The Nation Newspaper

Tag: war

  • Drivers at war in Ekiti as RTEAN members battle to remove leader

    Drivers at war in Ekiti as RTEAN members battle to remove leader

    Muted discontents among members of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) in Ekiti State against perceived high-handedness of its leader, Mr. Rotimi Olanbiwonninu, has degenerated into a free-for-all in which dangerous objects were used by rival factions to prosecute a supremacy battle. The leadership has stepped down as a national Fact Finding Committee fills the space in the interim, writes Sulaiman Salawudeen

    Penultimate Friday in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the State, was unlike most other days as residents tasted the bitter pill of unrest and fear arising mainly from violent opposition of some members of Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to the leadership of the Association led by its Chairman, Mr. Rotimi Olanbiwonninu (aka Mentilo).

    Although the day started on a peaceful note, it did not however end well within the association as some members mounted road blocks and made bonfires at strategic locations including Old Garage, Okeyinmi, Ojumose,, Ijigbo and Ajilosun Roads. in Ado Ekiti, the state capital to voice their grievance against what they variously described as ‘highhandedness’ and ‘iron fist’ rule of the State Chairman.

    They divided themselves into groups, armed with dangerous weapons and drove their vehicles at dangerous speeds, visiting the motor parks to forcibly dislodge members seen as loyal to Olanbiwonninu.

    Shops and businesses were forced into an early closure while pedestrian and vehicular movements also ceased prematurely, especially around Old Garrage and Ijigbo-Ajilosun areas,  as cries of agony from t5he injured  proceeded intermittently from the motor parks to sully what remained of the evening.

    Thick, black smoke rose into and hung heavy in the air as bellows of fire wailed from burning tyres at several spots around the axis of mayhem, while largely faceless daredevils brandished fearful weapons to corral perceived opposition into vacating the motor parks, the control and administration of which, according to findings, had been at the roots of the problem.

    The aggrieved parties which comprised the State Secretary, Comrade Sesan Ogunlade; Deputy Chairman, Mr. Sunday Adeola; Chapel Chairman, Olokemeji, Mr.  Ajayi Kayode; Chapel Chairman, Ureje, Adeniyi Adebayo (aka Ojuigo); Prince Adewale Abiodun Fagbewesa; Fadairo Akinwale and a minimum of twenty six other chapel chairmen were united by a mission to dislodge Mentilo and “restore a regime of peace and mutual progress to the 17-year-old Union”, insisting that the 8-year reign of the State Chairman must end.

    In consequence, Policemen and later men of the Nigeria Army were drafted to mount guards at several spots to curb further escalation of unrest. The police at a point were forced to fire tear gas shots into the rampaging horde of disgruntled park touts, making residents, especially those staying around Okeyinmi, Ojumose, Ijigbo and Ajilosun areas shed tears right inside their homes and business centres.

    Soon as the tear gas dissipated, the surging soldiers of opposition to the beleaguered Mentilo, who wore fearful looks, returned to the scenes to maintain the glow of unrest. They kept daring the opposition to come out and challenge them and even the police, pacing up and down. At a point, about four separate detachments of policemen failed in the attempt to rein in the throbbing horde.

    By the time the dust settled after six consecutive days of unrest and uncertainty, no fewer than five members comprising mainly those loyal to the troubled Chairman and two police officers, had been taken to the hospitals for treatment, but no life, as findings revealed, was lost.

    The intervention of National Executive Council

    The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Association intervened by sending down a five-member Fact finding Committee to take over affairs of the association in the State as the current leadership led by Rotimi Olanbiwonninu was asked to step aside from the office to enable the Committee investigate the causes and make recommendations to NEC.

    Earlier, the National President, Alhaji Shehu Musa Isiwele had held a meeting with the factions attended by the State Chairman, Olanbiwonninu and the Secretary, Com. Ogunlade after which they were directed to allow the Chairman to serve out his term, a recommendation which was rejected and which immediately caused hiccups.

    Just before this meeting, there had been an earlier one held with the groups attended by the National President in which the State Governor Kayode Fayemi denied ever giving Olanbiwonninu N100 million which he was alleged of having mismanaged and which was believed primarily responsible for the problem. Neither of the meetings could bring the situation under control.

    The Committee led by Comrade Philip Nwaigbo from Imo State as chairman, has other members which included Alhaji Lahan Yusuf, Secretary (Kwara), Alhaji Ayinde Rumokun (Lagos) Alhaji Rasak Durojaye (Ogun) and Comrade Adewale Ojo (Ondo).

    The Nwaigbo Committee is expected to complete its assignment by January 19 and return to the national secretariat of the association with a report on the findings.

    Meanwhile, as at last weekend, the whereabouts of the embattled Chairman, were unknown and efforts to trace it proved fruitless.

    While some believed he was arrested by the Force Headquartres in Abuja, others said it was the Directorate of State Security (DSS). Even the Police in the State could offer no assistance in this regard.

    Allegations against Mentilo

    Allegations against the administration of the beleaguered Olanb-iwonninu included high-handedness and arrogating too much powers. Others, according to a list of 30 misconducts contained in a letter forwarded by the aggrieved members to NEC, included converting in various ways the Association’s property into his own; victimisation and use of divide and rule method to foist trouble within the Association; selling of ‘priority’ to his wife, girlfriends and cronies and physical and routine brutalisation of chapel chairmen and ranking members of the Association.

    Noting that a sum of a hundred million given to the Association by the State government had equally vanished, they explained the Chairman had also sacked some elected members of the Association on spurious accusations of being opposed to his administration while a sum of N250,000 contributed by members as support for an ailing  member of the association who was on admission at the State Teaching hospital was equally denied him. But, both the State Governor and the National President have denied that Olanbiwonninu collected any such amount.

    The National President had said: “It is the leaders of the union that are causing the fight. We will take care of that and as soon as I leave this place, I will see the Commissioner of Police and I will decide the matter before I leave this State”, he said.

    One of the aggrieved members spoke: “For about one year now, he had sacked some old members from participating in all activities and had appointed his own family members to replace those ones. You too can confirm all I am saying as a journalist.

    “While doing all these, he goes about accusing those he has been punishing as belonging to rival political camps to curry the favour of the current administration and sustain his punishment on his supposed enemies”, he said.

    How did things get so worse?

    More facts have however emerged concerning the reasons members of the Association were up in arms against Olanbiwonninu. A member named Adeniyi Adebayo (aka Ojuigo), said: “The State Chairman has a long history of abuse of the privileges of his position. So many members have one terrible history or the other to tell about him”.

    Adeniyi, Chapel Chairman, Ureje park, Ado-Ekiti who disclosed he had been placed on suspension through a letter from the Chairman, recalled that since he assumed leadership of the park, he (the chairman) had denied him all the privileges of the position. Said he:”He did not allow me to carry priority. Priority means you are given priority to load passengers at the park anytime irrespective of whether it was your turn or not. Once you are in the park, the turn is automatically your own.

    “But as the chairman, I have the privilege of priority in six units, including Akure, Ikere, Benin, Ondo-Ore, Akungba and Ise. Mentilo sold the six priorities to those he wanted. As the state chairman, Mentilo should not sell priority to members of the union because when he does that he removes every respect you have as Chapel chairman and this is exactly what he does to me and many of our members.

    “Again, given the size of the state, he has access to only five vehicles. But our Chairman has 13 buses which are engaged in priority all over the garages; which means no chapel chairman has priority. Wherever he did not have a bus, he would sell the priority to a member of that Garage and collect N9000. In Ado-Ekiti alone, he has 13 buses and has sold 6 priorities. His child and wife have priorities.

    “You may wish to know how I got the fresh wounds on my body and my face. He was in Abuja last Friday for an event and called Alhaji Kuraku, Akin Falae, Ojo Ghana, Kasali KSK and Olu Ofunoye who are ranking members of Mentilo Vanguard to come and beat me up. I was then in front of Wema Bank. They all came to ask me where I got the letter I took to Emure and Ise to sign with chapel chairmen, I asked them what letter. They were referring to the letter that thirty chapel chairmen signed and forwarded to the headquartres. I was not among those selected to sign but they never allowed me to defend myself.

    “While it is true that someone was carrying his impeachment letter about which was the chairman of Ise, Mathew Arogundade, I am not Arogundade. He most possibly would have known this but, because of his longstanding hatred for me, he said they should include my name among those who wanted to get him out. They applied physical beating and cutlasses on me.

    “It was that day that all the Chairmen generally, numbering 38, decided that it was time for him to go. In all this, Mentilo Vanguard has been responsible. The vanguard is the hit squad,” Adeniyi said.

    Prince Adewale Abiodun Fagbewesa’s experience was however farther into time. In his account, Fagbewesa explained that on a Saturday in 2006, he had an accident on a commercial motorcycle while returning home after work at Ijigbo and he was taken to the hospital, adding that on Monday, he returned to the park at Ajibade lane with his car and sat down.

    “When they saw me after I came down from my car, Mazda 323, they brought a chair for me and I sat down and around 9 in the morning Mentilo came to the park and people greeted him bending their whole body.

    “I could not do this as I was not even comfortable on the seat. I felt like returning home. When he moved closer to my seat, I could only gesture slightly although respectfully as I was not well. He approached me and I bowed very well on my seat again. He queried that why did I greet him like that? I, as well as the others explained that I just had an accident and showed him this.

    “His next move was to give me a serious and heavy slap on my face, blaming me for disrespecting him. I then told him he is a horrible leader and what he did was bad. He accused me of confronting him. He carried a big stone and smashed all the glasses on my car, including the windscreen.

    “Later, I went to the police station where I reported the case. When the police came, Mentilo Vanguard did not allow them to carry the vandalised car. Later, the DPO Okesa ordered again that the car should be evacuated to his station which the officers did. He (Mentilo) came to the station and agreed to settle amicably. I agreed as I did not have anywhere else to go or any other work. Oga (referring to the reporter), can you believe that Mentilo did not repair my vehicle till today in open and total defiance of an agreement with the police. I later repaired the car myself as that is my only means of livelihood.

    In his own account, Fadairo Akinwale, a unit chairman in the association, said on January 17, 2013, Mentilo Vanguard came to his shop in Tosin Aluko Motor Park while preparing to travel. He explained that the Vanguard destroyed his wife’s shop where they sell beer and pepper soup. “They did that because I refused to join the Mentilo Vanguard because the Vanguard members were known to have been committing various atrocities,” he said.

    He clarified that Vanguard had invited him earlier to join them to sack Ojuigo who was the Chapel chairman, adding that he called Ojuigo himself and told him the plans of the Vanguard.

    Said he: ”About twenty of us held that secret meeting on January 12. But on the 17, they came to my wife’s shop and destroyed the entire place. How do I regain what was destroyed because it ran into millions of naira. Other accounts by members brought more revelations regarding how the state chairman had allegedly committed a crime for which he must now pay with his position.”

    The involvement of the association secretary and other executive members

    But, what thickens the plot against the state chairman was not just that nearly 30 Chapel Chairmen have one unsavoury story or the other to tell about their now troubled leader but that even the association secretary, Comrade Sesan Ogunlade is uncomfortable and has fallen out with the state chairman in respect of his alleged misdeeds. So also is the deputy chairman and twelve out of fourteen members of the state executive who have joined all chapel chairmen to petition the national leadership of the association rejecting Olanbiwonninu’s leadership.

    Ogunlade explained that he had conferred with the chairman many times regarding his habitual high-handedness but which has not got him swayed desirably.

    Mentilo’s deputy, Sunday Adeola also spoke of what he called “the atrocities of the chairman,” saying “if I begin to tell you what he has done to me, to our members in the exco, to chapel chairmen and unit heads, we will not leave this place today. Anything I say now, I can say it in his presence as I have done before.

    The embattled state chairman’s defence

    In his defense, the embattled chairman Rotimi Olanbiwonninu denied the allegations of high-handedness and collecting N100 million from Governor Fayemi. He told The Nation that on the day the problem started, he was in Abuja being a member of the National Executive Council which was then billed to meet President Goodluck Jonathan on appointment.

    Said he: “When we heard of the development, the National President advised me to leave and return. I was coming back and when I got to Okene, I gathered that I was actually the target and that I was being asked to go.

    He denied having spent more than eight years, clarifying that he assumed position in 2007, “which makes my administration just six years in office and not eight,” adding it was equally wrong to accuse him of being high-handed and inconsiderate when he does not meddle in the responsibilities and functions of other members of the state executive.

    Olanbiwonninu said: “How can they accuse me of running a one man show. That cannot be true. At the chapel level, they have an executive which is independent of the state. At the unit level, they also have an executive council. It is impossible that I would be running the chapel and unit on my own.

    He noted that it was true that he had been commending the state governor for his good works and development efforts in the state as government’s efforts on roads had benefitted his members more than any other segment of the state. “I have also not collected any N100 million from government as they are saying. If I have such money, I will change my business,” he said.

    On the allegation that he uses Mentilo Vanguard to witch-hunt and oppress members, the troubled chairman admitted that there was a Vanguard, the founding and operations of which belongs to members of the association “who admire me and who said they wanted to appreciate my good works in the association by forming a group with that name.”

    He also clarified that so far, the state government has given the association a total of 16 buses and 40 cars which he instructed the state Public Relations Officer (PRO) to distribute according to laid down procedures with my deputy, secretary and other members of the executive having their own shares.

    “You can investigate yourself and find out that majority of the functions of the administration, I hand them over to the deputy and the secretary. The secretary is the head of administration. He is not to be a spare tyre.

    As the pronouncement of the national president is awaited

    The verdict of the National President is now being awaited. The Fact Finding Committee currently on board in the state will conclude its brief coming Saturday, January 18 and will submit its report on 19th which will be a Sunday. It is on that day that the National President is expected to make a pronouncement on what happens next.

    While it is unclear who the association had resolved to pick as the next state chairman, the findings had indicated that the aggrieved parties have vowed to resume the war should the pronouncement return the current state chairman to the office.

    According to them, “It is a clear no retreat, no surrender situation. The association is prepared to ensure that a new leadership is installed. We have already forgotten the misdeeds of Mentilo, but should attempts be made to return him here, heads will roll.”

     

  • The other anti-graft war

    The other anti-graft war

    A bill to create a National Financial Intelligency Agency (NFIA) is before the Senate. If passed into law, it will, among others, take over the Financial Intelligence Unit of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). Its independence will make it a juristic body that can sue and be sued. In other parts of the world, this unit is non-juristic. Will the proposed agency aid the fight against corruption when it is exposed to litigations? Lawyers are of the view that rather than create a new anti-graft agency, the government should strengthen the existing ones, writes Adebisi Onanuga

    •Lawyers rebuff moves for new agency

    In the fight against corruption, Nigeria has explored many options. Presently, the Economic and

    Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) are in the forefront of the war against corruption. The jury is still out on how well these agencies have fared. Many have accused them, especially the EFCC, of being used by the government to witch-hunt political opponents. This, among other reasons, may be why some are moving that the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) be excised from the EFCC. Last week, Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Drugs, Narcotics, Financial Crimes and Anti-corruption Senator Victor Lar tabled a bill for the establishment of a Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA). The proposed bill seeks to amend certain provisions of the EFCC Act and the Money Laundering Act.

    According to Senator Ndoma-Egba, the bill is to create a legal, institutional and regulatory framework that will ensure transparency, effective and efficient management administration and operation of Nigeria’s financial intelligence centre. The bill seeks to establish a separate agency for the FIU, which is under the EFCC pursuant to Section 2 (c) of the EFCC Act.The proposed bill, in addition, places the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML), currently under the EFCC, within the operational mandate of the proposed NFIA.

    Under the EFCC Act, the commission is the designated FIU in Nigeria. It is charged with coordinating the various institutions in the fight against money laundering and enforcement of all laws on economic and financial crimes.

    While the proposed bill provides that the Director-General shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, it made no provision for Senate’s clearance or confirmation of the agency’s head.

    Rather, it stated in Section 12 (1) that the Director-General of the proposed NFIA shall be exempted from security screening.

     

    How fius function

    The operation of the financial intelligence units worldwide is within either the purview of law enforcement agencies, such as the Police or the EFCC or departments and ministries, such as finance and justice. They do not operate independently. They operate behind the scenes in order to achieve maximum results in their activities without political interference or the possibility of unnecessary exposure to litigation that may cripple their operation.

    In Nigeria, the fact the NFIU is insulated from litigation and political influence enhances its effectiveness.

    It is to the credit of this Unit that Nigeria was delisted from the list of non-cooperative countries in the fight against money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism.

    Such was the success of the unit that many other countries have started to copy from Nigeria while some West African countries are being trained by the NFIU on how to operate their FIUs.

    Out of about 134 countries that have FIUs, only about nine countries have the type of agency the proposed bill seeks to establish.

    The countries are Ukraine, Romania, Niue, Malta, Egypt,  Jordan Antigua and Barbuda.

    Several other countries with serious corruption and anti-money laundering measures including the United States of America (USA), United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, Netherlands, Australia and over 120 other countries have their FIUs situated either within their law enforcement agencies or ministries of Finance or Justice, among others.

    Lawyers reject bill

    Ndoma-Egba explained that the need to establish the agency was part of the efforts to combat money laundering and financing of terrorist activities.

    He said the agency would also meet the precondition for the removal of Nigeria from the Financial Action Task Force list of non-cooperative countries and territories.

    Though Nigeria has an F IU as an autonomous department in the EFCC,  Ndoma-Egba insisted that the shortcomings of the unit, as constituted and operated, is hinged on its limited capacity to effectively carry out its functions. Senator Lar further added that the agency would provide necessary confidentiality required in the relationship between financial intelligence unit and security agencies. “As you know, when these agencies operate, they want confidentiality in their relationship with the NFIU.

    “However, if the NFIU is operating as a department of one of the agencies that is also interested in the intelligence, the confidence is lost.”

    Former Edo State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Chief Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan (SAN) backed the agency’s creation.

    According to him, a viable FIU is needed

    to complement the EFCC in its fight

    against corruption, which is the country’s primary problem.

    “All you have to do is review the petroleum subsidy saga that has lost generations unborn their patrimony and you may begin to see our humongous corruption problem in its real dimensions as worse than the current violence and insecurity of life and property which in themselves are some of the classic manifestation of the corruption problem.

    “The needed NFIA is one that should be peopled by well trained financial investigators savvy in the global myriad of mysterious veins and capillaries through which stolen wealth is processed into seemingly legitimate acquisitions of yesterday’s paupers turned today’s moguls.

    “They should also be savvy in the here talked about intelligence gathering relating of funds movement that finance and further acts of terror.

    “Aside these qualities, they should be patriotic Nigerians who would be brave enough to stare down thieving personages and deliver reports on them to the EFCC who’ll then process them to the Attorney-General who should in turn take action as needed to prosecute deserving vermin, bring them to book and recover the stolen property to its source,” he suggested.

    Chief Uwensuyi-Edosomwan believe the agency, when established, would go a long way to aiding the fight against corruption in many ways, such as tracking financial information, analysing, sorting and exposing shady deals; nipping corrupt deals of whatever dimension – local/international in the bud; and aiding the EFCC in its investigations of financial crimes.

    “When you see recent decisions of Appellate courts overturning High court decisions on EFCC cases, it isn’t too hard to see that corruption cases are currently poorly investigated,” he said.

    To him, the agency would definitely help the fight against corruption.

    However, Senator Ita Enang opposed the bill on the ground that an FIU is already domiciled in EFCC.

    He argued that passing the bill into law amounts to duplication of laws and may result in unnecessary  conflict among agencies performing similar functions.

    He said: “I am conscious that this is an Executive Bill. It will only draw attention of the Senate to existing Acts. Passing this Bill will amount to repetition of the  laws.”

    Also, pundits in the intelligence sector argued that if the proposed NFIA is created, it would amount to a departure from common practices around the world, which is to insulate the FIUs for efficient performance of their functions.

    According to them, once the NFIA is established as proposed by this bill, with the power to sue and be sued, it will expose the NFIU to political influence and litigation including injunctions that may restrain it from performing its duties and ultimately, destroy the country’s institutions for fighting corruption.

    Mr. Sebastine Hon (SAN) does not see any reason a separate and an independent intelligence financial unit should be established out of the EFCC.

    Hon maintained that the EFCC is abysmally underfunded by successive administrations since its establishment.

    “I have also publicly decried its being grossly understaffed,” he said. He lamented that the federal civil service is marooned by red tapism, which complex conundrum is exacerbated by duplication of parastatals, saddled with largely the same functions adding that this has had a depleting effect on our commonwealth.

    “I see no reason another financial intelligence unit will be established to operate side-by-side with the EFCC.

    “I have always drawn comparison between Nigeria and the USA. The US population is just double that of Nigeria and Nigeria is higher on the corruption index. Yet, US budget for its replica of the EFCC, namely the FBI, is 10 times more than that of Nigeria for the EFCC. In terms of staffing, the FBI has more than 50,000 personnel on its payroll, while the EFCC and the ICPC combined have less than 5, 000 staff! What a way to fight corruption in Nigeria!

    “Obviously, from the analysis above, there is no doubt that the EFCC needs to be strengthened financially and personnel-wise instead of its functions being fragmented and assigned to another federal body.

    “With due respect, we are having too many moribund federal parastals.”

    Hon believes there is executive interference and lack of political will to fight corruption.

    He said EFCC should be left alone, even as it needs to rise up to its statutory responsibilities. “My certified answer, therefore, is a capital ‘NO’ to a separate independent intelligence financial unit out of the EFCC,” he said.

    Mr. Dele Adesina (SAN) argued that no new agency is needed to fight economic and financial crimes or corruption in all ramifications, including money laundering.

    He regretted that the country seems to believe so much in creating something new and or duplicating institutions, as if an institution being new determines its efficiency and effectiveness.

    “Whereas, the effectiveness of any institution is a product of so many factors, including but not limited to the capacity of the handlers, provision of adequate funding, provision of materials and necessary equipments and the political will of those who establish the institution to make the institution succeed,” he stressed.

    He described the proposed bill as an unnecessary attempt to create a new institution to take over the functions of an existing one.

    “If NFIA is being created to take over the functions of the FIU of the EFCC and the Special Control Unit against money laundering, the question one will readily ask is why a separate administrative institution needs to be created to take over these existing functions from an existing agency?

    “If the existing institutions, such as the EFCC or even the Special Fraud Unit of the regular police force have not been able to perform these functions effectively, the necessary thing to do is to ask the question why this is so. Take definitive steps to locate the problems inhibiting the effective discharge of the statutory responsibilities and solve them, not in creating a new institution all together,” he advised.

    Adesina recalled that the national newspapers was recently awash with a report that EFCC lacks the funds to carry out its functions.

    “Has somebody somewhere made the funds adequately available and EFCC is still found incapable of effectively performing its functions under its establishment Act, which failure has warranted the establishment of a separate and new institution?

    “There is nothing to suggest that. All that I am trying to say here is that performance is not a function of duplication of institutions.”

    He argued that the EFCC Establishment Act 2004 (as amended) and the Money Laundering Prohibition Act 2004 have copious provisions to deal with these situational crimes, and if well enforced can stem the tide against financial crimes and money laundering.

    “So, I will rather advocate for the strengthening of the existing institutions than creating new ones. How do you strengthen them? By giving them priority for funding, priority of provision of necessary equipments including communications, providing incentives for the officials, as well as enhanced training on the job.

    “I believe that the issue generally is that of enforcement of our laws. The laws are there, but sustained enforcement does not appear to be there and that is what the National Assembly should address. Proliferation of law enforcement agencies will do more harm than good.

    “I will rather suggest with all sense of responsibility that whatever may be responsible for the shortfalls in the expected performance of the EFCC should be provided them so that they can function adequately and maximally. The resources used to establish a new agency should be used to strengthen the existing one. The emphasis is not in the names but in the functions and the performance of the statutory functions,” he said.

    He urged the lawmakers to use the opportunity to look at the agencies in a holistic manner and then streamline their roles and their functions.

    “I am unable to see why an agency well-funded, well-staffed and well-equipped should not be sufficient to take on the responsibility of enforcing anti-money laundering laws and fight financial and economic crimes,” he said.

    Lagos lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) described the proposed NFIA bill as reckless and an attempt to draw the NFIU out to weaken the institution for fighting corruption and financial crimes. To him, any bill for the creation of another bureaucracy such as the proposed NFIA will effectively destroy our institutions for fighting corruption in Nigeria.

    Falana urged the National Assembly to decline further consideration of the proposed NFIA Bill and to set in motion, measures necessary to enhance the autonomy and funding of the existing anti-graft Agencies.

    The lawyer who noted that the anti-graft agencies, including the EFCC, the ICPC, among others are being underfunded counseled the National Assembly to make laws that will strengthen the activities of the agencies to make them more functional instead of creating another agency with a lean purse that will end up not leaving up to the expectations of Nigerians and the international community.

    “For instance, the EFCC Act should be amended to make it more independent with proper funding by making its budget a first line charge as we have in the judiciary,” he added.

    Constitutional lawyer and rights activist Mr Theophilus Akanwa said the proposed agency is not what Nigeria needs.

    He said: “It is very appalling that the present administration seem to be missing the proper directions desirous of good people of Nigeria. Why should another anti-corruption agency be created when the existing ones are not well funded to meet their statutory obligations?

    “The desired result of curbing corruption should not be based on the number of anti-corruption agencies in place nor replacing them at will. We need to have the right people in these agencies; we need to apply the already laws in order to fight corruption.

    “We need to fund the existing agencies adequately to help them carry out their duties effectively, efficiently and to prevent any form of inducement. If the alreadys agencies are not well funded, then the yet to be created ones will not even be funded. Corruption is on the rise and this government should do something drastic to save our dear country from total collapse.

    “I consider the bill for the creation of NFIA as one of those to create jobs for the boys and I encourage the National Assembly not to pass the said bill, but closely monitor the activities of the agencies and encourage more funding of them.”

    The Chairman, Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), Olanrewaju Suraju, described the provision where the appointment of the Director-General of the proposed Agency will not be subjected to security clearance and Senate confirmation as  “ridiculous”. “The bill should be thrown into the dustbin,” he said.

    According to him, the sponsors of the Bill do not mean well for Nigeria.

    “It is rather unfortunate that we are faced with efforts to draw the country back in her anti corruption crusade. Our practice is in consonance with international best practices and should not be tampered with unless we want to create another job for the boys,” he cautioned.

    HOWEVER, sources close to the National Assembly say that some of the legislators are not comfortable with the Bill, as it will expose the hypocrisy of the National Assembly in the fight against corruption.

    An aide to a Senator opposed to the Bill, who spoke on condition of anonymity, also faulted the Bill’s intention.

    “I think the whole essence of the Bill is to politicise the NFIA and cripple its activities. You know our people, once the agency is given the power to sue and be sued, they will inundate it with Court injunctions, which will prevent the agency from releasing adverse information against them.

    “Don’t forget, 2015 election is around the corner and nobody wants to take anything for granted.  With our weak judicial system in Nigeria, you should expect the unexpected.

    “The NFIA Bill is a bad omen that will leave sour taste in everybody’s mouth. Those who are supporting it know they have ulterior motives and Nigerians should be warned not to listen to their sweet talks,” he said.

     

     

  • A combatant’s chronicle of the Nigeria – Biafra War

    A combatant’s chronicle of the Nigeria – Biafra War

    It is fitting and quite thoughtful that General Godwin Alabi–Isama has chosen Nelson Mandela’s birthday to present his book, The Tragedy of Victory. For Mandela, in so many ways, exemplifies the generosity of spirit which you will constantly encounter as you read this sprawling book. In Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela’s engrossing and deeply moving chronicle of his extraordinary life, he shares the honour and glory of the successes of the anti-apartheid struggles, not only with all the comrades with whom he served long jail terms, but also with many others who supported the struggles. For instance, on page 601 of that fascinating book, Mandela pays the following tribute to one of his comrades: “In Plato’s allegory of the metals, the philosopher classifies men into groups of gold, silver and lead. Oliver Tambo was pure gold; there was gold in his intellectual brilliance, gold in his unfailing loyalty and in his tolerance and generosity, gold in his unfailing loyalty and self-sacrifice. As much as I respected him as a leader, that is how much I loved him as a man”.

    Gratitude matters. Appreciation of the good contribution of others humanises us all. When you recognise the goodness of others, you’re actually laying the building blocks of what will make humankind endure and survive. It doesn’t diminish you; the world is incredibly richer for it.

    The total lack of this kind of generous spirit in General Olusegun Obasanjo prompted General Alabi-Isama to write The Tragedy of Victory. Three years ago, when General Godwin Alabi–Isama turned 70; he came to Nigeria from the US to celebrate his birthday. His close friend, General Alani Akinrinade who attended the ceremony, gave him two copies of General Olusegun Obasanjo’s My Command. By that time Alabi-Isama had heard about the book but had never read it. Akinrinade had told his friend that the book would turn his belly. It surely did. General Alabi-Isama discovered that there were so many distortions of fact in the book, and he immediately dismissed it as a tapestry of inaccuracies. As he read it, he marked out not less than eighty two passages in My Command where General Obasanjo simply told outright lies to massage his ego and damage the reputation of his colleagues. Alabi-Isama then thought that since he was still a moving encyclopaedia on the three Marine Commando Division, it was time to tear the painted mask of Obasanjo’s lies.

    In My Command, the achievements of gallant officers like Benjamin Adekunle (The Black Scorpion), Alani Akinrinade, Godwin Ally, Ayo Ariyo, Ola Oni, Isaac Adaka Boro, Ahmadu Aliyu, Roland Omowa, Sani Bello, SS Tomoye, Yemi Alabi, Philemon Shande, Musa Wamba, Mac Isemede, Sunny Tuoyo, Audu Jalingo, Ignatius Obeya, and their informants like Ndidi Okereke – Onyiuke, Margaret Eyo, Florence Ita-Giwa and many other women who made the 3 Marine Commando Division such a formidable force, are tainted and belittled. Blessed with very good memory, General Alabi-Isama, in Tragedy of Victory, offers a ferocious and damning critique of General Olusegun Obasanjo’s vainglorious claims of his gallantry. He sets the mangled records straight with absolute passion, precision and indignation. To him, history matters because it is meant to inspire and instruct posterity.

    He shares George Santayana’s view that those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. And because Nigerians have been made cynical by many decades of lies, all claims that Alabi-Isama makes he supports with abundant evidence. If this book is a 671-page to me it is in part because the memoirist illustrates his story with 450 pictures, 36 maps and 20 documents. It is also partly because the author meanders. He repeats himself many times.

    By and large, his responses to General Obasanjo’s claims show that he was a more competent soldier, military strategist and theorist than OBJ, who tends to mistake good luck for profound gift and talent. Alabi-Isama simply did his duty and left politics in the army for all the crafty war profiteers who have been described by Wole Soyinka in Jero’s metamorphosis as DGS – Desk Generals. As Chief of Staff of 3 Marine Commando Division, he was very demanding of everyone – he was hard on his men and women without ever losing tenderness. Deep knowledge was central to his strategy and tactics, so he sought for it everywhere. Indeed, one very important duty of the 3 Marine Commando women was collecting vast data about Biafran soldiers and their operational orders. The 3 Marine Commando Division operated in a very difficult terrain of creeks and mangrove forest comprising the present Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa states. Those young men and women fighting for the unity of a country that would later abandon them demonstrated uncommon patriotism. Consider the courage of a young officer who just got shot in the war front, and as he was about to die, he asked his commander, Alabi-Isama, who was carrying him, “Have I tried? Those young men were brave people. Consider the immense talent and heroic move of Captain Gbadamosi King, the Nigerian Air Force pilot whose air-to-air operation was the first, not only in Nigeria’s history but was the first in Africa. Consider also the exploits of those ladies who cheered up the troops when their morale was down. The book is dedicated to Alabi-Isama’s mother who solidly supported the war efforts of her only son.

    This was war at the Atlantic theatre. A very difficult place to fight to keep Nigeria one. Each time situations became intractable and confounding; it was either Akinrinade or Alabi-Isama who were ordered to go and sorts things out. Many of the troops died of malaria, dysentery, cholera; cold and snake bites. One soldier was swallowed by a 50-foot-long snake. The troops had to kill the snake with the soldier still inside.

    As the troops were getting tired, the Biafrans redoubled their efforts.

    Helped by France, they launched deadly attacks. With the capture of Port Harcourt by the 3 Marine Commando in 1968 and the capture of Enugu and Umuahia in April 1969, Biafrans had lost three of its major capitals. Uli-Ihiala then became its centre of gravity. But Colonel Benjamin Adekunle, the commanding officer, did not see Uli-Ihiala that way. Missing the point completely, he ordered that OAU (Owerri, Aba and Umuahia) be captured as an October 1 1968 Independence gift to General Yakubu Gowon. It was a complete disaster. General Alabi-Isama says he warned his commander against the operation, but Colonel Benjamin Adekunle did not listen. The 3 Marine Commando Division that had given a good account of itself in Bonny, Calabar, Warri, Ugep, Obubra, Oron, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Itu, Eket, Abak, Etinan, Opobo, Bori, Okrika, Port Harcourt, Degema, Buguma, Abonema, Finima, Nembe, brass, Ahoada and part of Midwest now became a butt of joke in other divisions. Other blunders followed.

    Suffering from stress, all those who criticised Benjamin Adekunle constructively he regarded as cowards. The case became so bad when he decided to get both Alabi-Isama and Akinrinade killed in an ambush. They escaped to Lagos where they reported to General Gowon the crisis of confidence in the 3 Marine Commando. But Gowon was very reluctant to remove Adekunle thinking that, with the Agbekoya riots and protests in Ibadan, many people would shout, “ethnic cleansing” if a non-Yoruba officer was brought in as a commander. He, therefore, asked Akinrinade and Alabi-Isama to suggest a Senior Yoruba Officer he could use. Akinrinade suggested Obasanjo—not Oluleye, not Sotoye, not Olutoye because Akinrinade and his friend were simply desperate to have a commander who would listen to them and implement Alabi-Isama’s operation Pincer 2, a plan that they were sure would end the war in 30 days. Obasanjo was not an infantry officer, he was in the Army Engineers Corps, but Akinrinade rooted for him because he thought he was his friend. General Gowon, who suspected that Obasanjo would not want to go to the war front, asked Akinrinade and Alabi-Isama to go and persuade him which they did. Of course, General Gowon was right. General Obasanjo was furious that they suggested his name. He thought these men wanted him dead. While Akinrinade was civil in his dealing with him, Alabi-Isama was impatient; he told him off, wanting at a point to walk out after several hours of talking without any food or drink from their host. Alabi-Isama would soon pay the big price for doing that to Obasanjo who obviously has what the medical experts call pachydermatous memory for slights and insults.

    When General Gowon gave the order that all divisional commanders at the war front, who had been there for two years, should be replaced and the then Colonel Obasanjo was made the commander of the 3 Marine Commando Division both Alabi-Isama and Akinrinade thought they had won but their victory is part of the tragedy recounted in this book. General Olusegun Obasanjo’s did not take over the 3 Marine Commando until 16 May 1969. As soon as he did, he simply sidelined Akinrinade and Alabi-Isama. He went after all the members of the dream team of the Commando with vengeance. The winning force that was being praised for fighting gallantly to keep Nigeria one was now fighting a war of attrition. George Ininh who knew how to play the politics of genuflection which Obasanjo wanted rose meteorically during and after the war.

    Four days after he resumed duty, Obasanjo’s first battle experience as a commander of 3 Marine Commando Division was a disaster. In what Alabi-Isama describes as a complete disregard of the sound advice of his sector commanders, he ordered Godwin Ally to attack Ohoba, a town 40 kilometres south of Owerri. The Division lost over 1,000 troops. This loss still enrages Alabi-Isama, who suggests that in a saner society, Obasanjo should have lost his commission on account of that tragedy. Why would he be bothered? Did the high command in Lagos ever sanction Murtala Mohammed of 2 Division for ordering an Asaba – River Niger crossing, against the advice of Akinrinade in which about 2,000 troops died by drowning and bullet wounds in the River Niger? Alabi-Isama reminds us many times that Obasanjo, the blundering Commander of 3 Marine Commando Division “had no battle experience and had never fought at any of the three fronts of the war. He had never commanded a battalion or a brigade, now he had to command a division in battle. That was why his military administration and logistics placing was that of a cadet”.

    It was because of his tactical error as a commander that he was almost killed in an ambush when he visited Col. Iluyomade’s unit. He had to flee from the ambush and got shot in the bottom. Alabi-Isama’s take on that is that true generals do get shot in the chest, not bottom. Before Obasanjo was posted to 3 Marine Commando Division, Alabi-Isama, in consultation with Adekunle and other officers, had three plans – Pincer 1, 2 and 3, strategies and tactics which their division knew would win the war. Pincer 1 would be a monstrous operation that was meant to level many towns in Biafra. As if to impress those who doubted his ability, Obasanjo wanted his troops to settle for that. If the 3 Marine Commando had used that plan, Alabi-Isama argues, the charge of genocide that Chinua Achebe raises in his book, There Was a Country would have been justified. Thankfully, reasons prevailed. The commander finally listened to his officers. Pincer 2 was used. And it took only 23 days for the 3 Marine Commando Division to put an end to the Nigeria-Biafra War. Biafra surrendered, not to Obasanjo, who was not at the war front, but to Alani Akinrinade, who was very much there.

    It was a triumphant and self-centered Obasanjo, who rushed to Lagos with Effiong and some of the Biafran officers. And the real heroes of that war were then forgotten. But Alabi-Isama was not only forgotten he was later persecuted and dismissed from the army by General Olusegun Obasanjo who was then the head of state. Alabi-Isama was accused of stealing money which he did not know anything about. He was even accused of being part of the Dimka coup. The two officers who refused to implicate him suddenly died mysteriously. But as James Frederick Green would say their organised slaughter did not settle the dispute; it merely silenced an argument which The Tragedy of Victory has now brought to the front burner. Before his unjustified persecution, General Alabi-Isama was the likeable Principal General Staff Officer of the Nigerian Army. He was a well-decorated officer. He gave the Nigerian Army his best shot. And he was a role model. It is important to remember that our history is full of this kind of bad behaviour. Let me explain that with just one example. In 1980, Chief Bola Ige accepted to review My Command because he thought General Olusegun Obasanjo was a good friend. But since Ige’s assassination, has the general not been dancing on his grave?

    Of course, The Tragedy of Victory is not only about the civil war and the 3 Marine Commando Division even though it is the major plank of it, its centre of gravity. There are other+ interesting stories. The story of his humble early life, how he joined the army after his secondary school at Ibadan Boys High School, his military training in Zaria and England, his peace-keeping mission in the Congo where he helped to kill a huge and notorious hippopotamus that had been terrorising a village for many years. There is a sense in which the story of the Nigerian Army mock battle in Ibadan which he, and his troops won foretold the victory of the Nigeria-Biafra war in the Atlantic Theatre. We are told of how he was captured by the Biafrans, how he was sent to Kirikiri prison for wrong accusation. We are moved by the story of Azuatalam the wonderful swimmer who was later recommended to be recruited into the Army by General Alani Akinrinade. The reader is told of how Alabi-Isama, and his officers arrived at their strategies and tactics like the dilemma strategy. As Generals, Yakubu Gowon and Adeyinka Adebayo write in their introductory remarks, this is a book about military strategies, tactics and campaigns. There is the interesting story of the visit, in 1993, of Stella Obasanjo to his American home where Stella stayed for a pleasurable week. You will not miss the story of how he saved General T.Y. Danjuma and Domkat Bali from being killed by the Dimka coupists.

    Finally, it is clear from our reading of this book that when we yield our hallowed ground to clueless people, they will grow and nurture their weeds on it, thereby suffocating the flowers of the land. May our country have the good sense to always choose good people who will reproduce their goodness in others.

     •Ajibade, Executive Editor of The News, read this review on July 18 at the public presentation of The Tragedy of Victory at the NIIA, Kofo Abayomi, Victoria Island, Lagos.

  • War against corruption gets to schools

    War against corruption gets to schools

    That corruption has permeated the fabric of the Nigerian society is no longer news. Like other sectors, the education sector is not beyond its reach and effect.

    Chairman, Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Dr Ekpo Nta said in an interview that the extent of corrupt practices in institutions has given the agency a cause for concern, particularly given the important socialization role formal educational institutions are meant to play.

    Explaining the agency has been besieged by petitions of corrupt practices in tertiary institutions, the ICPC boss said investigating and prosecuting corrupt practices is not enough. He said the war will be more effectively won if fraud is prevented in the first place.

    To this end he said the agency has produced two vital documents which are expected will greatly help curb corruption. The documents are: the University System Study and Review (USSR), a template that prescribes steps to prevent corruption in universities; and the National Values Curriculum (NVC), which has been infused into the school curricula at the basic and senior secondary education levels, as well as that of the Colleges of Education. The chairman added that the NVC will also be infused into the curricula of universities and polytechnics.

    Nta said the potential of ICPC’s prevention mandate to save cost and reduce losses of national and institutional resources to corruption is part of what inspired the agency to design templates to nip corruption in educational institutions.

    Wit the USSR template, which was developed with the help of Prof Olu Aina, a commissioner with ICPC following empirical investigations into administrative processes in three universities (University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye and Salem University, Lokoja), Nta said corrupt practices should be expected to reduce in schools.

    The template has eight sections that deal with Admission, Enrolment and Registration of Courses (section 1); Examination Administration, Award of Degrees and Graduation of Students (Section 2); Teaching and Learning Services and Facilities (Section 3); Appointments, Promotion and Discipline of Staff (Section 4); Departmental Administration and Faculty Governance (Section 5); Contract Award (Section 6); Financial Management (Section 7); and Research and Research Administration (Section 8).

    Each section lists the corrupt practices associated with the subjects they discuss, and roles the tertiary institutions, National Universities Commission (NUC), the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) and the ICPC should play to prevent corruption from occurring, which Nta believes will be more profitable for all parties involved.

    Nta said in the forward of the template: “‘Prevention is better than cure,’ so goes the old adage. In our efforts to combat this unwholesome phenomenon in our tertiary institutions, we also subscribe to this adage. It is far cheaper to prevent an act of corruption than to clean up the consequences of the mess created. It is in this context that this template has been prepared to accompany the main report of the pilot phase and the Template for Conducting System Study and Review in Universities.”

    For instance, to prevent examination malpractice covered in Section 2 of the document, universities are expected to install CCTV cameras in examination halls; print question papers on the day of the examination to reduce leakages; use of CBT; carefully select people of integrity to handle examinations among others. The NUC is expected to dutifully carry out its oversight functions; while ICPC could help by re-orienting students about the merits and demerits of examination malpractices.

    Section three, which covers the teaching and learning facilities, lists delay in take-off of lectures and non-completion of syllabus by lecturers as a corrupt practice. Others are: Non-adherence to students/lecturer ratio results in over-crowding of classes; and lack of commitment to work by the lecturers, leading to absenteeism and non-preparation for lectures.

    Nta said once the template is in use in schools, the ICPC would prosecute academic and non-academic workers that perpetrate the infractions.

    The ICPC chair also noted that the agency is interested in follow up visits to the ones done by the NUC to cross-check claims made by universities to gain accreditation for their programmes.

    “We have started a procedure of beginning to collect visitation reports of the NUC used for accreditation. We will go round the institutions without prior notice and when we come around, we will like to see the equipment the NUC accreditation marked as seen. If the otherwise is discovered, we will treat it as a very serious infraction meant to deceive. We cannot leave the responsibility of making universities attractive to universities alone. We must address the issues ourselves,” he said.

    Throwing light on the NVC, Nta said the curricula deals with 12 value themes that have been infused into the select subjects taught in primary and secondary schools.

    The values are: honesty, discipline, justice, right attitude to work, citizens’ rights and duties, national consciousness, contentment, courage, regard and concern for the interest of others, role of the family, religious and spiritual values, and Nigerian traditional values.

    The values will be taught in subjects such as English, Business Studies, Christian Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, Social Studies, and Civic Education at the Basic Education level (Primary 1-JSS3), while at the senior secondary level, they will be taught the national values in Book Keeping, CRS, IS, History and Food and Nutrition.

    Nta said the NVC has been hailed internationally as Nigeria is one of the first countries to come up with a document to prevent corruption.

    “Nigeria has been invited to make a presentation at the UN office in Vienna on the National Value Curriculum. It has been described as a good model of prevention,” he said.

     

  • Ladies at war

    A fierce war is raging in Nigeria, and I do not mean the one declared by militant Islamist group Boko Haram.

    It is the “battle of the first ladies” – being fought with political and legal weapons in defence of egos.

    Ex-First Lady Turai Yar’Adua is fighting to retain prime land allocated to her in the capital, Abuja, when she was president of the African First Ladies Peace Mission (AFLPM).

    The property was taken from her after the death of President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010 and given to the current First Lady, Patience Jonathan, in her capacity as the new AFLPM head.

    African leaders, nearly all of whom are men, have the African Union (AU) headquarters – a stunning building funded by the Chinese in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.

    So, in these days of women empowerment, no-one can fault their spouses for setting up the AFLPM.

    Some critics may argue that such a facility should be within the AU complex in Addis Ababa, but that would not show that Africa’s first ladies are independent of their husbands.

    To the delight of the Nigerian government Abuja was therefore chosen as the AFLPM headquarters, as no other country made a bid to host it.

    Mrs Yar’Adua was known in Nigeria as a very tough woman who saw her union with the president to include a unity of office.

    Many insiders described her as the alternate president, more so when Mr Yar’Adua fell ill and was admitted to hospital in Saudi Arabia in 2009.

    At the time, Mrs Jonathan was the unobtrusive wife of Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan, who wielded no power.

    Eventually, Mr Yar’Adua died and Mr Jonathan became president. Power shifted.

    That saw the natural abdication of Mrs Yar’Adua and the enthronement of First Lady Patience Jonathan.

    The battle for the choice piece of land in Abuja started.

    Ex-First Lady Yar’Adua’s lawyers said that the land in question was allocated to her for a non-governmental organisation, the Women and Youth Empowerment Foundation (WYEF), which she had launched.

    As far as they are concerned, it was never meant to be the headquarters of the AFLPM – an organisation launched more than a decade ago.

    Not so, said her successor.

    Her spokesman said the property was originally allocated to Mrs Yar’Adua as president of AFLPM, but was later reviewed in favour of WYEF and the decision by the authorities to re-allocate it to the AFLPM was the only “appropriate logical action”.

    Mrs Yar’Adua took the Federal Capital Territory Administration to court to reclaim the land. She won earlier this month.

    The court ruled there was no evidence to show that the land had been originally allocated to the AFLPM, as claimed by the justice minister. The government responded by saying that it would appeal against the ruling.

    Every Nigerian knows that the battle is not one for the courts.

    Even the court had advised the two parties to settle the matter amicably.

    We lay men say that courts deal with the law and politicians in power make the law. As it is in Nigeria so it is in every other African country.

    Come to think of it, there are scores of properties in the choicest parts of Abuja available for allocation.

    I wish I knew what is driving the battle over this one.

    So far, other African first ladies have not intervened.

    I think they should launch a mission to resolve this dispute, if indeed their objective is to promote peace across the continent.

    Culled from be BBC

     

  • Tukur to Asari Dokubo: stop threatening war over 2015 poll

    Tukur to Asari Dokubo: stop threatening war over 2015 poll

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has cautioned ex-Niger Delta militant, Asari Dokubo, and others threatening to go to war if President Goodluck Jonathan does not get re-elected in 2015.

    Speaking with reporters at the party’s secretariat yesterday, Tukur said it is wrong for anyone to make such threats over election, adding that democracy is about people making a free choice through the ballot.

    Former Niger Delta militant, Dokubo and the Special Adviser to the President, Mr. Kinsley Kuku, were in separate statements penultimate week, quoted to have said that the people in the Niger Delta region would go to war if President Jonathan failed to secure re-election in 2015.

    Tukur said there was no reason for such threats as the present administration would guarantee free and fair elections.

    He stressed that election is a competition in which the people are allowed to freely choose their leaders at the poll.

    According to him, in a free and fair election, there is no reason for losers or any group to threaten war if their preferred candidate does not win.

    He said: “Elections should be a free and fair affair. So, it is wrong for anyone or group to threaten to go to war over election. It is about people making their choice.

    “Everyone is free to offer himself for election, but it is the duty of the people to choose whoever they want.”

    The party chair described the ongoing merger arrangement among opposition parties as a healthy development for the nation and its democracy, stressing that political groups should be allowed to express their wishes and preferences.

    “But let us wait to see their manifesto whether it will address the wishes, fears and expectations of the Nigerian people,” Tukur added.

    He said under the PDP government, every political group or association has the right to express its wishes, adding, however, that in doing this the unity and stability of the nation should be treated as sacrosanct.

    Tukur said the PDP cannot pretend to be the only party in the country, although it has its presence in the 774 local governments.

    Said he: “The PDP government will continue to provide a level playing field. That’s how to ensure justice, equity, patronage and progress. We are not distracted by the activities of the merging opposition parties.

    “The PDP will find out what other parties are doing and make adjustments to serve Nigerians better.”

  • Jonathan/Amaechi: If this is not war…

    Jonathan/Amaechi: If this is not war…

    After the latest outbreak of cold war rhetoric between President Goodluck Jonathan’s government and the Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, the Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Mr Ahmed Gulak, declared that the governor was not above the law. But he added that in spite of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) grounding the Rivers State Bombadier private jet in which the governor flew into Akure last week, the presidency was not waging war against Amaechi. Really? Hardball may not be interested in who is to blame for provoking the pitched battles between the president and the governor, but to say that no war is being fought between the two combatants is to stretch credulity to breaking point. The grounding of the aircraft, which first took place at the Akure Airport, is now fully implemented, with the NCAA insisting the plane’s clearance had expired since April 2. It is all politics, say aides of the governor.

    If the grounded aircraft showed beyond doubt that the presidency has trained its guns on Amaechi, the sacking of the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman, Godspower Ake, by a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja about two weeks ago gave a concrete feel to a war that had up till then been fought clandestinely since 2010. Since Amaechi will not give the presidency any quarter, and because the 2015 elections are not too far away, the state machinery of the PDP had to be taken away from his camp and given to Chief Felix Obuah, even if it involved some juridical sleight of hand. The state PDP war may manifest in the shape of Godspower Ake fighting Chief Nyesom Wike, the Minister of State for Education, for the soul of the PDP, but in reality the combatants are Jonathan and Amaechi. Proceeding from taking control of the Rivers PDP from the Amaechi camp, the Jonathan group has gone ahead to announce the suspension of the Speaker of the House, Otelemaba Dan Amachree, and the other 26 pro-Amaechi PDP members in the House of Assembly.

    The Jonathan/Amaechi war, it will be recalled, began inauspiciously in August 2010 when the First Lady, Mrs Patience Jonathan, paid a two-day visit to Rivers State and had a public spat with Amaechi at her hometown, Okrika, while inspecting a project. The war, however, went up a notch when a major disagreement broke out between the president’s home state, Bayelsa, and Amaechi’s Rivers over boundary adjustment alleged to have been surreptitiously influenced by the president. The adjusted boundary, claimed Rivers, unlawfully transferred the rich Soku oil fields in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State to Oluasiri in Nembe Local Government of Bayelsa State, thereby opening a battle between the Kalabari and Nembe.

    While the ugly oil war was yet to abate, the presidency opened another front by throwing a wild cat among the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) pigeons. The target was, of course, Amaechi. Previously united, the NGF has become an emblem of disunity, with the Governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio, proudly leading a coterie of PDP governors to form a breakaway faction of the governors’ forum. This guerilla war is set to become an open, conventional war soon, as the governors prepare to elect a chairman. It is indeed amazing how in a little over two years, the presidency has locked horns four times with Amaechi, while the latter has himself not shirked a fight. The presidency appears to have vowed it will not rest until the latter is humiliated, for the presidency in Nigeria is so powerful that few monarchies in history could project power as viciously as it does, or brook opposition without diminishing the splendour in which it basks. Luckily for patient and bemused spectators, it won’t be long before we know the winner.

     

     

  • 2015: Jonathan, Tambuwal in cold war

    2015: Jonathan, Tambuwal in cold war

    • Speaker shuns presidential fleet

     • IBB’s advice to seek ‘higher office’ unsettles presidency  

     • Okupe:It’s a free world

     

    The Presidency is poised for war with Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives over what it perceives as his interest in the 2015 presidential race.

    The seat of power is said to have been ‘provoked’ by the public encouragement given the Speaker by former military ruler, General Ibrahim Babangida, in Lagos penultimate Saturday, to take a shot at the presidency.

    Babangida, speaking at the Vanguard Man of the Year Awards Nite in Lagos had said: “When leaders like Tambuwal deliver on their electoral promises, we advise them to try something higher. For Tambuwal, your guess is as good as mine. Well done.”

    Tambuwal was a guest at the event.

    The Presidency, sources said, is also uncomfortable with the high level of confidence enjoyed by Tambuwal with the opposition that does not see face to face with the ruling PDP (to which President Jonathan and Tambuwal belong).

    Similarly, intelligence reports suggest that Tambuwal’s comments on national issues are in tandem with those of the opposition.

    Although the Presidency and the Tambuwal-led House of Representatives have been locked in a long –standing face off over budget matters, his alleged interest in the 2015 presidential race appears to have turned him into ‘Enemy N0 1’ in the villa. Some security agencies, it was gathered, have already put him under surveillance.

    This, sources disclosed has forced the Speaker to adopt a ‘discreet approach” in his movement and activities.

    The strain in the relationship between him and the Presidency has now been fuelled by Gen. Babangida’s comment that he deserves to seek a higher position in the polity.

    According to investigation by our correspondent, loyalists of the President have, in the last one year, picked Tambuwal as a potential threat to the second term ambition in 2015 even when there was no concrete evidence to show that he was interested in the race.

    Sources said that Jonathan had twice taunted Tambuwal to know his mindset on 2015 but on both occasions, the Speaker merely smiled and waved it off.

    A highly-placed source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The Presidency is uncomfortable with Tambuwal because of what it terms his anti-government attitude. Besides the uncompromising oversight of the House on 2012 and 2013 budgets, the presidency sees the Speaker as working for the opposition.

    “The advice of Babangida to Tambuwal to go for a “higher office” has unsettled Jonathan and his strategists on the 2015 agenda. The general interpretation is that Tambuwal might be the candidate of the North against Jonathan.

    “In fact, barely 24 hours after Babangida’s suggestion, two northern governors called Tambuwal to know whether he would seek the presidential ticket on the platform of a party other than the PDP. But the Speaker was just laughing.”

    Asked why Tambuwal was non-committal to the governors, the source added: “The Speaker felt the fear of the unknown about 2015 in the Presidency has been recurring. There has been some drama of suspicion, twice, on 2015 between the President and Tambuwal. For instance, during one of the consultative sessions with the National Assembly leaders on 2013 budget at the Presidential Villa, the President drew the President of the Senate, David Mark, closer to himself on the sofa by saying, ‘after all, we are together in the same party.’ The import was not lost to Tambuwal.

    “Also during the inauguration of the Eko Atlantic City Project in Lagos, Tambuwal was on hand in Lagos, among other guests, to welcome Jonathan. Upon sighting Jonathan, Tambuwal jokingly said: “Your Excellency, you can see that I came early enough to receive you’, but the President simply told the Speaker, ‘You came as the presidential candidate of ACN.’

    “Yet, the Speaker has not shown interest in the presidential race. He is still preoccupied with the mandate given to him to lead the House.”

    Investigation showed that another reason the presidency is suspicious of Tambuwal was his remarks on Monday in Abuja that government should be cautious in granting pardon to those who have committed economic and financial crimes.

    Another source added: “The government regarded Tambuwal’s position as a way of distancing himself from the decision of the National Council of State on ex-Governor Diepreye Alamieyeseigha. The Presidency was hurt that Tambuwal did not oppose the pardon at the Council of State session.

    “The Speaker’s position also rubbishes security brief that Alamieyeseigha enjoys the backing of Tambuwal. Prior to Tambuwal’s warning, he was sighted at a highbrow hotel on Victoria Island in Lagos with Alamieyeseigha having a breakfast session.

    “Actually, Tambuwal was eating alone before Alamieyeseigha tapped him and joined the table for some talks. A South-South governor also teamed up with the duo.

    “Alamieyeseigha and some government officials at the hotel left the table confident that there could be a friend in Tambuwal. But on Monday, Tambuwal lambasted the Presidency on amnesty for corrupt elements. This twist shocked many in the Presidency.”

    On the security surveillance on him, a source said: “The Speaker knows he is under surveillance, especially on 2015 poll which is not yet on his political card. But he is trying to be careful to avoid being framed up.

    “Well, like most public officials now, Tambuwal is hardly using his phone and he runs an unscheduled itinerary known to himself alone.

    “The Speaker also does not use any aircraft in the presidential fleet despite his tight commitments nationwide. He is now more open to some PDP leaders like Chief Tony Anenih and two to three ministers to enable them understand his person. He has told these people that he is not undermining the government or working against President Jonathan.”

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe, however denied any cold war between his principal and Tambuwal.

    Contacted last night, Okupe said: “I am not aware of any cold war between the President and the Speaker. My belief is that there is very obvious separation of powers and activities between the Executive and the Legislature.

    “In terms of bills, there are areas of disagreement when the Executive do send them to the Legislature which do not amount to cold war.” On the recommendation of Tambuwal for a higher office by ex-President Babangida, Okupe said: “Why should the presidency be jittery? If ex-President Babangida recommended the Speaker for a higher office, there are other offices along the ladder. It could be President of the Senate, it could be Vice-President. It does not mean the President of Nigeria.

    “Even if he recommended him for the Presidency of Nigeria, it does not call for being jittery. It is a very free world.”

  • Waging war on war

    Waging war on war

    After seven years of negotiation, the UN General Assembly has approved a treaty that regulates trade in conventional arms. It is the first of its kind. While nuclear and biological weapons have long been subject to international law, there is no global framework for monitoring the import and export of military equipment such as tanks and missiles.

    Countries opting to sign and ratify the treaty will have to ensure that the arms they trade are not used for acts of genocide, war crimes or terrorism. This is an important step. The flood of weapons into some of the most vulnerable countries in the world has fuelled civil wars, costing lives and obstructing economic development. Governments from across the globe have a moral obligation to intervene.

    Signatories will also be obliged to make public any information over arms imports, exports and transfers. Violators will be named and shamed by a newly created international entity. This pressure will make it harder for governments to close their eyes to morally questionable deals.

    Of course, there are limits to the impact of the agreement. Given the large backing it received on Tuesday, it is almost certain that 50 nations will ratify it. This is a precondition for the treaty to go into effect. Yet Russia and China, two of the world’s largest arms exporters, are unlikely to sign it. US President Obama changed his country’s stance on the initiative and chose to back it. Yet, regrettably, more than 50 US senators have already signalled that they will oppose its ratification.

    The treaty, as currently structured, lacks teeth. First, it does not include military aid. Signatories will be able to exploit this loophole to help friendly regimes in acts of civil repression. Most importantly, there is no specific enforcement mechanism. The UN will have no concrete powers to sanction violators.

    Yet realism over what the treaty can achieve is no good reason to oppose it. Governments across the world should swiftly sign it and ratify it. Once the agreement is in place, it can be tightened, for example by broadening its scope so that it includes military gifts. Since only those that have ratified the treaty will be able to amend it, large countries such as the US have an interest in doing so in order to be able to influence the negotiations. The backing of big powers would also give the treaty greater legitimacy, which is essential for it to become relevant.

    – Financial Times

  • Army boosts anti-kidnapping war

    Army boosts anti-kidnapping war

    The governments of Southeast states have found a formidable ally in the battle against kidnappers. The new General Officer Commanding (GOC) 82 Division of the Nigerian Army, Enugu, Major-General Adebayo Olaniyi, boosted the anti-kidnapping onslaught as he toured the region.

    Gen. Olaniyi said said that one of the primary responsibilities of the Army is the defence of the country against any external aggression. However, he added, it would not shirk its responsibility of complementing efforts of other security agencies in their quest to ensure that internal enemies who may want to disrupt societal peace and cause harm to others are checked.

    He expressed his worry over the activities of kidnappers and armed robbers who hold people of the Southeast to ransom.

    He pledged the commitment of officers and men of the 82 Division to ensuring that those who perpetrate evil against the society do not go scot-free.

    Gen. Olaniyi promised that military formations under his division would assist in combating violent crimes and checkmate kidnapping and other vices in the zone.

    On indiscipline among Army personnel, General Olaniyi said it would not be business-as-usual as he warned that acts would no longer be tolerated.

    The general spoke when he visited the 302 Artillery Regiment Onitsha and 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha, as part of his familiarisation tour of military formations under his command.

    Gen. Olaniyi visited 302 Artillery Regiment; 14 Field Engineers Regiment; vehicle repair stand, cantonment barracks building and its ongoing renovation work; Cantonment Mess and new naval out-post station in Ogbaru, among others.

    During the visits, Gen. Olaniyi held discussions with Col. Taritimiye Gagariga, Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment; Lt Col Bayode Adetoro, Commanding Officer 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha and Captain Godson Ohaeri, Officer in charge of Military Police at the cantonment.

    Their discussions were based on how to improve the integrity of the Nigerian Army, and increasing security surveillance in Anambra State and the regiments that make up the 82 Division. He was particular about improving security of life and property by preventing kidnapping and violent armed robbery. He also discussed improvement of Army and civilian relations.

    Retired Colonel George Molokwu, the Security Adviser to Governor Peter Obi, represented the governor at the event. Colonel Gambo H. A., Media Relations Officer, 82 Division Enugu anchored the interaction.

    Olaniyi, who was Corps Commander, Nigerian Army Engineers before his new appointment, assured that the Ihejirika administration has concluded plans to resuscitate the moribund water treatment plant in the barracks.

    On the Army Bridge which the Lt.-Col. Adetoro-led group of Army engineers are constructing at Ugbenu for the Anambra State government, Olaniyi said it is part of efforts at enhancing civil and military relationship.

    Noting that the bridge is about 60 per cent completed, he thanked Governor Obi for his support to the military in Onitsha as well as a council chief who promised to renovate the Army Primary School.

    He advised officers and men of his command to maintain high level of discipline.

    He said: “You must not extort money from members of the public.

    “Any one of you caught extorting money from the public as well as engaging in any form of misconduct would be appropriately dealt with.

    “As disciplined men of the Nigerian Army, you must take care of your weapons and I will be very happy if you don’t indulge in any form of undisciplined behaviour.   He commended Governor Obi for donating patrol vehicles to the Army as well as other logistic supports.

    “The governor deserves commendation from the Nigerian Army for his unrelenting support in various ways. We are hopeful that he would fulfill his promises to the effect that he would resuscitate some of the social amenities here,” he said.

    The GOC, however, urged the governor to redeem his pledge of resuscitating the water scheme and re-constructing roads in the cantonment.

    He equally commended Commander of Onitsha Military Cantonment and Commanding Officer 14 Field Engineer Regiment Onitsha Col. Taritimiye Gagariga and Lt Col. Bayode Adetoro respectively for their steadfastness in maintaining military standards.

    “I am proud of the officers here. You are steadfast in your operations. You are also meticulous as manifested by the facts on your records.

    Olaniyi also thanked the residents of Anambra State for maintaining cordial relationship with the Army in the discharge of their duties which he said are taxing.

    Responding, Col. Taritimiye Gagariga, assured the GOC that the cantonment would continue to maintain high standard and the tradition of discipline for which the Nigerian Army is known.

    “We would maintain strict professionalism as there would be no room for misconduct. We would continue to maintain the cordial military-civilian relationship for the benefit of our great country and her people,” Gagariga said.z