Revealed: Foreign Nations Sponsor Boko, FGN Tells UN, Says Nigeria Will Not Bow To Homosexuality

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Oct. 22, 2013

By Innocent Anaba
The Nigerian Government, Tuesday, told the United Nations Human Rights Council, that the Boko Haram insurgents in some parts of the country are impact of externally-induced internal security challenges.

• NewsRescue- Boko Haram: Global Media Busted Promoting Fake Images Of “Ghost” Of Shekau

Nigeria, also said that it will not bow to international pressure to allow same sex-marriage in the country, arguing that same sex marriage is against its cultural and traditional values.
It also justified the execution of death row inmates in the country, contending that same was in accordance with its laws.
Defending Nigeria’s human rights record at the on-going 17th session of the Universal Peer Review, UPR mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, Mr Mohammed Adoke, SAN, the country’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation,  said “Nigeria is experiencing the impact of externally-induced internal security challenges,  manifesting in the activities of militant insurgents and organised crime groups which has led to the violation of the human rights of many Nigerians.
To address the problem, the government has adopted constitutional measures which include the “declaration of a state of emergency” in the states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe of the Northeast Nigeria, where the insurgents have their base. As a result, a Joint Task Force and a Special Task Force have been deployed with the required legislative authorization to utilize rightsbased “Rules of Engagement” and “Operational Plans” in combating the insurgency.
“However, the Nigerian Government has kept open communication channels through the activities of a Presidential Committee on Security Challenges towards working out a peaceful resolution of the crisis. Meanwhile, Government has already proscribed Boko Haram as well as the Jamāʿatu Anṣāril Muslimīna fī Bilādis Sūdān and stipulated a 20-year jail term for anybody who aids or sponsors them in any manner whatsoever. The Government has also put in place an amnesty programme to dissuade terrorists and other extremists from violence.

• NewsRescue-Boko Haram linked to Qatar, Western Powers

“The Nigerian Government has taken other measures to improve security, including enactment of the Terrorism Prevention Act 2011 and its subsequent amendment in 2013 to broaden the scope of its application; development of a Counter Terrorism Strategy and creation of crisis management centre in the office of the National Security Adviser; coordination of enhanced capacity building for all security and intelligence outfits at both the strategic and tactical levels; the National Security Adviser coordinates efforts among the security and intelligence agencies to ensure protection of the human rights of all persons in counter terrorism operations.
Human rights standards have been incorporated in the training curricula of all operatives and coordination of a security awareness programme for ministers and other functionaries of government.”
On same sex-marriage, he said,  “Nigeria does not accept recommendation of some country on the matter, because same-sex marriage is against its national values. Recent polling data suggests that 92 percent of Nigerians support the Anti Same-Sex Marriage Bill passed by the Senate.
“The Marriage Act defines marriage as a relationship between a man and a woman. Christianity and Islam, which are the major religions in Nigeria, also recognize marriage as relationship between a man  and woman.
Same-sex marriage is not in the culture of Nigerians. Sexual and gender minorities are not visible in Nigeria and there is no officially registered association of gays and lesbians. In writing this report, a consultation and validation process was held with various stakeholders where the issue of same-sex marriage was brought up, and the general view of the participants was that same-sex marriage was not a human rights issue in Nigeria.”

• Nigeria Terror Mastermind Aliyu Gusau is US Informant with Links to Hezbollah — Media, Wikileaks Investigation

On death row inmates execution, he said “the right of man to life is the most fundamental human right. Government uses the death penalty as a deterrent to protect human life. Section 33 (1) of Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 guarantees the right to life. It provides ‘’ Every person has a right to life, and no one shall be deprived intentionally of his life, save in execution of the sentence of a court in respect of a criminal offence of which he has been found guilty in Nigeria.’’
“The Penal code and Criminal code prescribe death sentence for anybody who commits culpable homicide punishable with death and murder respectively. Death penalty is a valid part of Nigerian law.
In Nigeria today, offences that are punishable by death include murder, treason, directing or presiding at an unlawful trial by ordeal from which death results, and armed robbery.”

NewsRescue

Best Time To Have Fruits

Just because fruits are healthy for you, does not mean you eat them randomly. The best times to have fruits are listed below.
• Empty Stomach
Eating fruits on an empty stomach is an excellent way to detoxify your system. This is also the best time to ensure optimum absorption of all the vitamins and minerals in the fruits by the body. Eating fruits for breakfast is a good way to kick start the digestive system in the morning. It also ensures the slow increase of blood sugar levels in the body.
• Exercise
Fruits are the perfect snack if you exercise regularly. Snack on a fruit a little while before you start exercising. Fruits maintain the energy levels in your body, but does not give you the sensation of being full or bloated. The body can also use the sugar from the fruit more efficiently since the ability of insulin to transport sugar to the body cells is improved by exercise.
• Seasonal Fruits
Traditional medicine recommends eating fruits according to the seasonal changes. For example, seasonal fruits like mango are perfect to have during the summer. Importing fruits from other countries that are not grown natively will cause loss of nutrients due to artificial preservation. It is always advisable to have seasonal fruits like guava which is grown locally. The best time to have fruits is according to their season.
• Between Meals
The best time to eat fruits is one hour before a meal and two hours after a meal. This ensures that Vitamin C, pectin and fibre are completely absorbed by the body. The level of cholesterol in the body is also reduced by the consumption of fruits between meals.
• After Meals
When fruits are consumed directly after a meal, the absorption of fructose by the body will be slow. The remaining fructose in the digestive system will produce organic acids that cause bloating and diarrhoea. The disintegrated fruits in the stomach take more time to be digested, causing them to decay.
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Britain and United States must keep out

Now that a national conference is in the offing all aimed at mapping out a stable political structure for Nigeria, Britain is back on its pastime of unduly dictating what line to pursue.
Specifically, Britain’s High Commissioner in Nigeria, Andrew Pocock the other day was advising that Nigeria should not break up.
If we did not have bitter experiences after such interference in the past, the whole gimmick might appear well intended. Even then, no matter the good intentions, Britain and United States should for once, leave Nigerians alone to determine their future. The intervention of these two western nations at decisive moments of our national history had always left in their trail political time bombs, which, sooner or later would explode.
High Commissioner Pocock seemed to be trying to pre-empt Nigerians not to break-up the country. What if we decide to break up, of what concern except self-centered economy and military interest should that be to Britain and United States?
No foreigners, specifically Britons and Americans, must give the impression of loving Nigeria more than we love our country. Whether we are to break up or not, Nigerians should be left to decide their fate and bear the consequences rather than the harrowing experiences created for us in the past by these foreign do-gooders. Do we need any political sermon from Britain and United States? Surely not!
Britain on its part, cannot contemplate being discredited on its unilateral amalgamation of Southern and Northern protectorates of Nigeria in 1914. But then, which unilateral federation did not eventually discredit Britain? India-Pakistan? Trinidad-Tobago? Malaysia-Singapore? St. Kitts-Anguilla? Rhodesia-Nyasaland? Northern Sudan-Southern Sudan? Australia-New Zealand? East Pakistan – West Pakistan?
Britain therefore has no lesson to offer Nigeria on the imperative of a stranglehold federal system of government. Despite the national conference, uppermost must be the desire of all Nigerian peoples to remain one. That is all. Far too long, Britain in particular had misdirected Nigerians on all matters of determining their future.
Where was Britain when Soviet Union disintegrated? Why did Britain and United States not plead with the Soviets not to break? Were disintegration against national interest, why did the Yugoslavian federation disintegrate? Why did North and South Sudan separate? Do Czech and Slovak today not exist peacefully after emerging from the defunct Czechoslovakia? Britain and United States must not usurp the right of Nigerians to self-determination, which is what the national conference is all about.
The intervention of British High Commissioner in this national conference is as mischievous as it was in July 1966 during the political crisis. At that time, Britain won and Nigerians lost with the heavy price of a needless and avoidable civil war in which millions died overall. We must not allow Britain again to unwittingly drag us into another civil war. Britain has enough to cope with in the determination of Scots to break away from the United Kingdom.
It is the wish of Nigerians to be allowed to face the consequences of disintegration or continued co-existence as one country. Civil society groups must mount the campaign to keep Britain, United States or any foreign interests for that matter, out so we can all on our own determine our fate. Have Nigerians preached to Britain the advantage or risk of Scotland breaking away from United Kingdom? In this matter of determining our future, we do not need the ill will of Britain and United States inherent in their pursuit of economic and military interests. Surely, not again!
If the Nigerian federation is to be preserved, this must not be on account of Britain’s wish but because Nigerians want to. If on the other hand, Nigerians want to move apart, heck Britain and United States. In 1966, Britain stopped Nigeria from breaking up. In 1967, the same Britain frustrated a voluntarily agreed modified new political arrangement contained in the Aburi accord. What does Britain want in Nigeria? Must Britain and United States constitute a menace of conjoined overlords over Nigeria when less virile nations determine their own future?
In 2010, Nigeria had a constitutional crisis of succession during the illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua. Instead of allowing our constitution to work out, United States virtually assumed governance in Nigeria when a previous and serving secretaries of state openly ordered the line of action, right on our soil. Both in subservience and the National Assembly amended Nigerian constitution alluding to a strange principle of necessity.
The product of that foreign intervention is the current political bitterness over national leadership succession in Nigeria in 2015. In contrast, Venezuela had a completely similar political succession crisis during the illness and eventual death of President Chavez. Venezuelans not only allowed their constitution to operate, but never allowed any foreign intervention. Today, Venezuela is stable without political bitterness or uncertainty.
To rub salt into our wound, the same Americans returned to predict Nigeria’s disintegration in 2015. When that prediction was made, was that any goodwill for Nigeria? The more reason we should determine our future political arrangement without any foreign interference.
Britain, the self-assumed peacemaker in Nigerian crisis in 1966 and 1967, later turned round to exploit the consequences of its unsolicited intervention, which was the civil war. Britain had no qualms as the chief arms supplier to one side to kill the others in the war. Most wickedly, one member of British parliament justifying the arms supply policy openly called for what he called “quick kill” to end the war.
Ironically, both before and after the civil war, the same Britain refused to employ military force against the white minority regime of Ian Smith in the defunct Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) which declared unilateral independence in 1965. Unless halted, the latest British move on Nigeria’s future may lead to history repeating itself. Which side benefited from the civil war? The same Britain as Nigeria is more divided today than in 1966 or 1967. Nigerians bore the experience and must resist the remotest sign of foreign interference.
There is nothing unprecedented in a country’s disintegration but such must not be on the prediction or incitement of foreign interests. Nigerians must therefore watch out for agents of neo-colonialism.
Is it perfect in Britain? Definitely not! Does the United States on that account nose-lead Britain? Is it also perfect in United States? Does Britain therefore as ex-colonial power dabble into American affairs? Except in undertones of racial superiority, why must Britain and United States breathe over our neck every time? Why should Nigeria be different in managing its affairs?
No longer SURE even for PTDF

Nigerians are told overtime that the country’s economy is buoyant. Yet the evidence all over the place is that government is unable to meet its financial obligations.

In the past forthnight, at least two government agencies have alerted on their imminent fold-up.

The first is the so-called SURE P, which claimed that it might soon abandon its hurriedly arranged hangers-on each to whom a seeming handsome cash of ten thousand naira is handed every month. Surely, that big amount could not be a monthly wage for two reasons.

First, the Federal Government standing minimum wage is at least eighteen thousand naira, and second, SURE P is a federal set-up. The hypocrisy of the federal government wage policy is therefore noticeable.
More than these, there was nothing sincere in the origin of the SURE P. The agency was hurriedly set up by the Jonathan administration to quell nation-wide public protest against the fuel price hike last year January. It was therefore obvious that it was a question of time for the fraud of the very SURE P idea to be known to the public.
Christopher Kolade should never have accepted the job. His personal integrity was exploited to confer credibility on that agency. Well, credibility without the necessary fiscal allocation means undeserved blame by the supposed beneficiaries of the SURE P program.
Unless Christopher Kolade threatens to resign or actually resigns, the outstanding allocation for SURE P will not be appropriated by the National Assembly. It is not clear whether it is worse for PTDF, which now expresses anxiety of being unable to pay staff salaries, etc anytime from now. The agency’s history is replete with theft of its funds by the very people expected to be funding the agency.
Was it not the same PTDF that provided the conduit for converting to personal use to settle private legal fees to the huge sum of a quarter of billion naira? What happened following the disclosure? Was anybody prosecuted?
National Assembly must not approve one kobo for PTDF in particular. Let it be established that in the past, the agency’s fund had been spent on its stated purpose.
Keyamo out in victory
Voters went to the polls in a bye-election to elect the senator for Delta Central last weekend. The initial interest generated for the election waned largely because of the absence of a candidate who should have been but was not nominated.Perhaps to borrow General Obasanjo’s assessment in the 1979 presidential elections, Festus Keyamo was the best aspirant among the lot who did not necessarily win the nomination. But should Keyamo bother himself? By not securing his party’s nomination, he might have in fact been saved unnecessary personal and financial stress by his party, which did not nominate him. It was not as if Keyamo would have won hands down, but he was a big masquerade in the All Progressives Congress (APC), and from his antecedents, the opposition might have thought twice before upstaging him with unfair tactics. Keyamo’s supposed or “might have been expected” core supporters, the masses, are their own worst enemies. Was the late Gani Fawehinmi not their Chief Advocate? Did they elect him? Femi Falana, if he too can be considered a friend of the masses, also failed to be elected as governor in Ekiti State.
That might have been the fate awaiting Festus Keyamo had he contested the senatorial bye-election in Delta central district. Masses would rather have fallen for the two hundred naira each offered by other candidates.
On another note, Keyamo’s reputation is an asset to any political party. But such value is of no interest to political godfathers. He might also turn out to be the Chike Obi of modern day Nigerian politics – a man of his mind, much dreaded by political leaders. But it is to his credit that he still remained a loyal party man, despite his not being fielded by APC. He backed the party’s candidate, and spoke against the conduct of the election, adjudged by many to have been largely less than free and fair.

TheSun

Anambra 2013: Why people will prefer Ngige to others –Igbokwe

Chief Joe Igbokwe is the Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Chinelo Obogo, he took a critical look at the political pedigree and antecedents of his party’s governorship candidate in Anambra State, Dr. Chris Ngige, and declared that state people would prefer him to other contestants.
Excerpts:
How have you resolved the crisis that trailed the emergence of Senator Chris Ngige, as APC candidate?

Senator Chris Ngige has no serious competitor right from day one and even those who showed interest to square up with him know this fact very well. Ngige has a fantastic, excellent and unquestionable pedigree that tends to dwarf the personality of other candidates. Comparing Ngige and these other contestants is like comparing apple and orange. It is like comparing President Obama and President Jonathan. It is like comparing the capacity of a brand new 504 pick-up van with the capacity of a 30-year old Mark truck. Ngige’s antecedents have rendered nugatory the ambition of these other contestants. His structures in Anambra State are formidable, alive and strong. So, what you call a crisis is the mere imagination of those that expected crisis in the emergence of Ngige but who were disappointed in the transparent way and manner the primaries were conducted by the APC. It is a fact that apart from Ngige, every other candidate in the election is wading through serious intra-party crisis. So, there was no crisis to resolve except in the fertile imagination of the opponents of Ngige.

How has been the campaign so far?
The campaign train is moving as expected, riding the smooth roads, then bumpy roads, climbing the hills and descending with grace and dignity, breaking ossified beliefs and heresies, engaging the high and the low, drilling the deepest wells, making politics sexy and adorable. The campaign is moving with common sense (even though common sense is not common), reaching to Igbo in Nigeria and Igbo in diaspora that what happens in Anambra must not worry every Igbo man. Without sounding immodest Anambra is the engine of Igboland. Anambra State parades the highest class of intellectuals in the South-East and South-South. Anambra State is one of the richest states in Nigeria.
Most celebrated leaders in the East of Nigeria are from Anambra State. In Anambra State, wealth is almost distributed house to house. In fact, a school of thought says if Anambra State is not good Igboland cannot be good. It is based on this compelling need to keep Anambra State strong that informed our decision to beg Ngige to run again and our people are happy that he accepted. Consequently anywhere we go there are shouts of ONWA GA ETI  OZO(The sun will shine again)

What effect has the relocation of Anambra indigenes from Lagos had on the chance of Ngige in the coming election?
A sound and patriotic policy not targeted at any particular ethnic group just to make Lagos livable, clean and decent has been grabbed by ethnic chance takers and miserable politicians to score cheap and dangerous political points. The plan of these political nitwits and dwarfs is to use the so-called deportation to bring Ngige to their level. These clowns know that they are not in the same political page with the former Governor and Senator Chris Ngige and therefore their devilish plan is to beat down Ngige from his towering height to their miserable level by engaging in primordial sentiments and ethnic pre-occupation. It has failed and it will remain so.
It is dangerous politics that may rock the boat and put to danger the cordial and well-respected relationship between Igbo and Yoruba that dates back to 1970, if not properly handled. The chance takers and peddlers of misinformation will fail. In 2011 Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State deported 29 Akwa-Ibom State and Ebonyi State indigenes on the pretext that they were begging in Awka and Onitsha and heaven did not fall. About the same time Governor Orji of Abia State sacked over 3,000 indigenes of Anambra, Imo, Enugu, and Ebonyi States from the Abia Civil Service and sentenced tens of thousands of Igbo men and their families to untimely death, eternal poverty and degradation yet heaven did not fall. As I write this I hear that some lawyers said they want to take Governor Fashola to court for the so-called deportation. Ok fine. But let me ask the same lawyers to have the courage to take Governor Obi and Orji to court also if they are not tribal warlords. Again, as at today, Lagos still hosts more Anambra people than Anambra State. Anambra people generate more wealth in Lagos than in Anambra so who loses in the devilish plot to use 14 destitute victims of poor, timid and rural governance in Anambra, who were chased into Lagos to live under the bridges for primitive politics in the end? But, as I said, the Igboman is not foolish and will like to know why a government feels its citizens are better off living as destitutes under the bridges of Lagos than in their home state.

Don’t you think that rally in Onitsha on the day the Obi of Onitsha was celebrating Ofala festival a political miscalculation?
Again, another dangerous politics to reduce the towering image of Senator Chris Ngige. If reality is to prevail, Ngige Campaign organisation had extensive discussion with the palace secretary on the matter and the campaign organisation was asked to go on since the Ofala festival in Onitsha is always conducted without asking people to close shops or markets because Onitsha people are civilised people, who practise their well-respected tradition with grace, respect and profound dignity. Unfortunately, by the time the campaign organisation was talking to the palace secretary, our own HRH Igwe (Dr.) Alfred Achebe, was in retreat (the normal tradition before the Ofala festival). I am sure the palace secretary did not get the nod of His Royal Highness before he asked the campaign organisation to go on. This is the mistake. Senator Ngige is a traditionalist, who understands Onitsha tradition very well and he could not have ignored the highly revered Obi of Onitsha. Beyond all these, however, it speaks of the depths and the height of depravity some people have taken Anambra politics to,  for them to believe that such issues and not the general welfare of the people will count in the coming election. They will be in for a shocker at the end of the day because the common masses, who know the intricacies and conspiracies between the present APGA government and the PDP Federal Government  which want to sell APGA as a knockdown carcass to the PDP Federal Government.

How are you addressing the issue of power shift agitation to Anambra North?
In Anambra State, we do not believe in the doctrine of power shift because we do not celebrate mediocrity. Only the best is good enough for Ndi Anambra, Ndigbo and Nigeria. Four years is too much for a vibrant and a very important state to lose in the name of zoning. In Anambra State, we believe that if need be to form a football team for the state, only the best is good enough. If eleven players come from Nnewi North, so be it. Zoning breeds incompetence, mediocrity and backwardness in governance. You fall back to such compromise considerations when you have failed in governance. When Dr. Chris Ngige was governor between 2003 and 2006, every corner in Anambra felt his impact. He didn’t need to appeal to primitive sectionalism that breeds such factors as zoning to leverage his tremendous transformative powers in all nooks and crannies of Anambra.

What is your candid assessment of Ngige’s chance in the coming election?
There are 10 reasons why Ngige will be elected Governor on November 16, 2013?
Dr Chris Ngige is a trained Medical Doctor of almost 40 years. He was in the Federal civil service for 18 years.  He has served as a Governor for three years and made unprecedented impact under very difficult and dangerous circumstances.  He is serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. He is first President General of Aka Ikenga, an organization of Igbo intellectuals. He liberated Anambra State from despicable money bags and notorious godfathers. Of all the candidates contesting for the Anambra Governorship, Senator Ngige is the most experienced both in politics and governance. Ngige is the only candidate that opened the eyes of the people of Anambra State that there is money in Government contrary to the picture previous Governors painted. Ngige initiated and started the extensive road network we have in Anambra today. Ngige is the boldest, the most courageous, capacity driven, independent minded, most outspoken, fearless, strong willed, and firm among the lots.

Can you briefly give an insight into what he has in stock for Anambra people?
The taste of the pudding is in the taste. Anambra has tasted the Ngige pudding and needs no other factor to know he remains the best among the lots. The APC governors are putting up superlative performances in their respective states because they draw richly from the party manifesto and belief which place the people above all other considerations in governance. We have star performers in the APC who believe in the works of their hands to gain electoral approval and not those who believe in writing election results whether they perform or not. Senator Ngige is coming back to reposition and retool Anambra State. Insecurity in a cash-driven state like Anambra is the biggest problem. Ngige will bring security to Anambra State the way he did it before. Our people must travel home to enjoy their mansions without being harassed by kidnappers, armed robbers and petty thieves. Next is that we want to make the state capital Awka to look like a capital of a State like Anambra. APC wants to rebuild our educational institutions, our hospitals, our courts etc. APC wants to boost the economy of Anambra and Igboland by making Onitsha a seaport. APC wants to build a world class Airport in Anambra State. APC wants to lift embargo on employment in Anambra State put on hold since 2006.

What makes you feel that Senator Ngige is better than others?
A good product sells itself. Ngige opened the eyes of Anambra people to know that governance goes beyond paying salaries and pensions. Ngige revolutionalized road construction in Anambra. Ngige proved beyond reasonable doubt that leadership goes with responsibility in Anambra State. Ngige proved that leadership is not measured by might. Ngige does not believe in wealth without work, Ngige believes that a government must be responsible and responsive. Ngige is a super brand. It is also important to know that the capacities of other candidates put together cannot be equal to the capacity of Senator Chris Ngige.

TheSun

My Tokunbo is newer than yours

I recall the experience a friend had with one vendor of second-hand clothes years ago.  My friend had been in the unemployment market for a while after graduating from university in the mid-1980s, so he naturally could not afford brand new shirts. 
On a fateful day, he had stormed Broad Street, in Central Lagos, with his limited funds. At that time, Broad Street was famous for anything Tokunbo (the name given to imported second-hand goods).  Dresses, shoes, handbags, electronics, furniture, everything, you’ll get in that part of the city.  Even, if you wanted a Tokunbo human being, I’ll wager that you could get at Broad Street.
My friend made a triumphant entry to our one bedroom apartment that afternoon, brandishing shirts and socks he had purchased at rock bottom prices.  He even boasted about his own abilities to haggle, which fetched him all the purchases for next to nothing.
The next day, he ‘knacked’ one of the shirts, and went out job-hunting.  In the course of his odyssey, he passed through Broad Street.  He then heard someone shouting: “Ah, my friend.  You don knack the thing.  E fit you well o.”  It turned out to be the clothes seller, who had recognised the shirt he sold the previous day.
Did my friend embrace the vendor?  They say you don’t count the fingers of a man who has nine in his presence.  It was bad enough that a graduate of many years had gone to buy Tokunbo shirts at Broad Street. To now fraternize with the seller on the road in broad daylight was like sacrilege.  So as the man hailed, my friend increased his pace.  He made himself scarce within seconds, before anybody would see him frolicking with a dealer in used clothes.
My friend had that experience in the mid-1980s, before Nigeria got completely overrun by the Tokunbo phenomenon.  Few years later, second-hand items became something to glory in, as you were some sort of royalty if you could even afford such.  It was an era in which brand new cars became a rarity on our roads, and turned the exclusive preserve of the wealthy, and those in government.  Majority of the citizens had no option than to opt for Tokunbo cars, which the sellers graded according to age and utility value.  If a used car was just about 15 years old, and had a mileage of about 100,000 kilometres, it was Grade A.  If it was 20 years, and had chalked up about 200,000 kilometres on the mileage, it was Grade B. And so on, and so forth!  All sorts of vehicles found accommodation on Nigerian roads, some smoking like chimneys, others looking like something the cat dragged in.  But Nigerians rejoiced in their ‘good’ fortunes at being able to buy the cars, no matter the age.  The author, Nkem Nwankwo, had written a book in the mid -70s, with the title, ‘My Mercedes is Bigger than Yours.’  For Nigerians, it was a case of My Tokunbo is Newer than Yours.  It was a complete devaluation of the taste and desires of the average person.  You could see a big party in process, and enquiries would tell you that somebody was ‘washing’ a 25-year-old Tokunbo car, which he just bought.  Cry thy beloved country!
Recently, however, the Federal Government tried to salvage whatever remained of the honour and taste of Nigerians, when it came out with the Automotive Industrial Policy Development Plan.  What are the details?
According to Minister of Information, Labaran Maku, supported by two of his colleagues, Olusegun Aganga (Trade and Investments) and Bala Mahammed (Federal Capital Territory), the Federal Executive Council had approved a broad policy plan to develop the country’s automotive industry.
Maku added: “The plan, which is part of the industrial revolution plan that had earlier been approved, is aimed at ensuring increased flow of investments for the development of the automotive industry in Nigeria.”
Other details of the new policy included the designation of automotive clusters in Lagos/Ogun, Kaduna/Kano, and Anambra/Enugu states, increase of tariffs on Tokunbo vehicles as a means of protecting the burgeoning local industry, and the patronage of local assembly plants by government, unless the brand was specialized, and not produced in Nigeria.
Originally, the new policy was interpreted as a ban on Tokunbo vehicles.  But government clarified that it was only a protection of local capacities through the adjustment of tariffs on imported vehicles.
What are the other highlights and expected gains of the new policy?  It would revive and expand the petrochemical and metal/steel sectors, and facilitate the return of tyre manufacturing industry.  Recall that Dunlop and Michelin had exited the Nigerian scene a number of years ago, due to the harsh operating climate, even preferring nearby Ghana to us.
A transformed automotive industry would generate about 700,000 direct and indirect jobs, and save the country about N900 billion spent yearly since 2008 to import about 70,000 new and 200,000 used vehicles.
Under the new policy, according to Maku, “banks will be encouraged to operate vehicle purchase schemes to enable Nigerians purchase cars on easy terms, and the FRSC will kick off a new vehicle registration/tracking system to check the smuggling of used cars into the country.”
Again, it was disclosed that foreign car manufacturing giants like Toyota and Nissan, are soon to announce specific investments in Nigeria, while the Industrial Training Fund (ITF) will work with car manufacturers, Cena of Brazil, to open automotive training centres.
Equally, two universities will start degree programmes in auto-mechanical engineering, to provide adequate local manpower for the industry. Brand new cars may start selling for as low as N1.5 million.
Good policy layout by the government.  But it is not exactly new.  The 1970s had seen similar initiatives, which eventually ended up in smoke.  In that epoch, assembly plants had been set-up by Peugeot, Volkswagen, Steyr, Leylands, and Anambra Motor Manufacturing Company (ANAMMCO). Today, perhaps only Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria (PAN) is still in active operation, and from capacity utilization of 90% in 1981, it now records a mere 10%.  Staff strength has whittled down from about 5,000 to a couple of hundreds.
What were some of the ills that plagued, and almost killed the automotive industry in the country?  Simple.  They were the same troubles that beset the larger economy.
Lack of power supply, for instance.  How can auto assembly plants operate efficiently without supply of power?  At a point, PAN invested N800 million on power generating sets, thus eroding its own profit margin significantly.  And of course, the cost would be passed off on the final products, thus making them out of reach of average Nigerians.
When tyre companies pulled out of the Nigerian market, PAN, for example, was compelled to import tyres for its products.  Manufacturers of other components used in vehicles also closed shop.  These included makers of exhaust systems, batteries, seat frames, tubes, radiators, brake pad/linings, windscreens, mirrors etc.  There was lack of access to long term and low interest funds, there was inadequate manpower, and the sector went inevitably down.  The final nail was driven into the coffin by the Tokunbo syndrome, guzzling scarce foreign exchange.  According to Aganga, $3.4 billion (550 billion) was spent importing cars in 2012, and $4.2 billion (N670 billion) spent in 2010, thus making vehicle import the highest consumer of foreign exchange.
Nigeria usually learns nothing, and forgets nothing.  What therefore, is the guarantee that the new, automotive policy will be different from initiatives of the past?  And is it not putting the cart before the horse to hike tariff on imported cars, when local capacities have not even been attained? These are posers for the government to tackle.
The Automotive Industrial Policy Development Plan is good and laudable.  The will to implement it, and policy consistency overtime, is what is now needed.  If the government gets it done, then it is one up for the Goodluck Jonathan administration.  But if it messes it up, it will be typically Nigerian again.  However, industrialization will be a mere mirage if our assembling and manufacturing plants are not helped to flourish, and protected from the ravages of unfettered importation as represented by the Tokunbo phenomenon.

TheSun

Corrupt Politicians Should Be Punished – Sanusi

By: Abdullahi Umar

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The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said that the federal government should change its tactics in tackling corruption in the country.
Lamido stated, who this while receiving the deputy governor of Kano State Alhaji Umar Ganduje, yesterday, advocated stringent punishment on the perpetrators after the stolen public assets has been seized to deter other people from emulating such acts.
Pointing out the negative impact on the economy, Lamido said that corruption creates fiscal distortions  and increases income inequality.
“Countless studies around the world show how corruption can interrupt investment, restrict trade, reduce economic growth and distort the facts and figures associated with government expenditure,” he said.
“Other general consequences that are difficult to quantify include higher costs and declining quality of public sector infrastructure projects,” he added.
On his part, the deputy governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje said the menace has become a barrier to the country’s socio-economic development.
Ganduje called on the CBN and the ministry of finance to find possible ways to restoring the stolen public funds by the late Gen. Sani Abacha to the federation account.
“The level Nigeria reached in terms of corruption led the country’s image is no longer internationally recognised,” he said.
“it is essential that government be seen to take corruption seriously to enhance its image at home and abroad. In doing so, we can remain competitive in the race for foreign capital, successfully target and spend the Treasury’s money and fulfill our mandate of a better life for all,” he advised.

Leadership

Pension Scam: Why Is Steve Oronsaye Not Standing Trial?

By Beke Alagoa

"These people give us a bad name. They make Nigeria look ridiculous in the eyes of the international community. It's as if we don't have any laws governing the country".
These were the words of an irate post graduate student at an event in Durham, North Carolina where the issue of corruption in Africa came up in a casual conversation during the schmoozing session of a formal event I was attending. The student, Tunde, was very incensed about the fact that anytime Nigeria was mentioned the first thing anyone thought about was how fearlessly corrupt politicians and their cronies were. I deliberately chipped in that corruption is everywhere; even in the US and the other so-called advanced countries but Tunde immediately countered that this may be so but the impunity in the Nigerian situation is what makes this beautiful country attract attention for all the wrong reasons, after which he continued to give the example of Mr. Stephen Oronsaye. Tunde suggested that the politicians may be corrupt, but they have mastered their trade to the extent that keeping tabs on them alone may not be the answer to fighting the menace. Instead, he said, one should look beyond the politicians to their associates.
Prior to Tunde mentioning his name Mr. Oronsaye was totally unknown to me and so far the debate had been centered on the politicians, so I asked my newfound friend to shed some light on his proposition. This was not the president, not even a governor or a minister of state. So why is Tunde hell-bent on putting so much emphasis on Mr. Stephen Oronsaye? Tunde responded by giving me some leads to start some level of research on the man and what I came up with was truly shocking.
Mr. Oronsaye was onetime head of the civil service in Nigeria. He had joined the Federal Ministry of Finance in 1995 as Director, Special duties. He was subsequently appointed in 1999 as the Principal Private Secretary of former president Olusegun Obasanjo. Prior to this Mr., Oronsaye had had a distinguished career as an accountant. However, his appointment to head the civil service had met with a barrage of complaints from within the organization. Many people thought he was an outsider who had invaded the service with the private sector ideas. These 'dissenting voices' were however quickly hushed, and Mr. Oronsaye went ahead to serve in that position. The confirmation of his appointment as Permanent Secretary at the State House was also deemed somewhat out of the ordinary as he was technically not a civil servant, whereas the position was traditionally reserved for distinguished civil servants.
As the Principal Private Secretary, Tunde believes Mr. Oronsaye was primarily used as a front by Mr. Obasanjo to conduct his devious transactions and was the principal architect of Obasanjo's looting of the Nigerian coffers.
According to Tunde, the stock in trade of Nigerian politicians like Obasanjo is to appoint someone in a position of mid-level authority and hide behind them to loot the country so that when the iron strikes there is no direct connection to them. Such people are not in the political limelight and thus manage to avoid the direct glare of public scrutiny. In the case of Mr. Oronsaye however, he also hides behind others who also hide behind others until an unwitting accomplice comes by who is expected to bear all the brunt when the iron actually strikes, but who knows next to nothing about the schemes in which he or she is only a pawn.
Theoretically Tunde made perfect sense to me but being the critical pragmatic person that I am I asked him to substantiate his claim, to which he referred me to a set of documents and articles to help me in my self-commissioned research.
According to these documents which principally emanate from various sources, Mr. Oronsaye is hardly mentioned directly, and it takes the very meticulous mind to actually find a link between the people who have been charged -some of who have faced or are facing trial- and Mr. Stephen Oronsaye. (and by default ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo).
For example, Mrs. Phina Chidi, Franklin Okey Nwankwo, Computer Plaza etc. have been hauled before the Federal High Court in Abuja on numerous charges relating to illicit transactions and defrauding the state.
In the case, Charge # FHC/ABJ/CR/81/2013, 11 different individuals and businesses were being accused. Mr. Oronsaye, needless to say, is not one of these. However, a critical look at the statements issued by some of the accused pointed a bending finger at the man.
Mrs. Phina Ukamaka Chidi is a former Deputy Director of Finance and Accounts in the Federal office of the Head of Service (Pensions). Giving her statement to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of Nigeria, Mrs. Chidi made a startling revelation of several instances when she had been used by her boss the former Director of Pension Accounts in the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, (HCSF) Dr. Sani Teidi Shaibu to sign cheques that she knew little about and to award contracts to questionable entities without the proper tendering procedures.
Even though, going by her own account she cannot possibly be totally absolved of the charges it appears that she was basically a lackey of Dr. Shaibu whose management style- again judging by the statement- is nothing to write home about. "Dr. Shaibu once told me that some signatures were forged including mine but did not show me the mandates involved. As regards the forged signatures that Dr. Shaibu told me about, he said he noticed it and destroyed it", writes Mrs. Chidi in her statement.
She further alleged "I was asked by Dr. Shaibu to source for company names to execute some contracts the proceeds of which should be given to Mr. Stephen Oronsaye as the Head of Service then". She goes on to state that monies were accordingly given to Mr. Oronsaye.
In another instance, she says: "I passed or awarded the ones over N5m because of his (Shaibu) instruction that they were going to Mr. Oronsaye and as a subordinate officer I had to obey".
In a rather befuddling mode of operation, monies stolen from state coffers goes through a series of recipients but ultimately end up with our man Oronsaye (and possibly forwarded onward to the faceless thieving politicians). Mrs. Chidi gives an example of this in her statement when she talks about how monies were given to One Ikenna and a certain Boniface, staff of UBA Bank Plc. who were also used in the operations. "That is to keep the money and later to hand them over to me to give to Dr. Shaibu for onward transmission to Mr. Oronsaye."
Instructively, one notices that in the statement of one Stanley Iwu, who describes himself as a businessman and owner of Computer Plaza, one of the accused entities, Dr. Shaibu is again said to be trying to use him as a front. "I was asked by the Director to give my company's names to Mrs. Chidi, the Deputy Director for the purposes of contract awards".
So here is a direct link to Mrs. Chidi's statement in which she tells how Dr. Shaibu asked her "to source for company names to execute some contracts the proceeds of which should be given to Mr. Stephen Oronsaye".
Also enlightening is the account of one Musa Sadanku who alleged that Dr. Shaibu used him to buy cars for him and other unknown persons. He stated that Dr. Shaibu would ask Mrs. Chidi to pay monies into his bank account. He also alleged that he would be asked to collect cash from the Grand Square branch of Skye Bank after his errand was done. He states: "I have never solicited for these payments as all I do is to buy cars for them, and Dr. Shaibu and Mrs. Chidi will approve the payments into my account".
The cars Mr. Sadanku fronted to purchase for Dr. Shaibu included a black Mercedes Benz CLS 550, a black Mercedes Benz C300 4matic, a black Toyota Prado and a silver Lexus jeep.
After this startling revelation, I called Tunde to tell him what I had discovered. He asked what I knew, and I proudly poured out what I had fished out of a ton of documents. "Is that all?" he asked.
"Pretty much, I responded".
"So why is Stephen Oronsaye, not before the law courts? Why is he still walking around a free man?" he asked rhetorically and added "Well, that leads us to the next phase of what you need to research my friend", laughed Tunde.
Mr. Oronsaye is not only walking around a free man. He has actually suggested that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) be done away with and their duties transferred to the Nigerian Police Force. In a report submitted to President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Oronsaye argued that the EFCC still had police chiefs as bosses and that the ICPC's methodology of investigating graft was primarily a police template. He thus suggests "One wonders if it was really expedient to dismember the Nigerian police rather than allow it to evolve as a vibrant and effective agency... The fact that an institution is inefficient and ineffective should not be a basis for the creation of new ones" he says.
As flawed as the argument is, it is also quite easy to draw a line of reasoning in what Mr. Oronsaye is saying.
First of all many believe that the EFCC was actually formed in 2003 by former president Olusegun Obasanjo as a knee-jerk reaction to pressure from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an inter-governmental agency that promotes policies to check money laundering and terrorist funding. It is also a common notion that the agency was used as a tool to witch-hunt political opponents; thus people were prosecuted alright, but only those who were not in the camp of the strongman faced any kind of retribution.
If this notion is to be afforded any level of credibility, then what Mr. Oronsaye is saying is that, it has outlived its usefulness and should thus be done away with. Otherwise, why would any right-thinking person suggest that high profile corruption and graft cases be handled by the Nigerian police force? Especially as he has admitted the police appear to have failed in addressing corruption. As the seasoned technocrat that he is, one would have thought that he would be fully aware that the Nigerian police force is not an independent institution. How can the police conduct any real investigations into the affairs of those that hire and fire them? And what happens in a situation where say, an IGP is the accused? And by the way, can the Nigerian police force which itself is the epitome of bribery and corruption be trusted to check bribery and corruption? Can an agency that has been trained to obey the 'Oga at the top' be trusted not to be compromised? How exactly, does Mr. Oronsaye's claim-apart from the feeble suggestion of police chiefs and methodologies- benefit Nigeria if these bodies are scrapped?
It all appears to be a futile attempt by a desperate man to wriggle out of a tightening grip. After piecing the puzzle together, it becomes clear that Mr. Oronsaye, (possibly acting for a higher-up), had put Dr. Shaibu, Mrs. Chidi and a hierarchy of plunderers on the trail to help him loot Nigeria. After the whistle blew however and his name came up, nothing has been done to bring him to justice even though his name has clearly popped up more than once in the sworn testimonies of some of the suspects. And as if to be proactive about the matter, he now seeks to disband the bodies that have the mandate to investigate him.
Nigeria is a nation of intelligent and hardworking people. In every field of human endeavor Nigerians have made their mark. And the land is blessed with enough resources to make it a paradise for the 168 million people who live in the country and millions more who live abroad. As the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, 'When Nigeria succeeds Africa succeeds". But with the ilk of Mr. Oronsaye on the loose to practice their chicanery without any checks and balances, the only solution some see is a revolution, in whatever form it comes. What we the people of Nigeria would like to see is Mr. Stephen Oronsaye and his likes on trial and our monies retrieved and redirected into social projects. Nigeria deserves better.
 

 

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