Edo: Failure of ‘the complete circle’

By Osagie Otabor, Benin.

How are the mighty fallen”,  a commercial motorcyclist who gave his name as John said repeatedly when asked about his impression of the results of the Edo governorship election declared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The results showed that it was an historic  event where a candidate of a political party would secure victory in all the 18 local government areas in Adams. Oshiomhole of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) polled  477,478 votes to defeat his rival Major-General Charles Airhiavbere of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 144,235. Oshiomhole had the highest votes from Oredo and Ikpoba-Okha where he had 66,522 and 58,809.
 John’s comments could not have been unconnected with the defeat of many political bigwigs. The parade of political heavyweights by the PDP as the election approached heightened tension and supporters of the ACN were apprehensive about the magic wand the PDP bigwigs could sway.
However, the PDP heavyweights have been humbled and they have been crushed. ‘The complete circle’ of Anenih, Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia and Chief Gabriel Igbinedion including others failed to stop Oshiomhole. Top on the list is Chief Tony Anenih who many said hoped to retire to a fulfilled retirement from active politics after overseeing the restoration of PDP back to power in the state.
Before the 2011 election, the blessing of Chief Anenih was sought after by aspirants seeking political offices. Anybody politically blessed by Anenih is confident of securing victory at the polls. Anenih was a colossus not only in Edo but across the state. In 1983, he led the NPN who fielded Dr. Samuel Ogbemudia to defeat incumbent Prof. Ambrose Alli of the UPN. During General Ibrahim Babaginda transition programme, Chief Anenih led the Social Democratic Party to victory in Edo State and eventually to the annulled June 1993 presidential election. In 1999, he also saw the emergence of the PDP to power in the state. His ability to deliver at elections earned him ‘Mr. Fix it’ but a Prof. said “Mr. Fix it has been fixed”.   
Anenih had repeatedly vowed to restore Edo State to the PDP since 2008. In one of the PDP rallies, he said, “I mean it, I mean it, I mean it.” In another rally, he said politics were not played on the pages of newspaper and that the PDP must get back to Osadebey Avenue no matter how long it takes.
The grip Anenih had on Edo politics started to dwindle last year when he managed to win in five local governments in Edo State.  The victory at the five local polls gave the PDP hope that Mr fix it could still fix things. After the results were announced, Anenih realised that his Uromi kinsmen had lost faith in his leadership. The PDP polled 12,478 to ACN’s 13,086 votes in Esan North East. The Uromi Chief once declared that he would be finished politically if the PDP lost an election in the state. 
Another PDP chieftain that was humbled is Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the Esama of Benin. He is the father of Lucky who governed the state between 1999 and 2007. To show his determination for the restoration of the PDP to power in the state, Chief Igbinedion dressed in red attire to a PDP rally at his hometown where he begged his people to vote for the PDP. His support for the PDP gave the PDP supporters hope that victory is secure in Ovia North East and Oredo where Igbinedion is thought to hold great political influence. What he perhaps did not realised was that the people had not forgotten the infrastructural decay his son left after eight years. The PDP lost at the polling units where he voted at Oredo local council and also in Ovia North East local council where he hails from. ACN scored 26, 835 votes to PDP 5,427 votes.
When a retired pilot, Captain Hosa Okunbo declared support for the PDP, it was thought that his financial muscle could do the magic for the PDP in Oredo local council. A former financial of the ACN in the state, Captain Hosa in an interview said he left ACN because the Benins lacked political leadership at the federal level. He founded the Oghomwan group to rally the Benins support for the PDP but the PDP only scored 9,081 votes to 66,522 votes garnered by the ACN.
In Estako Central, two prominent leaders of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih and Chief Mike Ogiadomhe were taught some lessons. Chief Orbih is the State Chairman of the PDP while Ogiadomhe was a former Deputy Governor and presently Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan. They have been repeatedly defeated in all elections conducted in Estako Central since 2008. They both lost in their polling units. The PDP had 5,113 while the ACN had 13,499.
Other PDP bigwigs that were humbled included Mr. Lucky Imasuen, Johnsons Agbolagba, Pascal Ugbome, Ken Imasuangbon known as ‘Rice man’, Kassim Ozetu and many others.

Can Jonathan restore security?

By EMMANUEL OLADESU.

• Dr Jonathan

The greatest challenge confronting the country today is insecurity. It is taking its toll on households, churches, mosques, public and private institutions. The Federal Government appropriated huge sums in this year’s budget for the sector with little or nothing to show for it yet. Can President Goodluck Jonathan overcome the security challenges facing the country? Deputy Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU highlights stakeholders’ views on the protracted problem.

As huge smoke billowed from the fire lit by a  bomb blast, people ran helter-sketer in the ensuing general commotion. At war with innocent citizens are invisible hands who knew their terrain, mission and targets. In panic, people fled leaving their vehicles on the road. Those who were unlucky got trapped in the inferno, crying and agonising without redemption.  Those who were lucky to be rushed to nearby hospital are pronounced as having  slim chance of survival. This is the picture of the security situation in the country since January. It has been a vicious circle of disasters, confusion and pains in the northern part of the country.
Blood has been literally, flowing in the streets of Abuja, Kano, Bauchi, Kaduna, Suleja and Maiduguri. Lives have been lost and property, worth millions, destroyed. Apparently, there is no end in sight for this ugly development. No Nigerian is insulated from bomb explosion. Churches, mosques and corporate offices are not spared. 
In Lagos, former Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Alani Akinrinade, urged the government to find a solution, warning that Nigeria was about being assailed by urban guerilla. Across the country, the fear of Boko Haram sect has become the beginning of wisdom. 
The violence unleashed by Boko Haram has been perfectly complemented by armed robbery and ritual killings across the six geo-political zones.  Ethnic clashes and kidnapping are also rife. In Jos, capital of Plateau State, mass burial of victims of ethnic conflict led to more blood-letting on the spot. Now, members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) are rejecting postings to troubled spots with justification. On daily basis, there are cries of despondency and government appears to be helpless. 
Can the federal government restore security? What is responsible for all the sporadic bombings? Why has Jos remained a troubled spot? These are puzzles that seem to have no answers.
Last week, governors were at a crossroads. Although it is the north that is primarily under siege, southern governors could not turn their eyes away from the plight of their kinsmen who reside in these troubled spots. The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) proposed some measures. Taking a global look at the socio-economic and political realities that may underlie insecurity, it suggested a sort of ‘Marshall Plan’ to tackle the scourge of poverty and squalor ravaging the land. Some governors also reiterated their clamour for state police.
Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who spoke briefly with reporters in Abuja, said that state police was long overdue. He highlighted the numerous assistants given to state police commands by governors, including donation of vehicles, uniforms, housing, guns, and even, bullets. He said it is illogical that the state governors, who are chief security officers, have no control over the police.
Many reasons have been adduced for the state of insecurity ravaging the country. Some of them paled into conjectures. But there is no evidence that government has got any lead as well. There is a monotony of assurances of normalcy from the Police Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Abubakar and Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshall  Olu Petinrin. To their consternation, the suicide bombers seem to have dwarfed security agents.
There have been rumours that the north is aggrieved that the Presidency has stayed too long in the south, contrary to agreement. Recently, former Security Adviser Gen. Patrick Aziza attributed the security problem to the Peoples Democratic Party’s  (PDP) zoning arrangement, which was jettisoned during the last presidential election. His remark caused a stir. Few weeks after, he was shoved aside.
Others have argued that it was part of a clandestine plan by the ‘butchers of Nigeria’ to wipe out non-natives and adherents of other faiths. Taking exception to this, foremost commentator, Mallam Mohammed Haruna corrected the erroneous impression that the Boko Haram sect was waging a religious war against Christians alone, adding that Muslims are more casualties. He said the violence unleashed by the group has created strains on the economy of Northern Nigeria, emphasising that Boko Haram is a threat to all Nigeria. 
He lamented that the media has been subjective in their reports of the conflict, complaining that reports were laced with anti-northern sentiments. Haruna also pointed out that the fear of Boko Haram has made governments to violate the rights of some Nigerians under the guise that they are suspects.  The affected citizens, he said, are languishing in jail.
The chairman of Nigerian Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye, urged reporters to avoid labeling and sentiments. If these are avoided, he counselled, misinformation would be avoided and tension reduced to the bearest minimum.
An expert, Col. Gabriel Ajayi, who reflected on the security challenges facing the country at a recent birthday lecture in honour of Prof. Wole Soyinka in Lagos, berated the lip service being paid to security right from colonial days. He argued that security projections were limited to securing those in power, while the citizens are left in the wilderness of hope and despair.
“We had that example in Governor Glover and his eight-man soldier. Since colonial masters came and destroyed the tribes, there has been a disconnect between native security and modern security. The security then was to sustain colonial masters in power, using indigenes as soldiers”, he  recalled. 
He added that since then, Nigeria has failed to develop a security system to sustain its socio-economic and political development.
Ajayi, who covered the Agbekoya uprising as a reporter in 1969, lamented that, under the indigenous rulers, security was also tackled with aloofness and treated as a no-go area. Even, Prime Minister Tafawa Balewa deliberately ignored warnings that a coup was about to depose or kill him.
“Military came and put up security system for tenure survival. It was the climax of the ‘Glover Syndrome’ of using the people to keep the people under bondage”, he stressed.  
Ajayi could not properly dissect the dreadful sect, Boko Haram. But he acknowledged that the insurgency resembled a campaign of unidentified people who cannot be properly traced; a people who treat everywhere as no man’s land. The retired soldier compared deaths resulting from Boko Haram activities to the ones attributed to the carnage on bad roads, resulting from what he called siege on the people by government.
Adefaye was of the view that conflicts have multi-dimensional causes. He said since Nigerians  endorsed democracy in 1999, threats to popular rule should be averted.  The media executive urged government to tap from past experiences in dealing with insecurity. “What is the difference between the crisis in Jos and Ife/Modakeke crisis, Amulieri and Agulieri crisis, or Junkun crisis? How were these resolved?”, he asked.
Adefaye believed that poverty, poor education and bad leadership were precursors to any crisis. The solution, he said, is good leadership.
But Ajayi canvassed other solutions. One of them is the marriage of native security and modern security to meet the needs of contemporary times. “We need military operation to go with psychological operations, whereby, as we are employing force, we are also promoting the welfare of people by providing roads, hospitals, employment and other amenities”, he stressed.
In his reckoning, the liberalisation of the security system is also long overdue. Ajayi frowned at the rigidity of the current system, saying that it is counter-productive. “We need state police”, he said.
The suggestion tallied with the advice given by a lawyer, Mr. Kola Awodein (SAN). At a previous lecture on true federalism and restructuring of the polity in Lagos, he said Nigeria should copy the policing methods of federal countries which are tailored towards community policing based on the police knowledge and understanding of the peculiar security needs of the local areas.
A journalist, Patrick Opoze, who aligned with this view, urged the government to uplift the current standard of policing. “Policemen lack manpower, training and equipment and this should not be so”.
Also, the Ajayi, who called for a one year compulsory military training for graduates,  supported the clamour for a Sovereign National Conference (SNG), arguing that, “unless we have it, we cannot stand in brotherhood”. 
In fact, some security experts contend that the ethnic nationalities expected to send representatives to the conference can assist in stemming bombings. Former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI) Brig-General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd)  urged the federal government to seek their support  in the arduous task of restoring national security. The retired General declared that insecurity and all forms of insurgency have their roots in the neglect of the legitimate yearnings and expectations of the government of the day.
“Insurgency and militancy and other forms of uprisings or group protests against constituted authorities occur most of the time because peaceful and genuine aspirations of groups of people are disregarded over long periods. Armed rebellion does not occur over night anywhere in the world. Resort to violence is often times after peaceful protests and requests have been ignored for unjustifiably long periods”, Sabo said..
Speaking at a lecture titled: “Roadmap to National Peace and Sustainable Democracy”,  organised by the Coalition of Ethnic nationalities of Nigeria (CENN), Sabo, who was represented by Col. Olu Majoyegbe (rtd), recalled that militancy in the Niger Delta was nipped in the bud, following the strategic intervention of the late President Umaru Yar’adua’s administration. He lamented that the culture of respecting the views of ethnic blocs and groups propagating legitimate causes, have not been sustained in the country.s
He maintained that “the best groups to articulate such group demands are those today derisively referred to as ethnic nationalities”, adding that “government ought to as a matter of policy engage genuine ethnic national groups as effective partners in the arduous task of nation-building”.
Sabo said, if this is done, “the emergence of militants, insurgents and separatists would become unlikely with the high level of equity and justice such a policy would engender”. 
 “Government working in synergy with ethnic nationality groups will create such an atmosphere of fairness, equity and common destiny that would eliminate armed opposition to government, thus eliminating the security challenges, which may tear the nation apart in the future”, he added.
Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) leader Dr Fredrick Fashehun,  lamented that Boko Haram sect has unleashed terror on too many people. He  urged the sect to thread the path of reason. 
“We must live together in peace and harmony. If one day, however, the different entities decide to go their separate ways, they must kiss and say goodbye peacefully. But a handful of angry people, even if their anger can be justified, cannot force that decision down the throat of 160 million Nigerian citizens.
“I invite our brothers in Boko Haram to sheathe their swords. They have made their point. We understand Boko Haram’s anger. Not all conflict is evil. However, Boko Haram runs the danger of laying a precedent that, if replicated by other interests in the country, can easily reduce Nigeria to a banana republic, Rwanda and Somalia”, Fasehun added.

Oteh unfit to be SEC DG, say lawmakers

By Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi, Abuja.

Ms Arunma Oteh

Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ms Arunma Oteh is unfit to hold the position, the House of Representatives said yesterday.
Ms Oteh was recalled from suspension by the Federal Government on Wednesday after being cleared of “fraud or criminal breach of any form by external auditors – Price Water Cooper Limited (PWC) - which audited SEC’s controversial Project 50.
But workers protested her recall  at the Abuja Central Business District (CBD) office of SEC. 
Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has stepped into the matter to smoothen Ms Oteh’s return to office. The SEC DG failed to resume in office yesterday as widely expected.
Yesterday, the House accepted all the recommendations of the Ibrahim El Sudi-led ad hoc committee that investigated the near-collapse of the Capital Market. 
During the consideration of the committee’s report, El Sudi said: “ I want to correct an impression that has been created in the media that tends to affect the image of the House.
“The Executive and all Nigerians know that this House inaugurated a committee that led to the suspension of the SEC DG  and that the  report of the panel set up by the Executive has not even been adopted. And now the Federal Government has recalled the DG.
“I want to state categorically that Arunma Oteh is not qualified  to be the DG of SEC. Sections 3, 35 and 315 of the Investment and Securities Act are clear on this.
“As at the time Oteh was appointed as the DG SEC, she was not registered with the SEC as required by the Investments and Securities Act. She didn’t have 15 years cognate experience as a Capital Market operator and so, I want to say here today that Oteh is not qualified to be the DG  of SEC.
 The lawmakers also called for the prosecution of some persons they considered being responsible for the near collapse of the capital market.
The committee’s recommendations of all which were accepted include:
•That the Regulatory Authorities in the Capital Market should take proactive and preventive measures to forestall the near collapse of the Capital Market in future as the following reasons were identified by the Committee as the reasons for the near collapse of the market in the past and lack of public confidence in the market:The sum of N8Billion missing from Union Bank Pic public offer of 2005; Nationalisation of some Banks without due process; Banking sector consolidation of 2004/2005; unbecoming activities and market infractions of some capital market operators; 
poor regulation of foreign port folio investors thereby precipitating capital flight; high cost of doing business in the capital market; contradictory monetary policy of the CBN; absence of product variety and low level of new listing thereby hampering dept and liquidity of the capital market; conflict of interest and misconduct of the current leadership of SEC, thereby fettering its regulatory capacity; loss ofjcredibility of the entire SEC management team, led by the DG, Arunma Oteh; Regulatory failure of SEC and CBN; incompetence and lack of statutory qualification by the current DG, SEC, Ms Arunma Oteh ; unguarded utterances by key financial system’s regulators; AMCON’s activities that constitute a time bomb and potential disaster in waiting in that there is doubtful process of Non Performing loans. (NPLS) valuation, inadequate liquidity and capital base, AMCON’s involvement of one of its regulators, SEC, in its Board contrary to Section 10, AMCON Act, non-accountability of AMCON to any authority; layers of moral . hazards in SEC and diversion and.issue of bonds for debt re-financing; irregular acquisition of Intercontinental Bank flc by Access Bank Plc; irregular acquisition by AMCON of the performing loans of SEAWOLF and GEOMETRICS Company etc.
•That consequently, with respect to the missing N8 Billion arising from the Union Bank Plc public offer, a case of fraudulent diversion having been established, the past board and management of Union Bank Pic, the CEO of the Issuing House/Financial Adviser to the Offer, the present members of the Board and Management, including the Managing Director of Union Bank Plc, Mrs. F. Osibodu, should be investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC with a view to establishing and recovering the missing amount. The management of AMCON and SEC, including their respective CEO’s (Mustafa Ch Ike-Obi and Ms Arunma Oteh), should be investigated by the EFCC considering their roles in attempting to conceal the fraudulent diversion and missing fund.
•That the Nationalization of AfriBank Plc, Bank PHB, and Spring Bank, and their subsequent change of names to Mainstreet Bank, Keystone Bank, and Enterprise Bank respectively, is a Violation of the AMCON Act, NDIC Act and Section 44 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as the processes of transfer were fraught with potential forgery, unethical practices, abuse of office, and various unacceptable bad corporate governance precedents; the transaction should be reviewed and investigation be carried out on the following by the EFCC and other Security Agencies -  
 i. Umaru Ibrahim, Managing Director/CEOjof NDIC ii. Mustafa Chike-Obi, Managing Director, AMCON; iii.      Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria; iv. All those who were used or offered themselves to be used in the various misrepresentations leading to the corporate registration of the nationalized banks, v.      Bello Mahmud, Registrar General, Corporate Affairs
Commission; vi.      All the faceless “lawyers”; Directors’ of Mainstreet Bank Ltd, Keystone Bank Ltd, Enterprise Bank Ltd should be unearthed and
made to face the wrath of the law.
•That the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the CBN Board is hereby cited for contempt of the House of Representatives having refused to produce after demand the special Examination Report upon which the intervention in the 8 Banks in August 2009 was based.
•That the CBN’s action in disbursing N620Billion bailout funds and other intervention funds afterwards did not follow due process of law and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, as the  source of funds and the appropriate authority did not approve.
•It is further recommended “that in future any bailout plan for the Capital market or financial sector should receive appropriate authorization and should be done after a comprehensive and transparent determination and location of the beneficiaries, borrowers, lenders and relevant collateral provided.
•That the CBN and SEC should produce clear guidelines on margin facilities and related transactions without further delay.
•That to restore investor confidence, SEC should overhaul its regulatory framework, and build requisite technical capacity to enable it tighten regulation on malpractices by market operators.
•That considering the high dependence of the Nigerian Capital Market on foreign investors, and in view of the fact that they were able to pull $15 Billion out of the Nigerian Capital Market, the CBN, SEC, the Debt Management Office, Federal Ministry of Finance, the Federal Ministry of Trade and Investments are hereby requested to produce guidelines and a national policy that should govern the entry, operation and exit of foreign portfolio
investments in Nigeria.
•That in view of the need to reduce the cost of doing business in the Nigerian Capital Market to increase its competitiveness, it is hereby recommended that the SEC and the NSE should be directed to ensure that transaction Fees do not exceed 6% down from the current high level of 12% and that brokerage commissions should not be more than 35% of the Transaction Fees, currently at above 50per cent.
•That CBN and the Federal Ministry, of Finance should henceforth, ensure the harmonization of Nigeria’s monetary and fiscal policy. An accountability framework to hold the CBN responsible for financial system’s instability should be put in place by relevant authorities.
•That SEC is hereby requested to conclude disciplinary actions on all outstanding market infractions that has remained so for more than two months; and report back to the House within 30days of the adoption of this report.
•That the Securities and Exchange Commission should take appropriate steps within its statutory relationship with the NSE to increase product variety in other to boost liquidity, encourage’ listing incentives, and desist from delisting of companies without thorough scrutiny.
•That engagement of Access Bank staff by SEC on Secondment to SEC which regulates the Bank is unethical and may erode investor confidence and they should immediately be disengaged.
•That to further restore investor confidence, SEC should immediately disengage from its intervention in the Council of NSE, and remove its nominees on the NSE Council.
•That Project 50 activities of SEC which appears to lack transparency and accountability be further investigated by EFCC and ICPC to determine whether infractions and possible fraud had taken place.
•That in view of the breakdown of corporate governance in SEC, leading to total collapse of cooperation and coordination within its Board and top management and since the tenure of thefBoard has expired, top management of SEC should be relieved of theirs duties so as to give the capital market an opportunity of credible regulation through appointment of a neutral Board and top management that will regain the confidence of investors.
•That the following persons be further investigated by the House on account of their role in the banking sector crisis that led the CBN to intervene in 8 Banks in August, 2009:
i.        Charles Chukwuma Soludo; Fomer Governor, CBN;
ii.       Ignatius Imala; Former Director, Banking Supervision, CBN
iii.      Tunde” Lemo, Deputy Governor in charge bf Banking Supervision.
•That the appointment of Ms Arunma Oteh be terminated forthwith as DG of SEC as her appointment is in violation of Section 3(2) a and Section 38 (1) (b), 2 and 3; Section 315 of the ISA 2007 in that she did not have 15 years experience in the Nigerian Capital Market as required; she has shown incompetence in the management of human and material resources at her disposal in SEC; lack of transparency in managing project 50, regulatory failure in some of the recent mergers, acquisitions and approvals of transactions by SEC and general inability to carry along her staff, Board, and Management in decision making in SEC, and questionable staff recruitment policies.
•That the Governor of the CBN, the Deputy Governors of the CBN, Directors of the CBN, the DG, SEC, Commissioners, Board members of both CBN and SEC should be subject to a code of conduct which has appropriate penalties for regulatory failures, while officials should be rewarded for outstanding performance.

Between Madiba and Nigeria’s plunderers

There are two sides to every issue: one side is right and the other is wrong, but the middle is always evil ~ Ayn Rand
If there is one thing that has set Nigeria up to where it is today, it is the absence of leadership for long stretches of time in our history. As a people, our understanding of leadership is clouded in relatives. We say things like “Our leaders are the ones killing us in this country” and for me that is an irony. Leaders do not kill, scratch that, a leader cannot not kill, at least not his people. We are where we are today because we have been cursed by people who were inherently rulers. That curse remains to this day. It has even gotten worse because manageable is a ruler who at least knows what to do and could decide whether or not to do same. It is worse when you are ruled by a man who knows absolutely next to nothing about what to do in terms of moving a nation forward.
If you assign me to lead a project and I start by setting up a committee, you’d not be moved and probably think that’s normal. If after the committee submits its report and I inform you I intend to set up another committee for the same purpose the first committee was set up, you’d wonder if I was going to come up with a solution never seen before. If after the second committee concludes its job and I inform you that I intend to set up a committee to look into what the first and second committee came up with, there are at least two possible things that’d be running through your mind: that I am absolutely clueless about how to move forward with the job or more in tune with my own thoughts, that I am mad! For only a mad man would stay on the same spot moving backward relative to time and make as though he was moving forward. This is exactly the reality of governance in Nigeria today!
We are doing a lot without doing anything. We are setting up committees without committing to the development of our people. A former minister of the federation who is regarded as an anti-corruption czar once told me that she called the bluff of a former PDP Chairman Ahmadu Ali who told her to set up a governing board for a moribund department. She replied him to say there was nothing the board would be doing, but the man, insisted she set up the board. “That’s how it is done and I’ll report you to the president if you don’t comply.” Being one of those who helped the government look good in the eye of the public and someone who’d be picked up by the best organisations in the world upon any sign of availability, she called his bluff. He reported, but of course, Obasanjo may not have been too good a man, he was too smart to sacrifice those too good for his administration on the altar of PDP corruption. She had her way. She is an outlier. The reality of present day Nigeria is that government runs for the benefit of the ruling class to the detriment of the ruled. The measure of a leader is to create an avenue for his people, where no one is disadvantaged in the pursuit of his/her life goals. I don’t believe in governments that provide everything. A government that can provide everything can also take everything away. There are necessities government must provide. The rich, poor, weak and powerful must be equal before the law. Power, roads and a basic level of education must be available for all. Security must be seen to be provided not just budgeted for. A system must be in place that makes it possible for at least the middle class to own homes. These are the essence of government. Any government that cannot provide these is by inference a plundering one. To collect from the people and not in return provide what the people deserve as a contract in that relationship is called plunder. Today’s Nigerian government, like many before it represents the classic case of a plundering elite backed by oppression. They are not leaders, they are by inference plunderers or at best rulers!
A leader is Nelson Mandela. The whole world is lighting up candles for this great man. Leaders are worthy beyond their time in office and beyond their climes. Happy birthday Madiba, 94 today.
This was culled from Ynaija Front Page, Behind the Cloud

Forced Into The Lion’s Den By Hannatu Musawa

Hannatu Musawa

Columnist: 

Hannatu Musawa

When I read that the Minister of Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, was trying to force young people into the Lion’s Den by insisting that the National Youth Service Corps members must be posted to any state, including those that are highly volatile at present, I had to do a double take.
I couldn’t believe that any person, least of all the Minister in charge of the National welfare of our youth could make such a careless, insensitive and irrational decision. To force a Christian Corpers from the South to go to some selective Northern states where they may be the target of extremists or to force Muslim Corpers from the North to go to some selective states in the South where they could be the target of reprisal attacks is not only careless, it is incredibly cruel.
Wearing his expensive attire with a stomach full of rich food in a nice protected environment much like most of the gung-ho pencil pushers in government who haven't any idea what it's really like for the ordinary man to be surviving in the danger of several Nigerian cities today, it was hard to know whether the Minister was actually being serious. Was he speaking with a straight face when he compared the NYSC participants to Military personnel whose calling was to be posted for security duties because they signed and were prepared for that duty? Was he joking when he tried to make the case that the corps members had no choice but to report to the posts assigned to them regardless of the danger of the location?
Unless Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir has been existing under a rock for the past one year, in a hibernation of sorts where he has had limited knowledge of what has been happening in the world around him, he would know that there is a serious security breach in certain parts of the country where it would be highly ill-advised and reckless for the government to send other people’s children for the NYSC scheme. More than anyone, he should know that the government rhetoric of “We will protect you” is no longer fooling anyone because the administration has already fallen short of its duty to adequately protect, support and compensate the families of the corps members that were butchered while on active duty last year. He should be conscious of the fact that the state has failed miserably in protecting the lives and property of thousands of victims across the breadth of this country. The Minister should be aware that even trained, professional security personnel posted to some of the troubled areas are lobbying to be reposted to alternative states. Yet he wants to compel promising young men and women, at the dawn of their lives, to put themselves smack in the face of danger.
It is aggravating that the Minister would take such a draconian stance in relation to Nigerian youths from the safety of his plush Abuja office while blustering armchair machismo. In using terms like ‘national integration’ and ‘constitutional issue’ to justify the irresponsible deployment and cheerlead from hundreds of miles away in his recliner, he seems not to be bothered about exposing these young men and women to the kind of danger they will be exposed to. I suppose, it is alright for him to harrumph and cheer the benefits of the national integration achieved through the NYSC far away from the dangers because he doesn't have to go there himself. I’m sure the Minister wouldn’t even consider sending one of his own kin to a known volatile place where their lives will be in danger. Better still, as the minister in charge of youth development, why can’t Alhaji Inuwa offer to move his ministry and personnel to the vicinities that are known to be the hotspots for the brewing offensive? After-all it is in those areas, where a lot of idle youth are being indoctrinated into guerrilla warfare, that the close presence of the Minister in charge of Youth Development would be much needed.
Some weeks ago, it was reported that President Jonathan had expressed apprehension about flying to Maiduguri for security reasons. If a whole president, with the full regiment of security shields all around him, can have reservations about travelling to an area that has perilous security challenges at present, why on earth would Alhaji Inuwa think it’s alright to expose other people’s children to such danger?
As the Minister gears to recklessly compel youths into an unnecessary scenario that presents a heightened possibility of danger, he must remember that the government is one hundred percent accountable for its decisions and actions. This would mean that any decision the administration makes regarding the welfare of our youth must be made taking full cognisance of the fact that the decision could relate directly to the life and death of another person’s child.
Obligation in Nigeria should not be a one-way street. The government cannot expect to hold people accountable for their obligations under legislation or otherwise while the government, itself, does nothing to uphold its primary liability to protect the Nigerian people. The main duty of the Nigerian state is to guarantee the safety of lives and property of its citizens.
Although the NYSC is a constitutional duty and, in theory, the kind of integration tool needed in a nation with a growing harmony gap, the scheme’s mandatory service has become an issue of much debate following the tenuous security situation in some areas and last year's murder of corps members during the violence that trailed the general elections. Having been first introduced through a military decree in 1973 in order to integrate and bring about harmony amongst Nigerians, six years later it was enshrined in the Constitution. However, the reality of the increasingly volatile atmosphere, general anger that government contractors are selfishly lobbying for the scheme in order to maintain their business of supplying equipment for the program and several incidents of attacks against Corpers has compelled Nigerians to question whether the scheme has any remaining worth; whether it is still accomplishing the function of its formation to promote co-existence and national integration?
There is no doubt that the NYSC has its benefits. Apart from its prescribed purpose of national integration, it exposes young people to practical experiences and the reality of the world after the theory that was taught in schools. Millions of us have passed through the scheme and have profited immensely from the integration and exposure offered by it. Many people remember and speak of their NYSC days fondly; it was a time that offered excitement, adventure, the promise of fresh opportunities and the beginning of a new and independent life. However, since then, Nigeria has regressed significantly in terms of security and economic arrangements. And this government must come to terms with that change.
Whatever the future of the NYSC will be, the current decision of the Minister of Youth Development to force our young men and women into the Lion’s Den will certainly not betide well for the scheme in the long run.
As the drama of the NYSC deployment continues to intensify, one hopes that the government will primarily consider the welfare of our youth, be reasonable and take a three-sixty from the position of the Minister of Youth Development. In the event they don’t, concerned Corpers should take a leaf out of the book of the UNILAG students when the government wanted to force a name change to their prestigious institution and consider their legal option to sue and compel the federal government to uphold its Constitutional and cardinal purpose of ensuring the ‘security and welfare of the people.’

Re-election as Invitation to Hard Work

kayode.komolafe@thisdaylive.com

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A few hours after Comrade Adams Oshiomhole was declared the winner of the last Saturday governorship election in Edo State participants in a local radio programme in Benin drew attention to a trend: some governors slow down in their second term. Virtually all the callers during the programme that Sunday afternoon expressed the hope that Oshiomhole’s case would be remarkably different as they offered their kind pieces of advice to the governor.

It was as if the governor listened to the radio programme because in his brief speech at the spontaneous rally of youths at the government house on that day he declared that his re-election “is an invitation to hard work”. He promised to work even harder in the interest of the people than he has done in the first term. Really, Oshiomhole has not got any choice in the matter given the magnificence of the people’s verdict that his re-election represents. The governor has democratically defeated those who challenged him in the election; he now has the challenge of not disappointing the people as he said during the campaigns.  This is now the hard part. He has to beat his own record.

In any sector where it is even obvious that his government has recorded good performance the administration has to do better in the second term. Errors of the last three and half years would have to be corrected for improved performance. Structures should also be put in place for sustainability.  After all, a common line in the congratulatory messages that the comrade governor has received is that the Edo electorate decided to renew his mandate for another term of four years based on the performance of his administration in the first term. The huge expectation is that Oshiomhole will deliver a greater governance output for the good of Edo people who have trusted him with their mandate.

It is, therefore, reassuring   that amidst the jubilation over the well-deserved victory, Oshiomhole is fully conscious of this great expectation and he is already making declarations to that effect. He has to continue to prove in action that he is connected with the people.  Great performance would be the fitting way to reciprocate the enthusiasm, resolve and sacrifice that were amply displayed at the polling booths in the state on Saturday. Men, women and youths were   united regardless of their languages and dialects in making a success of the election. Oshiomhole won the majority of votes in all the 18 local government areas of the state. As it has been widely acknowledged ethnicity was not the factor in the voting pattern. So it could be safely said that every part of the state is Oshiomhole’s stronghold. The people were determined to make their democratic will prevail. Even nature was clement enough in their support. The weather was generally pleasant in the state on that day.

The legitimate expectation of improvement in the quality of life of the people is further buoyed by the enormous import Oshiomhole’s re-election. The political implications are not only for Edo state but also for Nigeria. It is an index of the possibility within the polity and a basis for optimism that one day Nigeria will overcome the malaise of political cretinism. In endorsing Oshiomhole for the election last Thursday this newspaper argued that beyond physical development, Oshiomhole’s courageous leadership has opened up the democratic space in Edo.  That is a point to further ponder now that the election is over. The people’s will is prevailing over the intrigues of few politicians.

What has happened in Edo is not merely a change in the locus of power within the political elite. The phenomenon is beyond the mere juggling of power equation. Indeed, the gamut of political culture is being transformed. This is good for democracy in the long run. The corollary to this development is that Oshiomhole should expect that the people who were resolute in making their votes count would also be alert to make his government accountable and govern for the greatest good of the greatest number. A positive outcome of the energetic political mobilisation that Oshiomhole embarked upon in the months leading to the election is that the people would ask questions subsequently about governance. So the change in the politics of Edo has profound lessons for Oshiomhole as much as it has for the political godfathers he has routed at the polls. 

There are, of course, other lessons from the Edo election. In a manner that somewhat belied the apprehension that preceded the election, the election was generally conducted in a peaceful atmosphere. There were no reports of snatching of ballot boxes or gun shots to chase away agents at the collation centres as reported in previous elections. Thugs were not in control of the process. The deployment of soldiers to back up the police was obviously responsible. However, the point must be stressed that deployment of soldiers for civil duties should not be taken as the norm. The election day should not always be a day when law and order will totally breakdown to warrant presence of troops. The police should be equipped and oriented appropriately to perform such functions. It is a symptom of political underdevelopment that troops have to be deployed for a purely civil exercise as voting. The soldiers and police performed their duty professionally in the Edo election. That should not, however, be a justification for making deployment of troops on the election day as part of the political culture.   
The sad news from the exercise was the unfortunate drowning of policemen and a member of staff of the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) in Ologbo River in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area. Four lives were reportedly lost in the accident. While we commiserate with the families of those dutiful officers lessons should also be learnt from the accident. Those who have duties to perform in difficult terrains on the election day should be well equipped and protected.

Although the election was conclusive to the credit of INEC, lessons should be learnt from the logistical problems encountered in some areas of the state.  Some of the inadequacies were indeed embarrassing. There were reported cases of late arrival of electoral materials and consequently late accreditation. In many respects, the lapses were simply not excusable because INEC chose the date and had time to plan for the exercise. It was good that the INEC Chairman, Professor Attahiru Jega, and host of his colleagues in the commission were on ground in Benin. They saw what happened. The public expectation of INEC is that useful lessons would be drawn from the Edo experience so that INEC could further interrogate its capacity and operational methods. That again would be another positive outcome of the Edo election for the system. So INEC too is expected to work harder so as to deliver credible elections.

Civilian Rule: Few Gains, Many Pains - Nasri el'Rufai.

In the last 12 weeks, this column has focused attention away from analyzing governance of our nation at federal level to the 36 states and their budgets. We analysed 10 state budgets – statistically-significant sample from which some stylised conclusions about the quality of governance will be presented next week. Today, we want to look at the 13 years of  experience with civilian (rather than democratic) rule.  I am reluctant to use democracy at this point.

The starting point for an assessment of civil rule since 1999 is a deserved tribute to the many Nigerians from all walks of life whose efforts and sacrifices compelled the military to retreat to the barracks. It was a titanic effort, a struggle for which many died, countless were bloodied and many lost livelihoods and liberty. Freedom stirs in the hearts of humanity; neither blandishments nor the whip of tyrants can extinguish these stirrings or even deter a determined people from securing it. Freedom is a wonderful value, and the events of the last 15 years of military rule ought to have convinced everybody that democracy, anchored on fair elections, the rule of law and good governance, is the way to go. In 1998, Nigerians overwhelmingly decided that never again will we accept the shortcuts of military rule and the long nightmare of tragedy that accompanied it. It seems that in 13 years, we have forgotten all that and we seem to have mostly evil emperors at the helm that are more banal than the military dictators, but far less competent in governing.

Those of  us privileged to have contributed in the design of the transition programme after Gen. Sani Abacha’s death in June 1998 are proud that it ended with President Olusegun Obasanjo taking the reins in May 1999. Six months later, I was leading the federal privatisation effort and in 2003, administering the FCT. As a private citizen since 2007, I have reflected on our country’s journey, and my view is that while we have many things to celebrate, where we have ended up now gives us much more to deplore.

Warts and all, we have preserved some prospect for genuine democratic governance. Some fraudulent elections have been overturned and illegal impeachments quashed. Nigerians even united to surprise and defeat the third-term attempt of a sitting president. With vigilance and will, we can invest real substance into the democratic structures that we have and make real the vision that our people can prosper in freedom. The notion of the citizenship rights is getting reinforced, despite the prolonged hangover afflicting sections of the security establishment. This increased awareness of human rights has sometimes been upheld by the courts that have survived the onslaught of a destructive chief justice that should have never been allowed near that exalted office.

While democracy satisfies the intrinsic desire for freedom, it is its instrumental value that ultimately matters for the quotidian realities and longer-term interests of most citizens. People want freedom, but that must include the freedom not to be bombed while worshipping or shopping, and not to starve. It includes freedom to live in dignity, with equal access to social services and to realise the potential their talents can legitimately secure.

Civilian rule sold off fiscal drain-pipes owned by government that were arrogant, insular and provided poor services. The telecommunications sector was liberalised bringing in private investment, creating ancillary businesses, over 60,000 jobs and putting a telephone in the hands of virtually every citizen that wants it. We saw the beginnings of a consumer credit system, and even a pilot mortgage scheme that assisted many buyers of Federal Government houses in Abuja. Nigeria won external debt reliefs, consolidated its banking system and witnessed rapid economic growth, no doubt assisted also by high oil prices. Our foreign reserves grew and we even created a ‘rainy day’ fund called the Excess Crude Account (ECA).

By 2007, the Yar’Adua-Jonathan government inherited vast foreign reserves ($43bn), ongoing power projects (NIPP-$5bn), new rail systems from Lagos to Kano ($8bn) and Abuja Metro ($800 million), a healthy ECA ($27bn) - in short a basis to hit the ground running, complete ongoing projects, initiate new ones and continue addressing Nigeria’s infrastructure deficits. Alas, after $200 billion had been earned and spent, that did not happen. What happened?

Despite these accomplishments of the Obasanjo government, it was by no means a perfect government, just an effective one. Its attention to the rule of law was uneven. We recall the brazenness with which a well-connected thug sponsored arson against government buildings in Anambra State as an assault against Governor Chris Ngige from whom he was estranged. That thug was not called to account; instead he was elevated to his party’s board of trustees. If people consistently escape justice because of their connections to power, it is an open invitation to people of lesser quality to seize the state and suitably defile it. Impunity then replaced even-handed common sense and decency.

We also managed to compound impunity by assaulting the very basis of democratic legitimacy: free and fair elections. It is a fact that elections in Nigeria have been progressively worse since 1999.  International and domestic observers gave devastating verdicts on the conduct of the 2003 elections. Those of 2007 were so awful that the key beneficiary felt compelled to admit as much in his inaugural speech as president. Despite the initial façade, the 2011 elections turned out to be not only similarly flawed, but one of the most deceptive and divisive in our electoral history.

Yet true democracy ought not to make people frightened of the consequences of not being in power. With term limits, losers are guaranteed another stab in just a few years. And where the rule of law prevails, an electoral loss is not the same thing as exclusion from the political space and vigorous participation in the process. But such political sophistication prevails only when there’s certainty about electoral integrity and where the respect for the rule of law has become part of the DNA.

Simply put we have lost the opportunity to ‘routinise’ the spirit of democracy while we stay busy observing its formal rituals. It was perhaps inevitable that the words of Plato that “the punishment we suffer, if we refuse to take an interest in matters of government, is to live under the government of worse men” would catch up with us.

Since 2000, there has been an unacceptable mayhem and bloodshed in Nigeria. The exacerbation of religious and ethnic tensions expressed in violent hues has been one of the most disappointing features of the new civilian era. Democracy would have offered a civilised way to negotiate and manage differences without breaking bones. It thrives on the ability of contending factions to work out a consensus and to summon sufficient coherence to make things work. It is disheartening that virtual apartheid, based on religion, is beginning to divide cities like my hometown of Kaduna, with people being restricted to their respective ghettoes of faith. At the heart of democracy is a universal idea, but a key feature of present-day Nigeria is an astounding narrow-mindedness.

It is necessary that we reflect on the probability that by giving undue credence to ethnic and religious group rights, we imperil not only individual rights but also destroy the possibility of building a nation where everyone belongs and feels safe everywhere. Our political elite have encouraged divisions that keep them in office, forgetting that the depletion of trust and cohesion will make it difficult if not impossible for them to enjoy the fruits of the office! This created the insecurity we now suffer all over the country.

We have a centralised police force afflicted both by little self-respect and a limited sense of its mandate. The efforts to contain Boko Haram’s terror has shown that our intelligence gathering apparatus is not fit for purpose, and our security agencies lacking in internal capacity and capability beyond harassing those of us in opposition. The pathetic manner public streets are blocked in the vicinities of security and defence establishments makes the citizens wonder – if those trained and armed to defend us are so scared of the terrorists, how can we expect them to defend the realm? Are they concerned only about their safety and that of those in power?

We have not built as much infrastructure as our development requires, and we have failed to moderate our escalating cost of governance. More importantly, democratic Nigeria is yet to grow in a way that can democratise its fruits through the creation of jobs for our youths. As we dither, divide our citizens, and condone fraud and corruption, the world just leaves us behind.

There is no doubt in my mind that we need to give our people a stake in keeping democracy aglow. History shows that even in the developed societies, extremist groups attract more support in moments of economic hardship. And when this is compounded by corruption and politics of self-advancement of a few, and the economic exclusion of the many, only the peace of the graveyard can result. How do we reverse these tendencies and make democracy work for the greatest number of Nigerians?

Our political culture must change from one of self-enrichment to true public service. The situation in which we spend almost the entire federal revenues for the running cost of government is unacceptable and will crash this democratic experiment – albeit a 13-year one.  Elections must be credible, free and fair because that is what will guarantee the ejection of those that fail the electorate. It is entirely up to INEC and the authorities to ensure these happen otherwise the consequences will be dire.

Insecurity is the front-burning issue. It is the primary responsibility of any government which can neither be abdicated nor outsourced. Community leaders and civil society can support the government, but not replace it. The government must adopt a multiple approach that includes enhancing the intelligence-gathering capacities of our security forces and creating an environment for job creation for the hopeless youths that are being recruited by the terrorists. The administration should therefore stop behaving like a victim and get on with the job!

Finally, a single-minded focus on development – physical via infrastructure build-out, human by providing equal access to public education and healthcare, and social services that enable citizens the opportunity to realise their full potentials. Those that are in power that cannot do these at all levels should do the honourable thing - resign and allow others that can. We need people that stay awake thinking and investing the time and effort to get our country working even just a little bit. Apart from fraud and corruption in government, compounded by hatred and suspicion amongst the populace - nothing seems to be growing in Nigeria today.