Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode has attributed Africa’s underdevelopment to weak institutions.
In his remarks at the opening session of the 2017 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos, the governor called for stronger institutions.
The theme of the conference is: “African Business: Penetrating through institution building”.
The governor said the theme of the 57th conference was apt on one of the issues that have kept Africa far behind on the scale of ease of doing business.
“Weak Institutions constitute a major disincentive for investment, which is extremely important for the efficient and effective harnessing of the huge resources that nature has blessed us with.
“Our institutions are weak because in most cases, their establishment is influenced by personal and short term considerations.
“In some other cases, they are deliberately weakened in order to make them subject to the whims and caprices of the leadership,” Ambode said.
The governor said building and sustaining strong institutions requires collective commitment to the rule of law.
According to him, it entails building the capacity of such institutions to enable them discharge their responsibilities effectively and transparently while being accountable to the people.
“It must create an atmosphere of confidence, mutual understanding and protection against arbitrariness,” he said.
Ambode said Nigeria must take a cue from developed economies where the integrity of their institutions was not compromised for whatever reason.
He said in those climes, it was the institution that put state officials in check and not vice versa as was the case in most parts of Africa.
Lagos State, he said, was aspiring towards attaining those heights.
“This is the ideal and best global practice which we, in Lagos State, are striving very strongly to attain towards building an economy that is globally competitive,” he said.
The governor joked that he would have been a lawyer; he blamed his “failed attempt” to being “messed up” by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB).
Welcoming lawyers to Lagos, which he called Africa’s fifth largest economy in Africa, Ambode said the state was connected in many ways to Nigeria’s history, including the study and practice of law.
He said it was home to the brightest legal minds that laid the foundation for the legal profession in Nigeria.
The African Bar Association (ABA) yesterday rose from its Executive Council meeting in Sokoto, identifying impunity, corruption and injustice as factors responsible for under-development on the continent.
It said the association was ready to make African countries to succeed.
Addressing a news conference at the end of its one-day meeting, its President, Hannibal Uwaifo, noted that the principles of separation of powers, constitutional provisions and respect for the rule of law were thrown away by most leaders on the continent.
“This has made leaders on the continent to unjustifiably perpetrate themselves in power?” he noted.
Uwaifo said the ABA was ready to promote justice, equity and peace among nations on the continent.
He noted that political and economic growth on the continent could only be realised, if leaders and professional bodies synergise to forge a united front against all forms of malfunctions.
“We have the resources and capacity to defend the course of Africa and ensure peace and social justice for transformation. African leaders have to develop the political will by respecting the rights and opinion of their citizens,” he said.
He said any nation on the continent that violates human rights would not escape legal process of prosecution to be facilitated by the Bar at the International Criminal Court (ICC), adding: “We will protect the sanctity of citizens’ rights and obligation of government to them.”
Uwaifo, who noted that no one was above the law, also stressed that “both judges and lawyers like other citizens can be prosecuted for offences committed”.
“But we have to follow the law in a manner that befits the country to avoid messing the system. The process has to be comprehensively respected such that it is well-planned and marshalled to conclusion.
“Nothing is wrong in prosecuting corrupt judges, but has to be done within the confines of the law,” he stressed.
Uwaifo, at anothernews conference, blamed Western nations for instigating most crisis and hostilities on the continent.
He said the association has noted with concern how western nationsinfluenced crisis and hostilities in parts of the continent.
“We are following events carefully on how they instigate Africans against their leaders,” he said.
Uwaifo, who condemned the negative influence by the West on the continent, described situation as dangerous and inimical to peace and growth.
Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday urged African lawyers to ensure people of the continent are united to ensure integration, unity and rapid growth.
Tambuwal, who spoke when he received members of the association, said one of the best ways for the continent to reap the benefit of globalisation was for its constituent nations to collaborate with each other and bring their peoples closer.
A real estate guru based in Bayelsa State and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, F Global Properties Limited, Emelike Ifeayinchukwu Ossy, in this interview with MIKE ODIEGWU, identified the problems mitigating the development of Yenagoa as a modern capital city.
How far has it been in the real estate business in Bayelsa?
The greatest challenge is Yenagoa. It has been a strong challenge. It has been a tough one. But so far we appreciate God for where we are today for his wisdom and prosperity over the company, but it has not been an easy one, we have many challenges starting from the communal, government policies, lack of funds public misinformation and many more. But we are doing our best to change the face of Bayelsa State.
Do you agree with the claims of past and present administrations which attribute slow pace of infrastructural development in the state to bad terrain?
When you talk about terrain in real estate, I will agree partially with the past and present government of Bayelsa State. But I blame the government so much. If God gives you a seed he gives you sand. When God gives you a desert, he gives you stone. God always has a soft-landing for all. Bayelsa State is blessed with a lot of mineral resources.
In Lekki, Eko Atlantic City is doing one of the best development in Africa. The terrain is far worse than Yenagoa but they have transformed that place to a hub, a business hub that will attract investors. I don’t really see the terrain as a challenge. I see the policies and politics as challenging.
I have come to see lack of continuity in most of the real estate policies. When one government starts one thing, it is difficult for another government to carry on. New government comes, abandons what the previous administration started and begins its own.
The question the public should be asking is: has the government really sat down to look at the future of Bayelsa State? Have the concern sector in the state asked in 20 years, what kind of Yenagoa do we really want to have. Do we want to have the Yenagoa we are proud of or Yenagoa we will be running away from?
The government should put their house in order, so the terrain shouldn’t be a problem. They are missing the track. The government I see has human capacity that does not have productive strength to accommodate the level of needs of Bayelsa State in real estate development. They don’t know that Bayelsa terrain is very virgin, natural and fresh. So, in real estate when it is fresh it is easy to handle than when people have erected unwanted structures. The town is still fresh. The government needs to sit up and do effective planning because planning is what government is expected to do now.
Whatever Abuja is now has been planned 15 to 20 years ago, so government needs to do planning. How much planning has past and present governments done. Most of them do what I call paper planning. They come on air and say they have done planning. We want to see what’s on the ground. The planning on ground is what you need to work with. The past and present governments have made some mistakes and are still making mistakes.
How do we correct the problems with town planning of Yenagoa?
First, there will be a new city and secondly, the defects could be corrected. The problem with Bayelsa is the government and lack of information to the public. People build on water channels and natural drainage. People build along the expressways beyond the approved lines. Serving politicians are building along the major expressways beyond the approved lines which is a risk to the public and against modern planning.
Now imagine a city that cannot enforce the laws; some people are above the law. In Bayelsa State, they have to start applying the laws. The government needs to come up with a new city. Let me use this opportunity to call on the government to set up what is called Government Community Initiative Programs; that’s what Bayelsa needs. The program will set free, crisis in land; it will set free Bayelsa communal problems. It will make the communities have spirit of ownership.
Community initiative programmes are done all over the world. They are done in UK and they are using it to establish new cities. You don’t expect to pay compensation every time. I think the government can come up with a city that befits the name of Yenagoa. Yenagoa is the heart of ijawland but how many ijaw people can decide to come and buy land in Yenagoa. I urge the governor to start in a way and manner that people will know that Bayelsa is the heart of ijawland and the Dubia of Africa and that can only be done by planning.
I have attended many business summits the government of Bayelsa State hosted in search of investors. I have always said you can’t bring an investor to a town that is not planned. It is not possible. In a city, the first place to look out for is the town planners; they are the best people to work out a city, a city that can last for hundred years.
A real estate guru based in Bayelsa State, Mr. Emelike Ifeayinchukwu Ossy and Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, F Global Properties Limited, in this interview with MIKE ODIEGWU, identified the problems mitigating the development of Yenagoa as a modern capital city.
How far has it been in the real estate business in Bayelsa?
The greatest challenge is Yenagoa. It has been a strong challenge. It has been a tough one. But so far we appreciate God for where we are today for his wisdom and prosperity over the company, but it has not been an easy one, we have many challenges starting from the communal, government policies, lack of funds public misinformation and many more. But we are doing our best to change the face of Bayelsa State.
Do you agree with the claims of past and present administrations which attribute slow pace of infrastructural development in the state to bad terrain?
When you talk about terrain in real estate, I will agree partially with the past and present government of Bayelsa State. But I blame the government so much. If God gives you a seed he gives you sand. When God gives you a desert, he gives you stone. God always has a soft-landing for all. Bayelsa State is blessed with a lot of mineral resources.
In Lekki, Eko Atlantic City is doing one of the best development in Africa. The terrain is far worse than Yenagoa but they have transformed that place to a hub, a business hub that will attract investors. I don’t really see the terrain as a challenge. I see the policies and politics as challenging.
I have come to see lack of continuity in most of the real estate policies. When one government starts one thing, it is difficult for another government to carry on. New government comes, abandons what the previous administration started and begins its own.
The question the public should be asking is: has the government really sat down to look at the future of Bayelsa State? Have the concern sector in the state asked in 20 years, what kind of Yenagoa do we really want to have. Do we want to have the Yenagoa we are proud of or Yenagoa we will be running away from?
The government should put their house in order, so the terrain shouldn’t be a problem. They are missing the track. The government I see has human capacity that does not have productive strength to accommodate the level of needs of Bayelsa State in real estate development. They don’t know that Bayelsa terrain is very virgin, natural and fresh. So, in real estate when it is fresh it is easy to handle than when people have erected unwanted structures. The town is still fresh. The government needs to sit up and do effective planning because planning is what government is expected to do now.
Whatever Abuja is now has been planned 15 to 20 years ago, so government needs to do planning. How much planning has past and present governments done. Most of them do what I call paper planning. They come on air and say they have done planning. We want to see what’s on the ground. The planning on ground is what you need to work with. The past and present governments have made some mistakes and are still making mistakes.
How do we correct the problems with town planning of Yenagoa?
First, there will be a new city and secondly, the defects could be corrected. The problem with Bayelsa is the government and lack of information to the public. People build on water channels and natural drainage. People build along the expressways beyond the approved lines. Serving politicians are building along the major expressways beyond the approved lines which is a risk to the public and against modern planning.
Now imagine a city that cannot enforce the laws; some people are above the law. In Bayelsa State, they have to start applying the laws. The government needs to come up with a new city. Let me use this opportunity to call on the government to set up what is called Government Community Initiative Programs; that’s what Bayelsa needs. The program will set free, crisis in land; it will set free Bayelsa communal problems. It will make the communities have spirit of ownership.
Community initiative programmes are done all over the world. They are done in UK and they are using it to establish new cities. You don’t expect to pay compensation every time. I think the government can come up with a city that befits the name of Yenagoa. Yenagoa is the heart of ijawland but how many ijaw people can decide to come and buy land in Yenagoa. I urge the governor to start in a way and manner that people will know that Bayelsa is the heart of ijawland and the Dubia of Africa and that can only be done by planning.
I have attended many business summits the government of Bayelsa State hosted in search of investors. I have always said you can’t bring an investor to a town that is not planned. It is not possible. In a city, the first place to look out for is the town planners; they are the best people to work out a city, a city that can last for hundred years.
What is the motive behind the Iko Palm Estate and Paradise Gardens in Yenagoa?
Iko Palm Estate came as a result of the challenges people are facing when you build in the state. Some people find it difficult to access their housees because some landlords sell their roads; some build on drainage. So, with all these, we came up with the plan. We decided to have a city, a mini estate that can be well planned and people can actually buy.
We also look at the financial capacity of the people in Bayelsa, and 80 percent are civil servants. We initiated a system of paying for the land within three years for the low income earners. You can buy land and build with N25,000 monthly.
In Paradise Garden, we are partnering with foreign partners and is going to be a high profile project. We are starting starting in Port Harcourt with about 5000 duplexes. It is ongoing and we will compete with Eko Atlantic in Lagos . Our drive is to bridge accommodation challenges between the low and high income earners.
Are you getting any support from the government?
The Government of Rivers State has been very supportive. They have encouraged us and are ready to help us meet all documentation. I give Kudos to His Excellency, Governor Nyesom Wike who has given the investors all the support. I can authoritative say we have the backing of Rivers State government. In Bayelsa State we are using this medium to call on the government to set up a team of professionals that will look into the planning of the city, especially new Yenagoa. It can be achieved without government spending so much money. The government can spend as much as zero naira. What they need to do is to give the legal backing. I expect the government to set up a committee that will initiate this project.
Former Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly and governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Hon. Victor Olabimtan has called for honesty and transparency as the basis for good governance.
Olabimtan, who spoke on a private radio station, Adaba FM, Akure said it was the lack of these three ingredients that brought untold hardship on the people, in spite of the state’s natural resources.
He urged the people to reflect on the antecedents of the aspirant.
The retired educationist said there is no zoning in the constitution, but averred that fairness, equity and justice dictate that the Ondo North Senatorial District should produce the governorship candidate.
According to him, the South produced late Olusegun Agagu who spent six years in office, and the incumbent Dr Olusegun Mimiko is from Central who will spend eight years by February 2017.
He decried money politics, stressing that it is bad for democracy as there are no visible developments in places where politicians buy the conscience of the people.
Speaking on how to curb crimes in the society, especially kidnapping and robbery, the former Speaker said government should provide employment and improve on the provision of amenities such as electricity for industrialisation and motorable roads for easy movement of people, goods and services from one place to the other.
He said his experience when he was kidnapped was that the young lads,some of whom are graduates were unemployed.
Olabimtan said his government would respect and accord civil servants all their rights and priviledges and take care of their welfare such that they will be comfortable to do their work diligently.
He debunked the notion that he does not have money to compete with others in the primary, but explained that he has no money to bribe people to vote for him.
The politician stressed that it is not the amount of money spent that determines who wins, but God and the people, adding: “I have good track record which will give him an edge in any competition”
Olabimtan said if he wins the election, his cabinet will be made up of 50 per cent of youths aged 50 and below and elders aged 50 and above.
He added that 40 per cent of the position would be allocated to women.
Former Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Ikeja branch, Monday Ubani has said the charlatans elected into offices in the Southeast are responsible for the region’s under-development.
He said the time had come for the Igbo, irrespective of their places of residence, to be involved in the politics of Igboland in order to restore the regions to its former glory.
Ubani spoke at a thanksgiving service lecture organised by the Igbo Progressive Leaders Council at White House Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.
“The east was one of the most prospering regions and paraded some of the industries that provided the country the revenue it required.
“Today, what we have as leaders in the east are charlatans elected into offices who have brought nothing other than stagnation, bad roads, poverty and infrastructure decay to the people,” Ubani said.
He urged the Igbo to respect the real owners of Lagos, noting that it was wrong for the Igbo to go about with the wrong impression that Lagos belongs to nobody.
He said: “The argument that our brothers are propagating that Lagos belongs to nobody should be discarded. If we apply wisdom in what we do in Lagos we can even produce the governor.
“When I was elected chairman of NBA Ikeja branch, it was not only Igbo who voted for me but the Yoruba and other tribes. Wherever we find ourselves, we must not only be concerned about the feelings of the real owners but should look back to the east where the present crop of politicians has made it worse”.
Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) spokesman, Joe Igbokwe urged Igbo to always consult before making political decisions in the state.
He said the Igbo have not managed their success in Lagos properly to gain from the political development in the country. He added that APC is a party for the progressive-minded, noting that the Igbo must realign to better their lots.
“You cannot decide who will be the governor of Lagos State even when you have the numerical strength; you have to understand the politics underlying the election. You must calculate properly to see where the pendulum will tilt and that is why you must consult before you decide,” Igbokwe said.
Also speaking, Prof Chris Nwaokobia said the Igbo should reach out to their brothers all over to be able to use their strength. He said the Igbo could not do things in isolation, adding that they need the cooperation of other tribes.
He called for a new thinking and reawakening among the Igbo, stressing that some of the prominent people who have made the country proud are from the Igbo stock.
The Eket Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has held its law week. The guest speaker at the opening ceremony, a former NBA president, Joseph Daudu (SAN), identified how to reverse Nigeria’s underdevelopment. JOHN AUSTIN UNACHUKWU reports.
Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) president, Mr. Joseph Daudu (SAN), has said Nigeria’s underdevelopment should not be blamed on the leadership alone. He said the citizens are culpable too.
Both groups, he said, have shown a lack of understanding of democratic principles such as due process, rule of law, good governance and accountability.
Daudu spoke on The rule of law, democracy in Nigeria and good governance-matters arising at the opening ceremony of the NBA Eket branch’s Annual Law Week.
Daudu said majority of Nigerians are poor even though they are “in an ocean of plenty”.
“The people and even those who loot the nation’s assets are in poverty and bankruptcy of resources and ideas.
“What, then, is responsible for this state of affairs? Some have blamed it on our understanding of the concept of democracy, while some have ascribed it to absence of credible leadership. Some think that it is a failure of followership.
“The inability of both to comprehend these are democratic concepts have put them in jeopardy,” Daudu said.
According to him, corruption is the antithesis of democratic ideals; while the corrupt sees in every official act profit for himself. On the other hand, democracy expects that the service rendered is for the people.
“This irreconcilable conflict of interest between these two parallel ideals if it continues at this pace will comprehensively destroy the entity known as Nigeria.
“Unfortunately in all departments, the indices that a developing nation should be adjudged by do not add up for us.
“Our greatest assets, which are our teeming population and our diversity have become for us a disadvantage brought about by greed and mistrust. This has affected us in every sphere of department, infrastructural and human,” Daudu said.
First NBA Vice-President Francis Ekwere; Justice John Okoro of the Supreme Court and NBA Second Vice-President Taiwo O. Taiwo.
The former NBA president said it is not too late to change course. The corrupt, he said, should seek new pre-occupation where they can work for themselves and make profit.
“Even when working for themselves, they would soon discover that they are bound by the strict rules of corporate governance, which promotes accountability and sound ethics just as the rules of good governance promotes similar ideals in the public service,” he said.
In the legal profession, Daudu said corrupt behaviour has spread, thereby affecting the honour and dignity with which lawyers are held.
“The Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee continues to grapple with dozens of cases involving our colleagues who have unfortunately been accused of corrupt practices within the ambit of their professional expectations.
“It is hoped that both the central and state governments will tackle the spectre of corruption in the system as the legal profession through the Body of Benchers and the NBA have done.
“It is hoped that other agencies in the country both public and private will positively engage and join in the reversal process against corruption.
“While the leadership have a responsibility to provide good and indeed, exemplary leadership, the people have a corresponding duty, nay social contract to obey extant laws and demand accountability from her leaders
“Failure or omission on the side of both parties to keep the faith as described above, will plunge Nigeria into unspeakable cataclysm. Our generation must not let that happen,” Daudu added.
In his paper titled: Insurgency in Nigeria, where did we get it wrong,’ Paul Erokoro (SAN) said there can be no development without peace.
According to him, insurgency has hampered Nigeria’s development and must be dealt with decisively.
He defined an insurgent as a person who, for political purposes, engages in armed hostility against an established government.
He said: “The United States Department of Defence in 2002 defined terrorism as: ‘the unlawful use of our threatened use of force or violence against individuals or property to coerce and intimidate government or societies, often to achieve political, religious, or ideological objectives.
“Section 46 of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act 2004 (EFCC Act) defines terrorism, Section 15 of the Act also provides for the offence of terrorism and surprisingly prescribes a term of life imprisonment for any person convicted for either supporting terrorism, funding terrorism, or committing terrorist acts.
“From the two legislations, there appear to be conflicts with regards to the terms of imprisonment upon conviction. For the purpose of this paper, I will apply the words insurgent and insurgency to reflect the topic of discussion. Insurgency can be defined in its simplest form, as a rebellion against a constituted authority,” he said.
Erokoro said development could only thrive in a peaceful environment.
“Insurgency is inimical to sustainable national development. He urged the government to embark on poverty alleviation programmes, especially in the North, adding that these would impact positively on the lives of its citizenry,” Erekoro said.
Youth unemployment, he said, should be addressed by the government.
“Education must be a right not privilege and where possible, free/compulsory education should be implemented in the North.
“Government should intensify border control and intelligence gathering/promote information and computer technology training for our security forces.
“The government must eschew corruption in the fight against insurgency and improve the welfare of our security personnel.
“Merit system should be adopted in employment and distribution of natural resources. The military should stay off from partisan politics while ensuring good governance.
“There is need for government to urgently look into the take home pay of political office holders and drastically reduce their entitlements. By this only those who genuinely want to serve will contest for elections.
“There is need for urgent overhauling of the investigating and prosecuting authority on terrorism. The Judiciary should, as a matter of urgency, establish special procedures for the quick dispensation of terrorism cases. The case of Charles Okah, who was accused of October 1, 2010 bombing is still pending while his brother, Henry has been long tried and convicted in South Africa, he said.
He cited the case of Aminu Sadiq Ogwuche, the alleged mastermind of the April 14, last year Nyanya, Abuja bomb blast, saying it seemed to have suffered prosecutorial setbacks.
“The above recommendations are not exhaustive, but if government can urgently address them, we will be on the path to a better Nigeria where we can live the words of our national anthem and truly live in a “nation bound in freedom, peace and unity,” Erokoro said.
The branch’s chairman, Mr. Akpadiaha Ebitu, said the Law Week was unique because it included a lecture in honour of Senator Effiong Bob, the Pro-Chancellor of University of Benin.
The branch’s bar journal was launched, while a fund-raiser for N80million for the Bar Centre was held. The week ended with a dinner.
Among those who attended were the Chief Judge of Akwa Ibom State, Justice Idongesit Ntem Isua; Hon Justice Joy Unwana, past secretary of the branch and Founder, Heritage Polytechnic, Eket, Emmanuel Ekott, Mr. Scoot Tommy.
