Destruction of Northern Nigeria.

Simon Kolawole Live!: Email: simon.kolawole@thisdaylive.com

So here we are. I was discussing with a friend recently. She said something that bothered me and, I hope, should bother you too. She went to a Lagos market to buy foodstuff. She, being an economist, started comparing year-on-year price differences. The trend has been upward. She asked the seller why this is so. The market woman had her own explanation: the unrest in Northern Nigeria has been taking its toll on food prices. “No be today the thing start,” the woman told her. As my friend told me the story, an alarm went off in my head: with the unrelenting bombings and shootings, we may be heading for a food supply crisis as insecurity drives farmers out of business.

I have noticed a tendency among Southerners to disdainfully describe the terrorism challenge facing us today as purely “a problem of the North”. It may not be that simple. Last year, in the heat of the tomato crisis that hit Lagos markets, I did a snap survey among my colleagues at THISDAY. I asked a one-line question: “Did your wife make stew last weekend?” or “Did you make stew last weekend?” The instinctive response was laughter, followed by “Simon, you’ve started again o!” Then, a pause. A quick rethink. And then a different answer: “Wait, my wife said there was no tomato in the market, so she couldn’t make stew.” Some would say: “We used tin tomato. We don’t know what’s happening. They said it’s because of the crisis in Jos.”

My research motive was simple: to point out the important role of the North in the food supply chain. We normally take this for granted. If the crisis in the North gets out of hand, it is the whole of Nigeria that will suffer the consequences. But I can imagine someone snap at me: “Don’t worry, we’ll use petrodollars to import food when we break up.” Yes, anyone who has money can import, but any country that survives on importation of its staple food is doomed. We also seem to easily forget that the economic lives of ordinary people are being ruined by these terrorist activities. Cattle sellers were massacred the other day. When people can no longer go to their farms because of insecurity, how do they sustain their families? How do they send their children to school? How do they provide for their medical needs?

What are the implications for the North in particular and Nigeria in general?
Some Nigerians are so shallow-minded that they cannot even see the bigger picture of how interconnected and interrelated we human beings are. All they see is tribal marks. They only think in terms of North and South, Christian and Muslim, Hausa, Fulani, Yoruba and Igbo (and now Ijaw). The only thing that ever excites them is whipping up ethnic and religious sentiments. The solution to every problem, including husband and wife quarrels, is the balkanisation of Nigeria. On the other hand, you also have some opinion leaders up North who are playing the ostrich while the region is gradually being destroyed by terrorists. The only sense they can make out of this bloodbath is that it is Christians that are bombing churches and killing Christians. The only explanation they have to offer is that it is President Goodluck Jonathan that is behind the terrorist attacks. Some have even gone to the ridiculous extent of saying there is no Boko Haram.

How does this kind of mentality help? The North has been set back by decades. Livelihoods are being destroyed. Businesses are being crippled. This is a region that desperately needs massive investment to be able to keep its head above water. By many development indicators, the North is behind: access to safe water, school enrolment, access to basic healthcare and general infrastructure. These areas require constant and concentrated injection of cash. Can you imagine then that the budgets are now being channelled into security because of terrorist activities? Meanwhile, how many investors would like to go to the North today? How many contractors would be eager to construct roads there? How many donors would feel safe to continue working in the region?

To those Northerners who are gloating that the terrorist attacks “serve Jonathan right”, I have a message for them: it is their land that is being ruined. Therefore, the rational thing to do now is work out how to stop this carnage, no matter who is behind it. I care little about the conspiracy theories. I care more about the solutions to the problem. Boko Haram leaders have come out time and again that they are behind these attacks. They released their mission statement the other day, saying: “In our struggle, we only kill government functionaries, security agents, Christians and anyone who pretends to be a Muslim but engage in assisting security agents to arrest us.” The pattern of attacks is consistent. Those who call themselves Northern elders must step in and stem this slide. Enough of politicking and grandstanding. The North is dying a slow death. The North is bleeding. Wise Northerners who have access to the Boko Haram hierarchy should do everything possible to stop this haemorrhage. It makes sense to preserve the North first and ask questions later. It is not about Jonathan.

And to those Southerners who harbour nothing but hate for the North and continue to gloat at this monumental misfortune ravaging the region, I have a message for them: if one part of the country is in turmoil, there cannot be stability in the system. Everybody is affected. Even a problem in a neighbouring country is a threat to us, much less on our territory. In fact, there are millions of Southerners up North whose livelihoods are being destroyed too. They are not doing the North any favour by living and working there; they went there for their own economic end. The Yoruba, Igbo and other Southern nationalities buying and selling and operating businesses in the North are not doing the North any favour.

They are there as economic beings. They too are adversely affected. If all the opportunities were in the South, no Southerner would go up North. It is therefore crass narrow-mindedness for anyone to gloat over this catastrophe rocking the North.
As I would forever argue, Boko Haram is a threat to all—Muslims, Christians, atheists, Northerners, Southerners, foreigners, all! To reduce this huge problem to a regional or political issue is to miss the point entirely. We are all in this together. The earlier we realised this, the better.

And Four Other Things...

THIS OIC THING AGAIN
And while we were at it, the Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Nurudeen Mohammed, reportedly told NTA at the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) summit in Mecca that “Nigeria is an Islamic country with the largest population of Christians”. The interview was said to have aired Thursday night on 9pm Network News (I didn’t watch it). When did Nigeria become an Islamic country? Is this the kind of statement we need at this critical juncture of our troubled nationhood? I hope at the end of the day, we would begin to treat religion as a personal, and not a national, choice.  

STATE POLICE
Our wobbly federalism is on trial again, with the North/South divide over the state police issue. Although I am not particularly sold on this state police thing, the fact is that in a federation, states and councils need to be empowered to maintain law and order within their territories. That was how we operated before the military seized power in 1966. Today, states practically run the police. They kit them, provide them with vehicles, arms and equipment and pay them extra allowances. What else is left but to officially declare them state police and allow the states more access to funds from the federation account?

DRIVING US MAD
The Lagos State government has come up with some very tough traffic laws that will make driving in Lagos either an enjoyable experience or a nightmare. I have read through the laws—they are not entirely fresh. It is the punishments that are new. Enforcement officials will be salivating now as they will certainly enjoy “settlements” from offenders. That is what you are guaranteed to get when the punishment is more than the crime. Beyond enforcing duties on motorists, however, the government must also live up to its responsibilities: good roads, good road signs and good traffic management. Eko oni baje o!

BRING IT ON!
My mood just got brightened up with the commencement of the 2012/13 English Premier League season yesterday. My weekends had been dull for weeks but now I have something to look forward to! I expect this to be one of the most thrilling seasons ever, better than the drama of last season. In my opinion, the Manchester clubs as well as Chelsea and Arsenal are going to fight for the title, while Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle and Everton will give us unending entertainment and value for money all season. Who will wear the crown? I don’t care. All I want is good football and sweet weekends!

Sultan: No Plan to Islamise Nigeria.

Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar

Mohammed Aminu

Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, said the Sultanate Council in collaboration with Muslim clerics and stakeholders have been working hard to bring an end to insecurity in the North, adding that there is no plan to Islamise the country.

He also described the recent move by President Goodluck Jonathan to reconcile the Hausa/Fulani and Berom in Plateau State as a good step in the right direction.

The monarch made the assertion Wednesday night, at a dinner organised for journalists at Sultan Palace,  Sokoto.

The monarch decried the level of insecurity in the North, adding that clerics and stakeholders have been working assiduously in the last seven months to see that normalcy returns in the country.

He noted with dismay insinuations being made by some christian clerics  that Muslims were out to Islamise the country, despite categorical statements by the Sultanate Council that there was nothing like that.

“We have said it at several seminars  and in front of so many clergy men including the President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) that there is nothing like plans to Islamise Nigeria. It is just unfortunate that despite all we have said, these people don’t believe us.”

“But it is unfortunate that Christian leaders still talk about Jihad and say all these things and I am at a loss. There is nothing like a forceful conversion of non Muslims to Islam because in our Quran, there is no compulsion in religion,” he said.

He stressed the need for leaders of both religions to work together to defeat this insurgency currently bedeviling the nation.

The Sultan pointed out that in any society and religion there are good and bad people and as such terrorism is universal.

“Terrorist don’t have colour or religion, they are the same all over the world. So, if anybody is a terrorist you treat him as one. There are so many Christian terrorists but I don’t hear about Christian terrorists, it is only when a Muslim does something that you will hear about Islamic fundamentalism.

“What happened to the person that killed 70 people abroad, you call him a mentally deranged person. He will now be taken to an asylum for a mental check and after that, they will say the man is insane,”

“So, as you can see, there is a lot of injustice. Islam is not being treated as a religion of peace. Of course, in any society, there are good and bad people. I want to hear a bad man called by his name and not tie his bad behaviour to his religion,”the monarch averred.

He however, expressed concern that any violence that occur in the North is now attributed to Boko Haram without efforts being made by the media to investigate to ascertain those involved.

He also reaffirmed that military action will not bring an end to insurgency in the North but through dialogue, adding that US Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton, also made the same assertion during her visit to the country few days ago.

The monarch appealed to journalists in the country to always be objective, positive and patriotic while reporting on security issues that affect the country.

He lauded the current peace moves by Hausa Fulani/Berom leaders in Plateau State and expressed the readiness of the Sultanate Council to support the initiative in order to bring lasting peace in the country.

“We have seen the positive comments by Governor Jonah Jang and Solomon Lar and we are ready to support such peace moves to restore lasting peace in Plateau state,” the monarch added.

This Day.

Why I didn’t retire Abacha before I left.

By JIDE ORINTUNSIN.

IBB

He was involved in all but one military coup in the country.He was in the thick of action at the battle front during the civil war  with a bullet lodged in his body resulting in the famous radilocupathy.Then he rose to become Chief of Army Staff and later Nigeria’s first military President until he “stepped aside” to use his own words  in 1993. General Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida turned 71 yesterday, and, as part of the activities to mark  the  low keyed birthday celebration, he hosted journalists at  his  residence in Minna. He fielded  questions on national issues, including the June 12, state police, the Boko Haram insurgency and other national challenges. JIDE ORINTUNSIN was there. Excerpts:

How do you feel at 71?

I thank God I am ageing gracefully. Well,  this is another opportunity to appeal to all of us to strive to live in peace with one another.That is the only way our country can move forward. The only way for us to channel our God- given opportunities is to live harmoniously with one another. This is the only way to be a great country, not only the present generation but also the  generations to come. Nigeria has a lot of potential; a  lot of good people; but without peace, we cannot move anywhere.

How do you feel celebrating  your birthday on the last day of the Ramadan and a Friday?

Fortunately, God has been so kind. My birthday falls in the period when people are fasting. So, that settles it (laugh). So, I would be allowed to rest at home. My religion says whatever  God has done for you, all you need do is thank Him so that He would do more in your life.

One of the problems bedevelling Nigeria today is the issue of Boko Haram, and you and other Northern  leaders are being personally accused of complicity in the activities of the group.How would you exonerate yourself from this accusation and what is the way forward?

Nigeria is a democratic society, isn’t it? Those who say Northern governors are involved, including myself, know what to do. They should do what they ought to do so  to help all Nigerians. So, I will ask them to do what needs to be done.

Part of the accusation is that you have not been making comments on the Boko Haram issue.

I can understand because it is a Babangida. I have talked about it, not once, not twice.  So, I am quite comfortable. I said what needed to be said. In my press statements , I said what needed  to be said as a statesman. I pleaded with Boko Haram, so what else do I have to say?

How do you  feel when you are rightly or wrongly accused of something bad?

Well, normally, I do not consider it as anything bad, to be honest with you. In the last 22 or 23 years, since I left office, it has been the same sing-song by the media,  columnists and so on. Somebody would say  during his time, he institutionalized corruption. The question is: in the name of God, aren’t we capable of doing something different in those years? There have been many governments since I left office. And if government exists for the welfare of the people, are you saying nobody is capable of correcting the purported wrong that Babangida did? When I and my former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, volunteered to make useful suggestions, some people said what did we do when we were there at the helms? Okay,we were there. But things were happening. So, we should not be deprived of the right to make our contribution.

We have presidents in some other climes that authorized bombings.They were not castigated because of that. But, here we are in Nigeria. I strongly believe that in the near future, there would be people who would sit down and discern the situation differently. But I have come to accept that for any subject raised in this country, there are over 160 million different opinions.

If you were the present president of Nigeria, what would you have done differently in handling the  Boko Haram issue?

We should understand that President Jonathan, Babangida,Obasanjo, Shagari, Buhari  and every body  do know that we are running or we ran a developing country. And  what we are going through now, other countries have gone through worse situations. But,through perseverance, hard work and ability to dialogue, such countries were able to surmount their problems. I think  I am sensible enough to know we are a developing country, and, as far as we are ready to learn from our mistakes, we would get there.

What  are those mistakes?

I mean as a developing country, we went into a civil war. I don’t believe we would likely go into another civil war, despite the drums of war everywhere. I am not sure that even you,the  younger

generation, would like to go through what we went through.

So  what would you have done differently as  president of the country because the menace of Boko Haram is still very much with us?

I have done what I  am supposed to do. First of all, we support the President in his efforts to bring about peace and peaceful co-existence. We don’t have any other country except Nigeria. So, we must support all his efforts to bring about peace in the country. We would continue to support him to achieve that.

We are talking about the Babangida presidency.What would you have done that President Jonathan has not done on this problem?

The Babangida presidency expired about 22 years ago. 

You were recently quoted in some of your press statements that some of the problems

bedevelling the country were caused by the incompetence of the present leadership.

I am not sure you got me right.

You also threatened to take Chief Edwin Clark to court…

Chief Clark is my friend. I have known him for  30 or 35 years. There is  mutual respect between us.

So, I would not wrong him in any way. I do respect him, and he would not deny me as his friend. That is settled.

If you were friends as claimed, why did you make  the issue a  media affair?Why did you not settle it privately, amicably?

You   heightened it. When I say  ‘you’ I mean the media. The hype was very unnecessary.

There are many  problems in the country today,  from Boko Haram to the Niger Delta insurgency, bad economy and apprehension ahead of the 2015 elections. Can  Nigeria survive all these?

You know what? When I was growing up, I was involved in so many things in this country which bordered on what I will call stability of the country .From about 1963 and 1964, we were faced by so many things: riots, Tiv riots, Isaac Adaka Boro insurgency, you name it, Operation weti e in the Southwest and the civil war. These are all because we are a developing country.We went through all these and we are still going through challenges in a different manner. As a young man, I participated in every operation from 1963 till I left office. I believe as a developing country, all these are passing phases.I told a group of  unity school students that I didn’t have the pleasure or luxury of attending schools which  everybody attended. This invariably affords you the opportunity of having  friends virtually everywhere. So, one has the hope that one day we’ll come together for the sake of this country. 

 From the activities of Boko Haram so far, would you describe it as religious or political?

F rom my observation of Boko Haram, I want to say you guys (media) have not done enough study of the sect.To  find out the causes of all these,  even communal violence everywhere; boundary disputes , whether  in Akwa Ibom, Fulani upheavals with Gwari, everywhere, these things are happening in the country. Somebody should be able to tell us how to move forward from all these.

Boko Haram recently called for the resignation of PresidentJjonathan. What is your take on this?

 (Laughter) That is my view, laugh. 

 You once said that the civil war is not a laughable matter. In your estimation, which of the experiences  you had would you consider most traumatic?

Let me be very honest with you.  When in 1966 we went through the first crisis, there was a feeling that the  leadership at that time felt one part  did not want the other as part of the country. This led to the issue of secession. But the most important lesson that I learnt at that time as a young officer was

the relationship we established with my colleagues at the military academy. But circumstances separated us. Some of my colleagues were at one side , while I was  at another side. Honestly, what impressed me most, when we met each other, we were not enemies. We still remembered our

younger days. We understood the   political misunderstanding  that brought us  to be at loggerheads. I had a classmate at the other side. I knew he was at the other side and he knew I was at this side. When the war ended in January  1970, he came over.We embraced each other. We even teased each other  that  ‘so, you were fighting me and so on’. So, the ability to go back to the Nigerian society and heal the wounds is the most remarkable. Hardly do you find  a country  that fought a civil war   and  forgot  the experience in less than 30 years. I think the credit goes to Nigerians.

Could you tell us  about  your personal experiences in the last 71 years?

I listed 13 things in life , and I was looking for a psychologist to sit with and chat with him  so that I could pour out my experiences and feelings and then he would be able to make sense out of my experiences and feelings. So, if anybody among you could help me out, I would be grateful. As a leader, you have to go through many experiences: some traumatic, some good. But somebody should sit down with you to know how do you react to certain circumstances of life. But I think  the sum total is that God has been so kind.

 So,June 12  (1993 presidential election) was not a challenge?

It was a challenge of leadership. It was a real challenge. At that time, what you needed to do was to pick any newspaper,  and you  would have  a feeling that in the next couple of days  Nigeria would break up. But we were able to come out of that.

 Recently, you and your former boss, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, brought  the state of the nation to the public glare. Was this because President Jonathan is no longer accessible for private advice or what?

The answer to your postulation is ‘no’. We didn’t do anything to hurt him. We are in good terms with President Jonathan. We talk to him. But some of your colleagues believe that I have never talked about Boko Haram because you didn’t hear me. I have been accused of not talking. We decided to take the opportunity of the Ramadan period like any other leader. What we are doing is to appeal to all Nigerians on behalf of the government of the country. There was nothing bad in that. We maintain  a very good relationship with Mr. President. Babangida at 70 was quarrelling with his former boss, but now we are talking together. But we know who we are. If there is one man who believes in the unity of this country today, it is OBJ. I also share the same view. So, we have something that is bigger than all these tantrums of the newspapers and the rest of them. So, if we have something that is for  the common good of the country, why not?  So, we have been talking. We don’t sit idle as some people believe.

 Your son, Mohammed,publicly declared his intention to vie for  the governorship  seat in Niger State in 2015…

  (Cuts in..)He didn’t declare. I read what he said. He said, ‘I thank you for considering me worthy of holding a  political office in the state’. He didn’t say he wanted to be governor. I am very critical about this as it affects me. If he said that , it might not necessarily be governor. It could be local government chairman; it could be councillor; it could be any political office. The ambition is not there yet. But if he signifies intention, I would offer him the advice that a responsible father should give his son. He is a grown- up . I will lay everything on the table for him.

 The economies of most countries of the world seem to be in trouble,  yet in Nigeria, our  spending often overshoots the target . As a former leader ,what is your advice to check this?

Between 1985 and 1993, I managed poverty. I operated when a barrel of crude oil was as low as 12 dollars. But that was my luck. I don’t blame anybody for that because I came in at that time when there was oil crisis, oil glut and the rest of them. But I was able to manage that. God helped Nigeria again, oil went as high as 100 dollars. So, while I managed poverty, others managed affluence. On the unbridled display of affluence by the political elite, I want to blame the media for promoting such and invariably heightening  tension. For example, if somebody is threatening that the country will go to war, why should you publish such a thing? Why give it  coverage? You should have said ‘this man is crazy, forget him’. By now, you should know the serious people you give publicity when they talk. Let me give some examples: I listened to the  late  Gani Fawehinmi anytime he talked. Even when he was abusing me, I still read him because  you would pick up something good because he was talking on a turf he knew very well. He was a lawyer,  and whatever he said, he backed it up with facts and figures. Also, the late Professor Ayodele Awojobi. As an engineer, he took the pain to actually find out what was wrong with Nigeria. So, when he talked, you would like to listen to him because  there would always be something to learn. I was an avid reader of  the late Dr. Tai Solarin.When I was in secondary school,he ran his column,  Thinking with You. I grew up to know that even the whites teaching us at that time loved to read Solarin  because there was a lot of sense in what he said. But,there are some  Nigerians you have known for the last 20 years repeating the same theme that makes no sense.The moment they know they are being ignored, may be we’ll  have    some fresh air.

 How would you describe the flamboyant lifestyle of Nigerian politicians?

I would say you guys encourage them. This morning I was reading some of the papers, accusing  oil marketers of threatening to go on strike. I don’t always like to talk about this, but to give examples. You are operating a democracy, but I was a dictator. As a military president, I removed a governor because of #300,000. But you cannot remove them now for #3 billion.

You were good at coining words. Coinages like  ‘ stepping aside,’ ‘the evil

genius’. How did you come about those words?

‘Stepping aside’  is a military term. When I was a cadet, there were some of us who could not comprehend easily when we were asked to match. When the order was left, right, left, right,some people shot right, when the instructor asked them to shoot left . So, you would be regarded as spoiling the column, and you would be directed to step aside. So, step aside while the rest of the column move forward. So, I stepped aside for the country to move forward.On  ‘ the evil genius’, I was asked a question by Tell  magazine.  They said people call you all sorts of names, ranging from   Maradona, a deft dribbler, and all those. They asked which of the names  I preferred  and I said the one ‘evil genius’. They  asked why? And I said because of its contradiction.

 Back to  your exit from office in 1993.Why did you leave the late  General  Abacha  behind when you were stepping aside?

I think I once had the opportunity to explain this. When I was leaving, there was an interim government in place. That government had a life span. We drew up a constitution for that government. It came into force in November. And it was supposed to expire in February  1994. We wanted to make sure that the government was ably supported by the military so that they would be able to conduct election in February of 1994. And we could only do that knowing the environment where we operated. We respect seniority, we respect authority. So, we thought, and rightly too, that Ernest Shonekan should be supported by a strong military  so that the threat of toppling him would  not arise and to provide stability and the right support for 82 days. That was the idea. The late General  Abacha was the Chief of Defence Staff and  Minister of Defence, and if anything happened, the public would be rest assured that there was a senior officer, with a lot of sense and respect, who would be able to pilot the affairs of the country. That was the reason. But what happened subsequently was a different kettle of fish.

How would you react to the labelling of Nigerian leaders as a selfish lot?

Let me use the example of our administration. I want to believe everything boils down to one thing at various levels of  leadership. We set up a process of selecting a leader at local government level,state level, state assembly, national assembly, president and so on. The idea was that the ordinary man would  check you, if you wanted to go astray .Due to your track record,the society should have the opportunity to say this is  a potential president. He must be able to defend his wealth. Where he couldn’t, he must  fall by the way side. I think we have not succeeded in doing this , and everybody walks into government believed to be  the haven to getting rich quick.

 Fundamentally, where  lies the survival of Nigeria?

 There is a town called Baga in Borno state. If you have ever  visited Baga, you ’ll find Nigerians from all parts of the country,  living there in peace, going about their businesses. And that has been going on before independence. The Yoruba who are well known for commerce go there and also live there. They have been completely assimilated by the environment. But our generation today will say if you have a Muslim governor, the deputy must be Christian; if you have a bushman as  governor, the deputy must come from the city and so on. These are things that cause disaffection  and they are caused by the so-called elite. In the First  Republic, the late Joseph Tarka brought  the late Kashim Imam from Borno  to be  elected as representative of the Tiv people. Umoru Altini was from Sokoto  and he was the chairman of Enugu council. He lived

there, he worked with them. He spoke the language and no problem. The thing started when we started with the mantle of leadership. When you don’t make it,you must find a reason for the loss.As a governor,  you  spend  only eight  years.What is the reason for the unhealthy competition. If you must make it, bid your time and prepare for the appropriate time.

 May we know whether truly  you have called it quits with politics  because, the other day, your brother, General  Buhari, said he was no longer interested, only to change his mind later on?

I have said it. May be, I have to repeat it. At this age running around the country to seek for votes, for me, is out of the question. I assure you. You will not see candidate Babangida in 2015, may God spare    our lives, running around the country canvassing for votes. So, God willing, I will no longer run for the presidential election.

The way things are going, what are your fears  ahead of  2015?

Intolerance. That is number one. Number two, may be at various levels, we don’t seem to use experiences to shape our future. Unless we do that we will only be dancing on a spot. If we are able to have this without any ulterior motives, I still have strong hope in this country. I strongly believe we would make it.

The Olympics  have just ended and we came back without a medal.What would you say is the problem  facing sports in the country?

Sports administration needs to be thoroughly looked at and be thoroughly overhauled. The problem is we believe in last-minute preparation.This, we should avoid and start planning for 2016 immediately, not in January 2015. We have the people, we have the capability and  we have the human talent.All we need do is commence early planning and training , and things will be ok because we did it before.

The clamour for state police has taken the centre  of national discourse.What is your view on  state police?Are we ripe for it?

A:The fear against state police manifested in the 1950s and part of the  1960s  when we had ‘’yan dokas’’ or what have you. My take is that   the fear established in 1950 still hunts us. Is it because we are lazy and we do not know  why the fear persists  and this is what to do to eliminate the fear in our system? This is just the way I look at it.In other words, left to me, the whole purpose of government is to provide security for the people.  Anything you do to make sure that these are guaranteed is in order. The fact that  ‘’yan dokas’’ were used to harass and intimidate political opponents in the  1950s should not prevent us from having it. We are no longer in the same situation. Yes, it happened before, why should it happen now? I keep asking this question   so that people should try to move forward.When we were in government, we came up with the project of the  National Guard. It was roundly criticized, but people are coming back to talk about it. What intrigued me is the fact that because something happened in the 50s and 60s, why should Nigerians feel it can happen again in 2012? A lot  of people have said until the constitution is amended,  but for me, I don’t believe a governor would use state police to say go and beat my opponent and all that. If such is done, remember, people can go to court. To me, the fear  is unfounded.

 Is anything wrong with the present Nigeria police?

What do you have now? Less than half a million policemen in the country. Remember, the Nigeria  police have to take charge of federal responsibilities , while the state police are also backed by enabling law to be able to operate. So, the state police would be buttressing federal efforts,

Let me use Niger State as an example.The  Nupe live in  a local environment. They know virtually everybody living in the environment. So, detection of crime in their environment is going to be easy.

There will be no problem identifying criminals among them with the state police who also come from the same environment. Sometime  ago, very recently, there was a heavy  presence of  policemen in Bida. It didn’t take long before  terrorists there were fished out. This was because  the  people knew who they were and where they lived. I have advocated  it in the past  and I still believe it can work.

Your late wife worked for the emancipation of the African woman.What role would you advocate for the African woman in the scheme of things now?

To be honest ,with what I have seen so far, I think there is hope. We need to empower them and put away this male chauvinism. There are more potential  for women. They are more honest. You may find one woman out of every 100 male criminals. Also look at the present trials of oil subsidy people, I have seen just one woman out of very many men.

Jega Is PDP’s Errand Boy, Says CPC.

EMMA OKEREH.

National Secretary, Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Buba Galadima, has discribed the Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, as an “errand  boy to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Galadima, who spoke exclusively with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND, also dismissed the recent statement by the INEC boss on his plans to enforce the electoral law on party funding.
In his view, Jega does not have the guts to stand up to the PDP government that appointed him and cut their spendings during electioneering campaigns.
He expressed doubt on the INEC chief,s readiness to carry out the threat as according to him, Jega was present when billions of naira were raised and donated to the ruling party, even when it was not supposed to receive more than  N1 million from an individual.”
Galadima stressed that the pronouncement would have been applauded if Jega had the capacity to implement it. He alleged that the INEC chairman “who shuttles between his office and the Presidential Villa couldn’t dare the PDP, and so cannot change the situation.
“Ordinarily, one would have commended him for having the courage to say this, but on the contrary, does he have the guts to face the PDP and tell them, as well as give guidelines?
“Are oil subsidy thieves not telling anybody that cared to know that after all, the billions of naira they collected was invested into the PDP elections in 2011?” he queried.
He wondered if Jega did not know that his counterpart in Ghana had never stepped into the presidential house in Ghana in the last 22 years he was appointed the electoral boss.
The CPC scribe also faulted the credit Jega claimed after the 2011 general elections. In his view, over 99 per cent of Nigerians didn’t believe his claims.
“I don’t think that 99.9 per cent of Nigerians believe what he said. In fact, there were songs composed, accusing and calling him all sorts of names, which he has not denied up till date.
“I don’t want to venture into the argument of whether he held a free and fair election in 2011. His conscience should prick him, and he should go and find out from his counterpart in Ghana, if they were the errand boys of the government of Ghana,” he concludes.
Galadima also decried the attitude of Nigerians to politics, and urged them to wake up, otherwise the PDP would continue to dominate the Nigerian political space.
While reacting to the statement, the Director, Public Affairs INEC, Mr. Emmanuel Umenger in a telephone interview with LEADERSHIP WEEKEND that the commission finds it very hard to believe the statement credited to Buba Galadima because “ we respect him as a very senior member of CPC, but if indeed he said so then he has a responsibility to prove to the world that Jega is PDP’s errand boy”.

World Bank bribe for contracts report: Sagay, Aremu, others carpet govt.

By Ibrahim Apekhade Yusuf and Bukola Afolabi.

Professor Itse Sagay (SAN),

•ICPC says its crime prevention mechanism foolproof

A recent World Bank report detailing the level of corruption in Nigeria’s public and private sectors has elicited diverse reactions with experts calling for soul-searching among the populace.
According to the report, a great percentage of Nigerian businesses have no qualms with giving bribe to government officials to facilitate deals.
The report estimates that 80 per cent of Nigerian businesses are involved in the practice.
Reacting to the World Bank report, constitutional lawyer, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), said: “Everybody knows that this country is overwhelmed with corruption. The level of corruption is so very frightening. The implication of this is that genuine businessmen who come into the country ready to do business will have to consider getting back their benefits before anything else. No matter how you look at it, it is a great disadvantage to us because it will deprive the country the necessary economic growth and development.”
The only way to address this malaise in the long term, he said, “Is for us to have honest people in government at the highest level. If we have a leader who leads by example those under him will have no option than to fall in line. But the unfortunate thing now is that there is a lot of corruption in the top echelons of this country.
“You can see that the few people, who have been accused of fraud either in the past or in recent times, are all part of the privileged class and those who are close to the corridors of power”, he stressed.
Echoing similar sentiments, Dr. Chris Onalo, Registrar/Chief
Executive, Institute of Credit Administration, said he has no doubt that as a non-partisan body, the World Bank report is based on empirical research, which, he noted, has shown that the country is not serious about fighting corruption at all.
According him, “the much-touted anti-corruption war by the government simply shows that the country is chasing shadows.”
The implication of this trend, he said, “Is such that it will stifle economic growth, undermining our security and the country’s sovereignty as a whole. It shows again that the theory and practice of democracy is not working after all.
“It is really sad that the government which has told the world that it has put in place due diligence and procurement procedures in award of contracts would allow itself to be mired in such level of corruption as identified by the World Bank survey.
“If the report is inclusive of what obtains in the public and the organised private sector, then it only means that our value system has been completely eroded and we all have to re-orientate ourselves.”
Corroborating him, Dr. Jonathan Aremu, an economist who consults for some top multilateral agencies, said the report simply confirms what is already well known about the country being mired in the cesspit of corruption.
“It is very unfortunate that the magnitude of corruption is so high.
The issue is that everybody knows that corruption here is expensive. You have top government functionaries are being indicted but it is rather sad that these people get a slap on the wrist by way of reprimand simply because they are members of the ruling elite”, Aremu lamented.
On its implication on the economy, the former Deputy Director,
Research and Planning at the Central Bank of Nigeria, said it is
unpalatable. “When such things happen, it slows down the pace of economic development. The long term implication is that it is going to affect even the generations yet unborn”, he said, adding: “If we continue to tolerate corrupt officials and cover for their crime under party politics we are going to be a nuisance in the comity of nations.
Unless we have in place a system that punishes offenders, this hydra-headed monster of corruption will continue to reign supreme.”
Giving a fresh perspective, Baba Omojola, a renowned economist and World Bank consultant, said the report has simply shown the kind of challenge confronting most free enterprise economies like Nigeria.
According to him, “Such corruptive tendency is expected in a free enterprise economy. It is both a political and socio-economic problem. An economy that is not founded on the building blocks of trust, social justice is bound to be confronted by this challenge.”

SUBSIDY PAYMENT CRISIS: Jonathan, Diezani, Okonjo-Iweala under pressure.

By Jide Ajani and Yemi Adeoye
*Fuel scarcity may spread nationwide this week
*Finance ministry promises prompt payment after Sallah
*Conflicting subsidy claims all round
There were indications, at the weekend, that President Goodluck Jonathan and two of his ministers, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Diezani Allison-Madueke, in charge of Finance as well as doubling as the Co-ordinating minister for the economy, and the Petroleum Resources Minister, respectively, have been under immense pressure arising from the impending fuel scarcity that has already paralysed the Federal Capital territory, FCT, Abuja.
In fact, information made available to Sunday Vanguard yesterday suggested the quartet of the Jetty and Petroleum Tank Farm Owners, JEPTFON, Depot and Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, DAPPMAN, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, IPMAN, and the Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria, MOMAN, have decided to cease further importation and distribution once the stock they have is depleted.
Curiously, whereas the Finance Ministry claims to be settling subsidy payments, the figures being thrown around by marketers and importers as well as depot owners are not the same.
While the Finance Ministry claims to have facilitated the issuance of N42.666 Sovereign Debt Notes between April and August this year, “this is just a paltry amount when placed side by side the hundreds of billions being owed MOMAN”, a source said.
In addition, a DAPPMAN source says says members of the group are also being owed claims in excess of one hundred billion naira.
At the crux of the matter, Sunday Vanguard has been made to understand, is “that the nation’s purse can not sustain the payment of subsidy in any form”.

President Jonathan and Petroleum Minister, Diezani

Sources said the crippling of economic activities in the federal capital, occasioned by fuel scarcity, was largely the consequence of the strike embarked upon by petrol tanker drivers’ arm of the National Union of Petroleum and National Gas Workers, NUPENG.
It was gathered that the “situation is so critical that the Petroleum Resources Minister  met with President Jonathan mid-last week to give him a clearer picture of the situation, as against the assurances being given by the Finance Minister.
“The President was told that whereas he should not be seen to be negotiating with those that have been indicted and would be facing prosecution, the fact remains that people are being owed huge sums of money and they would need to be paid, “one of the sources said.
“The pressure on government was brought to laid bare last week when the seat of power, Abuja, witnessed serious scarcity”.
This development is already creating a frosty relationship between the Finance Minister and her Petroleum Resources counterpart.
Indeed, the Petroleum Resources Minister, who was said to be involved in high level consultations at the weekend, “was practically begging operators in the industry to save the nation from the crisis created by the Finance Ministry’s handling of the matter”.
Sunday Vanguard learnt that the leadership of the tanker drivers group mounted surveillance in major entry points of the federal capital last and ensured that no products was delivered into Abuja.
This, the drivers have vowed, would be replicated across the country this week.
Chiefly at the heart of the subsidy payment crisis, another industry operator said, is the “glaring conflict of interest in the appointment of Mr Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Chief Executive of Access Bank, which allegedly participated in the funding of over 30% of activities in the petroleum product importation, to chair the Presidential Committee on Verification and Reconciliation of Fuel Subsidy Payments.”
His committee indicted 21 companies. Aig-Imoukhuede said, while presenting his report, that, out of the N422 billion earlier found to have been unaccounted for, N18 billion was actually a duplication while only N403 billion was verified.
N21 billion was cleared, leaving N382 billion as the sum in contention, the basis for which the committee recommended that the process of recovery should be made.
A total of 116 oil marketing and trading companies (OM&Ts) that participated in the petroleum subsidy scheme in the period under review were invited for interviews.  Six categories of issues, likely fraudulent cases for criminal investigation – you have 21 OM&Ts affected.

FG, Boko Haram hold talks outside Nigeria -SunNews.

From Ade Alade, Abuja
There are indications that the spate of bombings in parts of the country may soon come to an end if ongoing talks between a Federal Government team led by the National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki and leaders of the islamist sect, Boko Haram, do not hit the rock.
A deputy leader of the sect, Habu Mohammed had on Monday in far away Mecca, Saudi Arabia announced that the group is engaged in direct talks with the Federal Government on ending violence in the country’s north.  Mohammed, who claims to be a deputy to the sect leader, Sheikh Abubakar Shekau, said the militant group decided to initiate the peace moves in response to numerous public appeals for peace in the country.
Pressed for details about the peace talks, a top contact in Boko Haram told Saturday Sun that the NSA has been holding discussions with some appointed representatives of the sect at designated venues in the North in recent weeks.  The source added that an appreciable progress was, however, made last week when the sect signified its intention to send some of its leaders to an Arab country where a government team was asked to hold direct talks with the Boko Haram leaders.
According to the source, “the direct contact meeting has now been held and we have stated our grievances and tabled our demands before the government team. The government delegation has promised to return to Nigeria and brief the president before returning for further discussions.”  The sect’s source, who would not disclose what the demands presented to the government delegation were because the two parties were yet to reach concrete agreements on them, however, said:
“It is left for them (government) to act now so that we can all move on.” The source revealed that the government’s delegation to the talk was a six-member team but declined to disclose who they are. No government official was ready to react to the claim but a senior official involved in the process, who would not want to be named, urged Saturday Sun to “accept what the sect told you as the truth and don’t probe for further details, please.” Quite a large number of Nigerian government officials, including Vice President Namadi Sambo and muslim faithful travelled between last week and now for the lesser hajj (Umrah) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia where the deputy leader of Boko Haram, Habu Mohammed had announced the ongoing talks with the Federal Government.
The Islamist militant group has claimed responsibility for numerous attacks in Nigeria, including church bombings and the bombing of a United Nations building. The group has threatened international media organizations, including VOA’s Hausa service.
The militant group has said it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northern Nigeria, sayingå it does not recognize the Nigerian government or the constitution. On Wednesday this week, the Minister of Information, Labaran Maku told journalists in Abuja that the Federal Government was not averse to discussing with the group. According to him, it was in the best interest of the country that peace returned.
“It is a known fact that violence has disrupted socio-economic activities in some parts of northern Nigeria. We have accepted dialogue as a way of bringing the situation to an end as quickly as possible. We have always called on those engaging in violence to stop because violence can’t solve any problem.
So, we welcome the decision to hold dialogue,” the minister said. And during his recent trip in the island country of Trinidad and Tobago, the president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, told the Nigerian community that his government had been treading softly on the group because members are also “our siblings,” adding: “It is extremely difficult to deal with them. You cannot mobilise the whole soldiers to go and wipe out your entire family… So, it is easier to deal with foreigners than with your brothers.”

Nigeria’s government signals talks with Islamists

(AFP)*
ABUJA — Nigeria’s government signalled Saturday they had held some form of talks with Islamist militants waging a deadly insurgency, but its statement was vague and the extremists have repeatedly ruled out dialogue.
The statement from Information Minister Labaran Maku came with the country on high alert ahead of Eid celebrations marking the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, with warnings that fresh attacks could occur.
It was issued in response to a news report this week claiming that a purported spokesman for Islamist extremist group Boko Haram said direct talks were underway with the government.
The statement from the Boko Haram “spokesman” was given to a reporter in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the report said, which is not the usual way the group communicates with journalists.
“The federal government welcomes any initiative that will usher in peace, security and tranquillity in the country, especially in the light of the security challenges that we have faced in the last two years,” the government statement said.
“In this context, we welcome the statement by (Boko Haram) acknowledging that they have been in contact with the federal government through its representatives and have started negotiations with the objective of reaching a final solution to this crisis.”
Maku was asked about the reported dialogue earlier in the week and said he could not confirm it.
A previous attempt at dialogue earlier this year broke down when a mediator quit over leaks to the media and a spokesman for what is believed to be the main faction of Boko Haram said the government could not be trusted.
The main faction of the group has accused the government of using propaganda to discredit it and has repeatedly ruled out further dialogue.
Nigeria’s recently appointed National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki, a prominent figure in the country’s mainly Muslim north, has spoken of dialogue through local institutions, including religious leaders.
Boko Haram has been blamed for more than 1,400 deaths since 2010 in the northern and central regions of Africa’s most populous nation.