The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Uncertainty

  • Uncertainty, appeals as workers’ strike begins

    There was an air of uncertainty over the nationwide strike called by Labour to persuade the Federal Government to adopt and implement the payment of N30, 000 as the new minimum wage. VINCENT IKUOMOLA and FRANK IKPEFAN write on the last minutes’ efforts to ensure industrial harmony in the land.

    THE reconciliation meeting of tripartite committee on minimum wage review called yesterday to avert an indefinite nationwide strike by Labour dragged into the night.

    At the meeting conveyed at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation were representatives of labour unions, government (federal and states) and Organised Private Sector (OPS).

    The workers’ unions and employers have been locked in a dispute over what should be the minimum wage for the least paid worker.

    The unions – Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the United Labour Congress (ULC) are asking for N30, 000 as the starting point; the federal and state governments have offered N24, 000 and N22, 500 respectively.

    The reluctance of the governments to accede to the workers’ demand triggered the indefinite strike called by the unions. According to the notice, the action was billed for midnight of November 6.

    Labour had on November 2 staged on stage rallies in some cities to sensitise Nigerians about the looming strike should the government failed to accede to its N30, 000 request. It urged Nigerians to stuff their homes with foodstuff.

    They said the N18, 000 minimum wage could no longer take the least paid worker home, hence the demand for an upward review.

    But the governors, under the auspices of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), said they can only afford N22, 500 given the prevailing economy situation.

    Medical workers set for action

    The Medical and Health workers have declared their readiness to join the planned strike.

    The health workers under the umbrella of Medical and Health Workers’ Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) yesterday told its members to gear up for action.

    Briefing newsmen yesterday on the proposed strike by NLC tagged: “The truth about national minimum wage and lack of political will of government to implement”, MHWUN National President Biobelemoye Joy Josiah called on members to show commitment to the NLC-led strike.

    He said: “The tripartite agreement which arrived at N30, 000 as the new minimum wage, has been jettisoned by the government. It does appear there is no will on the part of the government to review and implement the legitimate demands of the workers.

    “The minimum wage increment was due since 2016, that’s 2011 – 2016, but the government pleaded that it was new and the economy was down, therefore, the organised labour showed some understanding. Hence, the reason labour remained patient, until recently when the matter was brought up and the government is still showing reluctance to pay.

    According to him, the compromised N30, 000 figure is less than $100 per month at the current exchange rate of $1/N365.

    Josiah said: “Whereas in the same United States the minimum wage per hour is $10 that is $80 per day $400 for five working days (per week) and $1600 per month that’s (N584, 000 per month).

    “Therefore, there is no reason the political class should earn (even 10 per cent more than) their American counterparts while the workers are earning pittance.

    “The government is complaining of a broken economy but then the political class is earning equal to or more than their counterparts in the United States (US) where we copied our model of democracy.”

    He urged MHWUN members to remain resolute and be committed to the effective and orderly implementation of the strike.

    He said the government should be held responsible for the socio-economic hardship that might occur during the strike, which ab initio, should have been avoided if the right thing had been done.

    Describing as mischievous claims by some elements that any pay rise will create inflation, he said: “This is not true.  For instance, the increment in minimum wage is not responsible for the current inflation in the country which is double digit. Neither is it also responsible for the economic recession the country found itself.  In civilised societies, the welfare of workers is a paramount responsibility of government.

    “It’s very obvious that the N18, 000 national minimum wage is no longer feasible and it is a trivialisation of a living wage.”

    LCCI appeals to parties

    The Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) appealed to the Federal Government and the Organised Labour to reach a mutual understanding to avert the proposed strike.

    Making the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Lagos, LCCI Director-General Muda Yusuf said the strike would disrupt lots of economic activities and a lot of people in the informal sector who live on daily income would be affected, should it be allowed to go on.

    Yusuf said: “Conferences and meetings that have been scheduled will also be affected and at the end of the day, it is the citizens that will bear the brunt of the strike.”

    He said that the chamber was optimistic of a truce at the end of Monday’s (yesterday) meeting between the parties.

    The LCCI chief said: “The demand of labour is very simple; that the report of the tripartite committee be submitted to the President, and I listened to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) yesterday, saying they are ready to take the report and follow through from there.

    “Since that is what the labour has been clamouring for, our appeal is that it show some understanding and allow the process go through.”

    Yusuf also noted that an order by the National Industrial Court that says that the strike be put on hold should be respected.

    “It is not in the interest of anyone to have situations where court orders are not obeyed. I have heard some labour leaders say that even the government does not obey court orders. But, two wrongs do not make a right.” he said.

    Yusuf urged government to accede to the demands of labour, adding that the demands were very genuine and legitimate.

    He said: “We know what the cost of living has been and the poverty situation of the country. The real income of workers has declined over the years.

    “Labour has a strong point, N30, 000 is not too much as minimum wage. It is about $80 per month.”

    He called for a quick resolution to promote stable socio-economic environment.

    Marketers reluctant to sell petroleum products in Kano

    In anticipation of the industrial action, some marketers of petroleum products in Kano State yesterday shut their gates against consumers.

    Long queues of vehicles resurfaced in many filling stations in some parts of the state yesterday.

    Most of product marketers in Gwarzo, headquarters of Gwarzo Local Government Area of the state closed their filling stations.

    There were queues of vehicles at the few filling stations that were selling the product as some of the marketers were reluctant to sell the product.

    The situation was the same on Zaria Road, Kwanar Dangora in Bebeji Local Government Area.

    A commercial vehicle driver, Malam Aminu Bello, said he had to be on the queue for about one hour at the filling stations before he could buy product.

    Residents, who spoke to NAN on the issue, urged the marketers to have the fear of God and sell the products as the products were available in most filling stations.

    “Most of the filling stations have the product in stock but the marketers are trying to cause artificial scarcity in order to maximise profit,” a resident, Malam Adamu Sale, said.

    Another resident, Adamu Isiyaka, called on the Federal Government and labour to ensure amicable resolution of the dispute over minimum wage.

    However, in Kano metropolis, most of the filling stations were opened and selling the product as some motorists engaged in panic buying.

    When contacted, the state Chairman of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Bashir Dan-Malam, attributed the development to recent rumour that made the rounds.

    According to him, it was rumoured that the government was planning to reduce the official fuel pump price from the N145 per litre to N95 per litre.

    He said: “Following the rumour, which we however dispelled, some marketers suspended buying the product from the depots across the country.

    “But we have already asked our members to ignore the rumour because it is not true and that is why they resumed business.”

    NYSC warns Corps members 

    The Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Suleiman Kazaure, yesterday warned Corps members against joining the proposed strike.

    Kazaure gave the warning while addressing the 2018 Batch “C” Stream One Corps members at the Ogun State Orientation Camp in Sagamu.

    In a statement signed in Abuja by NYSC spokesperson Adenike Adeyemi, the NYSC boss urged the Corps members to remain at their duty posts as loyal and patriotic citizens.

    Kazaure, while reading riot act to the Corps members, urged them to be law-abiding and respect the constitution of the country as responsible leaders of today and tomorrow.

    He added that there was no provision for strike action in the NYSC Act but services that would uphold the corporate entity of the nation.

    The director-general cautioned that any Corps member found violating the rules and regulations of the NYSC scheme would be sanctioned accordingly.

    He promised that the Scheme’s management would continue to strive for the improved welfare and security of all corps members.

    Kazaure appealed to the Corps members to embrace skill acquisitions in order to reduce the increasing rate of unemployment as it would enable them become wealth creators and employers of labour.

    Ogun State Coordinator Mrs. Josephine Bakare lamented the inadequate accommodation for corps members and camp officials.

    She called for the expansion of the camp’s lecture hall in order to accommodate more Corps members during lectures and other social activities.

    Mrs. Bakare said that the attention of the state government had been drawn to non-payment of state allowance to corps members.

    “Corps members with serious health challenges were given instant relocation. Twenty-one nursing mothers and four corps members got instant relocation on health grounds.

    “A total of 2,464 Corps members comprising 1,207 males and 1,257 females registered in the camp.”

  • APC primaries: Uncertainty in Ogun over Amosun’s camp

    Current moves and actions of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s aides and close associates give uncertain signals of their next political moves ahead 2019 elections, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    AHEAD of the 2019 General Election in Ogun State, strong indications continue to emerge across the state for and against growing rumour that the state governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, and or his loyalists in the All Progressives Congress (APC) may dump the ruling party before the polls. While the embattled governor has left no one in doubt of his opposition to the choice of Prince Dapo Abiodun as the APC gubernatorial candidate in the state, uncertainties still cloud what his next political move could be.

    Many sources within and outside the party are warning that there could be a subtle move within the governor’s camp for his supporters across the state to dump the ruling party en-masse soon and contest the next general election on the platform of another party. The Nation gathered that the option of dumping the APC may have divided the governors’ camp into two.

    It was also gathered that Governor Amosun himself, barring a last minute change of strategy, may not join his supporters to defect. The plan is to have him remain in the APC so as to confirm his claims that he is a die-hard supporter of President Buhari. Some party sources however added that fear of being sanctioned by the ruling party may be the real reason for his decision to remain in the APC till the Election Day.

    “The signals emanating from the governor’s camp as at today are so confusing that it is impossible to categorically say this is what Amosun and his people are planning. But they have left no one in doubt that should Abiodun remain the candidate of the party, they will not work for his victory at the polls. Even Governor Amosun has said that severally.

    “To make matters worse, the list allegedly submitted to INEC by the APC has the names of many of Amosun’s men missing as candidates of the APC. This has further heightened the tension across the state. It has further enraged the governor’s supporters and those pushing for them to dump the APC are now having the upper hand. Less people are now in support of their remaining in the ruling party.

    “You can imagine the situation across Yewaland when news broke that Suraj Adekunbi, the Speaker of the State Assembly, has been dropped as the House of Representatives candidate for his constituency. Adekunbi is a leading politician in the district and his people love him greatly. He is also a strong Amosun ally. It is not clear where he currently stands in the debate for and against defection. But if truly his name is dropped, the party will have issues in Ogun West,” a party source told The Nation.

    We also gathered that at a meeting held at the governor’s private residence located at Ibara GRA, Abeokuta, the state capital, during the week, it was agreed that it is important for the group to take a decisive decision on what should be their next political move before it is too late. Our correspondent gathered that the unfavorable outcome of Amosun’s last visit to President Muhammadu Buhari formed the basis of the call.

    “They are politicians and they don’t want to be caught napping. But for the absence of the governor at the meeting, which had nearly all his top aides, within and outside government, in attendance, a decision on how they will respond to the choice of Dapo Abiodun as the APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2019 General Election in Ogun State, would have been taken by the Amosun political family at that meeting.

    “While it was clear that majority of the governor’s people are now in support of a mass movement out of the ruling party, the few opposed to the idea used the absence of Senator Amosun at the parley as a reason for the house to tarry a while in arriving at a conclusion. But everybody at the meeting seem to be united in their opposition to Abiodun’s candidature,” our source added.

    Leaders of the party from all local government areas of the state, who are loyal to the governor, top government functionaries in the state, as well as other leading chieftains of the governor’s political family, were at the meeting said to have been called to assess the current situation of things within the party as it relates to efforts to get the name of their preferred candidate, Adekunle Akinlade, on the list of APC governorship candidate.

    Old and new indications

    Giving fillip to the suspicion that Amosun’s men may be up to something unfavorable to the APC in Ogun State, among other indications, is the fact that the governor had, earlier in the month, threatened to pull out of the APC if the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party fails to uphold the candidacy of his anointed governorship candidate, Abdul-Kabir Adekunle Akinlade.

    The threat came few hours after Amosun met with Buhari and some other leaders of the ruling party in Abuja, to seek their intervention in the contentious gubernatorial primary in the state. Following his failed mission to Abuja, he returned home and issued the threat during a meeting with some party leaders and his loyalists across the 20 local government areas of the state held at his Ibara GRA, Abeokuta private home.

    According to sources who were present at the meeting, the governor, who briefed his loyalists on the outcome of his meeting with President Buhari as well as the national leadership of APC, informed them that the NWC even want him to share the national and state assemblies tickets with certain group of individuals, who, according to him, did not participate in both the governorship and legislative primaries.

    At the meeting, the Ogun governor, the source stated, made it clear that he could not work with Abiodun, who he said cannot win the election come 2019. Amosun, it was reported, vowed to leave the APC rather than waste his time working for a candidate like Abiodun in 2019. His position received the support of majority of his supporters at the meeting. News of Amosun’s threat to dump the APC caused a big stir within and outside the party until he made another visit to President Buhari and issued a rebuttal to reports that he is on his way out of the APC.

    But just as the stir he created was dying down following the rebuttal, Governor Amosun last week announced that he is under “enormous pressure” to defect from the ruling party over the outcome of the primary elections in the state. In spite of the governor’s efforts, Akinlade, his preferred choice as successor, did not make the list of candidates that the NWC certified for 2019.

    In a statement issued on his behalf by Dayo Adeneye, by the state Commissioner for Information, Amosun said, “It is true that enormous pressure was brought to bear on Governor Amosun to move to another party, because of the glaring injustice meted out to some party members at the recent primaries, but the governor maintained his stand that he would not decamp, especially on account of President Muhammadu Buhari, whose judgment and sense of justice, as the leader of the party, he cherishes and values immensely.”

    Adeneye, while justifying the pressure on his principal to quit APC, said those who know Amosun over the years, will confirm that his struggles are usually not about his own person but equity, justice and fairness for all, especially the downtrodden masses. He however added that because President Buhari represents this same spirit, Amosun will stand by him and with him in any party at all times and at all costs.”

    But all these were just as prominent supporters of the Governor who were aspirants at the primary election of the party across the state are now removing the APC logo from their campaign posters. According to reliable sources across the state, well known members of the Amosun political family are now printing new campaign posters without the APC logo in moves that are now being interpreted to suggest looming defections by observers.

    “Many of them are doing that now. One of such is Hon. Yinka Mafe, the Majority Leader of the State Assembly. The new set of online posters announcing his return to the race for the House of Representatives seat for Remo Federal Constituency is without the APC logo. He had, before now, dropped out of the race after losing the primary election to another aspirant.

    “Also, another House of Representatives candidate in Ado-Odo-Ota axis of the state and two House of Assembly aspirants in Ijebu-Ode area have similarly dumped the APC logo in their new posters. When asked the reasons for these unexpected moves, their aides and supporters claimed there is a huge possibility that the aspirants will take their political ambition to another political party soon.

    “From the look of things, APC has been hijacked by people who did not sow anything in the party before now. They want to reap but we will fight till the last drop of our blood. They have not only taken the governorship ticket, they have dropped the names of all our candidates for state and federal legislature. We cannot watch and see them do that to us, we are going to fight this till the end,” a counselor in Sagamu told The Nation on Thursday.

    Amosun de-marketing APC on purpose?

    But some observers of the politics of the state have accused Governor Amosun of intentionally de-marketing the ruling party ahead of the next general election. According to Chief Tele Akande, former State Secretary of the defunct Grassroots Democratic Movement (GDM), Senator Amosun and his supporters, either knowingly or unknowingly, have crossed the line of legitimate protests in their opposition to Abiodun’s candidature.

    “What they are now doing is nothing short of anti-party activities. They appear to have made up their minds to ensure that APC loses the next general election. They are de-marketing the ruling party on purpose. If not, how can women go topless in protest against their own party? The current deputy governor, Amosun’s deputy, rather than urge restraint, even offered to join the protesters! These people are working against the party,” he said.

    Akande, who is now a chieftain of the APC in Ogun West Senatorial District, called on the national leadership of the party and President Muhammadu Buhari to promptly rein-in the governor and his people into order if the party is to win the next elections in the state. According the politician, it is hypocritical of the governor to say he is in support of President Buhari while his people daily protest against the leadership of the ruling party.

    “I am surprised at what is going on. In totality, I agree with the APC spokesperson that our governor is a bad loser. He has not displayed any good sportsmanship since his preferred governorship candidate lost the APC primary election. Must he win at all times? He took the Ogun Central Senatorial ticket from a serving senator who has done only one term. What should that fellow do? Bring heaven down? Amosun must know that we don’t win all in life.

    “Across the state now, we see his people removing APC logo from their posters and talking about a new beginning. Many of his boys who lost the State Assembly and House of Representatives tickets are saying they are still in the race with or without APC ticket. One of them from Remo zone was on state radio recently where he said Governor Amosun’s popularity, and not APC as a party, is what is needed for victory in the 2019 General Elections.

    “The young man added that either on the platform of the APC or not, Amosun’s men will continue the good work they’ve been doing across the state since 2011. All these he was saying on a state owned radio station. These are gross anti party activities and it is enough for the governor and his co-travelers to be called to order. President Buhari must know that if things continue this way, he will lose in Ogun State come 2019,” Akande warned.

    But the man in the middle of the storm, Governor Amosun, insists he will neither leave the APC nor work against President Buhari’s 2019 presidential dream. Fielding questions from reporters after a closed door meeting with President Buhari, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Sunday, he dismissed as mischief the insinuation that he had defected from the ruling APC or planning to dump the party over political developments in the state.

    While insisting that he remains unsatisfied with the outcome of the primary election in his state, the governor said, “We will stock with (President Buhari) him. So, I want them to know that we are not going anywhere. “I’m going to be with the APC, we are in the APC and even after his second term, which by the grace of God and the support of all Nigerians, he will win,” Amosu said.

  • Uncertainty trails Fayose’s last week in office

    It was a busy week for the outgoing Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, as he commissioned some projects and met with stakeholders defending the way and manner he managed the treasury and ran the state. Odunayo Ogunmola, in this report, highlights major events that shaped Fayose’s last week in power

    IT was a long and eventful week for outgoing Governor Ayo Fayose as his four-year tenure winds down in less than forty eight hours.

    The week was marked with commissioning of some projects and meeting stakeholders where the departing state Chief Executive gave account of his stewardship.

    Fayose, who courted controversies during his four years in office as governor, was still his controversial self in the last week he spent in the Government House.

    The Afao-born politician, during one of his last outing, claimed that about 70 percent of the projects in Ekiti were executed and commissioned during his first and second tenures.

    His first tenure ran from May 29, 2003 and October 16, 2006 when he was impeached and removed from office by the second House of Assembly. The impeachment has been set aside by the Supreme Court.

    The second tenure started on October 16, 2004 and will come to an end tomorrow, October 15, 2018.

    As Fayose exits the Government House, it has been a mixture of nostalgia, emotion, fulfillment and uncertainty about his future when he will be called to give account of his tenure.

    The week also witnessed a dramatic change of leadership in the Ekiti State House of Assembly with the emergence of a new Speaker, Mr. Adeniran Alagbada.

    The lawmakers caught the people of the state unawares by removing Fayose’s man, Mr. Kola Oluwawole, as the Speaker in what was described in some quarters as a “legislative coup.”

    The plot was executed by three All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers and eleven People’s Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers believed to be aggrieved against Fayose.

    Apart from removing the Speaker, the angry lawmakers also suspended 14 lawmakers loyal to Fayose, including Oluwawole and his deputy, Mr. Sina Animasaun, for 125 legislative days.

    The action that many observers believe may shut them out of the legislative chambers till the end of their tenure in June next year.

    Fayose used the opportunity of his last week in office to make pronouncements on what may become of him after his tenure might have ended.

    Activities marking the end of Fayose’s tenure began on Tuesday with the inauguration of Gifted Talents Academy in his hometown, Afao.

    The school was one of the signature projects of Fayose during his first term but he could not execute the project before the impeachment crisis erupted.

    Speaking while commissioning the school, Fayose stressed that he did his best for Ekiti within the limited resources but accused the APC-led Federal Government of sabotaging his efforts.

    He accused the government at the centre of withholding financial entitlements of Ekiti State, including Paris Club refund cash and Budget Support Funds.

    These, according to him, accounted for why he is owing core civil servants four months arrears of salaries and local government and primary school teachers seven months.

    Fayose alleged that the funds are being kept for his successor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, urging civil servants to demand the arrears from the new helmsman.

    On Thursday, Fayose inaugurated the new Ministry of Finance building, which he named after the former Minister of National Planning, Chief Ayo Ogunlade.

    He said his administration has a record of honouring heroes in their lifetime and not waiting until they die before immortalizing them.

    Also on Thursday, Fayose addressed a valedictory press conference tagged “State of the State” address which was attended by traditional rulers, political leaders, senior civil servants, journalists and other stakeholders.

    He used the forum to react to the removal and suspension of his loyalists by the new leadership of the House of Assembly saying “I would not dabble into their internal affairs.”

    Fayose urged the lawmakers to work with whoever that has been chosen as the Speaker saying the Assembly must put the interest of Ekiti first in whatever they do.

    Fayose said history would be kind to him as the projects he executed, like the Ado-Ekiti Flyover and Oba’s Market, will be there for the present and future generations.

    While defending his integrity against allegations of graft and plunging the state into debt being leveled against him by the opposition, Fayose declared his readiness to appear before any panel to defend how he managed the treasury.

    Despite the belief in some quarters that he had perfected plans to flee the country to evade justice, Fayose told the gathering that he would personally make himself available at the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to answer for alleged crimes while in office.

    He said: “Let it be known that I am not going anywhere as being insinuated around. Rather, I will even be available for all manner of state probe by the incoming government.

    “Be assured that since I do not have anything to hide, I will not fail to also attend any form of probe panels, commissions of inquiry or whatever that the new government in the state may decide to set-up concerning me.

    “All that is required is just for them to either put a call across to me or  send me notice of invitation, indicating venue and time and once all these are fulfilled, they can expect that I will make myself personally available, and not through any lawyer or other representation,” he said

    On Friday, Fayose joined the people of Araromi-Ugbeshi community to celebrate the autonomy granted them by his administration to celebrate installation of the new monarch.

    The traditional ruler, the Owa Eleshi, Oba L.A. Adeyeye, was ‘coronated’ and presented with his staff of office. Fayose used the occasion to explain that his administration could not grant all requests for autonomy by many communities to prevent confusion.

    Fayose, on Friday tendered his handover note as part of activities marking his exit from power on Friday. The handover note was received by the Head of Service, Dr. Gbenga Faseluka.

    The governor also presided over the last State Executive Council meeting where he was praised by members for doing his best for Ekiti.

    The special cabinet meeting was attended by traditional rulers, legislators, senior government officials and party leaders.

    In an emotion-laden voice, Fayose said: “What has a beginning must have an end. It is not the number of years spent but the quantity and quality of achievements.

    “I thank the people of the state for their cooperation and urge them to extend same to the incoming administration.

    “There should never be a vacuum; our priority must be Ekiti in the discharge of our duties.

    “I’m a man who came, saw and conquered. I can’t finish all, I have done my best.

    “History will be kind on me as a man who has given his best to the people. I will remember all for your support, I bear no grudges against anyone.”

    Thanking the people of Ekiti for their support, Fayose urged them to cooperate with the incoming administration to take the state to greater heights.

    Today (Sunday), Fayose will hand over the Government House complex to the Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bello Ahmed, to allow guests that will come for Fayemi’s inauguration access.

    The governor is also expected to be hosted to a civic reception by the people of his community in Afao after which he is expected to proceed to Abuja to answer EFCC summons.

    As he prepares to take a bow, there are so many questions being asked today. They include: What does the future hold for Fayose? Will he escape the various booby traps believed to have been set for him? Is it true that Ekiti treasury was looted under him? Are the allegations against him true or false?

    The answers will be given in the next few weeks.

  • Uncertainty over global supplies amid tight market

    OIL prices rose more than two per cent on yesterday, with Brent hitting a 3-1/2-year high, after Trump abandoned the nuclear deal with Iran and announced the “highest level” of sanctions against the OPEC member.

    Ignoring pleas by allies, Trump on Tuesday pulled the U. S. out of an international nuclear deal with Iran that was struck late 2015, raising the risk of conflict in the Middle East and casting uncertainty over global oil supplies amid an already tight market.

    Brent crude oil futures at one point touched their highest since November 2014 at 76.75 dollars per barrel.

    They were still at 76.52 dollars per barrel at 0628 GMT, up 1.67 dollar or 2.2 per cent, from their last close.

    U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures were up 1.43 dollars per barrel, or 2.1 per cent, at 70.49 dollars a barrel, near highs also last seen in late 2014.

    In China, the biggest single buyer of Iranian oil, Shanghai crude futures hit their strongest in dollar terms since they were launched in late May, above 73.20 dollars per barrel.

    Analysts said the soaring prices were the result of an expected fall in Iranian oil exports.

    “Iran’s exports of oil to Asia and Europe will almost certainly decline later this year and into 2019 as some nations seek alternatives in order to avoid trouble with Washington and as sanctions start to bite,” said Sukrit Vijayakar, director of energy consultancy Trifecta.

    Iran re-emerged as a major oil exporter in 2016 after international sanctions against it were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear program, with its April exports standing above 2.6 million barrels per day (bpd).

    That made Iran the third biggest exporter of crude within OPEC, behind Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

    Walking away from the deal means that the U.S. will likely re-impose sanctions against Iran after 180 days, unless some other agreement is reached before then.

    ANZ bank said Trump’s decision “puts into place a scenario that could see the crude oil market tighten significantly in H2 2018 and into next year”.

    Several refiners in Asia told Reuters they were already seeking alternatives to supplies from Iran.

    “There are worries that Iran’s oil exports could fall by about one million barrels per day (bpd) from current levels,” said Tomomichi Akuta, senior economist at Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting in Tokyo.

    “The oil supply/demand balance is roughly in balance now, but it could turn to a complete supply shortage (in case of new supply curbs). Oil prices could rise at least 10 dollars (a barrel), with Brent approaching near $90,” Akuta said.

    All key crude oil futures contracts saw traded volumes jump as speculators took on new positions in the hope of profiting from rising prices, and as refiners hedged to protect themselves from higher feedstock oil prices. Stephen Innes, head of trading for Asia-Pacific at futures brokerage Oanda in Singapore, said the climb in traded crude futures volumes was so high it was “causing clearing delays”.

    Trying to ease market concerns, Saudi Arabia yesterday day said it would work with other producers to lessen the impact of any shortage in oil supplies.

    The country has been leading efforts since 2017 to withhold production to prop up prices.

  • Report: militancy, political uncertainty pose risks for businesses in 2018

    Investor sentiment across West Africa may experience uplift in the new year, following Nigeria’s exit from recession this year.

    Still, political uncertainty ahead of Nigeria’s 2019 presidential elections and on-going security concerns are among the key risks for businesses  in the region, Control Risks, a specialist global risk consultancy, has said in its yearly political and security risk forecast titled: ‘RiskMap.’

    According to Control Risks’ Senior Partner for West Africa,  Tom Griffin, this year has been tough  for businesses. He however, said that with Nigeria exiting recession, and foreign exchange shortages easing, “We see a strong improvement in investor sentiment emerging.”

    Griffin said another major engine of growth will be Cote d’Ivoire, where economic expansion is projected at around seven per cent next year.

    He said there would be only a handful of elections in the region next year, meaning continuity would largely prevail with policy decisions having the biggest impact on the business environment.

    In Nigeria however, though presidential elections are next slated for 2019, campaigning has already started.The uncertainty that generates, as well as the need for cash that an election brings, mean that political instability and regulators whose actions will be difficult to predict remain among our top risks for businesses in the year ahead,” Griffin said.

    Control Risks in the forecast accessed by The Nation identified terrorism and militancy, irregular regulators and political instability, among others, as key risks facing businesses in West Africa next year. Specifically, it said business assets and personnel in West Africa will remain vulnerable to attacks by transnational or domestic militant groups.

    The report said al-Qaeda and its affiliates would continue to threaten operators in the Sahel, while the oil and gas industry in Nigeria’s Niger Delta would remain exposed to attacks by domestic militant groups. “Failure to resolve the underlying political and socio-economic grievances at the root of these movements will see the threat persist in 2018,” it warned.

    Control Risks added that as countries in the region, notably commodity-dependent economies, face growing fiscal pressures, operators are likely to see regulatory bodies increasingly act as revenue-generating bodies, strengthening local content provisions, introducing stricter fiscal terms, reviewing contracts or erratically imposing fines in companies in the hope of boosting state finances.

    Noting that this would give rise to commercial disputes, legal challenges, and the need for businesses to engage with government stakeholders, the report added that protracted political and socio-economic grievances will continue to fuel popular discontent and a desire for regime change in parts of the region.

    It pointed out, for instance, that Cameroonian President Paul Biya’s re-election bid amid a continued crisis in the Anglophone regions would exacerbate tensions, while Togolese would continue to protest   the end of the 50-year-old Gnassingbé dynasty.

    “Protests will pose security threats to businesses, while regime changes would prompt major institutional changes and complicate engagements for operators,” it warned.

    Continuing, Control Risks said new sectors would throw up new risks in the coming year. It said from Senegal’s offshore potential to the country’s embryonic mining sector, some countries would be foraying into previously-undeveloped sectors in 2018. It, however, advised that prospective investors need to monitor closely how the government’s ability to oversee these sectors evolves and what the associated risks around these projects become.

    On operational risks, the report said many of the major risks  businesses face in West Africa were  impediments to operations. It listed some of them to include shortages of or difficulties in sourcing fuel, foreign currency, equipment and skilled labour.

    The report further noted that infrastructure deficits that persist in the majority of the region, such as in electricity and transport, would continue to mean higher costs, higher demands on management resources and a tougher capital-raising environment, as well as greater uncertainty for businesses than in other regions.

    According to Control Risks, many countries in Africa, Nigeria and Cameroon among them, face the prospect of what could become a sovereign debt crisis, a decade after they followed Ghana’s lead in entering the international bond market. “The problem is driven by high levels of external debt, persistent uncertainty over the recovery of commodity prices to fund repayments, and borrowing to fund recurrent expenditure,” it said.

    While pointing out that countries dependent on oil revenues are particularly vulnerable to ballooning debt in 2018, the report said in Nigeria and Ghana, plans to borrow to finance long-term infrastructure will not generate sufficient revenues in the coming year to finance debt repayments.

    “Amid rising inflation and muted oil prices, Nigeria’s debt servicing payments – which in 2016 doubled to 66 per cent of total revenues – are likely to rise further, placing extreme strain on an already stretched budget.

    “With the government of President Muhammadu Buhari well over halfway through its term, yet to fulfil many of the promises that brought it to power and already entering campaign mode, businesses in Nigeria will remain acutely sensitive to political and operational instability in 2018,” the report added.

  • Uncertainty greets introduction of low-sulphur fuel

    There is an air of uncertainty over the planned introduction of low-sulphur fuel into the Nigerian market next year as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the initiator of the idea, is shying away from the implementation dateline.

    NNPC had fixed July, this year as a date the country would switch from high-sulphur content fuel to  low sulphur content. Izts Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Ndu Ugbamadu, in an interview with The Nation, said the NNPC was still working out modalities for the introduction of low-sulphur fuel into the market.

    Asked whether the NNPC would switch to the lower sulphur fuel next month as earlier stated, he said: “Discussions are ongoing on the issue of introducing fuel with low sulphur content into the market.”

    The NNPC spokesman said the decision to embrace low-sulphur fuel was borne out of the need to reduce toxic emission and further join countries that have taken similar steps.

    In an interview with The Nation, Ughamadu said the issue of refining and consuming fuel with low sulphur content is a global initiative and that Nigeria cannot be an exemption. He said NNPC has taken some measures to meet the deadline for conversion into lower-sulphur fuel.

    Parts of the measures, he said, include liaising with reputable environmental protection institutions to ensure proper certification of lower-sulphur fuel and enlightening consumers on the benefits to derive from using the product.

    Ughamadu said: “We at the NNPC are  working with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON), the Ministries of Industry and Environment and other institutions that have quality control as their primary goal.”

    He said fuel has to be examined and certified before being supplied to the market for consumption. “Though the process of converting to lower-sulphur fuel in Nigeria is ongoing, the Corporation is working towards meeting the July deadline set for its introduction into the Nigerian market,” he said.

    He added: “The decision by the Federal Government to change the fuel used in the country from the one that has higher concentration of sulphur to the one with lower sulphur, would bring about a  socio-economic growth. Besides the fact that the idea would help in reducing toxic fumes and improve the wellbeing of the people, it would also assist users and owners of vehicles and other equipment in cutting down wastage.”

    NNPC fuel imports accounted for over 70 per cent of the total fuel Nigeria consumes per day. Also, the Ministry of Environment and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) have declared their intentions to help NNPC achieve its goal of introducing fuel with lower sulphur into the market. The two institutions have promised to ensure a switch to 150 parts per million (ppm) gasoline and 50 parts per million (ppm) diesels. Parts per million is a measurement used in measuring the quality of the fuel produced in the country. Based on this, Nigeria will be joining South Africa, which currently uses low sulphur grade diesel of 50ppm.

  • Uncertainty as Labour sets 56,000 minimum wage target

    Uncertainty as Labour sets 56,000 minimum wage target

    The workers’ umbrella body, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), opened the New Year with a demand for an upward review of the national minimum wage from N18, 000 to at least N56, 000 by employers of labour. TOBA AGBOOLA reports that labour is justifying its demand on the grounds that a minimum wage review is overdue.

    Governors’ position on workers’ demand

    The 36 state governors have said they could no longer pay the minimum wage of N18, 000. Their reason, given two years ago, was the dwindling allocations from the Federation Account.
    Rising for their meeting under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) at the Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, they said the falling prices of oil prices at the global market which reduced the revenue accruing to the Federal Government took a debilitating toll on their financial capabilities.
    In a communique read by the NGF chairman and Zamfara State Governor Abdulaziz Yari, the governors said the wage burden became heavier after the price of a barrel of crude oil went below $40.
    Yari said: “We resolved that we must look at ways to enhance revenue generation and at the same time look at ways to cut our overhead costs, more especially, the political office holders’ salaries and other overhead expenses.
    “The situation is no longer the same when we were asked to pay N18, 000 minimum wage, when oil price was $126 (per barrel) and continued paying N18,000 minimum wage when the oil is $41 and the source of government expenditure is from oil, and we have not seen prospects in the oil industry in the near future.
    “We will diversify our economy in the area of agriculture and mining. But, at the same time, we should understand our situation where some of us (states) today are taking N100 million take home (monthly allocation) and then have salaries in particular of over N2 billion to pay.”
    Analysts have cautioned the Federal Government against repeating past mistakes by unilaterally reviewing and fixing a new minimum wage without input from the federating units.
    They said the federal authority erred in 2011 by imposing a minimum wage on the states and local government areas without recourse to their capacities to pay. But, the unions have dismissed the governors’ argument as puerile, claiming that none of the governors who could not afford the minimum wage, offered to slash his salaries, or discontinue with the humongous security votes that are never accounted for.
    Reacting to the NGF position, the NLC urged any governor who could not afford to pay the minimum wage to resign without delay. Speaking through its President, Ayuba Wabba, the NLC warned that any attempt to renege on the payment of the national minimum wage will be tantamount to breaking the law.
    Wabba said: “They have been misinforming the people about the N18, 000 minimum wage. Minimum wage is not fixed. It was negotiated through a tripartite system; 10 state governors represented the governors, the Federal Government and organised private sector were also represented. It was a tripartite process of collective bargaining.
    “We had looked at all the indices of ability to pay. It is a law and anybody that refuses to pay is breaking the law of Nigeria and we advise any such governor to resign.
    “Why is it that the salaries of councillors to the highest political office all over the country remain the same? If there is economic challenge, why should it be the workers that will bear the burden? So, who are they fooling?
    “Can they continue to fool us? When the resources were there, workers were not enjoying. Now that there is a challenge in the system, why should the burden be shifted only to the workers? That is not acceptable to us. This is like a battle for us as we must continue to insist that workers should work in dignity and there must be dignity in labour.”
    To the Minister of Labour & Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, the governors were only playing politics by saying they could not cope with N18, 000 as minimum wage. He advised them to be creative in revenue generation.
    Ngige, who spoke at a meeting with the NLC leadership in Abuja, added that both labour and the governors should be blamed for the state of the workers.
    He said: “When the NLC joined the governors in talking about minimum wage with the governors saying ‘we cannot pay N18, 000 minimum wage and NLC saying it is time for us to ask for increase’, we know that these talks heat up the polity.
    “The NLC knows better that the governors are playing politics. This is one matter that you cannot play politics with because it is a matter of rule of law.

    LABOUR is demanding a new minimum wage for workers beginning from May 1, setting the stage for a clash between the three tiers of government and unions.
    The workers’ unions – Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) – are leading the battle.

    What is a minimum wage?

    The minimum wage is the lowest remuneration that an employer can pay any employee. Equivalently, it is the price floor below which no employee will offer his service.
    Despite the parlous state of the economy, the unions have set May as deadline for an upward review of the minimum wage, which according to them, is overdue.
    Although, the downturn in the economy is adversely affecting workers, but the unions’ New Year demand is coming at a time when no fewer than 26 out of the 36 state governors are finding it difficult to meet their monthly obligations to the workers. They have been unable to pay salaries as at when due. Some owe between two and six months.
    The Federal Government, which gave bailout to the states in 2015, was recentlyforced to reimburse the states with their shares of the Paris Club’s refund before the close of last year. It urged the governors to give priority to workers’ outstanding salaries in the application of the N388 billion it released to the states to cushion the effects of the cash crunch.
    The workers have been at the receiving end of the global economic downturn and Nigeria’s economic challenges, which was compounded by falling oil prices at the international market.
    The declining value of the naira against the dollar and rising prices of goods have compounded the workers’ woes, making the N18, 000 minimum wage inadequate to take them home.
    The National Minimum Wage Act, signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March 2011, approved N18,000 as the minimum wage for fresh employee on Grade Level 1, Step 1.
    When converted to dollars at the prevailing official and black market rates, N18, 000 is far below $100.
    In the United States (U.S.), the minimum wage per hour is about $8. Impliedly, working eight hours daily and five days weekly, an average worker goes home with $320. The amount is higher than three months’ salary for a junior employee in Nigeria.

    History

    The history of minimum wage in Nigeria is inseparable from that of its public service negotiations and increments, beginning from the colonial era and the setting up of Hunts Commission in 1934.
    The first National Minimum Wage Act, which was enacted in 1981, prescribed a minimum wage of N125 per month. It was contained in the Official Gazette A53-57 of 1981.
    From N125 per month, the minimum wage was reviewed to N250 in 1991. It again reviewed in 2000, taking the minimum wage to N5, 500 per month. The last review was done in 2011, when it was raised to N18, 000.
    In a National Minimum Wage Amendment Bill presented to the National Assembly on July 1, 2010, the Justice Alfa Belgore Committee recommended N18, 000 as the national minimum wage for all establishments in the public and private sectors with 50 workers and above.
    The Belgore report also included an upward review of the sanctions applicable to those not implementing the new national minimum wage. The panel recommended a fine not exceeding N100, 000, or imprisonment for a term not more than six months or both. In the case of continuing the offence, a fine of N10,000 for each day and a more frequent review period not exceeding five years to be carried out by a statutory tripartite committee that would be appointed from time to time by the President.
    The Bill was passed into Law on March 15, 2011 by both chambers of the National Assembly with minor adjustments that included: “that as from the commencement of the National Minimum Wage Act 2011, it shall be the duty of every employer to pay a wage not less than the national minimum wage of N18, 000 per month to every worker under his employment and the penalty for failing to pay minimum wage is N20, 000 while the penalty for every additional day the default continues is N1000.”
    However, six years after it was adopted, the minimum wage has become inadequate in the face of rising inflation and the sustainable budgets for all family income levels as well as the international benchmarks of the United Nations (UN).
    Notwithstanding the inadequacy, there has been no uniform compliance with the application of the minimum wage by the three tiers of government. The tiers have unique salary structures for workers on their payroll. For instance, in Enugu, state and local government employees get 18, 500 as minimum wage as against their federal colleagues who get N18, 900. In Osun State, the minimum wage is N19, 000.

    The NLC May 1 ultimatum

    The NLC has given the Federal Government a May 1 deadline for the implementation of N56, 000 as minimum wage, failing which it threatened nationwide strike.
    Speaking with The Nation, Wabba, decried the non-inclusion of the new wage increase in the N7.298 trillion Budget proposal for this year.
    The estimate, presented by President Muhammadu Buhari to the joint session of the National Assembly, is being scrutinised by the lawmakers for approval.
    Describing the poor workers’ remuneration amidst economic recession as unacceptable, the unionist argued that the Congress could not guarantee industrial peace if the government failed to raise a tripartite committee for the implementation of a new minimum wage on or before May 1.
    “The issue of minimum wage remains sacrosanct because by law and practice, the review is due and overdue. I have said clearly that we cannot guarantee any industrial peace any longer if necessary steps are not taken by the government to resolve this issue before the next May Day. This is very clear because as we said, we have sent a formal notice of demand as required by law to the government to try to constitute the committee.
    “Essentially, the tripartite committee expected to dialogue and negotiate the minimum has not been inaugurated. If it is set up, all of you will be aware of the membership and also their terms of reference and the timeline given to actually dispose with this very vital issue.
    “The issue is so sensitive because many of our members have been subjected to difficulties because the purchasing power of ordinary Nigerian worker has been reduced to virtually nothing owing to rising inflation, naira’s free fall and to compound it all, the high cost of goods and services. More so, most workers can no longer meet up with their daily needs, they can’t pay their rents; they can’t send their children to school.
    “It is even more compounded because the cost of goods and services have gone up. So, side by side with the issue of fighting corruption, it is also good for workers to be paid a decent wage that they can be able to have a meaningful living. So, this is the challenge.” the NLC President lamented.
    Reacting to the allocation of funds for the new minimum wage in the 2017 Budget, the NLC chieftain expressed optimism that the Federal Government and National Assembly will see reason to accommodate the fund when the tripartite committee agree on the new national minimum wage.
    “They must see reason to accommodate it because the fact is very obvious. It is legitimately due both in law and practice, and therefore, this is our approach. Once it is mutually agreed and from what I have heard from the official circle, I’ve not heard the government saying that they are not willing to consider the minimum wage issue. I think the minister of Labour has said it very clearly that the government is committed to reviewing the minimum wage. But but when that will happen is the issue.
    “Therefore, let us not mix the two things. Is there a resistant to say that there will be no review of minimum wage? I am not sure I have heard that because by our constant interaction, the government has through the minister of Labour said they are also willing to review the minimum wage.
    “As I said earlier, we have made a formal demand through writing and therefore, if there is the need to review the template, we will do that at the table. But that will have to be a joint decision. What we have submitted is N56, 000 and that is still valid,” Wabba said.
    The NLC General Secretary, Peter Ozo-Eson, backed the call for the establishment of a tripartite committee to review and agreed on a new minimum wage.
    He, however, said that the N56, 000 minimum wage proposal could no longer be tenable because it was arrived at when the economy was not too bad.
    Ozo-Eson told The Nation: “The issue of minimum wage remains sacrosanct because by law and practice, the review is due and overdue. We have said it clearly that we cannot guarantee any industrial peace if necessary steps are not taken by the government to resolve this issue this year.
    “This is very clear because as we said, we have sent a formal notice of demand as required by law to the government to constitute the tripartite committee.
    “The committee that should dialogue and negotiate the minimum wage has not been set up. If it is set up, its composition and terms of reference would be made public.”
    Ozo-Eson expressed doubt if labour would still stick to the N56, 000 minimum wage demand in the prevailing economic situation.
    He recalled that the proposal was made some years back when the economy was healthy, adding that the meeting between the stakeholders would address the matter.
    His words: “We made the N56, 000 proposal at a time the situation was not as worst as this. A lot of things have changed; prices of goods and services have gone up. So, what we propose then was based on the situation on ground. These are the things the tripartite meeting will address.”
    Ozo-Eson said N18, 000 was approved as the minimum wage seven years ago after the tripartite meeting.
    “Seven years ago, the current minimum wage of N18, 000 was reviewed from N5, 500 after the tripartite meeting, which also included both the private and the public.
    “After the N18, 000 agreement, the new proposal was sent to the National Assembly for approval. So, we expect that it will go this way also,” Ozo-Eson said.

    ULC seeks N96,000
    minimum wage

    The newly-formed United Labour Congress (ULC) brought another twist to the workers’ demand with its request for the implementation of N96, 000 minimum wage.
    Speaking with The Nation, President of the ULC, Joe Ajaero, insisted that N96, 000 will be the acceptable minimum wage for workers in the prevailing economic circumstances.
    According to him, the ULC has presented the proposal to the Federal Government for consideration.
    Ajaero explained that the economic reality has made it imperative for the federal and state governments to dialogue with organised labour for the immediate implementation of the new minimum wage.
    He disclosed said that the congress has mobilised workers to begin a national protest beginning from January 31 if the government failed to discuss and dialogue with the organised labour.
    The unionist said that workers have been at the receiving end of the economic policies rolled out by the government last year. Workers, he claimed, have lost their purchasing power, with millions sacked by their employers.
    He urged the federal and state governments to intiate policies that would improve workers’ living standard, protect their jobs and create employment opportunities.

    All eyes on Fed Govt

    Will the Federal Government agree to labour’s demand? This is the questions agitating the minds of many.
    At its last parley with labour leaders, the Federal Government proposed N45, 000 as the new minimum wage as against NLC’s N56, 000 proposal.
    But the increase came with some provisions, including a reduction in the number of civil servants and merger of ministries and agencies.
    Rather than take the news with enthusiasm, it was received with skepticism. Not a few Nigerians have expressed doubt on the capacity of the economy to cope with an increment in minimum wage.
    The Presidency has not responded to the labour’s latest proposal.
    In his address, the President, who was represented by Senator Ngige, also lamented the economic challenges facing the country.
    Investigation revealed that the average Nigerian worker is 400 per cent poorer than when N18, 000 was introduced as minimum wage in 2011.
    No doubt, the workers’ purchasing power has been eroded with rising inflation. But is this the best time for the labour leadership to demand for pay rise?

  • Uncertainty over ICPC’s 37 case files on ex-governors

    Uncertainty over ICPC’s 37 case files on ex-governors

    Are the case files on 37 ex-governors missing or gathering dust in the Office of the Chief Justice of Nigeria? This is the puzzle the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is trying to unravel.

    The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), under the leadership of a former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Mustapha Akanbi, forwarded 37 case files on some governors to the Office of the CJN over allegations of corrupt practices.

    It was learnt that while 27 case files were sent to the Office of the CJN between 2000 and 2003, 10 got to the same office between 2004 and 2005.

    Sources said the case files were sent in compliance with Section 52 (1) and (2) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act 2000.

    But the Office of the CJN, it was learnt,  has not responded to the case files because  of  “lack of funds to engage Independent Counsel”.

    Notwithstanding the controversy, President Muhammadu Buhari may at any time from now reconstitute the ICPC board, it was learnt.

    The President may also overhaul the agency to give it more bite as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    A top source in the commission, who spoke in confidence, said: “By our records, Justice Akanbi, during his tenure, forwarded about 37 case files on ex-governors to the Office of the CJN for investigation in compliance with Section 52 (1) and (2) of the ICPC Act.

    “There was no official communication on all the case files in the last 16 years. We are unsure whether the files were missing or gathering dust in the Office of the CJN.

    “It is a good development that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami (SAN), has reopened the issue on the affected case files.

    The source cited Section 52 (1) and (2) of the ICPC Act as a major setback for the fate of the 37 cases.

    It was learnt that President Buhari is likely to reconstitute the ICPC board soon.

    Of a seven-man board of the commission, only three are left, including  Chairman, Ekpo Nta, Commissioner Abdullahi Bako (whose four-year tenure was renewed by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan) and the Secretary to the commission, Mr. Elvis Oglafa.

    Those commissioners, whose tenure expired in November 2015, are Ado Bayero, Isa Ozi-Salami, Prof. Olu Aina and Mrs. Julie Nwariaku.

    A presidency source said: “President  Buhari will soon reconstitute ICPC with more bite like the EFCC. The government is already shopping for good hands.

    There were fears that Mr. Nta might have been asked to proceed on terminal leave from September.

    Although Ekpo was appointed acting Chairman of ICPC in 2011, he became the  substantive head  in 2012.

    It was gathered that administratively, Nta ought to leave office in 2017 based on his substantive appointment.

    A source said: “There is pressure to force Nta to proceed on terminal leave from September but there are issues on his exit date. He became the substantive chairman of ICPC in 2012 for five-year tenure. We believe he should leave in 2017.”

    A government source however said: “Nta only took oath of office in 2011 with four commissioners who have exited after their four-year tenure. When he was appointed substantive chairman, he was not sworn in again by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan. So, technically, his exit date is 2016.

    “If Nta is allowed to stay beyond November 2016, he would have spent six years in office as ICPC chairman. This is not the intendment of ICPC Act.

    “In any case, President Buhari would have overhauled ICPC in 2015 when he effected change in EFCC but he decided to allow Nta to complete his five-year term in office. He cannot grant tenure extension under any technicality.”

  • The age of uncertainty

    The more I look into the age we’re living in now the more I’m convinced of how uncertain it is. Economies are wobbling, intolerance and hate speeches are on the rise, wars and politics are becoming more brutal with some defying logical solutions, airplanes are being shot out of the skies and people’s consciences are no longer pricked, except those of the bereaved. I can go on, but you’re at liberty to fill in the “blank” spaces.

    Back home in Nigeria, the idea is being mooted that the government is set to convene a national economic summit later in the month to discuss the way forward. This move is not without its criticisms, especially from those opposed to the present crop of leadership which they have accused of not having a road map on how to revamp the economy when they were campaigning for power.

    My humble standpoint is that we are in far deeper trouble than we realise. The fuel queues are back – as always; power outages has defied any reasonable logic with the DISCOs insisting on a tariff hike in the midst of perennial blackout, restiveness has crept in again as the economic hardship bites harder. Suddenly, a “Biafra” is becoming very attractive to hundreds of thousands of misguided youths who are being used as willing tools by some to achieve set goals of some puppet masters. Most importantly, critical reasoning has been thrown out of the window.

    In all these, one wonder if the present administration really knew how deep the rot in the system was before they assumed power. This notwithstanding, the age we’re in calls for deeper and honest reflection because there are no quick fixes for the plethora of issues we’re contending with. For starters, how do you jump start a comatose economy like ours? How do you shore up the value of the naira in a heavily import dependent economy like ours? There are tougher days ahead, no doubt.

    In an age like this, people oftentimes look for heroes or messiahs who would use empty rhetoric to promise them heaven on earth. Such “leaders” will whip up ethnic, racial, religious and political tension to achieve their aim. They’re found everywhere. As I Look at this age today, my focus will be on the unexplained rise of Donald Trump, the leading US Republican presidential candidate in the race to the White House for obvious reasons.

    A few weeks back Trump made this statement: “To make America great again, we need to get rid of the Muslims, Mexicans and the Africans, especially the Nigerians…They take all our jobs, jobs meant for honest hard working Americans, and when we don’t give them the jobs, the Muslims blow us up.

    “We need to get the Africans out. Not the blacks, the Africans. Especially the Nigerians,” he said in his blind and incoherent rage. “They’re everywhere. I went for a rally in Alaska and met just one African in the entire state. Where was he from? Nigeria! He’s in Alaska taking our jobs. They’re in Houston taking our jobs. Why can’t they stay in their own country? Why? I’ll tell you why.

    “Because they are corrupt… Their governments are so corrupt, they rob the people blind and bring it all here to spend. And their people run away and come down here and take our jobs. We can’t have that! If I become president, we’ll send them all home. We’ll build a wall at the Atlantic Shore. Then maybe we’ll re-colonise them because obviously they did not learn a damn thing from the British!”

    There you have it. If you’re a rational human being you won’t even listen to a fellow like this. But we’re living in an age of uncertainty where the unimaginable happen. But the most surprising thing is that in all his rhetoric – the majority of which are controversial – Trump continues to lead in the polls with the “real” politicians struggling to catch up. Why is a ‘politician’ like this popular?

    I believe political theorists are now taking a closer look at theories that might explain this. Despite his sexist comments and racist remarks including his breaking nearly every rule in political communication, he has gained a zealous following as a result. It doesn’t matter whether you love him or hate him; it’s hard to deny the man is a master of communication. His style simply resonates with many people.

    The reason for this is not farfetched.  We live in a post-trust era when the public looks at every institution – government to business – with incredible scepticism. Voters are anxious, angry and open to alternatives, whatever alternatives. As a good communications expert, Trump knows this and has tactically worked to fill this void. His numerous gaffes and hate speeches aside, he has used some strategies to shift his image from billionaire reality show host with no political experience to an influential “man of the people.”

    As a communications student, I’d focus on five strategies. Trump is a master of manipulation. He has a clear narrative, an ‘exciting’ storyline that he sticks to. He tells the people what they want to hear, and not necessarily what is true: “Nigerians are the ones taking your jobs.” But any sane mind knows you cannot employ a carpenter as a surgeon! So if Nigerians are being employed as doctors, computer whiz kids and into other professions what stops Americans from striving to fill such slots?

    Secondly, he understands and taps into simple emotional truths. The economy is biting harder globally and people are losing their jobs. In some countries like Greece, recovery has defied all economic theory. The “Coalition of the Radical Left,” otherwise known as “Syriza” party learnt this bitter truth after it won a popular election promising critical reforms to bring the economy back on track. This party “from the roots” soon painfully learnt that the situation is far deeper than it anticipates.

    Thirdly, Trump speaks the language of his audience. The “leaders of Biafra” speak the same language. They – just like Trump – paint a rosy picture of Eldorado or a “Garden of Eden” scenario where all problems would vanish once their aims are achieved. Again, sceptics should ask the leadership of the Syriza party and South Sudan and they will give you the true position.

    One defining feature of Trump is that he reframes every debate question into language he prefers, and he often gets away with it. He is so incoherent on some issues which make you wonder why he still remains the top favourite. The way things stand at the moment, the republican ticket is his to lose. What follows next is anyone’s guess.

    He deliberately and consistently relates all of his ideas back to a master slogan: “Make America great again.” For example, GOP candidate Jeb Bush could not clarify to the public just what he stands for – beyond being anti-Trump. Bush did not offer a consistent narrative or tone, and he struggles to present an idea or story for voters to embrace. Little wonder he backed down.

    By practicing consistency and discipline in his message, Trump ensures his campaign carries momentum by swaying voters with emotional truths, not rational arguments. Painfully as we know, elections aren’t fought and won using reason; they’re fought using emotion.

    Trump recognises this, and while his rivals focus on debating various issues, Trump is busy leading an emotional movement. Sen. Lindsay Graham had the best technical understanding of any of the candidates, but he dropped out of the GOP race too because he couldn’t convey his message in a captivating way.

    Often, the way to persuade people is to tap into what matters to them emotionally. Trump offers that by persistently raising issues that strike emotional chords with voters. He might be the wealthiest of all the candidates, but he comes across to many as “deeply human” by using their vernacular.

    So far, a plausible explanation for this is that provided by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) professor and intellectual Noam Chomsky who has rightly attributed Trump’s success to “fear” and a “breakdown of society. People feel isolated, helpless, victim of powerful forces that they do not understand and cannot influence.”

    Those forces are found everywhere. They are the forces behind the perennial fuel crises and blackout we continue to face.

  • From ‘certainty’ to ‘uncertainty’

    During Wednesday last week’s Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, seven ministers indicated their intention to quit the cabinet in order to vie for governorship positions in their states during the 2015 general elections.

    Their intentions, as at Wednesday last week, were not expressed in writing as none of them was yet to submit a formal letter announcing his resignation from the cabinet.

    They, however, had until yesterday to formally resign from the cabinet if they have not changed their minds.

    The seven ministers are Minister of Information, Labaran Maku (Nasarawa), Minister of Health, Prof. Onyeabuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi), Minister of  State for Education, Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Samuel Ortum (Benue), Minister of State for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro (Lagos), Minister of  State for Niger Delta Affairs, Dairus Ishiaku (Taraba) and Minister of Labour and Productivity, Emeka Wogu (Abia).

    While some of the ministers will slug it out with the incumbents in their states who will seek second term in office, others will contend with other powerful and influential aspirants.

    The Prof. Chukwu, who was busy fighting Ebola and managing Nigeria’s health system, could be said to have the brightest chance among the lot as the Ebonyi people and the incumbent outgoing governor, Martin Elechi had called on him to vie for the number one job in the state in 2015.

    Chukwu, who was said to have shown no interest in the Ebonyi governorship election before the endorsement, could be likened to David, the shepherd boy in the Holy Bible, who was chosen from the house of Jesse and anointed as the next King of Israel while he was busy tending his sheep in the bush. He was never one of those considered to succeed King Saul.

    The case of those resigning, who have enjoyed juicy portfolios as ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the past few years, could be likened to somebody leaving an atmosphere of certainty to a situation surrounded by uncertainties.

    If they continue as ministers, their salaries, allowances and other benefits from their exalted offices will be guaranteed while this is not so if they resign to run for governorship elections in their states.

    It is not even certain whether they will get the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) ticket to run for the elections in their states, let alone winning the governorship elections in 2015.

    The former Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade, who resigned from the cabinet earlier for governorship election in Ekiti State, lost the ticket to Ayo Fayose.

    This, among other factors, might have made some ministers shelve their governorship  ambitions as many of them who had earlier nursed the idea of resigning their ministerial jobs to contest in their states were not among the seven names announced by President Jonathan during the FEC meeting.

    This write-up is not to say that it is wrong to be adventurous or to confront uncontrollable risks head on, since taking risks is said to be the spice of life.

    On this note, I wish all those ministers who have resigned and are ready to face the uncertainties ahead, the best of luck.