Umaru Musa Yar’Adua: The Legacy of a President

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At a slippery point in time in Nigeria’s history and indeed the history of Africa, where decent leadership is elusive and desperation triumphs; where the people have given up on integrity and the possibility of upright anti corrupt leadership. A time where many ask, what can be better, and is it possible to deliver more for the people and less for the cabal; it becomes valuable to revisit the leaderships of our past and study if possibly there were better legacies, better examples to compare, and greater natures of human beings to emulate and seek in the present-future.

Looking not too far into the past, in fact in this very 4th republic, and from this very currently ruling PDP party, the much overlooked, abbreviated regime of late President Umaru Yar’adua comes to the fore, and has recently re-featured in the national immodest crises of the ‘missing’ $20bn, for which external auditors have embarrassingly been requested to help Nigeria address. A characteristic of a good legacy is when your valued words and actions of the past are raised as measures and standards in determination of the problems of the future. Late Umaru Yar’Adua in this regard, as invoked in the national discussion, left a good and important legacy.

Late President Yar’adua was elected to power in 2007, sponsored by another and two time Nigerian president, Olusegun Obasanjo. Umaru Yar’Adua was in office from 29 May 2007 – 5 May 2010 when he passed after a chronic illness. Considering Yar’Adua’s reign requires a brief review of the era before him, that he came to replace.

The democratic regime of Olusegun Obasanjo was very flamboyant and prestigious. It was Nigeria’s first return to democracy after 16 years of imposed military dictatorship.

Two of the common credits of the OBJ regime were the reduction in foreign debt and the establishment of GSM mobile phone networks in the country. Other things OBJ is remembered for is his campaign of privatizations and establishment of an anti-corruption agency, the EFCC. As OBJ’s regime is reviewed in cognizance of its real features and its future results, as well as the economic and political dynamics of the time, a few things are notable.

OBJ rode the oil price waves. OBJ’s regime was not particularly economically unique, it more accurately was in favorable times and the economic growth was concordant with catapulting global oil prices. Oil prices were $16 in 1999 at the start of his tenure and rose rapidly to double that, $35 in September 2000. By August 2005, oil sold at $65 and by October 2007, oil prices were $90/barrel. Obasanjo rode these prices in an ‘oil cruise.’

Contrary to popular narrative, it was late Abacha who introduced GSM to Nigeria. Abacha awarded the first GSM license to Motophone before he passed. When Motophone refused to bend to Obasanjo’s requests for 50% shares in the company as reliable sources detail, Obasanjo cancelled their award and then awarded 27 licenses of his own to companies he brought.

One more issue to discuss that was a hallmark of the predecessor administration was the privatization agenda. Obasanjo built his friends and sponsors of his party, the PDP; the likes of Dangote and Otedola were handed chunks of Nigeria in a privatization frenzy. Transcorp was formed to further facilitate the complete handing over of Nigeria’s assets to private cronies of the PDP. As Obasanjo failed to secure his third term bid, he quickly auctioned off Nigeria’s oil refineries to the same cabal.

Other not so favorable aspects of the OBJ years, including the ‘skewed’ use of the EFCC, the billions allocated for repairing power plants, the ‘missing’ recovered Abacha loot and the like have been thrashed suitably in the media.

The rich got stupendously richer during Obasanjo and the poor got poorer. The gap between the rich and poor have since in the 4^th republic widened to levels never before seen. From 2004, midway into the Obasnajo tenure, to date after 4+ full years of Goodluck Jonathan, according to Nigeria’s statistics Bureau, NBS, Nigeria’s destitute, living under a dollar-a-day have doubled to 100 million, the highest number of any African nation and one-tenth of the world’s total destitute.

Enter Yar’Adua, 2007:

Yar’Adua had an uphill task. He was referred to as ‘go-slow,’ possibly because at the time, people did not realize what cards he had been handed. He was coming in when oil prices were dropping during the global recession and Nigeria’s economy faced testing. The Yar’Adua government had to stabilize the economy against dropping oil prices and decreased production as a result of Niger-Delta terror.

Yet, Yar’Adua had been handed two catastrophic problems by the predecessor Obasanjo government. Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND was wrecking havoc in the Southern creeks and Boko Haram had similarly evolved in the north east. Under the Obasanjo regime, Nigeria’s national security boss, NSA Aliyu Gusau, a Babangida dictator regime henchman and the man behind most of Nigeria’s sad history of military coups—who together with Babangida organized the 1983 coup and displacement of the Shagari civilian regime, in which they put army senior Buhari in charge and also behind the 1985 coup in which he removed Buhari and the 1993 coup in which he removed Shonekan and replaced him with Abacha—had failed to abate the problems in the north and south. According to reports, Gusau had actually told president Obasanjo when he asked about Boko Haram, then called, ‘Nigerian Taliban,’ that ‘no such group existed,’ despite attacks by the group.

Faced with these unique, entrenched challenges, Yar’Adua selected a National Security Adviser, Major Gen. Sarki Mukhtar, who is remembered for opposing Abacha on coup plotter treatment in the 90s, and had the commitment and wherewithal to intelligently and appropriately combat the two terror problems.

The Yar’Adua administration with NSA Mukhtar immediately approached the MEND crises with an understanding of the pressing situation. An Amnesty was worked out for the agitating youth who had reduced Nigeria’s oil output by almost half, and Nigeria invested billions in training and rehabilitating these youth. Peace that eluded Obasanjo was restored to the creeks.

Faced with a different terror uprising in the north, Yar’Adua with his apt NSA Mukhtar swung into action, again properly considering the dynamics of the northern question. Poverty is predominant in Nigeria’s north, however poverty and/or misguided fanaticism is no excuse for terrorism and murder of innocent civilians and security officers. The nation’s security men were sent to sack the Boko Haram camps in a swift and efficient operation. In one of the few times in recent global history, the terror mastermind, Mohammed Yusuf himself was caught and killed as ‘he attempted to escape.’ Over 700 Boko Haram terrorists were massacred in the operation of July 2009.

Having established calm and restored security to Nigeria, late Yar’Adua continued with managing other pressing crises he had inherited from the previous administration.

Another battle Yar’Adua had to face was the recovery of Nigeria from the cabal. Obasanjo had literally sold Nigeria to private friends of his and his party. Tycoon Dangote had been selected and favored by president Obasanjo not only during his second appearance in civilian regalia but from his first show as military dictator when he gave Dangote exclusive importation rights. With the sale of Nigeria’s refineries to Dangote and Otedola, Dangote owned as much as half of Nigeria’s assets, which included Nigeria’s cement plants, a telecoms licence and mining concessions. Bashani Aminu had revealed as relayed in Wikileaks, that Dangote once gave Obasanjo a 35 million dollar private jet as thanks for his fruitful partnership.

In July, 2007, barely two months into office, Yar’Adua summoned the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE), to query the sale of Nigeria’s refineries to Dangote and co. And to the praise of Nigeria’s Labour Congress (NLC) Yar’Adua overturned these privatizations for being corrupt. Yar’Adua was next going after the Transcorp purchase of Abuja Nicon Hilton. Though Obasanjo had put Yar’Adua into office against Yar’Adua’s wishes, he having objected to contesting on health grounds, Yar’Adua was determined to rescue Nigeria from the paws of the cabal, even his sponsors, Dangote, who financially sponsored his campaigns and Obasanjo who orchestrated his selection.

But this was not even the half of Yar’Adua’s war against corruption. There was the kerosene subsidy scam, through which the fourth republic stole and still steals 10 million dollars every day from the Nigerian masses. Yar’Adua who was battling with a chronic allergic disorder and had intermittent kidney failure, took this matter as no joke and not a matter to delay on. Within his short tenure, he went hard and firm against the subsidy fraud, sending 4 directive communications to immediately seize the fake subsidy that ‘was not reaching the beneficiaries, the Nigerian masses.’  Yar’Adua’s Principal Secretary, Mr. David Edevbie conveyed the directives.

The government spent/spends millions of dollars everyday subsidizing kerosene that was/is sold to the masses at unsubsidized prices in an elaborate, cheap scam. In this scheme Yar’Adua met on the ground, and that is by all means one of the most gigantic fraud scams in recent world history, the government states that it imports 10 million liters of kerosene everyday at the cost of N156/liter. It then claims to subsidize this to N40.9/liter to be sold at N50/liter to the masses. The NNPC now sells the kerosene to a handful of cabal portfolio marketers at the N40.9/liter and allows them sell it at N150+/liter to the masses, an unsubsidized price, raking in a whooping N100 on the liter for 10 million liters a day and billions of dollars a year [Reference CBN governor Sanusi’s ‘missing’ $20bn  alert].

President Yar’Adua on June 15, 2009 gave a clear directive that NNPC should cease subsidy claims on kerosene. Kerosene fraudulent subsidy claims run up to the tune of N300 trillions per year. This was going to hurt Obsanjo and his cabal cronies.

But Yar’dua was not stopping here, late Yar’Adua gave executive orders to the EFCC to go after anyone, bar none. Obasanjo was in his crosshairs. Obasanjo panicked!

Ambassador Maitama Sule revealed that Obasanjo was scared Yar’Adua would soon come after him and AC’s Garba Shehu said Atiku warned Yar’Adua that Obasanjo was plotting to remove him for his “treachery.”

There are many more instances of Yar’Adua’s stunning and committed actions in total war against corruption. But as he waged this war he suddenly took seriously ill. Yar’Adua suspected he was poisoned. As relayed in Wikileaks cables, Professor Ukandi G. Damachi, an insider and confidant to Babangida and other Nigerian top elite, claimed that late Yar’Adua suspected he had been poisoned by his kitchen staff who he inherited from the former president, Obasanjo. This belief was grave enough according to Professor Ukandi G. Damachi, that Yar’Adua fired all the kitchen staff and replaced them.

Suspicion of poisoning has been rather common in Nigeria’s story, and Shehu Musa, Yar’Adua’s elder brother, was believed to have been killed by poisoning in jail as also it is believed late president elect MKO Abiola was.

Yar’Adua’s wife, Turai is also reported to have believed her husband was poisoned, and this was done to speed up his death. [Fresh Facts, May 2010: “They Killed Yar’Adua”].

When the Goodluck Jonathan administration took over, during a valedictory session in Yar’Adua’s  honour, a motion to investigate the conditions of Yar’Adua’s death was raised by senators who alleged that the circumstances leading to the death of Yar’Adua were suspicious, but this motion to probe did not pass the floor and so this possibility was never investigated.

With the death of Yar’Adua, his deputy, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan took over the presidency and things pretty much went back to how they were in the Obasanjo years… or actually worse. Boko Haram recouped and resumed in full swing, MEND and MEND related terrorists including a revised form as oil bunkerers, high sea pirates and pro-presidency thugs, got reactivated to hold the nation to ransom, with terror reigning supreme from north to south; and fraudulent, non-people beneficial cabal-privatization (cabalization) and corruption were the order of the day. Unlike the Obasanjo administration, recognized for utilizing the EFCC at least for witch hunting the corrupt in bad taste with the president, the EFCC was practically retired to petty cases and authority grand robbery with impunity reigned.

I believe one can admit late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to the fold of late General Murtala Mohammed and Idiagbon/Buhari, whose regimes were marked by total intolerance to corruption and also marked by their assassinations during rule and after (as happened in the case of late general Tunde Idiagbon who was poisoned in Abuja in early 1999, paving the path for the return of Obasanjo by NSA Gusau and Babangida).

Nigeria’s political parties, APC, PDP and the rest can yet find another Murtala, Idiagbon/Buhari or Yar’Adua to restore sanity, decency and global respect to the nation.

Dr. Peregrino Brimah

NewsRescue

A Banks Man: Expect Higher Charges with Godwin Emefiele as New CBN Gov

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Godwin Emefiele will be coming from group Managing Director position at Zenith Bank Plc, to assume the seat of head of the apex bank of Nigeria this June at the expiration of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi’s tenure, if his nomination is confirmed by the Senate.

The CBN is charged with regulating and supervising the banking and financial systems to protect the national economy while considering both the banks and the prosperity of the people. Either’s interest should not supersede the other as banks depend on people and people on the banking system and the economy on both. You could have a great CBN governor who works in the long term interest of the nation and its people while protecting the banks, or a governor who is a banks man, working in the sole short-term interest of the banks and big corp. and ever willing to sacrifice the people.

It was not surprising to most observers that the president of Nigeria, Goodluck Ebele Jonathan nominated Godwin Emefiele for the position of all the available and viable options. Who else than a perfect cabal man to protect the interests of Jonathan and the cabal, vs. the masses? Coming from a bank, one does not need to be told that Godwin Emefiele will be coming to the office with vested interests of his bank and banks as a whole at heart.

Zenith bank in particular has been at the center of several allegations and investigations for shady dealings and money laundering for the cabal. Recently, in the case of Jigawa governor Lamido’s son, Zenith Bank Plc was among 13 banks which came under investigation, with its senior managers locked in detention by the SSS for money laundering and terrorist financing. This affected global confidence in the Nigerian banking sector. [Thisday; Nov 16, 2013]

Again, Godwin Emefiele‘s Zenith Bank Nig. Plc, was reportedly one of the leading financial institutions at the fore front of defrauding its customers to the total tune of the six billion Naira which the CBN recovered from the banks in 2012. The CBN governor Sanusi Lamido had placed the banks on the watch to see that this robbery from the vulnerable customers did not take place in 2013. Today in grave irony, the manager of a bank that has been caught defrauding the people will be the manager of Nigeria’s Central bank. [PremiumTimes, April 11, 2013; also TheOctopusNews]

Today, Nigerian banks charge the highest fees and rates in the entire world. And under Godwin Emefiele whose bank is one of the banks that has canvassed for and ensured that it squeezes all its clients out of every last penny, Nigerians can expect higher charges and greater exploitation by the nation’s banks.

It is rather peculiar that in ‘developing’ nations, the masses pay more for every single service or utility. Perhaps ‘developing’ is centered on the ability of the masses to reject exploitation of their wicked leaders and their coterie of cabal. Nigerian banks charge for any and everything. Deposits, transfers, withdrawals, text messages, everything you can imagine, even for bank statements. Godwin Emefiele, Group Manager of Zenith bank represents the vampire cabal who are not interested in other legitimate ways of making money, but figure out that if they rob pennies from 112 million of us beggars, the destitute and poor masses, they can rake in billions and be world acknowledged.

Things the banks charge as have been highlighted previously are:

Customers pay N10-50 per sms alert, even for bank error repeat texts; though bulk sms texts are offered to businesses by mobile networks at N1/sms.

Hardware token for security is issued at N2000 ($12);

Bank statements are charged at about N40/page;

Renewal ATM card is issued at a charge of N1000 ($6);

N500 monthly maintenance fee for current accounts ($3);

First Bank and Keystone Bank even have a N100 monthly ATM card maintenance fee!

You also have the Value added tax, for ‘no value added.’

Even reference letters are fulfilled at a charge of up to N2000 ($12).

When compared to US banks, there is no COT, no deposit fine, no withdrawal fine, customers have several free banking options, ATM cards are replaced for free, bank statements are obtained for free, and texts are free. Basically the banks are happy to have your money. But not so in Nigeria where banks are run by the Cabal and the people are unprotected with the Central Bank working in the interests of the banks and not the people.

As he is expected to be confirmed to head the Apex bank, the policies Godwin Emefiele has used to manage Zenith bank and the interests of Zenith bank over those of Nigeria’s millions and in contrast to standard operative policy and accommodation globally are expected to triumph in his decision making at the head of Nigeria’s Central Bank.

In 2012, Zenith bank made a whopping N55 billion in COT’s, one of the highest incomes generated from this ‘fine’ of all banks. COT’s represents 10% of bank revenue.

Sanusi Lamido Sanusi had promised to finally phase out COT’s by 2016. The banks had contested this. It is to be watched if the new CBN governor will work in the interest of the masses on this among other items, or if he will work for the banks whose interests he has strongly vested.

Nigerians remain in the hands of the cabal who have waged total war against the masses.

Dr. Peregrino Brima

NewsRescue

Senator Uzamere has become a political liability – Afegbua

Prince Kassim Afegbua is Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs to the Edo State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. In the wake of defection of Senator Uzamere, the Senator representing Edo South Senatorial District, where he gave some reasons for his defection, Prince Afegbua spoke to Weekend Vanguard, in reaction to some of the claims by the defected Senator; excerpts:

Your State suffered from the gale of defection sweeping across the country when the Senator representing Edo South, Senator Uzamere defected to the Peoples’ Democratic Party [PDP]. What is your reaction to this?

Well, first and foremost, he has the constitutional right to belong to any political party that suits his ideological persuasion, except that when you are leaving a party, there are conditions precedents to taking your action. I am not aware that the APC is embroiled in any crises whatsoever. Whatever may have been the motivation for Senator Uzamere defecting, did not meet with the constitutional requirement for doing so. The relevant sections of the 1999 Constitutional are very clear on this.

Prince Kassim Afegbua

The reasons he gave are as unintelligent as the motive. He was trying to be clever by half but any discerning mind would see through the insincerity of purpose. But just like I said, we may choose to test his defection in the law court to explain whether it is possible for anyone to leave his Party when there was no crises whatsoever.

But he accused the Governor as being a sole administrator who overturns and overturns decisions depending on his mood. How do you react to that?

Assuming that is true, how does that score for a reason why a Senator should defect? Is that the position of the Constitution? Having said that, the statement is grossly irresponsible.

I think, the Senator should be man enough to state the reason why he feels comfortable with PDP now than just beating about the bush selling untenable excuses. I think he discovers that he might not get the prized ticket of the APC again, having performed woefully in the Senate in the last three years, hence he decided to port.

I am aware that the Comrade Governor has been complaining about the Senator’s regime of silence in the Senate, not participating in debates, discussions and arguments in the Senate. The only time you hear his voice is when there are nominees for certain positions waiting to be cleared. As a Senator representing APC in the Parliament, you must be a strong advocate for good governance and development.

We cannot afford to tolerate any lawmaker who is docile in the Senate; who rather than contribute to discussions and debates, join the army of those professional clappers for other people’s contributions. Any party that intends to field him for future election must be ready to break the vault.

How do you react to the claim by Senator Uzamere that the Comrade Governor has not been able to impact on the wellbeing of an average Benin man, in terms of projects and empowerment?

It is not only laughable and ludicrous, but reckless of a Senator that is vested with the responsibility of making laws for the good of Nigerians. Why do you have to tell a lie because you want to make an impression? Why do you have to distort facts simply because you want to create a scenario to justify your self-serving position? What the Comrade Governor administration has done in Edo South alone is unparalleled in the history of Edo State. I challenge him to name one project he has attracted to Edo South since he has become a Senator.

He has been hiding under the cover of the APC government to showcase his achievements. His history of non-performance has been the bone of contention between him and the Comrade Governor, because according to the Governor, APC cannot afford not to do things differently from what we inherited from the PDP. The cost of the Benin City Storm Water Project alone is more than the cost of all projects in the two other senatorial districts put together. In the area of roads, hospitals and schools, what we have been able to fix in Edo South far supersede those in other areas. Every reasonable Edo person today appreciates the intervention of the Comrade Governor and day in, day out, you see distinguished Edo sons and daughters coming to appreciate the Governor for his achievements thus far. Please when next you see Senator Uzamere, ask him what he has done in his senatorial district in the last three years.

But the Senator seems to be speaking the minds of some people who accuse the Governor of highhandedness?

Those who are listening to him, if any, are members of his jester club who sleep-walk about to look for relevance. The Comrade Governor is very impatient when it comes to non-performance. He is very temperate when he sees that you have nothing to offer. When he recruited Senator Uzamere as candidate for the defunct ACN, he was not only a hard sell, but very expensive to market. We were trying to prove a point to Chief Anenih who boasted that Uzamere had reached his political Golgotha. When we were campaign for him, it actually became manifest. We had to deploy all the strategies of house to house campaign, night and day, to ensure that we were able to defeat the PDP’s formidable candidate in Senator Ehanire Daisy Danjuma. I remember the electorates telling the Comrade Governor that they were voting for him and not Uzamere. He was such a hard sell.

He was like akara balls drenched in sands. We had to clean him up, deploy house to house strategy, deploy effective media strategy and prevailed on the people to vote for him. He was a total liability that was almost irredeemable but trust Oshiomhole, he can sell coal to Newcastle dwellers through his power of oratory and superlative delivery. But today, just like a child with faint memory, Uzamere may have forgotten all of that. Incidentally, he still remains our friend, but we owe it a moral duty, to put history in its proper perspective so that researchers will not take his distorted claims as the currents of history.

The APC membership registration has just been conducted. How would you describe the exercise against the backdrop of the attendant crises that greeted it?

You are bound to have pockets of crisis here and there, but they are not strong enough to upstage the applecart. That also tells you something about the popularity of the APC. Nigerians are keying into the APC agenda and the membership of the party is growing by the day. At the State level here, people have come to realize that the Party has demonstrated competence in governance and service delivery. It is the party to beat here in Edo State, which is why there are internal struggle for control.

Yes, the struggle for the control of the Party has been on for some time now as a result of the forthcoming coming general elections. What do you see happening in future if some persons are denied the Party’s ticket?

I am not a political soothsayer that sees the future of any party. I am well equipped however with political nuances to predict certain occurrences in political circles. One thing the APC will do which I think is the right thing will be to present strong candidates for the forthcoming elections. I have been seeing some aspirants who in their heart of hearts know too well that they can’t deliver any election. I have seen some who I would rather call pretenders to the throne because they lack what it takes to engage any serious political discourse, yet there are few others who have the mileage to be what they intend to be.

All these, will be a matter of time. But you know that the Governor has a greater role to play to make sure that the Party remains together for the sole purpose of being a strong contender for any political position. It is the same issues that will factorize the political equation of the Governorship in 2016. So many things will come to play, but first thing first.

Are you foreseeing any further defection?

It is not unlikely. I pray that the strong political characters and personages continue to fraternize with the APC. When the strong political leaders have genuine complains, the Governor knows how to carry them along but certainly not the likes of political lightweight of Senator Uzamere’s composition.

Off loading a political liability like Senator Uzamere is good for the APC system, otherwise, you risk exposing your internal strategies through espionage and spy work and moles. But like I said, he remains my big brother and friend, there is nothing personal in all of this, just that I hate people standing truth on its head.

Vanguard

Nigeria’s Overhyped And Uncoordinated Minister Of The Economy By Samuel O. Oluyemi

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In 2011, I had the privilege of writing a letter to the recently returned Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on behalf of my boss. Despite being meticulously prepared, the letter was returned back for corrections. Astonishingly, the new Minister was refusing to read any letter that was not addressed to the “Coordinating Minister of the Economy.” To me, it seemed more like a desperate power grab by a barely literate politician than the behaviour one would expect of a Harvard-trained, internationally acclaimed economist, although I was reluctant to make that judgement at the time. Yet, this claim has been confirmed over time and is now common knowledge to civil servants who have had any recent contact with the Nigerian Finance Ministry.

Without a doubt, Madam Okonjo-Iweala has been a source of pride to Nigeria. She has broken the glass ceiling for Africans in general and women in particular. She has inspired us, Nigerian professionals, to believe that with hard work, dedication and some luck it is possible to rise to the highest echelons of a global institution and to occupy coveted positions in our country. For that we are grateful.

However, since that incident in 2011, it has become evident that something has radically changed about the Ngozi of the 2004-2007 era – the effective technocrat who was instrumental in negotiating Nigeria’s debt relief and passionately pursued President Olusegun Obasanjo’s reform agenda. With each passing day, it appears that the hitherto respectable World Bank economist has stopped trying to beat the bad guys, but has joined them. Before our eyes, Ngozi’s metamorphosis into a frighteningly egocentric, corruption-condoning and limelight-hugging Nigerian politician is almost complete. She adds to these, a uniquely dark skill of hoodwinking the international media. While Nigerians groan, Ngozi is celebrated abroad, interviewed by international magazines and sits smug on the plush seats at Davos pontificating on her achievements in Nigeria.

It is high time the international agencies and the media see beyond the facade of Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala’s past glories for what she has now become. These are not unsubstantiated claims of some imaginary opponents, but a factual submission from one who used to passionately defend and support her actions. My submission is centred on four broad reasons which are: (1) Mismanagement of the Nigerian economy (2) Vindictiveness and intolerance of criticism (3) Emotional manipulation of the international media (4) Overambitious personalisation of Nigeria’s reform agenda.

ECONOMIC MISMANAGEMENT

The Control and Management of the public finances of the Federation is the broad mandate of the Finance Ministry. This mandate cut across all sectors of the Nigerian economy, including budget preparation, designing fiscal and monetary policies and monitoring the country’s oil and non-oil revenue among others. Given these already enormous responsibilities, the only justification to assume a title of Coordinating Minister of the Economy (CME) would be to intimidate fellow ministers and possibly take over the role of the Ministry of National Planning which Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has effectively done.

Unfortunately, high sounding titles have not led to high quality delivery of her mandates. Take the national budget for example; this single most important policy document of government has become a source of national disgrace – tardily prepared, overbloated, and un-implementable. The current 2014 budget estimates signed off by Ngozi and submitted to the National Assembly include desktop computers for the Ministry of Education at N2 million each (over $13,000) and an allocation to Niger Delta militants of N54 billion, much higher than cumulative spending for Nigeria’s army, air force and navy.

One would assume the job description of a ‘coordinating minister’ includes providing a coherent and realistic budget for the government. Apparently not. Where budgets have passed, government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) have been crippled by consistent lack of releases. Expenditure warrants are sent in with no cash backing hampering the abilities of MDAs to implement projects in a timely manner and government contractors become overdressed beggars in Ministries, chasing their own resources. Dr. Precious Gbeneol, Special Adviser to President Jonathan on the MDGs, in a presentation in 2013 identified haphazard releases of the Finance Ministry as most responsible for Nigeria’s inability to achieve the MDGs. The impact is worse at the state level, with frequent stalemates at the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC). Frivolous charges, unaccounted drops in revenue and archaic accounting systems from key revenue generators make a mockery of the entire revenue sharing process.

Nigeria’s rising debt profile, declining foreign reserves and depleting Excess Crude Account (ECA) will puzzle any keen watcher of the nation’s finances. In a time of booming global oil prices, the country’s financial indicators point downwards. The ECA – an aberration to the constitution has been maintained by the Federal Government due to economic arguments put forth by Mrs. Iweala has become a slush fund for managing political tensions between the Presidency and State governments. With a balance of about $11.5 billion in December 2012, the ECA has now declined to less than $2.5 billion as at January 17, 2014! Indeed, Nigeria’s financial accounts have a direct inverse relationship to political upheavals. If you doubt this, pay close attention to the above three indicators next time Governor Amaechi calls a meeting of the Nigeria Governors Forum, or House Speaker Aminu Tambuwal is reportedly in a meeting with the opposition. That the Finance Minister could be blatantly dipping into the nation’s resources to support political interventions is unprofessional and unbecoming. For Dr. Okonjo-Iweala to claim no knowledge that this is happening would be admitting ineptitude.

The Minister, and her aides, are quick to point to the impressive growth rates of Nigeria’s economy as evidence of her economic prowess. However anyone bothering to do a month’s research at the National Bureau of Statistics would exercise caution in subscribing to these claims. The Nigerian economy has grown in spite of the actions of the Minister and not because of any targeted policy action resulting from the ‘brilliance’ of Mrs. CME. A deep analysis into the drivers of growth limits any attribution to policies of the Finance Ministry. The economy has grown because of the hard work of Nigerians who have developed a knack for succeeding against all odds despite the artificial obstacles frequently put in their way- a key example being Nollywood. The non-oil sectors seem to be rising faster than the oil sector due to a drop in oil production and rampant oil theft rather than any conscious diversification policy. In fact rather than provide growth generating policies, the Finance ministry has focused on protecting entrenched interests and de-industrialising key sectors. It is poignant to note that the Nigeria Customs Authority recently raised the alarm that the country had lost over N1.7 trillion ($10.3 billion) to the retrogressive waivers granted by the Finance Ministry. Waivers have been granted for frivolous items including bullet proof luxury cars, religious books and kitchen utensils signed off by Minister Okonjo-Iweala disregarding the real sectors that require them.

Perhaps the most damning indication of Ngozi’s uncoordinated incompetence is the ongoing saga of an unaccounted $20 billion oil revenues from the oil corporation, the NNPC. That the Finance minister can go to bed at night knowing that this heist happened under her watch and she has still not resigned or been jailed is a uniquely Nigerian anomaly. Ngozi’s culpability has drawn ire even from former close friends. Past World Bank Vice President and member of Nigeria’s economic team during the Obasanjo years, Madam Oby Ezekwesili has publicly criticized Madam Iweala’s role in the unremitted funds. As a Minister of Finance, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala is mandated to “monitor the oil and non-oil revenue of the country” for which she has failed woefully. Her added role as coordinating Minister surely goes even further! That a coordinating Minister would be unaware of such colossal losses reeks of incompetence. And surely Ngozi is not incompetent, or is she? Well she is either incapable of her job or was in the know and thus culpable.

VINDICTIVENESS AND INTOLERANCE OF CRITICISM

Over the course of her work, Dr. Okonjo Iweala has gained a notorious reputation for taking no prisoners. She ferociously hunts anyone who questions her methods or sincerity. In 2013, after writing a less than flattering article on the Minister, Yushau Shuaibu got an unexpected call from the Ngozi herself- a rare honour on the wrong issue- she proceeded to dress him down. A few weeks later, Mr. Shuaibu was summarily dismissed from a 25 year civil service career, for daring to speak out on the all-powerful Minister, he is currently in court challenging this Sicilian style retribution. In-country journalists have subsequently gotten the hint, with only a few brave reporters still going down this path. Similarly, several Nigerians who dared ask her probing questions at international events have reported receiving a scathing tongue-lashing from her.

EMOTIONAL MANIPULATION

So intolerant is she about critical reports by Nigerian newspapers that in a recent TEDx talk delivered in London, rather than the inspirational speech participants were expecting, Dr.  Iweala dragged the young audience to the gutters of Nigerian politics. She went off on a tangent ranting against the Nigerian media, particularly The Punch for attacking her personally and for being opposed to reform because the media dared to question her questionable waivers. For theatrical effect, she reminded listeners that even her mother was kidnapped by powerful anti-reform vested interests although the kidnappers as widely reported were her father’s former staff. Alas this was quintessential Ngozi at her Nollywood best, playing the victim yet again!

In a recent parliamentary inquiry at Nigeria’s energetic House of Representatives, Ngozi’s acting skills were in full display as she tried to emotionally blackmail the committee, accusing them of being disrespectful, to the extent of releasing a doctored clip of the proceedings. Were it not for the original longer clip available from Premium Times, what really happened would have been obscured. Her propaganda machinery even went as far as playing the gender-discrimination card against the all-male committee. Thankfully, most Nigerians who followed the incident refused to fall for the trickery.

An effective manipulation strategy perfected by Ngozi is a pre-emptive mentioning of corruption in order to project the image of one who identifies the problem first. She does this when she senses a growing momentum by the public against corruption acts which she otherwise condones. This has happened on at least three occasions including the fuel subsidy corruption saga, ongoing oil theft and most recently at the TEDx talk in London, she alluded to corruption in elections financing. By mentioning such an issue to the press, for instance, giving estimates of 400,000 barrels of crude oil stolen daily, Ngozi cleverly distances herself from acts she deliberately overlooks, while creating an erroneous public perception that she is the lone and ‘brave reformer’ swimming against the tide of rancid venality.

One wonders why Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is so ruthless about projecting this squeaky clean super hero image to the detriment of free speech. The answer lies in who Dr. Okonjo-Iweala actually considers her constituents. With growing disdain for the ordinary Nigerians, professionals and even her ministerial colleagues, Ngozi has always found it easier to mingle and profess her ‘love’ for Nigeria, with the international community. She spares no time or resources in attending any conference at Harvard, New York, Davos or Oxford explaining her lone efforts to ‘reform’ Nigeria. Yet, she is hardly seen communicating her policies at the University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, and the Lagos Business School not to mention everyday Nigerians.

Consequently, Ngozi has invested significant resources ruthlessly suppressing any adverse news reports that could be seen by the international community. A well-oiled and cunning propaganda machinery run with her media assistant, Paul Nwabuikwu as the front, and a network of highly paid international media consultants at the back room, assures that the true picture of Madam Okonjo-Iweala is hardly seen.

OVERAMBITIOUS PERSONALISATION OF NIGERIA’S REFORM AGENDA

With a consistent knack for wanting to outshine the master, Ngozi seems to have forgotten Robert Greene’s first law of power. This is perhaps the single reason why former President Obasanjo summarily dispatched her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2006. With the current administration, she has carved a niche for being first to claim the glory on any positive initiatives at the expense of other hardworking colleagues and quickly distancing herself from any negatives. This personal policy of fair-weathered friendship leaves the President vulnerable to consistent scorn from Nigerians and the international community while Ngozi scoops up all accolades.

Even more indicative of Ngozi’s crass opportunism is the recent revelation in a book by former FCT Minister Nasir El-rufai in which he details how Dr. Okonjo-Iweala flew into Abuja all the way from Washington DC hoping to become General Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 elections- to run against President Jonathan. Shortly after that episode, she was appointed as Nigeria’s Finance Minister. No sooner did she have this post however, than she was scheming to be President of the World Bank, expending Nigeria’s financial and political capital for her own personal gains.

Effectively therefore, being Nigeria’s CME is second choice, reaffirming her superiority to ordinary Nigerians and her Ministerial colleagues. Her next move is rumoured to be a bid for the Presidency of the African Development Bank, a position also being eyed by outgoing Governor of the Central Bank, Sanusi Lamido with some believing the ongoing altercation between the two is a proxy war for this upcoming contest.

CONCLUSION

I have found myself frequently asking if this is the same Ngozi we admired on the pages of newspapers between 2004 and 2007 or whether all along the power-hungry, egoistic and vindictive Nigerian politician she tries so hard to distance herself from is her true self. In searching for answers I picked up the Minister’s latest book on her experiences during the Obasanjo years titled “Reforming the Unreformable”- ignoring that the title itself reeked of arrogant self-promotion. Reading through, I realised the preponderance of the word “I”. A word search astonishingly showed over 5,000 mentions of the word “I” in the book. It’s amazing that anyone who led an economic “team” could be so self-absorbed. I also recalled that Ngozi’s one condition for joining the Obasanjo government was how to maintain her World Bank salary to which subsequently her Nigerian salaries were dollarized, and that of joining President Goodluck’s cabinet was that she would be “Coordinating Minister.” I wondered why her condition would not be a tolerance for zero corruption, or that as mandated by the constitution, all revenues must be paid to federation account. As President Jonathan’s first term, comes to an end, and possibly the end of his administration as well, this will hopefully be Minister Ngozi’s last ditch attempt at using Nigeria to build her international profile. We will wish her good luck in her departure and what will surely be the title of her next book; “Coordinating the Uncoordinate-able”

NewsRescue

Interesting times

Lamido Sanusi & Okonjo Iweala

 by: GBENGA OMOTOSO

MANY were caught unawares by the President’s whistle-stop tour of palaces in the Southwest last weekend. I wasn’t. The only problem was the oversight – I don’t want to believe it is a deliberate slight – of leaving my beautiful town out of the presidential itinerary. Serene and seductive, Ada in the state of Osun offers a refreshing balm against the chaos of the city.

Dr Goodluck Jonathan said the visits were private. Not quite, many said. Some swore they were a prelude to his soon – to –be – announced plan to run in the 2015 election. The traditional rulers too have kept their discussions with the President as secret as possible. But, dear reader, today’s column is not about the presidential sorties to palaces. No. There are more urgent matters that are in no way secret but in all ways critical. Grave.

As Dr Jonathan sought royal endorsements in the politically savvy Southwest – its leading lights could sometimes be naive – the deadly Boko Haram sect was busy in Konduga, a hitherto unknown Borno State village that is now a testimony to the devastating blow that Boko Haram has dealt our military muscle, killing residents and razing homes. No fewer than 106 died. I don’t remember a presidential condemnation of the dastardly act. I guess the President is tired of issuing those statements of consolation- that our hearts are with those who lost their loved ones – and defiance – that we won’t surrender to the Boko Haram terror machine. The sect struck again yesterday in Bama, Borno State. Needless to say, it was bloody. Whichever way we look at it, it is sad that blood, human blood keeps flowing and we all are helpless. So sad.

Who are Boko Haram’s sponsors? Where are their weapons coming from? What are Nigeria’s neighbours doing to help? Are they collaborators in this long festival of horror? How effective has been the Air Force in this war? Can we in all sincerity claim that our soldiers are well equipped and well motivated? How did it happen that Boko Haram trampled on Konduga for five hours and no help came to the beleaguered village? The insurgents use unconventional tactics, but is that enough to justify the horrific harvest of deaths and broken limbs? We may never find answers to these questions.

But, it has not all been a bloody affair. Those pushing for the sack of Ms Stella Oduah as Aviation minister carried the day. She got the boot. Now, the woman of exquisite taste has the chance to lash her traducers, those censorious champions of morality who felt N255m was too much to spend on bulletproof cars for the protection of a woman who is not just a minister but a princess. Ms Oduah will now, a source who admires her monstrous but highly maligned airports transformation project said, ride in more expensive cars – to the shame of all those who called her a spendthrift.

Besides, our amiable lady will have time to think about her memoirs. The work, those who know her closely have said, will be an invaluable companion of first class managers, including those who must learn how to survive in a hopelessly stifling corporate environment that is immersed in both national and domestic politics. A likely title? Well, The odyssey of a Princess.

Now that President Jonathan has named Brig.-Gen Jones Oladehinde Arogbofa as his Chief of Staff, Chief E. K. Clark and Raypower proprietor Raymond Alegho Dokpesi can catch their breath. Just because some newspapers speculated that Dokpesi was among those being considered for the job, Clark launched into a rage, vowing to ensure that Dokpesi did not get it. Dokpesi fought back, pouring invectives on the old man. It was messy. But then, what else do you get when a high chief is battling to become a chief of staff and a chief is dying to stop him. So much for cheap chiefs.

The battle of chiefs isn’t the only show in Abuja. Until last week, many thought the national conference was a mere joke. Some, including the sagacious Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saw it as pure subterfuge in the 2015 battle. To others, it was another chance to get on board the cruise ship for a jamboree. Then, the government announced the financial package for the talk shop –N7billion – and everybody is now struggling to be a delegate. No doubt this will rank among the world’s most expensive talk shows. Long after the delegates must have gone to celebrate their fortune –pot bellies, chubby cheeks and all – Nigerians and their friends will still be talking about the cash that got sunk into this revelry that is expected to resolve this country’s problems once and for all. But then, is talk –any talk – cheap? Ask the mobile telephone firms and their clients.

Unknown to many, also in Abuja, the centenary anniversary celebration has been on. Not much attention has been paid to this show, perhaps because delegates are not being selected and the per diem not announced as it was clearly proclaimed for national conference attendees. The cash, we have been told, will come from the private sector. Good. Nigerians love shows. A private sector struggling to create jobs and crying like a baby because of the huge cost of doing business – diesel, haulage, duties and others – has suddenly found the cash for Nigeria’s biggest party this year. Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim announced gleefully yesterday that 28 world leaders would join the celebration. What a feat.

So much for jamborees. Some serious business. Is $20billion oil money missing? Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) should explain where the cash is gone. Besides, he alleges that NNPC has been hurling cash into kerosene subsidy when there is a presidential directive that it shouldn’t do so. Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala – many wonder if she is actually ministering onto the economy – says forensic auditors should be called in. NNPC says because the presidential order was not in a gazette, it carried on subsidising kerosene, even as queues for the commodity lengthen at filling stations and prices keep soaring. If at the level of the Finance Ministry we can’t find somebody to do the arithmetic, then we are in real trouble. Besides, the kerosene thing smells like a scam, a highly combustible scam scrounged off the public till. Whichever way the matter goes, Sanusi doesn’t deserve the blows he is getting; he has raised issues of probity. We demand answers. Simple.

Poor David Mark. The Senate President seems to be confused on the matter of the senators who dumped the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC). The PDP insists that he should declare the senators’ seats vacant. The senators demand that their letter to the Senate be read out, loud and clear, to seal their defection. Mark says the matter is sub judice. Clever guy. There is no way the PDP can force these fellows to stay with it. They are gone – body and soul. A man should be allowed to keep the company he likes. Isn’t this a basic principle of human right? Besides, what is democracy all about if not the right to have a choice and to exercise such a choice anywhere, anytime, so long as the exercise of such a choice does not impugn other people’s rights? A battered wife should get a divorce. More so as there is no demand for alimony.

It is just about two weeks since Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu left Rivers State. And the expeditious effect has been so soothing. Not a single shot has been fired at innocent people gathering for peaceful purposes. Projects are being commissioned and governance is back in full swing. Mbu, a garrulous officer who brooks no criticism, became part of the crises of power and suspicion in Rivers. The more he proclaimed his professionalism, the deeper he got immersed in the murky waters of politics.

Now that those who wanted him out have their prize, Mbu should spare a thought for his future. I assure him Abuja is easier to police. There is little politics. The Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) will find Mbu useful in enforcing the much abused Abuja master plan. He will also be busy chasing vendors off the street in the day and laying ambush for women of easy virtue in the night.

From the Boko Haram madness, unnecessary revelries and hazardous economics to political complexities, one fact is clear: we are in interesting times.

TheNation

Nigeria2015: I don’t mind sacrificing my ambition for APC’s growth – Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

Atiku says Nigeria is in dire need of change.
A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, said on Monday in Sokoto that he would sacrifice his ambition for the growth of his new party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mr. Abubakar made the declaration when he paid a courtesy call on the governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Wamakko.
“All of us are now willing to set aside our individual ambitions so as to build a formidable APC,” he said. “So, for now, we are not talking about how to pursuing our selfish political aspirations. We are collectively working to ensure the growth of the APC.”
Mr. Abubakar announced on Sunday that he dumped Nigeria’s ruling Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the opposition party.
He said he defected to the APC after nationwide consultations with his political associates.
“Over 80 per cent of my political supporters are in support of my defection to the APC,” he added.
The former vice president said that Nigeria was in dire need of change, and commended the people of Sokoto State for rallying behind him always. He stated that he got the highest number of votes from the state delegates during the 2011 PDP presidential primaries, when he challenged and lost the party’s ticket to President Goodluck Jonathan.
The former vice president, 1999- 2007, said the APC leadership was committed to building a strong and united party.
Responding, Mr. Wamakko said that the APC’s struggle was aimed at salvaging the North and Nigeria in general. The governor urged leaders of the party to put Nigeria first and not their individual ambitions.
“I am appealing to you not to repeat the costly blunders of 2011 in order to achieve our vision and mission of salvaging Nigeria,” he added. Mr. Wamakko said that such patriotism and political sagacity were required to build a stronger APC that would emerge victorious in 2015. He said that Nigerians needed a united country where the citizens are equal stakeholders.
“Good governance cannot thrive where there is no social justice and respect for the rule of law. Nobody should be seen to be above the law, and corruption must be squarely tackled without minding whose ox is gored,” he said.
Mr. Wamakko said that God did not make a mistake by creating Nigerians with diverse religious and ethnic differences.
Although he is yet to announce his ambition, Mr. Abubakar is expected to challenge other potential aspirants for the presidential ticket of the APC in 2015. Apart from challenging President Jonathan for the PDP ticket in 2011, Mr. Abubakar had in 2007 contested for president on the platform of the defunct Action Congress, after leaving the PDP a year earlier. He lost the election to the PDP’s candidate, late President Umaru Yar’Adua. He later rejoined the PDP in 2009.

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