The Nation Newspaper

Tag: war

  • Winning the war against cancer

    Although progress is gradually being made in the fight against cancer, there is need for more awareness on its preventive measures, adherence to healthy lifestyles and investment in cancer treatment facilities, reports VINCENT IKUOMOLA

    Aremu Segun Kuti, who lost his wife to cancer two years ago,believes the National Hospital in Abuja is overwhelmed. His wife, Taiwo Olufunke Aremu, suffered and died of cancer in the hospital after waiting for 11 years to have a baby. Sadly, she was mowed down by cancer during pregnancy,unable to survive the disease after much efforts and safe child delivery. To keep her memory alive, Tai Aremu Cancer Awareness Campaign Organisation(TACACO) was set up for sensitising the populace about the need for routine medical tests as early detection of cancer makes for easier treatment that can save lives.

    According to Mr. Kuti, the National Hospital where his wife died two years ago deserves commendation for how it is handling the influx of cancer patients from all parts of the country. Having been equipped with modern facilities for diagnosing and treatment of cancer, the National Hospital has continued to experience huge human traffic, as cancer patients throng the facility in search of succour.

    Speaking with The Nation during activities organised by TACACO to mark the World Cancer Day at the National Hospital in Abuja, many patients and their relations emphasised the need for government to do everything possible to ensure easy access to treatment. With over 8.8 million cancer deaths recorded yearly, cancer is indeed a global scourge. It is responsible for one in six deaths globally. Latest figures show that more than 14 million people develop cancer every year, and this figure is projected to rise to over 21 million by 2030. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), there were 18.1million new cases of cancer in 2018. This was a significant increase of about 4million cases compared to last estimate of 14.1million new cases in 2012. It is estimated that one  in every five men and one  in every six women develop cancer globally.

    Africa is estimated to have about 5.8 per cent of the new cases, but also a disproportionately higher 7.3 per cent of cancer prevention, poor attitude for cancer screening and early detection, inadequate treatment facilities and higher incidence of cancer types with poor outcomes. Thus, cancer is now the second leading cause of deaths in the world, accounting for 8.8 million deaths in 2018. Of this figure, Nigeria is said to account for 80,000 deaths. According to the WHO statistics, over 100,000 Nigerians are diagnosed with cancer annually, and about 80,000 die from the disease, averaging 240 Nigerians every day or 10 Nigerians every hour, dying from cancer.

    Nigeria’s cancer death ratio of four in five is said to be one of the worst in the whole world.Data also shows that cervical cancer, which is virtually 100 percent preventable, kills one Nigerian woman every hour. It is the same sad story for breast cancer, which kills 40 Nigerians daily; while prostate cancer kills 26 Nigerian men daily. These three common cancers alone kill 90 Nigerians daily.

    Last year, Nigeria recorded an estimated 115,950 new cases of cancer with an estimated 80, 327 cancer deaths. A recent research has also shown that more Nigerians are likely to die of cancer in the next seven years. According to the report by a group conducting research on prevention policies for the diseases in the country, cancer will kill more than malaria and HIV.But cancer is regarded as curable if the patient lives for more than five years after the disease has been identified, says WHO. High mortality rates are usually observed among third and fourth-degree cancer patients.

    According to new guides to cancer early diagnosis released by WHO, three steps to early diagnosis are necessary. First, there has to be an improvement in public awareness of different cancer symptoms and encourage people to seek care when these arise. Countries are also expected to invest in strengthening and equipping health services and training health workers so they can conduct accurate and timely diagnostics and ensure people living with cancer can access safe and effective treatment, including pain relief, without incurring prohibitive personal or financial hardships.”Diagnosing cancer in late stages, and the inability to provide treatment, condemns many people to unnecessary suffering and early death. By taking the steps to implement WHO’s new guidance, healthcare planners can improve early diagnosis of cancer and ensure prompt treatment, especially for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancers. This will result in more people surviving cancer. It will also be less expensive to treat and cure cancer patients,” said Dr. Etienne Krug, director of WHO’s Department for the Management of Non-communicable Diseases, Disability, Violence and Injury Prevention.

    The world health body has therefore called on specialists to pay special attention to early diagnosis of cancer, because most oncological diseases are curable, if discovered early.In Nigeria, it is observed that many cancer cases are diagnosed too late. This may not be the fault of the patients who in most cases are being attended to by general doctors, and not specialists. Thus, by the time the specialists would have come to the picture, it is usually said to be late, which may not the entire fault of the patients.

    Added to this is the fact that Nigerians have poor attitude towards preventive healthcare. Many don’t make it a point of duty to know their health status; while self-medication is usually practised when they fall ill. Going for medical check-up is definitely not in the habit of many people. Lack of money is the main excuse people give; so they would rather spend money on curative medicine than preventive.However, WHO has encouraged Nigeria and other countries to prioritise basic, high-impact and low-cost cancer diagnosis and treatment service. It also recommends reducing the need for people to pay for care out of their own pockets, which prevents many from seeking help in the first place.

    Comprehensive cancer control consists of prevention, early diagnosis and screening, treatment, palliative care, and survivorship care, which should all be part of comprehensive national cancer control plans. WHO has produced comprehensive cancer control guidance to help governments develop and implement such plans to protect people from the onset of cancer and to treat those needing care.

    The Minister of Health,Prof Isaac Adewole,said Nigeria is working towards revitalising all its cancer treatment centres to address the menace. He recently disclosed that out of the 200 treatment machines which Nigeria requires, only seven were available, with none working at some points. Prof Adewole however assured that the government will upgrade treatment centres in Maiduguri, Zaria, Ilorin, Ibadan, Benin,Enugu, Sokoto, Gombe and Jos. He further explained that the government has secured a grant to set up six standard cancer treatment centres. Already, the National Hospital in Abuja has two cancer treatment machines working; while the Lagos University Teaching Hospital cancer centreis being brought back to life.

    Among measures being put in place to address the cancer menace is the spearheading of increase in tobacco tax to discourage its consumption. Tobacco has been identified as one of the major causes of cancer. Also, the government has continued to preach the gospel of healthy life styles, a cut down in alcoholic consumption and also on the kind of food consumed.In spite of these measures, cancer prevention awareness level in the country is still very low, according to the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA). Urging the government to increase cancer awareness so as to promote early detection, doctors lamented that screening rate in the country is the poorest in the world.Another problem confronting cancer patients in the country is the prohibitive cost of treatment in public hospitals. Many patients undergoing treatment at the National Hospital lamented that having to pay more than N7 million annually on chemotherapy treatment is beyond their reach.

    Briefing journalists in Abuja on the occasion of the World Cancer Day, chairman of Abuja branch of NMA, Dr. Philip Ekpe, who read the speech of the association’s national president, said the high rate of deaths attributed to cancer is alarming and thus “calls for the inclusion of cancer control and treatment in the  service  covered  by the National  Health  Insurance  Scheme(NHIS) and necessary  measures taken to enhance  the coverage  to the scheme to more  Nigerians.”While commending the on-going renovation of cancer treatment facilities in tertiary hospitals in the country, NMA also pointed out that the country is in dire need of more cancer treatment centres.

    “Cancer screening and early detection services need urgent intervention. This is very important to reduce the proportion of patients that present with advance disease associated with poor outcomes. We implore the government to ensure timely completion of ongoing projects on cancer treatment to increase access to treatment and ensure a progressive reduction in the incidence of cancer and cancer-related deaths in Nigeria.

    “There should be at least one cancer centre in each of the states of the federation given the number of Nigerians that are down as a result of cancer. It is not too much if we have one center per state. The queue at the National Hospital needs to be reduced before someone having cancer will die on the queue waiting for treatment. It boils down  to  budgeting  to acquire the  facilities for treating cancer and also to encourage  the private  sector by reducing taxes on importation on medical  equipment and medical drugs,” NMA stated.

  • 1984 military recruits: 2,097 lost to war, others

    TWO thousand and ninety-seven military personnel out of 2,787 enlisted into the armed forces in 1984 were lost to war, accidents or dismissed for indiscipline, it was learnt at the weekend.

    Course instructors at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi stated this at a ceremony where the remaining 690 were retired after completing their service years.

    The retirees, who were taken through a six months’ course to prepare them for civil and post-service lives, comprised 390 from the Army, 144 from the Navy (NN) and the Air Force (135).

    Statistics reeled out by the Course Instructors during the event indicated that a total of 1,527 Army personnel, 680 from Navy and 550 (Air Force) started the journey the same day in 1984, but 1,137 from the army, 536 from navy and 415 Air Force personnel were lost along the way to operational exigencies, road traffic incidents and illness or disciplinary actions.

    At the retirement ceremony, President Muhammadu Buhari, who was special guest of honour, noted with nostalgia that it was during his era as military Head of State that the retirees were enlisted into the AFN.

    Buhari, who was represented by Rear Admiral Abbah, urged the retirees to effectively reflect on the knowledge and skills they had acquired during their pre-retirement training at NAFRC.

    He assured that the Federal Government was working to improve the welfare of servicemen so as to ensure their proper resettlement after rendering services to the nation.

    “You are all aware of the security challenges confronting our country, particularly the insurgency in the Northeast, cattle rustling, farmers / herdsmen clashes, kidnappings, illegal bunkering/ pipeline vandalism, socio-ethnic crisis and other criminal activities across the country.

    “Be reminded that as retired personnel of the AFN, much is expected from you in contributing your quota. I am aware that you had lecture on Basic Intelligence and Security aimed at sharpening your intelligence gathering skills towards surmounting any threat to life and property within your area of domicile or business concern.

    “This will go a long way in curtailing and ameliorating these vices in order to enhance safety and security essential for meaningful socio- economic development as well as enhanced national security,” said the President.

  • Reps to probe funding of war against Boko Haram

    The House of Representatives yesterday resolved to investigate the Federal Government under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari and his predecessor, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, over the funding of the war against Boko Haram.

    Members of the Green Chamber expressed their frustration over the failure of the military to rein in the insurgents.

    They said military intelligence failed the country.

    The lawmakers expressed sadness over the attack on a military formation in Metele, Borno State by the insurgents.

    Deputy Minority Leader Onyema Chukwuka said that soldiers died in the attack.

    The lawmakers urged the Army to publish the names of the fallen heroes after consultation with their families.

    The decision followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Chukwuka, who, relying on  reports, said the insurgents carted away  weapons from the Melete Army base.

    He said: “While the news of the attack and death toll continued to increase, neither the President nor Commander-in-Chief, and the minister of Defence or the army authorities said anything about the report as there was silence for more than five days.

    “The President and C-in-C finally broke his silence six days after the attack in a statement issued on his behalf but it is regrettable that in the last one year, no fewer than 600 soldiers have been killed by insurgents, mostly in Bomo State around the fringes of the Lake Chad.

    “Recall that on June 18, a Boko Haram attack in Gajiram, Bomo State, led to the death of civilians and soldiers and on July 13, Boko Haram ambushed and killed soldiers at Alagaye village, near Bama, Borno State and carted away nine gun trucks.

    “On July 14, Boko Haram attacked the 81 Division Forward Brigade at Jilli village in Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State and killed scores of soldiers; on August 30, Boko Haram attacked an army formation at Zari village, also in Bomo State, killing not no fewer than 48 soldiers and many others are still missing aside equipment losses; and on September 8, the 82 Division Task Force in Gudumbali, Bomo State was attacked, many soldiers killed and equipment carted away.

    “It is equally regrettable that while the executive said and continued to insist that Boko Haram terrorists had been “technically defeated”, or “technically degraded”, the insurgents seem to be waxing  even stronger and stronger day-in-day-out, such that they recently attached a community just 20 kilometre from Maiduguri, the Bomo State capital.

    “Twice in three years, the Commander-in-Chief gave directives to the service chiefs to permanently relocate to the Theatre Command Center in Maiduguri until Boko Haram is defeated.

    “With the recent development in the North, all the successes and gains made against Boko Haram have been reversed, regrettably.”

    Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP, Abia)  suggested that Nigeria should enter into an air support agreement with her neighbours “so that when the need arises, the Nigerian Air Force can respond to crisis from the closest points within minutes, even from the neighboring countries.”

    She also emphasised the need for a change in the orientation and curriculum of the military from one that aims to take over territories to the modern-day conventional and unconventional warfare.

    Aminu Shagari (APC, Sokoto) said President Buhari, being a military General, was not expected to fail on security issues, not to talk of not being able to suppress a religious insurgency.

    Recalling that former President Shehu Shagari quelled Maitatsine insurgents despite being a civilian, Shagari said: “I expect nothing less than total decimation of Boko Haram but here we are today with no serious efforts by the military to arrest the situation. Where has all the monies appropriated to fight this insurgency gone?”

    Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau) complained about lack of synergy within the military authorities and the failure of military intelligence characterised by lack of inter-agency information sharing.

    He wondered why Buhari failed to sanction or remove the Service chiefs who, in his view, had obviously failed in their responsibility of protecting the people. He called for the investigation of funds disbursed to prosecute the terror war.

    Zakari Mohammed (PDP, Kwara) said rather than cooperate and share information, the military preferred competing amongst themselves.

    Accusing the House Standing Committees on Military of failing to comprehensively carry out their oversight  function and ask necessary questions, Mohammed urged the President to be more proactive on the issue.

    He also urged the government and the military in particular to invest more in technology to fight the modern unconventional insurgents.

    Alleging that Boko Haram was taking over territories, Mohammed Sani Abdul (APC, Bauchi, said that the Nigerian Army could not evacuate its corpses from Melete because Boko Haram has taken over the camp.

    To Abdulsamad Dasuki (PDP, Sokoto), who is also the Navy  Committee Chairman, the number of the military personnel in the country is grossly inadequate.

    They are less than 300,000, he claimed, adding that the recruitment into the military in the last three years left much to be desired.

    He identified lack of technology as a big issue in the efficiency of the military

    Aliu Magaji (APC, Jigawa) advised the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Yusuf Buratai to provide Nigerians with the real news rather than threatening those he targeted as fake news peddlers.

    Beni Lar (PDP, Plateau) urged the President to sack the Service chiefs for what he called poor performance.

    Mohammed Bago (APC, Niger) spoke in a similar vein.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara said queried the porosity of the Nigerian borders if Cameroun and Chad.

    He wondered if the Multi-National Joint Task Force (MNJTF), operating along the borders, had collapsed.

  • 90 Korean families separated by war reunite after 65 years

    Some 90 families from the two Koreas were reunited in the North on Monday, weeping and embracing each after being torn apart for more than six decades by the 1950 to 1953 Korean War.

    The brief reunions, which will last only 11 hours, are the first in three years, and took place in the North’s tourist resort on Mount Kumgang after the two Koreas renewed exchanges this year following a standoff over Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programs.

    North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to the latest round of reunions during their first summit in April.

    About 330 South Koreans from 89 families, many of them in wheelchairs, gathered with 185 lost relatives from the North, embracing with tears, joy and disbelief.
    Some were struggling to recognize family they have not seen in more than 60 years.
    “Uncles, take my deep bow,” said Seo Soon-gyo, 55, as her 87-year-old father, Seo Jin-ho, met with two younger brothers, Chan Ho and Won Ho.

    Kim Gyong Sil and Gyong Yong, 72 and 71, wearing light violet traditional dress of hanbok, stood nervously staring at the entrance before their 99-year-old mother Han Shin-ja turned up.

    They could not speak for minutes, wailing loudly and rubbed their cheeks and hands.

    “When I fled home in the war,” said Han, failing to continue as she choked up with emotions.

    The separated families are victims of a decades-long political gridlock between the neighbors, which has escalated over the past several years as Pyongyang rapidly advanced its weapons programmes.

    More than 57,000 South Korean survivors have registered for the brief family reunion which often ends in painful farewells.

    For years, Seoul has been calling for regular meetings between separated families including using video conferences, but the reunion programmes often fell victim to fragile relations with Pyongyang.

    During his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in June, Kim pledged to abandon his country’s nuclear programs if Washington provided security guarantees, but the two sides have since struggled to agree on how to reach that goal.

    South Korean president Moon, himself a member of a separated family from the North’s eastern port city of Hungnam, said on Monday that the reunions should be sharply scaled up and held on a regular basis and include exchanges of visits and letters.
    “It is a shame for both governments in the South and the North that many of the families have passed away without knowing whether or not their lost relatives were alive,” Moon told a meeting with presidential secretaries.

    “Expanding and accelerating family reunions is a top priority among humanitarian projects to be carried out by the two Koreas.”

    Ninety-three families from both sides of the border were initially scheduled for a three-day gathering from Monday, but four South Korean members canceled their trip to the North at the last minute due to health conditions, the Red Cross said.

  • DPR declares war on fake lubricants producers

    The Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) is to arrest individuals and firms who illegally produce and sell lubricants, it was learnt at the weekend.

    The DPR has directed its Engineering and Standards Department officials to probe the issue.

    A source close to the DPR, who do not want his name in print, said the agency has directed its key officials to look for fake lubricants, carry out tests on such products, arrest and prosecute those behind their proliferation to serve as a deterrent to others and further assist in sanitising the sub-sector of the oil industry.

    DPR’s Acting Assistant Director Operation, Mr Iheji Nestor, said the department frowns on the issue of adulterated lubricants and that the regulator was putting in place measures to end it.

    In an interview in Lagos, Nestor said DPR was giving the issue the desired attention, because it affects the majority of users of automobiles and other machinery.

    He urged the public to cooperate with the Federal Government to ensure that the matter was nipped in the bud.

    He said retailers of lubricants and other operators, who fail to get permission from the DPR before engaging in the business would be affected.

    According to him, no arrest was made by the DPR when it raided shops of members of the Auto Spare Parts and Machinery Dealers Association (ASPAMDA) at the Lagos International Trade Fair Complex last week.

    Nestor said: ‘’There was no arrest; no confrontation with any suspected criminal when the officials of DPR raided ASPAMDA market. Spare parts dealers and others conducted themselves well during the exercise.”

    Also, the DPR’s Head, Engineering and Standards, Mrs Anita Tega Jennifer, said ASPAMDA officials behaved well during the raid.

    She said ASPMADA agreed that illegal production of lubricants has destroyed their customers’ vehicles.

  • Edo monarchs at war over land

    The  people of Uzairue and Auchi communities in Estako West local government area are at war over alleged unprintable words used by the Otaru of Auchi, Aliru Momoh, Ikelebe III on the state Deputy Governor, Philip Shaibu.

    The lingering crisis between both communities was said to be over a parcel of land on which the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) installed its sub-station.

    It was gathered that the TCN sub-stations could not be installed for over three years following ownership of the disputed land betweený both communities until the intervention of the State Government.

    The Otaru of Auchi was said to have worked out on Shaibu after using unsavoury utterances who was at Auchi to represent Governor Godwin Obaseki to mark the Muslims celebration of Sallah last Friday.

    Peeved by the abuse of one its prominent subjects, the Ogieneni of Uzairue,  Kadiri Imonikhe Omogbai IV, in a statement he personally signed, warned that “the Uzairue will resist any attempt from the palace of the Otaru to rubbish, embarrass, hurt or tarnish the image of  Shaibu”.

    The Ogieneni stated that the utterances of the Otaru of Auchi was aimed at embarrassing Shaibu.

    He said the his friendly and accommodating nature must not be taken for granted by the Otaru of Auchi.

    The Ogieneni of Uzairue insisted that the land on which the TCN sub-station is cited belongs to the Uzairu saying it was unthinkable for any community, not even Auchi Kingdom to lay claim to the said land.

    He said the community released it because the State Government needed it for the good of the Etsako and the Afemai people in general.

    According to him, “In as much as we are very ready to live in peace with our neighbours, the Uzairue are not ready to yield an inch of their God-given land to any community not even Auchi.

    “We want to call on the state government and relevant security agencies to  check the excesses of the Otaru of Auchi and his unguarded and overzealous palace Chiefs to avert the breakdown of law and order in the local government”.

    The Otaru of Auchi said the Ogieneni “has right to do what he should do.

    “That right is given to man by God. I won’t join issues with him. I want to wait to see what Government will do”.

    The Otaru added that he has great love for his community and does not want any of his subjects to die over land.

    “Government has the duty and responsibility to investigate. Government cannot judge without looking at the evidence. If government does that that would be injustice,” the Otaru said.

     

  • War by other means

    THERE has been no love lost between the Presidency and the National Assembly in the past three years. They have been barely tolerating each other since Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara became Senate President and House of Representatives Speaker.

    Three years down the line, Saraki and Dogara are waxing stonger and they have become thorns in the flesh of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). For the first time in the history of this political dispensation, a ruling party is only so in name. The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) occupies the deputy Senate president, through the handiwork of Saraki and his supporters, but  it has been able to retain the seat so far because of APC’s inability to mobilise its men to reclaim what rightfully belongs to it.

    For the 16 years that PDP was in power, it did not share the spoils of office with the opposition. So, why should APC’s case be different? Well, if it cannot claim what belongs to it from PDP, shouldn’t it be able to stop the Presidency and its National Assembly members from washing their dirty linen in public? For the umpteenth time, the lawmakers are threatening to invoke their constitutional powers against the President if he does not comply with a 12-point resolution adopted at a joint session of the National Assembly on Tuesday.

    The planned  invocation of their constitutional power is euphemism for impeachment. Impeachment is a constitutional matter and for the President to be impeached he must have acted contrary to the Constitution, which he like the lawmakers, swore to uphold.

    In matters like this, we must draw the line between personal and national interest. The lawmakers are pursuing their selfish interest under the guise of protecting the Constitution. This is why they are lumping their personal complaints together with some major national issues on which they should have since acted. They kept quiet then because their interest was not threatened. If anything, the National Assembly should fight for the interest of the people who they represent and not their own selfish interest which we have come to see remains paramount to them.

    All their frictions with the President have always bordered on personal issues. They are either fighting the President because some “distinguished” and “honourable” members of the National Assembly are being probed or tried for corruption or because they are not given the funds meant for the execution of  projects in their constituencies. Ask them what happened to the funds they were given in the past for such projects and they will threaten the President with impeachment. Yes, they have the power of impeachment, but they are not constitutionally empowered to abuse that power. This is why the Constitution states in Section 143 (2) (b) that the President can only be removed from office if he “is guilty of gross misconduct in the performance of the functions of his office”.

    From the National Assembly’s 12-point resolution, it is hard to identify what could be termed as “gross misconduct” for which the President should be impeached. Do we really need to go through this route at a time like this? With elections around the corner, should the National Assembly start anything that can overheat the polity?

    The National Assembly is an arm of government and it should play the role expected of it in governance. It is not a socio-political or pressure group, but a lawmaking organ. It comes after the executive, with the judiciary as the third arm of the government. The National Assembly cannot exonerate itself from what the country is going through today. Heaping all the blame on the executive cannot work. What has it done to help the executive in fostering good governance? It cannot play the role of a critic in a government in which it is a part. That will be playing the ostrich burying its head in the sand. And what is this about working with civil society organisations, trade unions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) “to further deepen and protect our democracy”.

    If it cannot work with the executive, how can it work with these pressure groups, which thinking and ideology differ from its? It is just a way of getting these groups on its side in its fight against the President. The National Assembly cannot hoodwink the people, who know those that are for them and those that are against them.  Threatening to invoke its power against the President because of what it called ‘’the systematic harassment and humiliation by the executive of perceived political opponents, people with contrary opinions, including legislators and judiciary by the police and other security agencies’’ cannot work.

    Should the President stop the police and other security agencies from doing their work where lawmakers are concerned? The answer is no because nobody is above the law. The law is no respecter of person, position and power. As the Americans will say: “if you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime”. The lawmakers should let the President be. They should not resort to blackmail to hang him. Those of them with cases in court should allow justice take its course. That is how societies are built.

     

    June 12, 25 years after

    HOW time flies. It will be 25 years on Tuesday that the June 12,1993 presidential election was held. The late Bashorun M. K. O. Abiola won the election hands down, but his bosom friend, Gen Ibrahim Babangida, who was then military president, annulled the election without any plausible reason.

    Abiola
    Abiola

    With that annulment, Babangida truncated the third republic and denied Abiola the fruit of his electoral victory.  Abiola died in detention in 1998 after a bitter struggle to reclaim his mandate. Today, we are enjoying democracy watered by the blood of Abiola and others who died in the struggle for the actualisation of June 12. Abiola deserves a monument in his honour for what he did for democracy. We should not allow him and others to die in vain. Abiola lost a lot to that election. His wife Kudirat was killed  and his  business empire crumbled. What a price to pay for democracy. It is not too late to honour Abiola.

    • Last night, President Muhammadu Buhari awarded the late Abiola the highest national award of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR) and declared June 12 Democracy Day

     

    Dariye’s date with the law

    JUNE 12. That date again? That is former Plateau State Governor Joshua Dariye’s date with the law. On Tuesday, Senator Dariye will know his fate on the corruption charge against him.

    Joshua Dariye

    The prosecution has stated its case and he has made his defence. The ball is now in Justice Adebukola Banjoko’s court. Remember her? She sentenced former Taraba State Governor Jolly Nyame, a reverend, to 28 years imprisonment on May 30 for corruption. All eyes will be on Her Ladyship as she delivers judgement in Dariye’s case. How will the verdict go? Nobody can say until it is delivered, just as nobody knew which way the pendulum would swing until she delivered judgement in Nyame’s case. One thing is for sure : justice will not only be done, it will be seen to be done.

  • Anti-graft war gets more push

    The concept of open governance encourages transparency. No wonder the Federal Government saw in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) Week an opportunity to lay bare its fight against corruption, reports Deputy Editor Olayinka Oyegbile.

    IT was a platform to discuss transparency and accountability in government and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami did not allow the opportunity to slip by.  The occasion was the Open Government Partnership (OPG) Week.

    Also at the event which held in Abuja from May 7 to 11 were Minister of State for Budget & National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, British High Commissioner to Nigeria Paul Arkwright and United States Ambassador to Nigeria Stuart Symington.

    The issue at hand was serious: transparency in government. It is being promoted by the OGP, a multi-stakeholder initiative with its focus on improving transparency, accountability and citizen participation in government affairs.

    OGP’s modus operandi is bringing together the government and civil society organisations to champion reforms and recognise that governments are more likely to be more effective and credible when they are opened to public input and oversight.

    It was launched in 2011 when five countries – Brazil, the Philippines, South Africa, the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (U.S.) – endorsed the Open Government Declaration.

    Subsequently, each of the countries announced its action plans. The plans were to provide platforms for activists committed to making their governments more accountable and more responsive to citizens in their quest for transparency.

    The initiative was, however, not just a case of adopting the one-size-fits-all approach.  A domestic policy mechanism was further introduced at the various national and country levels.

    This has allowed the government and civil societies to dialogue on effective transparency policies at the local level. At the international level, the OGP provides a global platform to connect, empower and support domestic reformers with commitment to transformation in governments and societies through openness.

    Since its debut, the OGP has operated as a multilateral initiative aimed at securing solid commitments from governments to promote transparency, empower citizens, fight corruption and harness new technologies to strengthen good governance.

    The President Muhammadu Buhari administration, which rode to power with a promise of fight corruption and run an open government, the week was an opportunity to present its scorecard.

    Prof Osinbajo, who stood in for the President, said the administration had succeeded in “pushing the frontiers of transparency and accountability in government.”

    He listed the steps taken by the administration to tell Nigerians that the era of ‘business as usual’ in government was gone for good.

    According to him, the establishment of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) was the administration pill for the hydra-headed monster of corruption.

    The committee, he explained, has a mandate to coordinate the reform efforts of governments and see to the success of the war against graft.

    Besides, the vice president listed the full implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system as one of the several prongs of action to eliminate fraud.

    Admitted that the TSA was the idea of the last administration, Osinbajo said its implementation was done by Buhari-led government. He said the scheme has yielded so much gain for the government because of its near-total compliance.

    Since 2016, when the Nigeria enlisted in the world body as its 70th member, the Federal Government has opened itself up to scrutiny at the local and international levels as a way of demonstrating its seriousness with the war against corruption.

    According to Osinbajo, a national action plan to improve transparency, accountability and citizen participation at all levels of governance has been developed with the setting up of agencies such as the Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA) under the Federal Ministry of Finance.

    PICA’s mandate is to clean up the federal payroll and pensions systems, across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    Its establishment has helped the government to save over N200 billion through the elimination of ghost workers.

    Coming on the heels of PICA was the introduction of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS), to block payroll fraud.

    Osinbajo said: “Our government adopted a two-step approach to deal with systemic corruption – stop grand corruption and accompanying impunity, and create a self-sustaining system for transparency and accountability.

     

    Our story

     

    Taking the baton from Osinbajo, the SGF said the week created an opportunity to review the progress of the implementation of the national action plan. He said this would enable participants and government to chart a new direction and move forward.

    Mustapha said: “More than any other time in the history of our nation, government is waging an unprecedented fight against corruption through asset recovery, prosecution of acts of corruption, instituting new socio-economic system and culture and rebuilding of institutions to prevent future recurrence.”

    Admitted that attaining the feat was herculean, the SGF faulted the statistics of corruption index often used by some international organisations.

    He observed: “Many of the institutions that produce these statistics do not understand the context and the peculiarity of the corruption problems in Nigeria. They make generalisation which paint a picture that is far from reality.”

    Mustapha believed the week-long forum would hopefully generate a reliable indigenous, professional and objective mechanism for measuring impact and information on the state of corruption in Nigeria.

    He said: “Through this mechanism, we will generate reliable figures we can craft out policy interventions. Our story is best told by us. We should never expect others to see our corruption problems better than ourselves.”

    Malami, whose ministry supervises the activities of the OGP in Nigeria, said Osinbajo’s presence at the forum showed the level of seriousness attached to transparency and accountability by the Buhari administration.

    He called on government agencies and civil society groups to work together and draw out plans for open government.

    According to the AGF, all government agencies have been directed to implement all components of open government on all fronts.

    Ambassador Symington spoke of the need to have a strong and vibrant media. According to him, only a free press can guarantee openness and transparency in government.

    The envoy said a government that acknowledges the partnership of the press ensures open government, noting that like Americans, Nigerians are proud of their country.

    Arkwright traced long-standing relationship between his country and Nigeria, which he started with the colonial era to the days of the commonwealth.

    The UK envoy noted that the relationships have been beneficial to both in terms of tackling challenges.

    He said there was no option to running an open and transparent government.

    “When people can see how their funds are spent, citizens would have confidence in their government and be encouraged to pay tax. People don’t pay taxes because they don’t believe their money would be spent properly,” Arkwright said.

    He reiterated that tax would be easy to collect and that many citizens would volunteer to pay once the government is open and transparent.

    Noting that transparency drives growth and development, the envoy observed that the deployment of technology has made open government inevitable and that Nigeria, where about 90 million people use the internet, has no option but to be open and transparent.

    He emphasised the importance of civil societies in the polity, saying countries that have strong culture of civil society have less corruption.

    “This is why open government is necessary and the United Kingdom prides itself as a pride of open government.”

     

    Government as willing partner

     

    For civil society engagement to be successful, those in government must be interested and be ready to embrace it, Sam Amadi, former chair of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), said. He was a participant at the forum.

    On the other hand, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Executive Director, Centre LSD, there have been declining trusts in governance across the world and that the OGP was a process to return trust to governance.

    Jude Ilo, Country Director, Open Society West Africa (OSIWA), said every effort to get citizens involved in open government should be encouraged.

    He lauded the Buhari administration for buying into the initiative, adding that the essence of the initiative was to improve how governance is monitored and that citizens must be encouraged to be part of it.

    The Executive Vice Chairman, Nigeria communication Commission (NCC), Prof Umar Garba Danbatta, who spoke on ‘improving service delivery through the use of technology’, observed that with digital technology, society is becoming more open.

    “How do we achieve an open and cohesive society?” he asked rhetorically.

    His answer: “It is by allowing citizens to participate over the various social platforms. Open government is practicable not only by talking about it but by putting things in place to make this possible. The NCC is doing this by making the infrastructure possible.”

    Danbatta listed how digital technology has broken down barriers and made so many things easy.

    Communication Minister Adebayo Shittu narrated how the government has made available Information and Communication Technology (ICT), which is at the heart of all transactions and relations in the 21st Century, as catalyst to achieve economic revival.

    According to him, all government data that has been not linked with security are made available to all and sundry.

    No doubt, the OGP week offered an opportunity for the government to take the stock of how far it has gone since 2016 when Nigeria became a signatory and member of the comity of nations who are ready to do business transparently.

    Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, Special Adviser to the President on Justice Reform, who doubles as National Coordinator of OGP in Nigeria, described the week as successful and fruitful.

    She said with the appointment of President Buhari as the African Union’s 2018 ‘Anti-corruption Champion’, it is hoped that the National Council on Public Procurement, (NCPP) as required by the Public Procurement Act 2007, would be inaugurated soon.

    The NCPP, when in place, will relieve the Federal Executive Council (FEC) of its weekly rituals of approving federal contracts.

  • Why Wike is at war with his conscience, by Senator Uchendu 

    Senator Andrew Uchendu (Rivers East) has said Governor Nyesom Wike is at war with his conscience because he betrayed his benefactor, Rotimi Amaechi.

    Uchendu, in a statement by his media aide, Solomon Okocha, described Wike’s decision to work against Amaechi as shocking.

    He was reacting to Wike’s allegation that he (Uchendu) was at war with his conscience over the sack of Senator George Sekibo by the Court of Appeal.

    Uchendu said: “I am not at war with my conscience over my electoral victory because the same judiciary that ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to withdraw the George Sekibo’s certificate of return declared Wike governor of Rivers State, even after the Supreme Court described the 2015 election as a theatre of war.

    “If there is anybody who is fighting with his conscience, it should be Wike who, after so many years of eating from the same plate with his former master, Amaechi, betrayed him like the Biblical Judas Iscariot because of inordinate political ambition.

    “After treating Amaechi in such a manner, Wike has no moral right to talk about who has conscience or not. Wike’s conscience is also troubling him, because the six police officers, who he used to invade the Rivers East collation centre, to ensure I was not declared the winner of the rerun, have all been dismissed.

    “The sack of the 23 INEC officials, who confessed to have received N360 million from Wike to rig the polls must be a terrible burden on his conscience.

    “It is unfortunate that Wike, who did not contest any election with me, has continued to wail on my opponent’s behalf. This is simply a case of one crying more than the bereaved. If Wike is not satisfied with the court’s judgment, he should get ready to meet me in the field, if I eventually get my party’s ticket to contest in 2019.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Osinbajo, House at war over N2.5b fraud

    •Presidency uncovers plot to frame Vice President
    •VP may not appear before House ad hoc panel

    The Presidency is not taking kindly to a recent invitation by the House of Representatives to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to appear before an ad hoc committee.

    The Ali Isa-led committee wants Osinbajo to appear before it on why six directors of NEMA, who were implicated in a N2.5billion fraud, were suspended.

    The Presidency, The Nation gathered last night, considers the invitation an affront to its anti-corruption campaign and a plot to frame up Osinbajo ahead of the 2019 polls.

    Sources hinted that Osinbajo may not appear before the House Ad Hoc Committee.

    The VP statutorily heads the Governing Board of NEMA which, about a week ago, suspended six directors of the agency following a report from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The affected directors are the Director of Finance and Accounts, Akinbola Hakeem Gbolahan; Ag. Director, Special Duties, Mr. Umesi Emenike;  Director, Risk Reduction, Mallam Alhassan Nuhu; Pilot in-charge Air Ambulance and Aviation Unit, Mr. Mamman Ali Ibrahim; the Chief Maintenance Officer, Mr. Ganiyu Yunusa Deji; and the Director of Welfare, Mr. Kanar Mohammed.

    An investigation by The Nation revealed that the Presidency was shocked by the decision of the committee to summon the Vice President over the suspension of the directors.

    It suspects that the move could be a smokescreen to frame him up ahead of next year’s polls.

    “The Presidency felt slighted by the attitude of the Ad Hoc committee to the Vice President when it is obvious that the suspension of the directors was based on an investigation conducted by the EFCC,” a well placed source said.

    “It is more irritating to the government that the suspended employees went to report their employer (the Board of NEMA) to the Ad Hoc Committee of the House.

    “The Presidency sees the directors’ action as an attempt to use the House to cover up their tracks. This is a case of corruption fighting back.

    “This is the same VP that has been in the vanguard of smothering the fragile relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.

    “Ordinarily, the VP enjoys constitutional immunity and if there was no more to the issue, the Ad Hoc Committee should not have summoned Osinbajo.”

    The government source said the VP might not appear before the Ad Hoc Committee because a pre-determined agenda is being suspected by the presidency.

    “There is a strong suspicion that some forces are hell bent to rubbish the Vice President ahead of 2019 polls,” the source said.

    “The VP personally felt slighted from the security reports available to him.”

    The EFCC had submitted a March 1, 2018 report on alleged fraud in NEMA to the Vice President.

    According to the EFCC, the  investigation bordered on “alleged case of conspiracy, abuse of office, misappropriation and diversion of public funds reported to the office of the Vice-President, Federal Republic of Nigeria against the former Director General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA)  and others forwarded to the commission for discreet investigation.”

    Some of the alleged sharp practices uncovered by the EFCC are:

    • Whereabouts of N166m out of N285m realized from the commercialization of NEMA’s air ambulance;
    • Alleged short-change of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) with N354, 900, 105. 24
    • N238million NEMA cash placed in Fixed Deposit by a director
    • Interest on Fixed Deposit diverted single-handedly by a director
    • Some directors have about 5 to 20 accounts
    • NEMA funds moved into personal accounts of directors
    • Frivolous emoluments claims that were wrongly processed by Directors and some officials of the agency.
    • About N66m out of N280m meant for displaced traditional rulers in the Northeast still unaccounted for
    • Curious deposit of suspicious funds into domiciliary accounts of top directors

    The report says in part: “From the investigation carried out so far, officials could not account for funds transferred from NEMA account to their personal accounts.

    “Moreover, the funds were being withdrawn in cash and in some cases transferred to family members. Also, it was discovered that some of these funds were placed in fixed deposit; while both the principal and interest were withdrawn in cash by the depositor.

    “Furthermore, the issue of companies incorporated by the officials of NEMA who are Public Servants is against the Public Service Rules. This is more so as the companies are active and still receiving funds in some cases from NEMA.

    “There were frivolous emoluments claims that were wrongly processed by Directors and some officials of the agency.

    “Against this background, EFCC is of the opinion that placing the officials involved under suspension will assist the successful completion of our investigation. “ This is the only way the commission can have unfettered access to all the necessary documents that will aid our investigation. It is therefore recommended that the Officials who are already indicted in the case be placed on suspension pending the conclusion of the investigation.

    “”The aspect of fake IDP camps and relief materials are still being investigated.  Investigation is still on-going and further developments will be communicated.”