The Nation Newspaper

Tag: war

  • Corruption war: Legal vs. moral issues

    The nexus between law and morality was a major concern of medieval philosophers. Natural law theorists held that there is an essential connection between law and morality. St Thomas Aquinas called laws (without moral content) a “perversion of law”, thus, the maxim that an unjust law is not a true law.

    But the positivists emphasized separation between the two. For them, law is man-made or posited by the legislature and until duly enacted laws are changed, they remain law and should be obeyed. Hans Kelsen captured the main thesis of this school succinctly when he posited that there is no necessary connection between law and morals, and that law does not require moral validation to be legitimate.

    There are other variants of these arguments. But suffice it to say that every piece of legislation is based on society’s idea of what is good or bad. Because law springs from a system of beliefs, mores and values, every law is an instance of legislating morality.

    This distinction is relevant in handling some of the complications thrown up by the current fight against corruption in the country. This is more so, given some of the issues raised by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed regarding public response to the war. In his attempt to further drum up public support for the war, the minister had revealed a shocking figure of N1.34 trillion allegedly stolen by 55 Nigerians within a period of just eight years (2006-2013).

    A cursory breakdown of this figure showed some former governors made away with N146.84 billion while 12 former public servants (state and federal) siphoned N14 billion. But a huge chunk of this sum, N524 billion was allegedly carted away by eight people in the banking sector even as 11 businessmen made away with N653 billion. Mohammed, in an effort to stir up and garner public sympathy, went further to show how much progress (development wise) the nation would have recorded were these monies deployed for public good.

    He was however disappointed that instead of the “national outrage” which such looting spree should have attracted, “all we hear are these nonsensical statements that the government is fighting only the opposition or that the government is engaging in vendetta”. He wants Nigerians to “own” the war because if they fail to cooperate with Buhari in the fight, corruption will kill the country.

    Apart from the huge amount alleged to have been looted, one other significant fact from the data breakdown is that a huge percentage of the looted fund was in the private sector. Eleven businessmen and eight people in the banking sector allegedly cornered N653 billion and N524 billion respectively. Its logical corollary is the pervasiveness of corruption in our national life. And this is fundamental to the overall success or lack of it in the fight against the malfeasance.

    Mohammed is within his rights to seek the support and cooperation of Nigerians in the fight against corruption. No doubt, one of the greatest problems standing against the development of this country has been the unbridled looting of our collective patrimony by sundry buccaneers disguised as leaders. The rancorous and deadly politics we have seen on these shores bears positive correlation with this.

    The damage corruption has wrought on the national economy has long been recognized. That the social malaise must be stamped out before this country can record any meaningful progress has also not been in doubt. What has been lacking has been the matching political will on the part of the leadership to wrestle the cankerworm to the ground. In effect, it is the governments that have overtime, failed to show the lead in this delicate but very crucial war.

    Given the foregoing, any government that is seen to be on the right path to tackling this social malaise, should ordinarily, take the support of ordinary citizens for granted. This is because the burden of the looting spree to service the gluttonous predilections of a few is largely borne by the poor. So the minister was within his rights to sensitize the public to the monumental corruption that goes on in our public life. That much can be conceded him.

    But the way he spoke, gave him out as someone in panic. He could not hide his frustrations on the waning public support for the war which the current regime has declared against corruption. That he felt so disappointed and had to lampoon the public for not rising up in utter outrage against the mindboggling looting revelations of the past are indicative of one or two things.

    It is either the public is not enthused by the direction of the war; not sure it will achieve the desired objective or nurses the feeling that its underlining goals are less than ennobling. Whichever the case, it is certain there is public skepticism and ambivalence to the overall objective of the war. That may account for why Mohammed is not witnessing the kind of public outrage which in his calculations, the bandied figures would have elicited.

    In its stead, public temperament weighs in the direction that the war is largely targeted against political foes and therefore aimed at settling scores. They want it to cut across party lines because they know our leaders are corrupt despite whatever political party banner they now fly. That is the real issue which only those prosecuting the war can redress.

    If that is the feedback the government gets from the war, the right approach is to take corrective measures to shore up public confidence in its course of action. The war must be seen to be targeted at all those who put their hands in the public till. And they cut across party lines, ethnicity and religion. The crusade must also be in keeping with extant laws of this country. Under the nation’s criminal justice system, an accused is presumed innocent until proven otherwise.

    It is this cardinal principle of criminal justice that is bound to suffer irretrievably if the public buys into the unrestrained outrage Mohammed is soliciting even when the accused persons are yet to be tried and convicted. Public interest or morals have already been captured by the framers of our criminal laws when they presumed the accused innocent until proven guilty. Simulating public outrage or asking the public to own the war is nothing but an invitation to mob justice and mass hysteria which consequences nobody can guarantee. It would amount to an invitation to self help or going outside the ambit of the law all in the name of fighting corruption. These are not permissible in a democratic setting replete with extant rules on the matter. It is important that this regime succeeds in the fight against corruption. But that success cannot be procured at the expense of the laws of the nation irrespective of the frustrations of the likes of Mohammed. It is an invitation to anarchy for the government or its agencies to embark on the hazardous trip of demonizing or convicting those in their custody in the bar of public opinion as the minister would want the public to do.

    The laws of the land under which the government and its agencies derive their powers to prosecute alleged offenders, also confer some protection on the accused and this must be respected. Those who blame the public for not rising in utter outrage against the accused or query why lawyers should stand in their defence are being hypocritical and should not be taken seriously.

    Beyond these however, the frustrations of the government are self inflicted. The overall success of the war hinges on their actions and inactions. If they have noticed waning public confidence in the fight, it is left to them to drive the battle in such a manner as to shore up public support for it. This can hardly be achieved when different rules are set for the accused persons. It cannot be helped by the festering impression that only in the cupboards of the opposition, there are skeletons of corruption.

  • Fed Govt hails U.S. for backing anti-graft war

    ‘Kerry’s comment encouraging’

    The Federal Government has hailed the United States’ (U.S.) for backing  President Muhammadu Buhari’s anti-corruption battle, describing it as an incentive to increase the pace.

    Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who said this yesterday, added that the support would encourage the push to achieve sustainable growth and development.

    He spoke in Lagos while reviewing the comments made by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

    The minister said the comment was timely, coming when some Nigerians dubbed the anti-corruption campaign of the Federal Government selective.

    His words: “The Federal Government is delighted that the anti-corruption war led by President Muhammadu Buhari has been acknowledged and applauded on a global stage.

    “It is particularly gratifying that Mr. Kerry made the link between corruption and terrorism. We agree that corruption is indeed a radicaliser because it destroys faith in legitimate authority. Let me remind you, gentlemen, that radicalisation is a key causative factor of terrorism.”

    Mohammed, who spoke during a media parley in Lagos, announced that he would kick-start a series of town hall meetings across the country to take the sensitisation campaign, which he launched in Abuja last Monday, to Nigerians.

    He added that he would include the National Orientation Agency (NOA) and the relevant units of the Ministry of Information and Culture to reach every part of the country.

    Mohammed said the government was aware that “when you fight corruption, corruption fights back”.

    “We know that those who stole from us are powerful. They have newspapers, radio and television stations and an army of supporters to continuously deride the government’s war against corruption. But we are undaunted and will not relent until corruption is also decimated,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said corruption was responsible for the endemic poverty in the country today, noting that whereas Nigeria’s national budget increased from over N900 billion in 1999 to over N6 trillion in 2016, poverty also increased almost by the same proportion

    The minister added: “The reason is not far-fetched: Appropriated funds have mostly ended up in the pockets of a few looters.

    “When the money meant to build roads are looted, the end result is that the roads are not built and the people suffer and even die in avoidable road accidents. When the money meant to provide electricity is looted, we are perpetually sentenced to darkness. When the money meant for health care is pocketed by a few, we are unable to reduce maternal and infant mortality. These are the costs of corruption.’’

    He also made a comparative analysis of the number of beneficiaries from the arms deal scandal and the amount they collected from the Office of the National Security Adviser in 2015 on one hand, and the list of projects and amount across the nation in the zonal Intervention project of 2015 Appropriation Act.

    “Whereas N51.829 billion was appropriated for 1,278 projects in the Zonal Intervention Projects for 2015, 21 individuals and companies benefited from the Dasukigate to the tune of N54.659 billion as we know so far. The implication is that the amount received by 21 individuals and companies is more than the 2015 Zonal Intervention Project budget by N2.829 billion!

    “Furthermore, the value of what beneficiaries of Dasukigate contributed to development is zero, compared to how the lives of Nigerians would have been transformed, poverty reduced and livelihoods improved by the Zonal Intervention Projects which – as we have shown – would have cost N2.829 billion less than Dasukigate,” the minister said.

    He said contrary to what was being said in certain circles that the government was dwelling too much on the war against corruption to the detriment of other areas of governance, enough time could not be devoted to the fight.

  • ‘Nigeria ‘ll win anti-terror war’

    ‘Nigeria ‘ll win anti-terror war’

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with reporters in Lagos on the focus of the Buhari Administration in the new year, the anti-terror war, anti-graft battle and other issues. EMMANUEL OLADESU was there.

    Is the country actually winning the anti-terror war?

    For anybody to know and appreciate what the military has done, you need to cast your mind back to this time last year when 20 out of the 27 local governments in Borno State were in firm control of Boko Haram; when six local governments in Yobe State and four local governments in Adamawa State were in their control to today, where you probably have about one or two local governments where they are still trying to operate from. That would give you an idea as to what the military has achieved in the last couple of months. So, when we say that the Boko Haram has been largely defeated, we are actually vindicated by the fact that even what happened during Christmas, is kind of things you expect from any insurgency because they know that they are on their way out. The army have been able to decimate and decapitate them to a large capacity to launch the kind of rendezvous attacks they used to launch before. I must also use this opportunity to thank immensely the vigilantes; the Civilian Joint Tasks Force.  But for them, we would have had more casualties than we have today. They have been working round the clock, even in the Internal Displaced Persons (IDPs) centres to identify Boko Haram insurgents.

    Boko Haram insurgency like any other insurgency is not a conventional war. We are not saying that by December 31, there would be no more attacks or there would be no more bombs or suicides. We are not saying that.  That is the nature of insurgency. Look at what happened in France last month. France has no insurgency, yet the terrorists were able to embarrass the entire French security systems or take Colombia, where insurgency was expected to have ended many years ago, yet they still stage attacks or even the United States.  What we are saying is that, the military has succeeded largely in meeting the deadline of December 31. The military have done their bit; it is for us, civilians to assist them. What the military are doing now is to barely mop up the humanitarian body of Boko Haram. And this is why we appeal to all media, especially the independent broadcasting organisations to please follow the steps of the NTA that has been helping in airing our jingles on how to identify suicide bombers, explosive bombs and to avoid certain places. If they join us, we can go long way. FRCN, Voice of Nigeria, NAN and NTA have taken up the gullet and I have been assured that by the next meeting I am going to have with the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria, they would be able assist us also. So, really it is for us in Nigeria today as civilians, to also own the war and supply the missing link. The biggest problem we have now about Boko Haram is not dislodging them; we have actually succeeded in that. It is how do we rehabilitate and resettle the millions of Nigerians who have been displaced? It is how do we revive the economy of the North-East that had been shattered by Boko Haram? It is how do we ensure that the effect of five-six years of Boko Haram insurgency does not resort in famine? Because when you have the kind of the insurgency we have, farmers cannot go to their farms. And if you known what Borno State represents in the agricultural landscape of Nigeria, you will see that that should be our major focus now.

    Some people are of the view that there was no need for the deadline on the insurgency…

    In any war or conflict, government must give a deadline. That deadline was given as a result of the assurance given by the military and the success of the military. It is a common thing; even during the Nigeria Civil War, we were given a timeframe that the war will end by a particular time. I think it is a natural thing and there is nothing wrong to say that by end of December there is going to be an end to insurgency. And like I said, we have largely succeeded in meeting that deadline. We cannot have insurgency forever and no serious government will stay and say because there is insurgency and it is not a regular one; therefore there is not going to be any deadline.

    What is the government doing to purge himself of the Sheik Ibrahim El-Zakzaky issue because there are information that the Shiite Islamic Movement has elements in the hierarchy of government and even in the military?  

    There is a lot of rumour everywhere but what I can assure you that the government of this administration would respect religious freedom but this administration at the same time would not allow any group or body to hold it hostage. What is important to us is the freedom of every Nigerian to practices his or her faith within the confines of the law. You cannot in the practice of your faith inconvenience another Nigerian. And I think this is the bottom line for us in this government. We are going to respect religious freedom but it must not be at the expense of the right and freedom of other Nigerians.

    Some economists have said that 2016 would be a tough year for Nigerians. What is your opinion?

    I will say tell them that they should persevere. They should trust this government and this government is also very aware of the top predictions. But, because the government is determined to stop leakages, fight corruption and to also diversify the economy, that would definitely soften what otherwise should have been very hard to Nigerians. They should just continue to trust this government.

    What is the Federal Government planning to do about the abandoned national monuments, including the National Theatre?

    the National Theatre is a national monument and a tourist attraction and we will not allow it to go derelict, neither will we allow it to become a magnet for hoodlums. The monument is the pride of the entire nation. It is one of the most iconic buildings we have and for a long time, it also served as the point of convergence to Nigerians during festivities or public holidays. And that is why we sincerely regret the unfortunate incident on Christmas Day, when some fun seekers were molested by some hoodlums. I want to assure you that all efforts would be taken to ensure that there is not a reoccurrence of that kind of incident. We have held meetings with both representatives of police command in Lagos State and the Department of State Services and we have held several meetings. We know where our challenges are. Primarily, our perimeter is very unsafe because it is quite long and it is in the middle of town. We know what the challenges are but we assure you that we will not again allow that kind of thing to reoccur. We say clearly that that kind of behaviour is unacceptable.

    The National Theatre is not just an iconic building; it is also a veritable vehicle for the promotion of arts and the creative industry. We have gone round the various components of the National Theatre; we have seen what efforts have been made in the last few years to renovate and bring to date the facilities in the complex. We also know the challenges we face because we begin to wonder why with our location, facilities and structures; why we should not be the first point of call for anybody who want to exhibit his arts or who want to premier his films or why this place cannot come back and become the centre of activities for all creative industries. We have discussed with management of National Theatre and we are also going to reach out to the major stakeholders in the industry and see how we can make the National Theatre really the hub of the creative industry in Nigeria. We have the location, facilities and we believe that there should be no other better alternative to us, but we also know what the challenges are. There are issues of security, power and perception and these are the issues we are going to address.

    In line with the administration’s resolve to move away our addiction to oil as the only source of revenue, we will look at the creative industry as another veritable vehicle for creating jobs for our youths. We are going to revive the craft centres in the National Theatre. We plan to have an auction centre in National Theatre, where people will come from all over the world to come and bid for our arts. As of today, we have to go to Senegal, United Kingdom to exhibit some our arts, even though they are one of the best in the world. So, we want to assure Nigerians that we will leverage on the unique power of culture and tourism to create more jobs for Nigerians. As you are already aware, we have reached out to all the states and arts councils in every state to give us 10 cities with their crafts, arts and festivals, so that by the end of the day we are going to have about 365 festivals including the five local governments in the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Abuja. The idea is to ensure that we have at least one festival a day in Nigeria. It might be in Arungungun, Osun, Calabar; so that we will have a compendium of our festivals and arts. So, that any tourist coming to Nigeria can go to our website and know the city he can visit in a particular day or month. This is also going to open our economy in a way it used to be before.

    Is the National Theatre generating enough funds for government?

    The issue of the internal generated revenue of the National Theatre is a moot point in the sense that whatever is being generated is paid directly back to government in respect to the TSA. We know what we do generate. It is not substantial enough and this is because we have not been able to put our major facilities in a state that would make it able to attract enough patronage. For instance, we have the main bowl, which can accommodate about 5,000 people but we have challenges. The National Theatre structure is almost 40 years old; it would be 40 years old in two years time. We have been battling with the maintenance and replacement of certain infrastructures. It is only when we are able to restore fully the main bowl and other exhibition halls that we will be able to full-fledge go out to market the National Theatre. We also have to address the issue of security. One thing any tourist wants is peace of mind and security. I think we have paid very little attention to security. So, don’t look at the National Assembly just from the point view of a complex. Look at it from what it means to Nigeria. It is a national monument. It is iconic and I think it deserves more security presence than many other buildings and this is what we are going to work at.

    Is Federal Government planning to privatise the National Theatre?

    I can assure you that National Theatre will always remain a national monument. We are not selling the National Theatre. I can assure you that. However, we are not averse to a Private-Public Partnership (PPP) arrangement with anybody that wants to develop around the National Theatre. We are not averse to those who want to add value to the complex. I have just been informed by the General Manager of the National Theatre that a couple of years ago the Federal Government did advertise and we are at the process of selecting successive bidders but clearly the National Theatre will always remains in the hands of government.

     

  • ‘How to win anti-terror war’

    ‘How to win anti-terror war’

    Emeka Nwankpa, an activist,  is a leader of the Concerned Professionals’ Congress (CPC), a non-governmental organisation canvassing support for the military in its fight against the Boko Haram group. He spoke with EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on how Nigerians can assist the military in combating the insurgency. 

    What is this CPC movement all about?

    I wish to quickly share an exciting encounter I had not too long ago during a trip to the U.S. We were taking a connecting flight from Houston to New York. Shortly after take-off came an announcement by the crew that there some men of the U.S Marine on the flight. Almost spontaneously, the announcement drew a loud applause from passengers on board, some sitting, others standing chorusing ‘God bless America! God bless America! Itlasted for 10 seconds or so but, my God, it was so electrifying that I didn’t know when Ijumped on my feet and started clapping too. It didn’t matter to me that I didn’t know for whom the applause was meant. What mattered to me at that auspicious moment was that the spontaneous response that greeted the crew’s announcement was for a good and worthy cause. They say when you are in Rome, do like the Romans.

    Quite frankly, it was a very touching experience, which I still carry in my memory to this day. My acquaintance on the flight, Dr. Sagwozi Kubanti, a Ugandan geologist later told me he had lived in the U.S for over two decades long enough to appreciate Americans for the way they adore their service men,dead or living. He said the consciousness runs very deep especially after 9/11.

    So, what is the implication of this?

    What it tells us is that every country has institutions and monuments that, by their sheer existence signal core values that instantly translate to national strength and pride. Our military is such.  In CPC (mind you this is not the political party!) we are students of history, and professionals, united by a sense of concern, patriotism and common identity, for solutions to our issues. We shall draw attention to epochal moments in our history and the lessons for us as a people.

    We shall x-ray our crises and compare by peer review with epochs elsewhere that produced today’s world super powers. This is the meat of my U.S story. Our soldiers have amply demonstrated conspicuous gallantry in the multiple military operations they are involved across the country, especially in the Northeast where they have worked under very strenuous conditions. They deserve our commendation. We owe them a debt of gratitude for their sacrifices. On one occasion, they bombarded Bama, chased the Emir away, hoisted their flag,declared their Caliphate and started collecting levies, taxes and what have you, from the conquered territories.In Borno State alone, 21 out of the 27 LGAs were under Boko Haram. It was a horrible blight on our sovereignity as a nation.  But thank Godthat today all that nonsense has stoppednot without a heavy price paid by our military.

    A new crop of officers with the passion, patriotism, commitment and zeal are now in charge. I had expected that our citizens will roll out the drums to appreciate our soldiers. We thank the active Minister of Defence, Brig. Gen Muhammad Dan-Alli for his Christmas lunch and ‘welfare’ for our troops which he gave in the company of theChief of Defence Staff, General Ayobami Olonisakin, a first-class professional officer who seldom talks, the cerebral Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai whose village has been attacked twice apart from two failed assassination attempt she has survived and the brilliant Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Abubakar Sadiq. Our troops have regained their rhythm because they have never had it so good since these guys came on board. This is leadership magic.

    But, why are we still recording terrorist attacks in isolated places?

    I’m glad you used the term isolated places. It is so because they (Boko Haram) can no longer hold on to specific places to launch their attacks. They have been degraded, scattered and in disarray. Their center can no longer hold. In other words, it is no longer at easy for them. You now find them sneaking into towns, villages and settlements, forming sleeper cells, adopting funny antics to lure innocent people at soft targets to kill through suicide bombing. This is where you and I need to come in.

    The troops under our committed, courageous and highly passionate commanders are doing a wonderful job. We’ve never had it so good. And that is why we are witnessing many operational  successes in the epicenter of war. I am not a soldier but as a journalist, observation is a good tool. It enables me to see what many cannot see. Check out the excellent chemistry between the Army and Air Force Chiefsboth of whom I hear are always with the troops on the battlefield. For them, holidays are a taboo.They have proved that the President made a good choice of their appointments.

    But, what has this got to do with the anti-terror war?

    Military apologists? Please count us out. But if we have to be called apologists to appreciate the sacrifices of our troops, then so be it. For crying out aloud, we lovethese soldiers for their bravery and courageous gallantry. We have no apologies whatsoever. History will judge. Altitude responds to attitude. You know that since these guys came, it has been not been business as usual at the battle front. Our military has done a good job to actualise Mr. President’s deadline. In fact, I learnt that the President actually gave the military high command a timeline and not a deadline because the military works by timelines, not deadlines. I do not know how timeline became deadline, maybe the press substituted it. You know you media guys have a way of imposing your preferences on the system. And that is why we considered it fit and proper to bring our message first to Lagos, a global media centre. The timeline was actually meant to guide the service chiefs on the President’s objective. Timelines are subject to review where operational goals have not been met. But in this case, the objectives have been largely met. The Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, quoting top military briefings, has said that much. You may have also observed that Boko Haram has not released their hollow video and audio messages for some time now. That was only possible before. A thoroughlydecimated, degraded and disoriented groupthat has been reduced to a fleeingragtag force cannot think of any video or audio recording now. Common criminals. How is that possible?

    Was the December 12 bloody Army/Shi’ites clash avoidable?

    It will be unfair and absolutely pre-emptive to begin to comment or apportion blames at this juncture until the judicial commission of inquiry of the state government comes up with its findings and recommendations. However, the point must be made that all hands must be on the deck by all segments of the society especially our leaders to assist the government in the on-going de-radicalisation process. It is regrettable that lives were lost in a matter and manner that could have been avoided ab initio. The entire citizenry have a major role to play in security awareness. Either you a citizen or a friend of Nigeria, you have a stake. Why won’t we support our soldiers when people abroad describe our military as one of the best and most rugged. The war is not about religion, region or race. This blood-letting must stop.

    Does your group support amnesty for repentant Boko Haram members?

    The operative word in your question is repentant. Even God Almighty welcomes repentance. Remember the story of the prodigal son in the Bible? All religions and societies welcome repentance. Governments welcome their rebellious citizens. Former rebels have become rulers. Ours cannot an exception. That is why nations offer state. We fully support repentance as long as the conditions and parameters serve the broad objectives of equity, peace and justice.

    Can Nigeria actually win the anti-terror war?

    Peace is winnable when we all act together against the common enemy. Peace is winnable when we see terror as their war. Peace is winnable when everybody including the media sees the activities of terrorists as acts against our national interest. Peace is winnable when we don’t sit on the fence at critical moments such as we presently have. Peace is winnable when we acknowledge that the country must exist first before we all can ply our trade either as lawyers, artisans, engineers, traders, politicians, journalists, barbers, etc.

  • Nigeria at war

    Nigeria is at war. The country is facing the greatest challenge to her existence in the wake of revelations about the many daggers that had been directed at her throat. We are not talking of Boko Haram or Shiite or the Biafra re-awakening. The opponents now are not the Egbesu boys or the militants of the Riverine hide-outs. The OPC militants are no longer on war path. And we are not talking of the reported invasion of some kidnappers from Benin Republic.

    Yet the country is at war! For years, the pen soldiers who were throwing their pen daggers at Nigeria have had a field day. It was a one sided battle. The warriors were fighting and conquering and plundering while their opponent Madam Nigeria was sleeping and snoring. In the one-sided war, Nigeria had her eyes plucked out, her dull brain pulled out, her limbs shackled, and all of her soldiers were taken captive.

    Just when the attackers were about to slash her throat and put dagger to her stomach to take out the organs, a no-nonsense General, retired but definitely not tired, sprang to his feet and swore to combat the pen soldiers and save Nigeria.

    Readers should not confuse the pen pushers alleged to have swallowed some paltry 120 million Naira with the pen soldiers under reference. I mean real Pen Robbers! People who rob with pens and signatures!

    These are the real soldiers that have engaged Nigeria in silent war. Now they are out in the field. They have been exposed. And they are fiercer and more deadly than when they wore camouflages and covered their faces to hide their identities. Now that they are in the open they have engaged Madam Nigeria in a war of wits.

    In conventional battles, the arsenal of opposing camps is usually x-rayed and assessed for comparative analysis to show which side was at a disadvantage and which side possessed superior firing power.

    The warriors who had engaged their pens, brains, signatures, skills and monumental greed and heartlessness to inflict the greatest wounds on Nigeria have now added more frightening weapons to their armoury. They have currency-chewing SANs, charge-and-bail lawyers, crooked court officials, and all bribable accomplices plus hired placard-wielding demonstrators and humongous amount of money to throw at the conscience of collaborating judges!

    Commander-In-Chief Buhari on the other hand has  the EFCC which for many years had proved to be toothless bull dogs known for its legendary wishy-washy investigations, the prosecutors who are a mere extension of the same rot Madam Nigeria had harboured all these years since the war started, and a bemused Nigerian public that are best known for noise-making without any visible action to back their cries, and the dubious international community that had all along been neck-deep in the corruption that choked Nigeria to her present stupor.

    Any impartial observer can deduce where the pendulum would be tilted to and which of the two combatants is likely to emerge victorious in this present war. Perhaps I should quickly add that Nigeria has another weapon in its armoury; that is the antiquated and extant laws to fight corruption. Imagine a judge having the guts to say that the maximum sentence for anybody who stole N2 billion or N20 billion or N200 billion is only seven years!

    Countries like China and Japan, and the ancient Arabs and Jews have the death penalty for any villain who dared to put dagger into the economic throat of their community or corporation. If by your roguery, many people have been sentenced to premature death because the state could not provide safe transportation, could not provide jobs, could not provide safe and efficient hospitals, could not provide potable water, could not provide electricity and therefore exposed citizens to deadly fumes from I –pass-my-neighbour generators, you certainly, verily deserve to die!

    Perhaps we should add also that Madam Nigeria has in her armoury legislators who characteristically turn a blind eye whenever the country is faced with this kind of war. What we are saying in essence is that while pen soldiers are armed to the teeth, Madam Nigeria and her Commander-In-Chief possess only liabilities.

    It is not clear how this war of inequalities would be fought and won. In similar battles in the past, Madam Nigeria never captured any captive, never bad any prisoner of war, NEVER. Okay, may be the two that were captured on her behalf by Britain after that country had first benefited from the loot from Nigeria before exposing and kicking out the looter.

    One does not have to be a lawyer to know that criminal cases are not and should not be treated like civil cases that normally carry long adjournments, delays, extensions and in-built tactics that would make both parties forget they ever had a case pending in court. Criminal cases on the other hand, cases especially abnormal, almost satanic and insane, are usually treated summarily with special jurisdictions and tribunals.

    It would be a compound fool that would have N5 billion in his kitty and would not be able to bribe his way out of any quagmire. Nigeria is at war, and while the battle is raging, the opponents are given a breather by way of bail to seek more ammunition and spend time with their spiritual magicians to fight the battle of wits. Meanwhile Madam Nigeria cannot afford a split-second break.

    Nigeria should be wiser than this. Somebody somewhere must come to the immediate rescue of this country in the face of this developing onslaught. If Nigeria must win this war, she has got to change tactics. There is no way she would not be floored in this battle. And I can bet that there would likely be no prisoner of war at the end of the day, especially with the war dragging on indefinitely.

    By February-March next year all the fire, all the frenzy, all the enthusiasm and the entire clamour for justice would have fizzled out. Nigerians would again open their mouths and resume their dreary out-worn song:

    “What happened to Siemens?”

    Chorus: “Nothing!”

    “What happened to Halliburton?”

    Chorus:  “Nothing!”

    “What happened to Transcorp?”

    Chorus: “Nothing!”

    “What happened to Electricity probe?”

    Chorus: “Nothing!”

    “What happened to Otedola and Lawan?”

    Chorus: “Nothing!”

    “Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing….”

    As it was in the beginning, so it is now, and ever shall it be; world without end.

  • Anti-corruption war is on course, says NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has said the anti-corruption war of the Federal Government is on course, urging President Muhammadu Buhari not to relent in his efforts to stem corruption.

    Addressing reporters in Abuja on Monday, NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba called on the the government to, among other things, probe the power sector reform programme, which has delivered darkness instead of light, in spite of the billions of dollars sunk in the sector.

    “We urge President Buhari not to relent in his war against corruption; even if it is his only major achievement in four years, it will suffice,” he said.

    Wabba said the ongoing revelations on the $2.1 billion arms deal have vindicated NLC’s  support for the fight against graft.

    He said the revelations by former National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki (rtd) and his Director of Finance, Shuaibu Salisu, Labour believes, are just the tip of the iceberg. The mind-boggling revelations reinforce Labour’s call for capital punishment for corrupt public officers.

    “We believe with prescription of more stringent punishment for corruption cases, few will dare to go to this extent. We need not be told that massive corruption in the system is responsible for our lack of development and our present economic woes,” he said.

    Wabba added that rising cases of alienation, civil disobedience, crime and insurgency are traceable to corruption in high places, which did not only create avoidable diseases, ignorance and poverty, but have totally incapacitated the people.

    “We as a people and as a nation cannot continue like this, except we want to continue to be the laughing stock of other nations and except we want to create a state of anarchy. Because, certainly, our teeming youths and the army of the unemployed who look up to their country for their means of livelihood will not fold their hands while a few individuals corner the national resources.

    “We urge civil servants to follow the sterling example of Shuaibu Salisu as well as call upon the government to ensure the safety of such civil servants. We assure such civil servants of our protection, as we will not hesitate to shut down any organisation that attempts to oppress or witch hunt any whistle blower,” he stated.

    Wabba said the action would have, at least, succeeded in recovering the loot as well as set a national moral barometer capable of attracting international confidence and respectability.

    He said NLC would not allow any attempt to politicise the anti-corruption efforts.

    “While we urge the anti- corruption agencies to follow due process, we also demand that those who cry foul play and call for equity must come with clean hands,” Wabba said.

    He said the war against financial criminality is, by nature, exclusive against criminals, regardless of their political affiliation.

    His words: “We must look at the bigger picture of national recovery. Recently disclosed seizures totalling about $5billion from various suspects are a lot of resources needed for national development.

    “Money pocketed by these big-time criminals cannot be made available to pay police salaries nor can it be available for payment of minimum wages, Universal Basic Education and health. Financial crimes also worsen the image crisis of Nigeria and undermine national economic recovery”.

  • ‘War against street trading to continue in Aba’

    ‘War against street trading to continue in Aba’

    There is no going back on the relocation of illegal street traders in Aba, the commercial capital of Abia State.

    Enyimba City bustles with business but not all of that enhances its aesthetics or vehicular movement, the government reckons, which explains why the Okezie Ikpeazu administration set about relocating illegal street traders.

    Some of the affected traders have expressed their discomforts, while some others criticised the state government’s action, but the administration has said the operation will continue until the city is sanitised and decorum brought to bear on it.

    The government also said after  the relocation of the traders to the Goodmorning Market,  in Ngwa Road, the train will move down to the Abattoir Market at Waterside and from there to other locations where street trading constitutes  an environmental nuisance.

    The government explained that the Abattoir Market traders will have to be relocated to another place because of the dredging and expansion of the Aba River which will recommence very soon.

    The entire exercise is part of the large-scale programme of infrastructural renewal and environmental restoration of the city of Aba for which the government created the Aba Urban Renewal Office and which is aimed at  sanitising the city and restoring its original map, said Mr Godwin Adindu, the governor’s Chief Press Secretary.

    He added that the broad-based programme of restructuring Aba is  a cardinal policy thrust of the Ikpeazu administration and one it is pursuing with passion, dedication and every sense of duty.

    The restructuring programme involves a general review of the state of the open markets and a general overhauling of the leadership of the markets including the associations and the different caretaker committees appointed by government to oversee issues and matters of the markets.

    It is for this reason that the government has had to dissolve many of the committees and leadership of the many market associations in Aba, and also had to appoint a Market Review and Development Committee headed by Mr. Solomon Nwaigwe with the brief to conduct a general review of the state of the markets and proffer solutions for charting a new course for the markets.

    The government said street trading and street hawking cause a lot of menace both to traffic flow and environmental   decency and poses a great risk to the life of the traders  and that is why government has provided alternative market places for these illegal street traders.

    “Nowhere in the world is the culture of street trading tolerated anymore and therefore Aba traders and residents must cooperate with government agents in the efforts to sanitise Aba and bring decorum to the city and its markets and desist from actions that could lead to confrontation with constituted authority,” Adindu said.

    “Therefore, political jobbers and enemies of the state who are cashing  in on  this sanitation exercise to  generate crisis and foment trouble are well advised to rethink their mischief. They must desist from acts and statements capable of inciting Aba residents against one another and causing the breach of the prevailing peace in the land.

    “Government recognises that the mandate to rebuild Aba and other major Abia cities would certainly come with sacrifices and requires the cooperation of all Abians and this is in the overall interest of us all.”

     

  • War in Bayelsa over oil spills

    War in Bayelsa over oil spills

    There is tension in Ayamabele, Kalaba and Akumoni communities of Okordia clan in Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State. The crisis was triggered by oil spills from a pipeline belonging to the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC). The spills were not ordinary. They were massive and they occurred from 24 points on the pipeline at the same time.

    According to a preliminarya report released by the Environment Right Action and Friends of the Earth (ERA/FoE), each point spewed high volume of crude oil into the environment. But the report which was signed by Alagoa Morris and Akpotu Ziworitin blamed it on sabotage and third party interference.

    The incident almost degenerated to arms struggle. Shortly after the report of the sabotage, troops of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attempted to visit the spill sites. It was gathered that they only successfully visited two points. They were unable to proceed following gunshots fired by some persons in the bush.

    It was learnt that armed youths who were said to be responsible for the sabotage fired the gunshots. They were reportedly from Akumoni community. Rattled by the development, NSCDC operatives retreated, reinforced and came back.

    This time, they were accompanied by operatives of their sister security agency, the Operation Pulo Shield (OPS) formerly Joint Task Force(JTF), officials of NAOC, recovery contractor, pipeline surveillance contractors, and community youth leaders.

    With some tact of civility and diplomacy, the leader of OPS, adopted dialogue to bring the warring youths to a discussion table. An understanding was reached without anybody firing a gunshot. The parties were said to have agreed that Agip should be allowed to mobilise to sites to clamp a d repair the spill points. It was further gathered that a meeting was convened by Agip in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to iron out issues that led to the sabotage.

    Why youths attack the pipeline

    One of the arm-bearing youths said they were angry with Agip. The aggrieved youth who identified himself as Elemofru Davidson, said the oil firm abandoned previous spills that damaged the environment. He said the company turned deaf ear to their entreaties that the environment should be cleaned of old spills.

    He said: “The Agip oil bearing pipeline has ruptured and the spilled crude oil is now impacting everything in the environment; fauna and flora. We begged Agip to come and clean-up the previously impacted environment but they refused. And we have taken a step and now their agents have come to see the place.

    “We are begging the government to talk to Agip; let them come and clean their oil because we do not have enough land for our livelihood and this bush is where we engage for livelihood such as fishing, farming, hunting and other things.

    “With the current situation, you will agree with me that we can no longer get fish and other animals here. So, we are begging government; government should talk to Agip let them come and clean the oil. Yes, because if they dont come and clean-up from now till January, 2016 ; I think Agip will still come back here again for more clamping.

    “If we dont do something it will not attract Agip to come. So Agip always want us to do something to attract them. Like I said, if they dont come and clean up this oil from now to December, 2015; we, I am assuring you that I am second in Command to Commander Ebi. And I will make sure that we return and carry out actions on the pipeline; they will not sleep. Their personnel will not sleep if they fail to take heed and do the needful.

    Also, the Youth President of Ayamabele community, Mr. Akadumeme Raymond, said he was part of the persons who intervened nerves of the youths. He said the youths, after dialogue assured that the incident would not happen again.

    He said: “I can say that peace will reign now because we met the aggrieved party and they told Agip representatives, the repairs contractor and three communities that they wont continue with this kind of act again.

    “The company and communities have also reached an understanding that from today onward such would not happen again on the pipeline. The assurance that this ugly incident will not repeat itself was given by the aggrieved youths from Akumoni, who are responsible for the spill incidents.

    ERA’s report observed that the current spill points was the highest number in the history of spill incidents in Okordia Clan and the entire Bayelsa State. It discovered that some of the spill points were close to each other with a distance of just four or five meters apart.

    ERA demanded that the government and Agip should meet the company’s contractual obligation to local contractors.

    “The government and Agip should set up an effective conflict resolution apparatus accessible to any aggrieved parties. The concept is to nip in the bud any matter before it gets to the point of violence; especially if such a body will effectively address related issues without bias.

    “Agip should endeavor to fulfill its own part of whatever agreements willingly reached with community leaders/groups and contractors to avoid being blamed in the future.

    It called on regulatory agencies, the National Oil Spills Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), State Ministry of Environment and Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to ensure that JIV and clean-up are done.

     

  • The Cola war

    The Cola war

    The beverage market is getting tougher, with the coming of a new entrant, Big Cola has joined the soft drinks market, threatening to give Coca Cola and Pepsi Cola a run for their money.

    Backed with heavy cash – N5 billion from AJE Group, a multinational beverage company with headquarters in Lima, Peru – Big Cola is set to battle Coke and Pepsi for the Cola market.

    Its entry into the market a few weeks ago, is, however, eliciting a lot of interest from brand analysts.

    In a report by Ventures Africa, expectations are high that the production of the soft drink in variants is expected to further deepen competition in a market segment currently dominated by Coca-Cola, Pepsi and La Casera, among other carbonated drinks in the country.

    While Big Cola comes with enormous global brand weight, the view that it will dwarf existing brands has been premised on various indicators. One of is that Big Cola has presence in over 20 countries in Latin America, Asia and Africa.  Another is that with 25 years of experience, AJE is the 10th largest soft drink company in sales volume and the fourth largest producer of carbonated soft drinks in the world. As a result, “a company whose vision is to be one of the top 20 multinational enterprises by year 2020,” analyst said, “could become a major and worthy opponent of a top multinational company like Coca-Cola.”

     With 55 billion of all kinds of beverages consumed each day (other than water), 1.7 billion are Coca-Cola trademarked/licensed drinks. Also, Pepsi, Mirinda, Fanta are global brands with high networth and strong consumer base, analysts at Ventures Africa believe BIG COLA, could give Coca Cola a good run for its money,  especially in Nigeria.

    “AJE is one of the largest multinational beverage companies. AJE was also a first mover into PET bottles, which are ubiquitous today. Not only were these bottles cheaper,  they were lighter and less fragile, making them much less expensive to buy, use, and distribute. AJE group therefore produces its own plastic bottles, which provides a low-cost alternative to glass returnable bottles and has helped brands like Big Cola compete with bigger names like Pepsi and Coca-Cola,” analyst in Venture Africa wrote.

    In spite of that, AJE Group is not ready to match the big brands in terms of advertising and marketing spend but what is crucial is slow-but-steady market penetration. The Country Manager, Mr. Theo Williams, told The Nation that it would not do much on advertising. Williams said the company will use more of direct and personal selling and pricing strategy. This move is seen by analysts as a plausible marketing strategy.

    ”Coke spends a lot on advertising in Nigeria while AJE typically avoids. Based on experience in other countries, their competitors offer promotional prices and increase spending on advertising. However, this only works for the short term because consumers who cannot afford this revert to AJE’s brand once the promotional prices are withdrawn. This could mean that Coca-Cola in Nigeria will be losing customers to BIG COLA in the future,” an analyst said.

    One of the strategic advantages AJE group brings to fight first entrants in the market is pricing. A BIG COLA 65cl is sold for N90 against Coca-Cola’s 50 cl for N100 which will be affordable for most Nigerians.

    Also, in an era where consumers are running away from sugar, caffeine and aspartame in other carbonated drinks because of rising health-related challenges, BIG COLA comes to the market with caffeine-free to appeal to both adults and children.

    But with the entry of BIG COLA, an official partner of English FA and Barcelona Football Club official drink, can the leading players in the market lose grip to the new entrant? Only time will tell.

  • Role of social media in war against insurgency

    The social media plays a pivotal role in the reportage of counterterrorism activities around the world. But this is not to say that the onus of nipping insurgency in the bud solely rests on its shoulders. Nigerian terrorist group, Boko-haram has gained increased media attention over the past few years. However, the efforts of our military troops in the north-east has been commendable and worthy of praise. The relationship between terrorism and social media has long been noted.

    Terrorist organizations such as Al-Qaeda, Al-Shabab, ISIS, and more recently, Boko-haram, depend on the open media systems of democratic countries and the internet to further their propagandist goals and messages. In order to garner publicity for their cause, terrorist organisations resort to acts of violence and aggression that deliberately target innocent citizens and upload these nefarious acts on social media. This method has proven to be quite effective in gathering attention, due to the convenience, affordability and broad reach of social media platforms like YouTube, Twitter and Facebook. While the social media may not support the goals of terrorist organisations, it is their duty to report current issues and events as they break. In the fiercely competitive internet environment, when a terrorist attack occurs, social media outlets scramble to break the story. In so doing, they knowingly or unknowingly help to further the agenda of these groups. This clearly illustrates that terrorism thrives on the oxygen of publicity, and the free media in open societies are particularly vulnerable to exploitation and manipulation by ruthless terrorist groups.

    In the same vein, social media has been a remarkably successful means of publicising the fight against these insurgents by the brave men and women of the Nigerian military. As a result of its unique and ubiquitous nature, the social media has in more ways than one, helped to create a positive awareness via hashtags, retweets, viral anti-insurgency campaign videos and online press releases from notable military authorities, especially in the North-east. However, it can do more. Internet users look to social media outlets to provide news especially on terrorism and counterterrorism. If they believe the former is a threat to their safety, they will want to be informed of the threats against them. The social media must fulfil the desires of its consumers by portraying terrorism as a threat and a menace to our society. These platforms understand that the stories they report have astounding effects on the political, sociological, and psychological perspectives on our society. Hence, they must gear up and help to sensitise and sanitise the mindset of its users, helping to discourage the recruitment of unsuspecting citizens, and also aiding the general public by providing intelligence to security agencies. This means that they must be ready to work hand-in-glove with the latter, and must possess basic skills for writing for the new media. The social media blogger or reporter must be patriotic and must be adept in security intelligence reporting. They must also Understand basic security terminologies, be socially literate, possess the ability to effectively communicate with the public without unnecessarily heating up the polity with “half-truths”, and avoid news commercialisation by any means possible.

    In dealing with extremism, we need answers that go beyond a military answer. We need answers that go beyond force. Considering the role social media plays in our daily lives, it is arguably a massive tool in the ideological campaign of most terrorist groups, and if we as a nation are to gain the confidence of the entire citizenry, it is a weapon we must harness as well.

     

    • Oluwatosin, 400-Level Mass Comm., JABU