The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Trust fund

  • Bring back Police Trust Fund

    Humans have a tendency to situate particular happenings into mental compartments, and the difference between these situations sometimes influences our behaviours more than the happenings themselves. Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus sometime ago opined that “mind-sets play strange tricks on us” and as a result, we see things the way our minds have instructed our eyes to see them. But to guarantee a better future, we must decide to first understand the present without prejudice. And towards such perspicacity, it is high time we became ambivalent in our perspective of the Nigeria Police Force.

    At this defining moment, an average police officer is rigidly perceived by most Nigerians to be crooked, while others view police officers more as a predicament, rather than the protectors of individual rights and upholders of law and order. As a consequence of this sad and saddening biography, the maxim “Police is your friend” is now used as fodder for jokes in places where people gather to laugh away their sorrows.

    There is however another side of NPF which is rarely talked about. We have hundreds of officers sacrificing their lives yearly on the line of duty so that we can live ours. Because of inadequate funding, we have a police force that is expected to do much with little, and in case of death or accident, have themselves or their dependants poorly or not compensated at all. NPF’s greatest achievements often go unsung. These biggest achievements are conflicts which do not make headlines because they didn’t happen. Thus, police successes in any way it might be viewed, are often immaterial as they have lower visibility than their failings.

    The 1999 Constitution emphasizes that the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary preoccupation of the government. In performing this role, the government thereby delegated the duty of maintenance of internal security to the NPF. Hence, the NPF are by law saddled with the responsibility of the prevention and detection of crime, the preservation of peace and order and the enforcement of all laws and regulations. And with no apologies, they are expected to discharge these duties efficiently and effectively. The critical poser now is: can these duties be discharged efficiently and effectively without adequate funding? Truly, money can mean different things to different persons. Some say it is the root of all evil, others say it is the root of all good. One writer says about it: “There is trouble getting it, anxiety in keeping it, temptations in the use of it, guilt in the abuse of it, and perplexity in disposing of it”. But to me, money might not buy happiness in some cases but it can at least boast the morale and improve the operational efficiency of the NPF.

    In repositioning the NPF for the 21st century challenge of effective policing, the Police Trust Fund bill pending in the National Assembly since 2009 must be revisited and passed. The bill seeks to address the funding challenges of the Nigeria police in totality and on a sustainable basis. It seeks to tax corporate entities to complement the Federal Government in funding the police. The bill if passed would enable the police to be on first line charge, and would be funded by agreed percentages to be deducted from local and foreign businesses operating in the country. The funds would then be directly channelled to the state commands on quarterly basis.

    Until the Police Trust Fund (PTF) bill is passed, every attempt towards curbing corruption within the NPF would be a wild goose chase without a human face. How can bail be free in our police stations when of about 3000 police stations in the country, almost all operate without any overhead votes?  How can the police be non-partisan during elections when they depend on the mercy of state and local governments for resources for mobilization during elections? How can the police not use torture to garner confession when that is the only affordable option left? How can complainants not be required to ‘pay’ or bribe before arrests are made to settle cases when the police stations are under staffed, those available are overworked and overstressed, patrol vehicles are rickety or non-functional, and those that can at least move will need fuel?

    How can collecting a police report or making a statement not have a price tag when the police stations are lacking diaries, police registers, statement forms, file jackets, stationeries etc.? How can they not be willing to be personal guards to wealthy citizens, or tempted to sell justice to the highest bidder when their conditions of service is nothing to write home about? How can their unjustified blood lust and highhandedness be completely tackled when there is a dearth of professionalism brought about by inadequate training as a result of poor funding? Why would they not be likened to toothless bull dogs when they lack the necessary equipment and training to quell a riot talk more of an armed confrontation?

    The NPF is ours and we must own it and hold them accountable in the discharge of their duties. And for them to meet up with the ever increasing security challenge of the 21st century, they must be funded via the PTF since statutory allocations so far have not helped the Force in meeting up with its obligations. In 2010, the force reportedly made a recurrent proposal of N45 billion, out of which it got only N16 billion. The trend remained unchained even in 2013 when it asked for N56 billion but got only N7 billion. In 2015, the force requested for N71 billion but got only N5 billion. According to IGP Idris, of the N16 billion in 2016 capital budget of the police, only N4 billion was released.

    An under-resourced police agency is incapable of effectively policing a country as large and populous as Nigeria not to talk of carrying out such functions in a humane and professional way. There is a need to grow the work force just like we have in places like China where the number of police is rising with a growth rate that is eight times more than the growth rate of its population. In Nigeria, the Force is already over stretched. There are about 370,000 police officers policing 182 million persons which fell far below the UN’s 1:400 police-population ratio. Apart from man-power, a 21st century police requires trainings in scene of crime documentation, fire arms handling and safety, restraint techniques, mediation and dispute resolution, interrogation procedures, human rights protection etc.

    They also deserve improvements in their conditions of service, remunerations and housing. They need to maintain a state-of-the art armouries; modern patrol vehicles equipped with circuit television monitors; communication devices such as effective hand held radios with long range radial frequency channels, and short or long range walkie-talkies, and emergency call mechanisms; lie detectors, voice-stress analyzers, Automated Field Reporting Systems (AFRS), Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) and gunshot location techniques; non-lethal weaponries such as chemical irritants, electric shock immobilizing techniques, rubber, plastic and wooden bullet guns, strobe and acoustical weaponry; various non-electric immobilizing devices; improved bullet-proof vests, body armours, and improved patrol car protection technology; office stationeries; etc. And since nothing is free in Freetown, these would cost money.

    It is imperative to highlight that police officers are part of the civil society. Apart from the numerous events which have confounded the certitudes of their performances over the years, they also have human problems. And since you cannot be a bat and be a fowl at the same time, lapses in their operational strategies originate among other things from the fact that they are not adequately remunerated and equipped to meet up with their responsibilities. In this 21st century, crimes are intelligently planned and executed with great sophistication. Therefore to prevent such modern day crimes, a highly motivated, equipped and trained workforce with sophisticated diligence is needed.

     

    • Iheanyi lives in Enugu.

  • Makun Kingdom unveils Social Security Trust Fund

    The Makun Kingdom, a Remo sub ethnic group in Ogun State, on Saturday, February 25, unveiled what it tagged the Makun Social Security Trust Fund (MSSTF) as a self-help solution to the wide arrays of youth-related challenges threatening peace and stability in its communities.

    The event was the grand finale of the 19th edition of the annual Obaruwa Festival of Arts and Culture held at the Ansar Ud Deen Primary School, Sagamu, Ogun State.

    While declaring the programme open the Ewusi of Makun, Oba Timothy Oyesola Akinsanya, Orungba ii, noted that the dedication of the 2017 edition to the celebration of the youthful populace was an invention necessitated by “the need to urgently address issues relating to the youth in our communities where we can no longer sleep with our two eyes closed”.

    The monarch said: “The Obaruwa Festival is a celebration of the common ancestry and socio-cultural heritage of the Makun people found in over 150 towns and villages.”

    The Chairman of the occasion, Oba Adetola Emmanuel King, the Akile of Makun Kingdom, bemoaned “the criminal exclusion of a large chunk of Nigerian kids, teenagers and young adults by the orientation machineries of our system.”

    In his words: “Whether we like it or not, the young scavengers of today that our society has failed to cooperate to re-mould into a shape that would conform to the rosy future each of us desires for his or her biological children would, unavoidably, be part of the story of tomorrow”.

    The Akile, who is the Group Managing Director of ADRON Homes and Properties Ltd, declared that it was high time the country declared a state of emergency on youth affairs.

    The Chairman, Sagamu West Local Council Development Authority, Rafiu Awoyemi, applauded the Makun Development Council for its unrelenting efforts towards the maintenance of peace, law and order within the LCDA.

    The Chairman of the Obaruwa Festival Planning Committee, Mr. Oduguwa Adeboye, highlighted the nature and basic objective of the Fund as “a pool of public-private resources for the purpose of mobilising and financing the economic aspirations of the youthful populace of the Makun Kingdom”.

    Oduguwa added: “Social security, a general psychology of safety by which every individual member of a society, has no need to threaten or harm any other person in a bid to survive, would be achieved in all Makun towns and villages.”

    The MSSTF, which will be managed by a Board of Trustees in collaboration with an administration company, is scheduled for official launching in May 2017.

  • ‘Why Nigeria needs trust fund on recovered loot’

    •Omatseye, Falana urge vigilance

    The Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to set up a trust fund to manage recovered loot.

    It said this at the weekend at its Annual General Conference (AGC) in Lagos, which featured its delegate members from across the country.

    According to CDHR, the fund would compel government and anti-graft agencies to make full disclosure of recovered loot and their sources, forestall re-looting by the political elite and provide funds for “financing programmes that address poverty and create wealth”.

    Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation Mr. Sam Omatseye gave the keynote address titled: “The Concept of Rule of Law and The Notion of Justice for the Survival of The Nigerian State”.

    Omatseye, who was the committee’s first secretary-general, observed that competing traditional, religious and colonial influences made adherence to the rule of law problematic for Nigerians.

    On the raid of judges’ home by agents of the Department of State Service (DSS), he wondered whether Nigeria was about to witness “the awful irony where the judges will now be judges in their own cause?

    “Are we going to see a nervous security elite unwilling to bow to the integrity of the court? How shall we, then, define the integrity of the court when the matters pop into the public square?”

    Omatseye, alongside a former CDHR president and Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), called for vigilance among rights activists in the face of “grinding corruption and impunity in the land”.

    Speakers at the AGC included a former Attorney-General of Edo State Mr. Osagie Obayuwana, a former CDHR President Mr. Gbenga Awosode, Mr. Femi Aborishade, Mr. Luke Aghanenu and Mr. Sunny Enenuvwedia.

    The CDHR described the Senate’s attempt to whittle the powers of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as “crude and shameful”.

    It said the judges indicted by the DSS should step aside pending the outcome of the investigations by the National Judicial Council, (NJC)

    Expressing its support for the anti-corruption agencies, it urged the Senate, to, “as a matter of urgency, and without further delay, confirm the appointment of the EFCC Acting Chairman, Ibrahim Magu, so as to put the EFCC on a sound footing and to guaranteeing unfettered crusade against corruption in Nigeria.

  • Lagos lists criteria for assessing N6.25bn Employment Trust Fund

    Lagos lists criteria for assessing N6.25bn Employment Trust Fund

    The Lagos State Government has listed criteria that applicants for the N6.25billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) must meet to be eligible for the fund.

    At an awareness and sensitisation programme organised by the Office of Civic Engagement, yesterday, Commissioner for Wealth Creation and Employment Mr Babatunde Durosinmi-Etti said only those who need the fund would be given.

    The commissioner explained that the funds which will be given out as loan to beneficiaries at the interest rate of three per cent can be accessed only by Lagos residents and tax payers who have their own businesses.

    Durosinmi-Etti said: “The beneficiary must be a taxpayer, has two credible guarantors who are equally tax payers and have registered with the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA).”

    The Commissioner also disclosed that the disbursement of funds to the first set of beneficiaries of the ETF is expected to commence in September.

    Durosinmi-Etti while addressing the gathering explained that the idea behind establishing the Trust Fund was to create an inclusive process where every Lagos residents that have businesses will have equal opportunity to access the fund.

    He said the objective was to cushion the unemployment challenges in the country by making funds available to entrepreneurs that will employ others.

    He said the sum of N25billion has been set aside under the ETF over a period of four years, adding that N6.25billion has been released by the governor to the board for disbursement in the current year.

    Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General Kazeem Adeniji, who was represented by Mrs Tola Akinsanya, said the loan was not given out for free but to be paid back by the beneficiaries.

    Special Adviser to the Governor on Civic Engagement, Mr Kehinde Joseph, said the awareness programme was geared towards sensitising the youths and indeed everyone about the trust fund and how to access it.

  • 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.’’

  • Youths and Lagos Employment Trust Fund

    It is now an open secret that things are no longer at ease with the Nigerian economy. Sharp decline in the global prices of crude oil, a major source of income for the country, has brought the nation’s economy almost down to its knees. Presently, oil price continued its abysmal somersault. As at the time of putting this together, Brent, the global oil marker, fell by more than $2, or six per cent, to $31.48 per barrel the lowest since in April 2004.

    With the global price of oil now at all-time low, economic analysts are already speculating that, unless a miracle occurs, things might be tough for the nation in 2016. In the previous year, the Federal Government scaled down the benchmark for the 2015 budget from $78 to $73 per barrel (ironically, a barrel of oil in the international market presently oscillates from $37 to $30 per barrel). As a reflection of how bad the situation was in the previous year, the Federal Government had to bail out some states that could no longer meet up with their financial obligations to their workforce. Some Federal Government agencies equally did not fare any better in this respect.

    Unfortunately, the private sector is also not totally immune from the gloomy economic reality in the country. With the diminishing fortune of the naira, local industries are facing serious challenges that could actually lead to downsizing of workers if the situation is not quickly redressed. Hence, from every perspective, these are, indeed, trying times for the country.

    The way things stand, the unemployed in the country, especially the youth, might be in for a hard time. If the working class is not actually finding things easy with the present harsh economic reality, without a doubt, the growing populace of the unemployed might just as well be on a journey to Siberia. Sadly, the unemployment situation has become worse with the low-productivity rate of the manufacturing sector. The power situation isn’t helping matters either. The inability of subsequent administrations to improve the nation’s power condition spells greater doom for the unemployed in the country as most manufacturing firms with the fair prospect of creating jobs are either relocating or folding up. Curiously, multinational firms, that hitherto held great job prospects for Nigerians, are equally not left out of this gloomy trend.

    With the present scenario, our nation is certainly sitting on a keg of gun powder. With the rampaging and heartless Boko Haram sect destabilizing the economy of the North-east, and by inference depleting the already dwindling national economy by engaging the nation in a needless war, we cannot afford to be at peace with the current unemployment situation in our nation. The implication of having a large percentage of unemployed youth aimlessly lurking around is not, by any means, palatable. To make ends meet, a hungry and disenchanted jobless youth could easily be lured into embracing vicious anti-social options. And any nation that allows its youth to go astray has already mortgaged its future. As a nation, we cannot afford to toe such an ignoble path.

    Any nation that denies its youth the necessary enabling environment to thrive does so at its own peril. Youths are the dynamo of every society. Their energies, inventions, character and orientation define the pace of development and security of a nation. Through the aggregate of their creative talents and labour power, a nation makes giant strides in economic development and socio-political attainments. In their dreams and hopes, a nation finds her motivation; on their energies, she builds her vitality and purpose. And because of their dreams and aspirations, the future of a nation is assured.

    Without doubt, the youth represents the most vibrant and adventurous group in any society. In the words of late Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe: “If you want to know the future of any nation, take a look at what the youths are doing presently.” Usually, if the prevailing condition in a given society does not offer the youth the needed platform to channel their burstling energy into positive use, they readily embrace rebellious predisposition. It is a well-known fact that nature abhors a vacuum.

    Therefore, if there is anything that government at all levels needs to focus primarily on now, it is youth empowerment through various job-creation platforms. It is, indeed, in this respect that the Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode must  be commended for coming up with a far reaching creative and institutionalized framework to address the pathetic and appalling unemployment situation in the state. Since his assumption of office, Ambode has so far taken several steady strides that clearly demonstrate his resolve to take Lagos to new heights. However, in fulfillment of his campaign promise, the most audacious and positive steps he has taken, thus far, was  the recent institution of a N25bn Employment Trust Fund to address unemployment and promote wealth creation through entrepreneurial development.

    The beauty of it all is that the initiative is a carefully thought out project that will definitely outlive the Ambode administration. It is a huge gift to Lagos, in particular, and the entire nation as a whole. By providing a legal and institutional framework for the laudable initiative, Ambode has gone a step further ahead to secure a better and brighter future for our youths. When he eventually leaves office, what he is bequeathing to the coming generation would speak volumes for him in years to come as a visionary and passionate leader. One would also like to commend the leadership and members of the Lagos State House of Assembly for the thorough and speedy work it did in making the Employment Trust Fund bill to see the light of the day.

    One salient quality of a reliable leader is the ability to make promises and keep it. Thus far, Ambode has come out as one leader who loves to keep his words. The establishment of the Employment Trust Fund was in line with keeping faith with the promise he made to the people during the electioneering campaign. The fund is to be reimbursed by the state government with an annual contribution of N6. 25billion. It is projected that the fund would hit ambitious N25billion mark over a period of four years.

    Already, a 10-man board comprising of seasoned professionals, under the leadership of former chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Mrs. Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, has been put in place to manage the fund.

    With this initiative, the Lagos State government has thrown a big challenge at the youths of this country and it is not exclusive to the unemployed. It is a salvo to fire their imaginations, direct their energies and discover talents. The state is all out to back the evolution of value-generating ideas that may as well be what Nigeria requires to get out of the threatening economic quagmire.

    It is hoped that more of such forward-looking and resourceful initiatives would come up from the stable of the Lagos State government. If our people are to be freed from the shackles of poverty and hopelessness, this is the path we must continue to tread. It is the only path to economic emancipation. It is, indeed, the right path to prosperity.

    • Lateef, a public affairs’ commentator, writes from Ikeja.

     

  • Ambode sends N25b Employment Trust Fund to Assembly

    Ambode sends N25b Employment Trust Fund to Assembly

    • Proposes five-year single tenure for LASU VC

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has forwarded a bill to the House of Assembly for the establishment of a N25 billion Employment Trust Fund (ETF) in the state.

    Entitled Employment Trust Fund Bill 2015, the proposed law is aimed at transforming employment creation in the state over the next four years.

    Its major beneficiaries are young entrepreneurs and small business owners.

    Also sent to the Assembly for ratification was a bill proposing a single term of five years for the Vice-Chancellor of the Lagos State University (LASU).

    Information and Strategy Commissioner, Steve Ayorinde, yesterday confirmed the draft bills were approved by the State Executive Council during its meeting on Wednesday.

    Ayorinde said the LASU (Amendment) Bill 2015 is meant to serve as an improvement over the two previous amendments in 1990 and 1992 with the aim of finding lasting solution to the challenges that have plagued the state-owned institution in recent years.

    The bill, according to him, “is proposing to amend certain sections of the Law to meet current realities in line with best practices.

    “It seeks to review the exercise of general supervision over discipline in the university imposed on the Vice-Chancellor and to propose a single term of five years for the institution’s Vice-Chancellor.”

    He added that the LASU Bill also seeks an amendment that will make the appointment of the Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council the prerogative of the Visitor in line with standard practice.

    “Yet, it seeks an amendment to Section 36(1) and (2) of the Law which deals with admission policy to place the responsibility of determining the minimum admission requirement on the Senate of the university,” he said.

    The Employment Trust Fund Bill on the other hand, he said, is in fulfillment of the campaign promises made by the governor to inject N25bn into job creation and employment opportunities over a period of four years.

    The fund will be administered as soft loans to bona fide residents of the state that desire facilities ranging from N100, 000 to N1,000, 000 or more as the case may be.

    Ayorinde said the bill seeks the establishment of the ETF to be modeled after the state’s Security Trust Fund, which means it will be funded through joint contributions from the Lagos State government and the private sector.

    The fund, he said, will be administered through an independent Trust backed by an efficient structure that will disburse the funds.

    The ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment, which was created in June by Governor Ambode, will oversee the affairs of the scheme while the funds will be channelled through the state’s microfinance institutions.

    Beneficiaries, he said, would be selected across the five divisions in the state: Lagos Island, Ikeja, Badagry, Epe and Ikorodu to allow citizens in every part of the state enjoy the novel scheme.

    “Just about 1% interest rate will be charged on the loan to take care of administrative expenses.

    “The state government’s desire is to allow enterprising Lagos residents who do not have access to loans or other forms of finance with stringent conditions enjoy repayable soft loans to establish a business venture or rescue a struggling small concern,” he said.

  • 120m Nigerians not covered by social security, says Trust Fund

    •’71 per cent living below poverty line’

    Over 120 million Nigerians living below the poverty line and working in the informal sector of the  are not covered by any form of social security as practised in several developed countries, the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) has said.

    Only those working in the public and organised private sector are benefiting from the Contributory Pension Scheme, Employee Compensation Scheme and the National Health Insurance Scheme.

    But those in the informal sector were not benefiting, the fund said.

    NSITF’s General Manager   for Social Security Ismail Agaka, speaking in Abuja at the weekend, said statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed that 71 per cent of Nigerians were living below the poverty line and located in the informal sector.

    According to him, the Employee Compensation Act, which is being implemented under the NSITF, was designed for the public sector and the organised private sector, pointing out that the fund could not operate outside government programmes.

    Agaka said: “We have a situation whereby the formal sector employees mostly enjoy social security programmes. Meanwhile, there is ILO declaration that aims at extending social security to all by 2020.”

    He claimed that NBS data of 2012 claimed that 71 per cent of Nigerians live below  the poverty line, which translates to about one dollar and 20 cents per day, meaning about 120 million of the citizens are very poor.

    “This figure should give government more compelling reason to drive social security to the real poor largely located within the informal sector,” he said.

    Admitting that organising the informal sector was not easy, Agaka suggested that the sector should be formalised through trade guilds and associations for the purpose of extending social security to the majority of the citizenry.

    He urged the government to harmonise data generated by the National Identity Management Commission NIMC), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and National Communication Commission (NCC) to midwife an effective and all-inclusive national social security programme for Nigerians.

    He explained that though the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity is charged with regulating implementation of the country’s social security, it had not been empowered to carry out the function.

    Agaka stressed the need to harmonise and coordinate various social security programmes executed in government’s ministries, departments and agencies, saying: “Nigeria does not have a structured social security yet.

  • Lagos Security Trust Fund gets N1bn from donations

    Corporate organisations and individuals on Thursday swelled the purse of the Lagos State Security Trust Fund (LSSTF) with donations totaling about N1billion to support the government’s effort towards ensuring a safer and secured state.

    At a dinner organised by the LSSTF, members of the corporate world and respected members of the society lauded the strides of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in the last two months as well as his plans to upgrade the security network in the state, affirming their commitment to continue to support the government’s strides to make Lagos safer.

    The governor in his remarks said that his administration remains committed to new strategies to effectively police Lagos and rid the state from all forms of criminal activities.

    He said his administration was already thinking of overhauling its security apparatus to be able to rise up to the evolving trends of crime in the state.

    “Right now we have just about 33,000 people policing us and we’re about 20 million. So, if you combine other forces, the Lagos Fire Service, LASTMA and Ambulance service, it might bring the number to about 40,000 of them as against 20 million people.

    “I  can admit we lack the right technology. We don’t have a holistic approach to coordinate everything that we are doing and then we don’t have the security management that Lagos actually needs, so we are under- policed and we are not getting the right technology to be able to say that Lagos is secured. We must now integrate men, equipment and technology to keep Lagos safer,” he said.

    Ambode lauded the private sector contribution to the LSSTF in the last seven years, which he put at a total of N4billion, while the state government has contributed about N8billion to the fund.

    He said commencing from next year, a Lagos State Awards of Excellence will be held annually to recognise and certify individuals and companies who have been selfless about issues affecting Lagos.

    Ambode also unveiled plans to strengthen the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) as well as establish an integrated security and emergency control platform, such that the control and command centre in Alausa will have an interface with other security networks through the surveillance cameras which will be provided.

    “It is in my interest that I drive the business of making Lagos safer and it’s also in my interest that you join hands with me to succeed in this,” he added.

    Those who attended the dinner included Africa’s leading business mogul and President of Dangote Group of Companies, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Managing Director, Zenon Oil, Mr. Femi Otedola; Chairman of Zenith Bank Group, Mr. Jim Ovia; Chairman, Heirs Holdings Limited, Mr. Tony Elumelu; Oba of Lagos, Rilwan Akiolu 1; Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. (Mrs.) Oluranti Adebule and Chairman, Lagos State Security Trust Fund, Mr. Remi Makanjuola among others.

  • Trust fund for oil bearing communities

    Last Saturday, the people of Bomadi/Patani Federal Constituency at a public hearing held at the BB Hotel, Warri, reviewed sections of the constitution guiding revenue allocation and the electoral system. The lead position that evetually led to the resolutions was presented by former Acting Managing Director, Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Mr. Ziakede Aginighan.

    Aginighan canvassed an amendment to Section 162 (2), which provides for 13 per cent derivation as a principle in the allocation of revenue from the Federation Account. He called for the establishment of a trust fund for oil producing communities into which the 13 per cent derivation provided for by the constitution would be paid. According to him, this will free the communities from the whims and caprices of state governors who use the fund for the development of areas other than those from which the resource is found.

    “From 1999 when the Constitution came into effect, 13 per cent of oil mineral and gas revenue accruing to the Federation has been paid to the oil mineral and gas producing states in proportion to the quantum of oil and gas produced. It has been observed most of the States that have benefited from this constitutional provision have not recognised derivation in the disbursement of the funds they have received. The oil mineral and gas bearing communities have been at the mercy of powerful state governors, most of whom utilise the larger portion of derivation funds for areas that do not suffer environmental devastation arising from oil exploration and exploitation activities. Aginighan then went on to specifically ask for an amendment to reflect this thinking.

    “The funds accruing to any state as derivation in respect of any natural resource shall be paid into a Trust Fund for the Natural Resources Producing Areas in each state. The Trust Fund shall have a Board of Trustees made up of representatives of the various natural resources bearing communities in each state appointed by the President upon confirmation by the Senate.

    “The funds accruing to each state natural resources Trust Fund shall be utilised for the development of the various communities from which the resources are derived based on their respective priorities”, he stated.

    Aginighan faulted the electoral system for not making provision for tracking “those who snatch ballot boxes and ballot papers for thumb-printing in private homes, those who sell and buy result sheets, those who announce election results when there was no voting.” He warned that until that was done, Nigeria will “only produce elected leaders who have legality without legitimacy in the occupation of the various leadership positions in the country.”