues of the federal and state governments. The structural diversification from oil dependency needed has not happened.

    But that is not the only reason why the various state governments, as well as the federal government, are in such a financial mess. To this lame excuse must be added the reckless spending of most of the state governments, as well as the prevailing lack of financial accountability and looting of the public treasury. In most of these states, the governors cannot be held to account for public expenditures by the legislatures. Current EFCC financial investigation at the centre has shown how under the Jonathan PDP federal government vast sums of money, running into billions of naira and the US dollars, (over half of our total foreign reserves), including funds meant for arms purchases for the military, were frittered away and simply diverted to private pockets to keep Jonathan in power. The political project failed but it left the nation financially prostrate. Now, if the financial searchlight were turned on the states, as it should, the findings would be no less as frightening as those at the centre.

    To address this horrible financial situation in the states, the federal government, which is itself facing a financial crisis, has rolled out a series of financial bailout plans to salvage the financial mess in the states. First, it offered the 27 insolvent states huge loans, in billions of naira, to meet their outstanding debts to their workers who had not been paid for upwards of four to five months. This has turned out to be a mere palliative. As a recent ICPC report has revealed, some of the indebted states diverted the bailout loans to other purposes. Most of the 27 states are still owing their workers months of unpaid salaries. Some payments were made to the workers, but these only covered outstanding arrears, and not current payments due. As it is now, the states involved are now back to where they were before they received the bailout funds from the federal government. Some of the bailout funds were, as usual, misappropriated by the governors, some of whom after leaving office, have continued to receive from their state governments, huge amounts of money as salaries and pensions. Some of the states’ bailout funds were used to repay huge bank loans recklessly taken to fund unproductive capital projects, most of which have now been abandoned for lack of funds.

    In recent weeks, and in response to the dire financial situation of the states, the federal government has announced additional financial bailout for the states. These include the deferral of the repayment of state debts to the federal government. The deduction by the federal government of such states’ debts, running into billions of naira, is to cease immediately. In addition, the federal government has offered to assist the state governments in restructuring their huge and outstanding bank loans. Such state loans are to be guaranteed afresh by the federal government.

    It is perfectly reasonable and understandable that the federal government should come to the immediate assistance of the states with these large financial bailouts. Its options are severely limited. The alternative is to allow the states to collapse. But this will be catastrophic. It is in the states that much of our economic activities and employment take place. It is where our GDP is generated. Without these financial bailouts, the states will simply collapse. As a matter of fact, the states are already in a state of financial paralysis. Many of their workers no longer report for work. A few do once a week. They simply cannot afford the transport fare to their offices. In some of the states, no commissioners have been appointed. They are being run by the governors and the permanent secretaries, a situation that undermines financial accountability and probity. In effect, there is virtually no government in most of these hugely indebted states. The federal government is rightly concerned about this deplorable state of affairs in the states and hopes the bailout funds will return the states eventually to fiscal and budgetary balance. But it is a forlorn hope that may not be realised.

    Already, Labour is demanding that the minimum wage, now N18,000 per month, be increased to N56,000 per month. Many will consider this demand justified in view of the massive public corruption, the current inflationary pressures, and the rapid rise in the cost of living. House rents and food prices have on the average increased by over 30 per cent. But if this demand is met, the states will simply collapse. The arrears of unpaid salaries will increase and cannot be met. The states will be forced to resort to layoffs and this has serious implications for the political and social stability of the nation. The workers’ unions have warned that they will not accept any retrenchment of workers. But layoffs are some of the practical measures now badly needed to restore states’ finances to financial stability. Nigeria is looking increasingly like a civil service state, one in which most of the workers contribute very little, or nothing, to our economic growth. To reduce this huge cost of governance, something drastic has to be done to our bloated bureaucracy.

    It is unlikely that the states, without fundamental financial restructuring, including cost reduction, can recover financially, even with these bailouts from the federal government. They cannot generate any significant increase in their IGR, as the few businesses in the states are collapsing fast. Revenue from solid minerals is a matter for the future, not immediately. Massive financial investments will be required over the years in the exploitation of non-oil minerals. It is not clear where these huge investments will come from in the current climate of global economic uncertainties. Besides, the volatility of commodities’ prices, including non-oil minerals, will make such huge financial investments less attractive globally.

    The financial handouts from the federal government are in the long run unsustainable. The present financial situation of the federal government is just as bad as that of the state governments. Its revenue has fallen by over 70 per cent. Its current budget deficit is nearly N2 trillion. It is currently borrowing N600 million monthly to pay its own workers and pensioners. Its SWF of $1billion has been virtually depleted. The foreign reserves are down to barely $27 billion. Oil exports and revenues are recovering slowly, but they are unlikely to hit the mark of over $100 per barrel for some time. Inflation is rising steadily and job losses are on the rise. All this means that the federal government will be hard put to continue offering the states financial bailouts on the current scale for much longer. But even if it could, it is not in the long term economic and political interest of our country. It negates the basic principle of federalism in our country. Over dependence of the states on financial bailouts by the centre makes the states too weak and the centre too strong.

    The governors were reported recently as warning President Muhammadu Buhari that their financial problems will not be resolved unless their share of the federally collectible revenue is increased. At the moment, the states receive just about one per cent each from the total revenue, while the federal government gets about 51 per cent. This powerful argument is one that has been made over the years without any success. It has polarised our nation. Though it has considerable merit, it has been hugely politicised and has no appeal for the federal government. With its enormous financial responsibilities for defence, national security, external affairs and infrastructure development, the federal government too is short of funds. Though it makes sense the persistent call for fiscal federalism is not yet clearly defined by its proponents. The crux of the matter is the source of the oil revenue. If fiscal federalism means allowing the states to wholly retain revenues derived from their states, what happens to both on shore and off shore revenues, which constitute over 80 per cent of total revenues? If the oil rich states keep revenues accruing to them totally, both the federal government and the states that are not oil producing will be worse off. Only the oil producing states will have the potential of being viable. This will lead to economic chaos.

    The long term solution to the financial problems of the states is to compel them to return to fiscal and budgetary responsibility and stability. In other words, they should be made to understand that they must bring their finances under greater control, and that they cannot continue to depend indefinitely on federal bailouts. States that are unable to cut their expenditure should be made to bear the consequences of their financial profligacy. In fact, the National Assembly should start thinking of how the large number of states can be constitutionally reduced from 37 to 18, or to a more manageable figure. This is going to be politically difficult. Even now, there is a continuing demand for more states to be created. But a change in the number of states and their finances is necessary now. The states have become a financial albatross on our country. We must find ways of controlling this financial monster, or else the whole country will soon face economic and financial disaster.

  • Caring for the troubled soul

    Caring for the troubled soul

    SHE was just sixteen when her uncle Michael Joseph started whispering sweet things to her ear, things she thought were too true to be true. Jennifer like so many young, naïve girls out there fell for it. Joseph had his way and she became pregnant. As of now, her parents have rejected her and Michal is nowhere to found. The girl is left to her fate.

    This is the case of many young girls out and it will surprise you to know that many of these girls do unthinking things such as killing the baby, selling the baby to strangers, dumping the baby by the roadside or commit suicide. A case of a particular girl was reported by one newspaper some months back about a girl who was raped and she became pregnant. She committed suicide because her mother didn’t believe her story.

    Sadly there are a number of distractions around for young girls these days and these girls don’t know who to run to when the walls start crumbling. Pastor Temilolu Okeowo, the woman behind Girls Club, blames this on lack of awareness. She said having any form of sexual intercourse can impact negatively on the life of a girl child sooner or later. She stressed that this has spiritual implications which can affect the destiny of any girl. She stated that it is imperative for girls to keep their virginity before marriage.

    To her, every sexual intercourse carries a heavy spiritual significance and not only creates a covenant that bond two people together, she said it forms ungodly soul-ties, transfers a lot of evil and virtues from one life to the other. “All of these are one of the devil’s ploys to thwart our glorious destinies. You have to pray for the fullness of the spirit of God to be able to suppress the desires of your flesh and enable you stick to your decision to become a secondary virgin. You need to pray out all the evil that may have been transferred into your life and a recovery of your stolen virtues. You also need to pray to disconnect yourself from your sexual partners,’ she stressed.

    Tales of rape abound and many wonder why this trend is on the increase. Many don’t see sex outside marriage as anything. Girls are being tempted by men with all sorts of things including money, which they collect and give their body in return. Okeowo then goes on to defines virginity this way.  “It is a state of being untouched, unexplored or unspoiled but I never mentioned the hymen which is a membrane which partially closes the opening of the vagina and whose presence is traditionally taken to be a mark of virginity. The hymen could be torn as a result of sexual intercourse, sports, gynecological reasons and so on. Now, do we call a girl whose hymen is intact but who performs all other acts of ungodly sex a virgin? And on the other hand, there are girls whose hymens have been broken by other means but any form of sexual activity and yet they’ve never kissed a guy.”

    Caring for girls

    Over the years, Okeowo has been caring for many girls who have lost their way. Her phone lines are always on for these girls to reach her at any time of the day or night. She visits market places, school, churches and villages to evangelize to girls and preach to them how keeping their virginity till they get married could led to a happy life.

    “As designed by God, your virginity is the bedrock of your destiny. It is your spiritual beauty. It carries the star, potential and talent which God created with you to make you unique. It is the star in your sky. Please don’t pollute your destiny. The world is waiting for your star to shine! Your curiosity about sex and the way your body feels is normal. However, there’s so much you need to know which may eventually condition your mind and calm your desires. For now, DON’T dabble into it “, she advises.

    Okeowo is the seventh child of late Sir Taiwo Okeowo, a Choirmaster extraordinaire, Industrilist, Real Estate magnate, a great lover of God and an exemplary disciplinarian.

    She is an author, a lawyer, a forensics examiner and above all, a child of God. She’s the founder/president of Girls Club of Nigeria a non-governmental organisation aimed at influencing a positive change in the female folk for God and its ministry arm The Girls Apostolic Ministry of All Nations.

    She has since seen the salvation of girls from destruction as her calling and her primary responsibility for the kingdom of God having been passed through fire and moulded by God for this divine assignment.

  • Enugu’s troubled consensus

    A contradiction is playing out in Enugu State following the adoption of a serving member of the House of Representatives, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi as the governorship consensus candidate of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the coming elections. Reports had it that Ugwuanyi’s emergence was the outcome of a stakeholders meeting convened by Governor Sullivan Chime for all governorship aspirants from Enugu North senatorial district where the governorship was zoned. In that meeting, many of the aspirants were said to have stepped down for Ugwuanyi culminating in the adoption of a motion to have him as the sole candidate of the party in the 2015 elections.

    But the matter did not go down well with one of the leading aspirants and Senate’s works committee chairman, Ayogu Eze who was also at the meeting where the consensus was purportedly arrived at. Eze has alleged that he was invited to the meeting without being privy of its agenda and questioned the process that threw up the so-called consensus candidate. He had contended that the meeting was arranged to produce a pre-determined outcome leaving other aspirants without any choice and vowed to pursue his governorship ambition to its logical conclusion.

    Eze further questioned the democratic credentials of such a kangaroo arrangement that did not seek the views of all the aspirants before the final decision was taken.

    Since then, accusations have been levied from the camps of those opposed to the consensus arrangement and its supporters. A pressure group in the state condemned it on the grounds that it is a “desecration of democratic norms and internal democracy”.

    But some others have sought to fault Eze arguing that the process was democratic as it is in tandem with the PDP constitution 2012, as amended. One of such persons was Justina Eze, a member of the Board of Trustees BOT of the party. The BOT member feared that the chances of the zone producing the governor could be imperiled if Senator Eze continues to vilify the process leading to the consensus.

    As things stand, the Enugu East caucus of the party has also in a meeting at Government House endorsed Ugwuanyi as the consensus candidate with the West senatorial zone about to cue in. Despite the issues raised by Eze, all indications are that Ugwuanyi’s adoption is a fait accompli. It does not appear there is much Eze can do as Chime who is driving the process will likely have his way given the much abused incumbency factor. Soon, we may begin to see all manner of hurdles placed on the road to the ambition of Eze for daring to challenge the decision of the incumbent.

    But the issues that have been thrown up by this singular exercise cannot be wished away despite whatever merits there is in the consensus option.

    Inherent in them are posers as to the justification for a consensus contrivance that does not really offer any choice to other candidates because the processes leading to it were shrouded in secrecy. To what extent then can we rightly argue that such an option approximates the pristine tenets of representative democracy when it is deliberately manipulated to produce a known outcome?

    It would appear that is the point Eze is making. He does not seem to be against consensus as a policy. He is not particularly against Ugwuanyi as a person. He is against the absence of rigorous negotiations before the meeting where Ugwuanyi was adopted was convened. Had such discussions been in motion and invitees to the meeting told its agenda, the current controversy would have been minimized.

    It would appear to me that the senator reacted the way he did because the decision took him unawares. He may have put in so much in the pursuit of his ambition with high hopes to sail through. He may also have made plans the next day for the same purpose. For such an aspirant to attend a seemingly innocuous meeting, only to have his ambition dashed in one fell swoop is definitely bound to ruffle shoulders. His predicament should be appreciated. What it has brought to the fore, is the conflict we trigger off when we abridge that freedom of choice that stands out democracy as the most admired form of governance framework. It is for the same reason that some people constantly pick holes with the issue of zoning.

    Before now, we have been told of the array of choices which democracy promotes. If it is executed in its pure form, it will have no room for the contrived consensus that was the outcome of the Enugu North caucus meeting. It will also not admit the zoning of the governorship position to that zone. Zoning and the consensus option have their limitations when democracy is conceived in its pure form. But they are not entirely out of place within the democratic process. The issue is not just a rejection of consensus or zoning, but the logic, fairness and equity of the processes that produce them.

    The raging controversy in the Enugu case should be seen in this light. It is not a vote of no confidence in those options but a demand for them not to be turned into a tool by those in authority to subvert the collective will of the people. After all, Eze accepted the zoning of the governorship slot to the north without raising eyebrows. His opponents may finger a contradiction in his accepting zoning with one hand and rejecting consensus with the other. They may also raise questions regarding his silence when the two other zones were shunted out of the governorship race just to allow the north which has not had a shot at it take their turn. That issue can be raised. And the argument can go on and on. But the fact that the zoning of the governorship post to the north commanded general acceptance showed it was considered fair and equitable. There was sufficient evidence to support such a proposition. Same was not the case with the consensus option. The process ought to have been preceded by weeks of negotiations among the aspirants and their leaders. Apart from preparing their minds that primaries are likely to be streamlined, it will save them the energy and huge expenditure that have become part and parcel of electioneering campaigns on these shores.

    Moreover, if all of them had been taken into confidence, those who considered their chances slim, may have chickened out of the race leaving the most serious ones who can then be engaged in the consensus discussions.

    It is true that consensus may not satisfy all, just as direct primaries will leave a lot of casualties in its trail. But serious efforts must be made to build such consensus in both word and deed. We cannot build consensus when a behemoth somewhere sits in his bedroom and decrees his anointed person as the candidate. That is the issue that played out in the Enugu case. And that is why it is generating so much heat. Chime may have his way after all. But those whose ambitions he dashed in that abrupt manner are also within their rights to impugn the process.

  • Troubled water

    Waking up this morning, I was very troubled within me as I consider what has been going on within our sport circle in the past few months and I can only come to the conclusion that we really need God’s intervention in resolving all matters relating to our current challenges. While it is expedient for us to also note that heaven helps those who help themselves we must also not lose sight of the fact that we need to properly identify the root cause of our current challenges in a bid to addressing same accordingly.

    One most important factor militating against the development of sport in Nigeria is the role of meddlesome interlopers that have found their way into our sport through the back door and thereby constituting themselves as a clog in the wheel of progress in our sports development drive. There is so much to talk about the role and attitude of these persons and their allies.

    When people fail to see the need to do the right things then we are gradually heading for the rocks and this rock is eminent if alternative actions are not taken to prevent such actions. While we are also looking at the positive sides we must first ask ourselves why we are always in the mess we find ourselves in football.

    Many people that are today desirous of seeing our sport soar to the next level have not taken time to look at the root causes of the problems that have bedevilled our sports. We have a systemic problem in Nigeria sports and the problem is such that we have overtime allowed people who have nothing to do with sports to come and take over the instrumentality of sports in Nigeria.

    Let me also say that we have a situation whereby every year we introduce new set of entrants into the sports circles and these entrants are all coming into the sports to further compound the problems in our sports. They have overtime developed themselves into a very serious force that is now working against the development of sports in Nigeria.

    Let us take look at what we are currently experiencing at the various sport Federations in Nigeria we have at every election year a situation whereby there will be a serious crises and these crises have been generated by people that are not in away interested in the development of our sport. The core professionals are now outsiders in their own domain and they are more like spectators now watching the unfolding drama in their own profession.

    Why must we allow people who have no interest in the development of our sport to now hijack the entire process of sport development? The essence of all this is the fact that we have made our various sport Federations to be unattractive to persons that will be willing to partner with our sport Federations for the purpose of adding to its development.

    Today another drama is playing out in our football and we will be worst off if we don’t curtail this unfolding drama that has the propensity of destroying the very fabric of football that we stand to cherish and protect. As I have postulated earlier that during each election year we find people who have nothing to contribute towards our sport development constituting themselves as another group of stakeholders.

    Imagine a situation where an Electoral Committee that was constituted by the Nigeria Football Federation to conduct elections is now working independent of the Federation. While it is expedient to acknowledge the fact that the Electoral Committee is an independent body it is worthy to mention that its independence does not make it a legal and separate entity outside the Nigeria Football Federation.

    However, we have a very shocking show of shame in this case we have a committee that is bigger than the entity that created it I even noted that the Chairman of the NFF Electoral Committee is hell-bent on conducting elections into the NFF Executive Committee on 26th August, 2014 while the NFF is also hell- bent in ensuring that the election be postponed.

    In all these I was taken aback by the statement of the NFF Electoral Committee Chairman that everyone in the Glass House is an illiterate but I beg to disagree because I am aware that the current team of management and staff are professionals with varying degrees ranging from Ph.D to OND. Let us look at the need to really do the needful rather than causing serious problems in our football. May God Help our Football.

  • A Forum troubled from within and without

    A Forum troubled from within and without

    Since last Wednesday, the polity has been heated up by the intrigues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) over the election of its new chairman. MANAGING EDITOR (NORTHERN OPERATION) YUSUF ALLI examines the battle for the heart of the forum. Will the impasse be resolved during its election today?

    For the first time in 14 years, the choice of a new chairman for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) is creating ripples. The status of a hitherto unknown body of 36 governors has been enhanced in the last six years, such that it is being rated as an alternative political force and a check against the octopus-like Presidency, which has been breathing down on the Legislature and the Judiciary. Though not a constitutional or statutory body, the NGF has played crucial roles in stabilising the polity, mediating in crises and making the nation’s first constitution amendment possible in 2010.

    According to NGF records, the Forum was founded in 1999 “following a multi-party conference of all the 36 democratically elected State Governors.”

    The NGF was established in line with Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution. The section reads: “Every person shall be entitled to assemble freely and associate with other persons, and in particular he may form or belong to any political party, trade union or any other association for the protection of his interests…”

    The governors gave the Forum further legitimacy by registering it “under Part C of the Companies and Allied Matters Act, (CAMA), 1990.”

    The choice of the NGF chairman has been based on consensus since 1999 and largely informed by the need to have a bridge builder, who could serve as an effective link between the Forum and the Presidency.

    Plot against Amaechi

    Since he took over the mantle of leadership as the NGF chairman, River State Governor Amaechi has relatively enjoyed a cordial relationship with the Presidency. But he ran into a storm, following moves to continue to assert the independence of the NGF like the case during the tenure of former Kwara State Governor Bukola Saraki. This policy gave him an unusual profile– to the discomfiture of the Presidency. The highpoint of Amaechi’s tenure borders on alleged recommendation by some people that he should run for the Presidency in 2015. Judging by the manner Amaechi became the governor of Rivers State, President Goodluck Jonathan and his henchmen were not ready to ignore the political permutations on the governor. Even if Jonathan did, security reports on Amaechi did not favour.

    Since the rumours of a likely Governor Sule Lamido-Amaechi joint presidential ticket in 2015 filtered out, the Presidency had been unsettled on the threats being posed to the second term aspiration of Jonathan. Although the two governors have denied any aspiration for the presidency, Jonathan and his foot-soldiers are not taking it lightly. They have been treating every action and utterances of Amaechi with suspicion. It was in the light of the suspicion that Minister of Niger Delta Affairs Godsday Orubebe used an unrelated forum of a visit to Governor Godswill Akpabio, a die-hard loyalist of the President, to throw mud at Amaechi.

    Amaechi had a row with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan over the demolition of Waterfront in Okrika, the home of the President’s wife. Despite Amaechi’s reconciliation with Jonathan before the 2011 poll, forces loyal to the President have not forgiven the governor.

    Bayelsa’s 2011 poll has been another sore point in the relationship between the President and Amaechi. According to sources, security reports available to the President had revealed that Amaechi was solidly behind former Governor Timipreye Sylva when he was battling for political survival against Jonathan and other stakeholders in the state. It was gathered that when a plot was hatched to deal with the former governor, Amaechi stood by him, insisting on fairness. The President felt slighted that Amaechi could be involved in a counter-plot against his political interest in Bayelsa State, according to sources.

    The alleged weighty influence of Amaechi as the Chairman of the Forum and PDP Governors Forum is heightening his cold war with the President. Strategists of the President believe that Amaechi is using the Forum to take a pound of flesh from Jonathan. They cited the disagreement between the Forum and the President on Excess Crude Account, Sovereign Wealth Fund and constitution amendment on tenure system as some of the issues in which Amaechi allegedly played a key role to checkmate the President. The manner in which the governors held the President to ransom in March 2012 during the election of the National Chairman of PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) forced the President to lose control of the party machinery. Until the recent technical sack of the National Secretary of the PDP, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, the governors had virtually hijacked the PDP machinery, a political dimension which is dangerous for Jonathan’s second term aspiration.

    Jonathan’s tacticians are trying to underplay the PDP factor in the Presidency’s cold war with Amaechi, but it is certainly where the trouble is. Orubebe alluded to this when he attacked Amaechi.

    Elder statesman Chief Edwin Clark joined the “war” between Amaechi and his godson, Orubebe, whom he nominated into the cabinet. He hit hard at the Nigeria Governors Forum headed by Amaechi.

    Who wins today?

    Since last Wednesday, the governors have been bedecked in intrigues over the election of a new leader for the NGF. As soon as it was obvious that Amaechi is interested in second term as NGF chair, some forces began to work against him. The first hurdle placed before Amaechi was the constitution of the Forum, which bars an incumbent from seeking a second term. Pro-Amaechi governors also drew the attention of members to the fact that any clause in the constitution of the Forum can be amended by a decision of a simple majority of members. The pro-Amaechi governors on Wednesday succeeded in securing a simple majority to amend the clause on tenure to pave the way for his aspiration for second term as NGF chair. The amendment allows any NGF chairman to seek second term in office.

    A source said: “There was a little bit of tension at the session of the Governors’ Forum on Wednesday night. Based on the prompting of some forces, some governors attempted to stop Amaechi from seeking re-election as the chairman of the NGF.

    “They hammered on a constitutional clause which bars NGF chairman from holding office for two terms. But they have forgotten that there is another clause, which provides for the amendment of the constitution by simple majority of members.

    “The pro-Amaechi group managed to secure simple majority to amend the constitution of the NGF, which can allow any sitting NGF chairman to seek a second term if he or she wishes.”

    Another source added: “Amaechi survived based on a strategic move adopted by him and some governors. What they did was to keep the date and time for the NGF election secret. For instance, some of those against Amaechi either in PDP or in government were unaware of the election of new NGF chairman until Wednesday afternoon.

    “Immediately they got wind of the poll, the forces, including some Presidency top shots, started mobilising governors considered loyal to President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “As a matter of fact, a Northern governor and a Southsouth counterpart coordinated last minute efforts to stop the re-election of Amaechi.”

    A governor, who spoke in confidence before the session began, said: “We have spent the last few hours consulting or doing horse-trading. We will soon hold our election without rancour. But some of us are building consensus around Amaechi because he has represented us well.”

    Last-minute intrigues

    As at press time, the political battle was still raging in Abuja . Investigation revealed that apart from plotting to raise a candidate against Amaechi, some of the antagonists were also trying to instigate some governors to stop today’s election from holding to allow enough time to “deal” with Amaechi.

    A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “So far, intense lobbying has started by those for and against Amaechi. Going by the records of the NGF, it is only Amaechi who has signified interest in the office.

    “But the anti-Amaechi forces have launched a new offensive by campaigning that the NGF chair should shift to the North. This is the bait they are trying to use to win most of the 19 Northern governors against Amaechi.

    “They want to throw up a Northern candidate to narrow down the chances of Amaechi, who is enjoying the confidence of some of the governors from the region.

    “Some second term governors are also being promised automatic senatorial tickets, if they could assist to remove Amaechi from office.

    “The Amaechi group is not taking things for granted; it is engaging in last-minute struggle for support. It is embarking on a reassurance campaign because of the desperation of those fighting the Rivers State governor.”

    A pro-Amaechi strategist, who spoke with our correspondent, said: “We are aware that the NGF chair is beyond the Forum, some forces in government want to take advantage to deal with the Rivers State governor.

    “But governors are no fools, they won’t allow anyone to lead them by the nose. I think there is hope that members of the NGF will vote for change which Amaechi represents.”

    What next for NGF?

    If the anti-Amaechi forces succeed in hijacking the NGF, it might sound the death knell for the Forum. But if members vote according to their conscience and resist dictation from outside, they will further enrich the nation’s democracy. Nigerians are eager to know whether the governors will set the pace or not. Again, Nigeria ’s democracy is on trial.

  • A troubled mill

    A troubled mill

    •The famous Abakaliki Rice Mill is embroiled in a crisis of change. Government must show wisdom

     

    Change is the only constant in life and it will come when it will. This may well be the story of the 45-year-old Abakaliki Rice Mill (ARM), perhaps the most important heritage and landmark of Abakaliki, the capital of the Southeast state of Ebonyi. In an age when local agro-industries are a rarity and more than 90 per cent of rice consumed in Nigeria is imported from the far corners of eastern Asia, ARM is at worst an oddity and at best, a testimony to a people’s resilience and tenacity to hold dear, to their traditional source of livelihood and way of life.

    The collection of the semi-manual old mills where the well-known local rice which takes its name from the town, is produced, is currently a subject of relocation brouhaha between the throng of millers and the Ebonyi State Government.

    At issue is that the Rice Millers of Abakaliki have been put on notice to relocate. Their current location on Gunning Road, Abakaliki is right in the centre of town. It is indeed just a shout away from the Government House. According to state government sources, they are to move to purpose-built sites in Iboko, Ikwo and Oso-Eddah, one each in the three senatorial zones of the state. The three rice mill clusters are equipped with modern mills as can be found in Thailand and Indonesia, and accordingly, are furnished with facilities for storage and waste management, among others. Said to have been built by a Japanese firm, it is a joint project between the state and federal governments.

    Yet the major millers on Gunning Street are kicking. They would not want to leave their old locale where they had operated from for nearly half a century; not even for the new ‘paradise’. They are afraid the government wants to grab their prime land for which they have statutory ownership. In fact, they have dragged the state government to court to assert their right to stay put on their property. They are also worried that most of their members would lose their source of subsistent livelihood in the course of the relocation.

    The state government on the other hand, is wary of the environmental hazards of dust and heaps of rice husks on the city. Decades-old mountains of husk is said to pose serious health risks which has moved the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) to start working out ways to convert the waste from rice to electricity. Government also avers that apart from the environmental factor which has been taken care of at the new sites, it wishes to kick start a modern rice industry in the state that would produce the essential staple, not just for the state but for distribution nationwide, as part of the Federal Government’s programme to cut down on rice importation.

    While we think the Ebonyi State Government is set on to a wonderful journey, we urge it to preface the move with deep reflection and perspicacity. It must work closely with the current rice producers and douse their fears about any collateral losses that may arise in the course of the transition. The millers need not lose their rightful tenancy of the current location they operate from.

    Care must also be taken to protect jobs, especially the menial ones which provide daily sustenance to hundreds of people. On their part, the millers must be ready to embrace change and the modern ways of producing rice. All said, if the idea of the new mills is to improve the process and enhance the earnings and economy of the state, then the people need not be victims of this change. On the other hand, they should be happy beneficiaries. And the only way to do that is to carry them along.