ANSWERS TO OUR POSERS TO PPPRA, UNSATISFACTORY

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Answers to our posers to PPPRA, unsatisfactory
–Senator Abe, Chairman Petroleum Resources (Downstream) Committee
By ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI
Thursday, January 26, 2012

• Sen. Abe

Senator Magnus Ngei Abe has the unenviable task of seeking answers to how the fuel subsidy scheme is being run by the Federal Government and how the N240 billion appropriated by the National Assembly snowballed into N1.3 trillion in the 2011 fiscal year.

In this interview with ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Senator Abe, Chairman of the Petroleum Resources (Downstream) Committee, reviews the role of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the oil sector and explains why a forensic investigation of government’s subsidy regime is necessary at this point in time. Excerpts:

Last year, your committee convened a public hearing on the management of the fuel subsidy scheme. What’s happening?
It’s not correct to say that you’ve heard nothing from the committee. We conducted public hearings and we’ve been holding series of meetings to try and clarify some of the issues that cropped up in the course of the public hearing. We intend to visit some of the facilities that we think the joint committee would need to see before we submit our report to the Senate.
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So, next week or the upper week, depending on the logistic arrangements that we are able to put in place, the committee would probably be visiting Lagos to look at some of the facilities that you heard them talk about in the course of the investigation. We’ve also decided that we would need to talk to some of the importers to hear their side of the story and put forward some of the concerns that have been expressed by not just members of the committee but also by the Nigerian public; to try and give them some opportunity to make their own case and then, we also have a few lingering issues that we want to clarify with the PPPRA before we can conclude.

So, we invited them to come on January 17 but because of the concurrent investigation in the House of Representatives, they couldn’t make that meeting with our joint committee but we are looking to fix another date where they can come and clarify those issues with the Senate. So, the Senate investigation is very much on course and as soon as we finish with these few remaining issues and any other that may come up from some of our other members, we would be submitting our report to the Senate.

What are the likely issues that you would discuss with the PPPRA?
There are some loose ends, arising from the public hearing that members want to tidy up before we can draw conclusions on those issues and as we were working on our documents, we saw some loose ends and we also saw outstanding questions they had promised to provide answers to and we are not satisfied with the answers they brought. So, those are the things we are planning to tidy up.

Would it be open?
Initially, we didn’t think it would be open but the meeting with the importers would be open; those that would be invited because we think that it is important that whatever we discuss with them should be visible to the Nigerian people and the Nigerian public. The meeting would be open. We have some companies that we have concerns about which we have listed and we also have some we are picking at random, not because we have any issues with them but because we want to give as many companies as possible an opportunity to have their say and to also, have an opportunity to speak on the issue. So, we would be inviting them and it would be in the open.

The security agencies are already moving in. Do you think the Senate probe is still necessary?
I don’t think that the involvement of the security agencies or the EFCC in anyway takes away from the fact that as a country, if there are lessons to be learnt from this, we need to learn those lessons, we need to chart a way forward. We are not just going to sit down and…if security agencies are investigating a matter that (should) end a Senate investigation that has been on-going since last year. If you would recall, we had invited EFCC to come for the public hearings. We actually sent letters, inviting them to be part of the public hearing. So, we expected that based on what they hear from the public hearing, if they wanted to invite people to ask questions, they are free to do so.

We didn’t expect that at any time that would mean that our investigation must stop. No. What they are pursuing are criminal aspects of this thing and if it’s uncovered…and if we see things that the country ought to learn lessons from, we would also point them out so that we can make corrections to move the country forward. If there were places where we would have invited the EFCC to come in, they are already there. That’s superfluous. We may no longer need to do that but we had invited them from the very beginning to be part of the process because we knew that Nigerians would need to be satisfied that a proper forensic examination of these issues are carried out by those who have the capacity and the required training and facilities and the legal backing to ask those questions properly in that manner. So, we envisaged that; we don’t think that interferes with the Senate investigation.

How would you describe the concurrent probe of the subsidy scheme in the National Assembly? Is it not duplication because there is one National Assembly?
Are you telling me or you are asking me?

Both; because it appears to be a duplication of efforts in the two chambers.
Well, you know, we are always very, very careful how we discuss issues within the National Assembly outside. But this investigation you know was ongoing and then, the House felt a need to look at the same issue. I can’t really comment on an issue that is within the National Assembly. Maybe, if I see the Speaker (of the House of Representatives) and if I have something to say, I would say it to him.

So, you agree there’s duplication of efforts?
No, I won’t agree. I won’t use the word: duplication, because you are dealing with convention. The House has its own legal rights and responsibilities and obligations. The Senate has its own. Usually, the convention is, we try not to do the same thing at the same time. So, it’s a convention. There is no legal authority. Mind you, the Senate investigation has been on since last year. It’s not appropriate for me as a Senator to make a public comment on a matter that is within the National Assembly. We have one National Assembly.

We have a Chairman of the National Assembly who is the President of the Senate; we have a deputy chairman who is the Speaker of the House of Representatives. So, if we have any issues within the National Assembly, it would be handled by the National Assembly Service Commission. It cannot be handled by an individual senator addressing the press. I don’t think that is how issues of that nature can and should be handled. But what I would want you to appreciate is that the House of Representatives is a legal entity with its own constitutional rights and powers and the Senate is a legal entity with its own constitutional rights and powers also. So, there is a whole lot happening.

Will there be a convergence later?
Well, we will talk but we won’t talk in the media.

In the course of the subsidy scheme, you promised Nigerians that you would get answers. Has the committee been able to do that?
When we started this investigation, we promised the country that the investigation would be open, all questions would be asked in the open and it would be a transparent process that would be visible to the Nigerian people. I think the question you are asking me can be better asked from the Nigerian people. Did they get the answers that they expected to get? I think that if you review the (public) hearing, you would know that a lot of light was shed on the whole issue of subsidy and how it is managed and what it is. I think substantially, we got a lot of answers. But, are we satisfied with all the answers we got? Definitely not. But, did we get answers? I think Nigeria and not just the committee got a lot of answers from that process.

When are you inviting the marketers?
Right now, we have challenges with time in the Senate but we are looking at next week, January 23-28, because we first wanted to do some site inspection of some of the facilities for receiving these products and storing them so that we can make some on-the-spot assessment of some of what we heard at the public hearing. So, after that, we would talk with the marketers before we decide on what exactly the report would say.

The Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has told the House of Representatives committee on the probe of the subsidy scheme that NNPC imports crude oil. Was your committee told about that in your investigative hearing?
I don’t want to comment on the importation of crude oil for Kaduna refinery because I really don’t see it as a dramatic revelation because when Kaduna was built, there was some subtle knowledge that it may refine products other than Bonny Light. So, I don’t think that’s a very dramatic issue because if you have a refinery that has capacity to refine other products than crude, you have to get it to refine it. That’s an issue that NNPC would have to clear. Our own investigation substantially is the management of the fuel subsidy scheme…As far as the issue of subsidy management is concerned, the committee was able to, as a committee, get a clear understanding of the management of subsidy, its challenges, problems and I think the Nigerian people also saw that. That was the purpose of the hearing and I’m very satisfied with the progress we’ve made so far.

In the course of the public hearing, some names were released. Are you going to forward these names to the EFCC to aid it in its investigation?
First of all, there is a law and there are rules for the importation of petroleum products into this country and for payment for those who do so. It is not everybody who imported petroleum products that is a criminal. There are challenges with the way the scheme was managed; there are those who are alleged to have, of course, used unethical practices in order to enrich themselves at the expense of the Nigerian people but this is something that has to be determined by a clear forensic investigation of the situation. On the face of it, between you and I, or as a layman, clearly, I believe that things went wrong with the management of the fuel subsidy regime. But who exactly committed what crime and what laws were broken would be determined by a criminal investigation process which, as you pointed out, is on-going.

On the names we read, Nigerians wanted to know those who were participating in the scheme, those who were benefiting and being paid and I didn’t think that in a country of 160 million people, we should be asking such questions in a democracy! I felt that that information should be open to everybody. I didn’t see why we were behaving as if it was something that you needed to belong to a member of a cult to have access to that information. I didn’t see it that way. As part of the investigation, we gave that information to the public. That is not, therefore, to say that everyone who was named is necessarily a criminal. I don’t think so. So, the issue of forwarding this information to EFCC is quite unnecessary because they were part of the investigation from the beginning. They were assumed to have been there when the names were read. They don’t have to wait for us to forward the information to them.

Whatever information we had, they also have. That was why they were invited to the investigative hearing in the first place. So, whatever information is available to us is also available to them at the same time it was also available to you and the Nigerian public. What I’m trying to say is that first, there is no basis to conclude that because you took part in the importation of petroleum products under the subsidy scheme you are a criminal. That would not be fair neither would it be correct. But there is a basis for seeing clearly that there were certain irregularities in the way these things were managed.

There were loopholes through which these people took advantage of; which you may not be able to find actually but there were also some…These things would be determined by forensic investigation which the Senate really doesn’t have the capacity to carry out and we are glad that those who are empowered by law and have the tools and the resources to carry out that kind of examination are already on which is what we would have asked for anyway. So, they are already on and I think that at the end of the day, all of us who are Nigerians would like to know what the outcome of that investigation would be.

On the price regime o f PMS which the filling stations are finding difficult to adjust to
They will adjust. What the new price regime means is that subsidy is still with us in reduced volume or reduced price. We have not yet achieved full deregulation which is what will end subsidy. So, as long as subsidy is here and the PPPRA has fixed the price regime, any marketer who sells outside of that price is breaking the law and the full force of the law would be brought to bear on such marketers.

That is the law. I have been in touch with PPPRA and I think they have a hotline; so, anybody you see selling above the stipulated price of N97, you call PPPRA and disciplinary measures would be taken against such a marketer because right now, we have not achieved deregulation. So, there is no basis for anyone to sell at N141. There is still price regulation in place which is fixed right now at N97.

On the PIB as it affects deregulation. What are your expectations as far as that bill is concerned?
Quite frankly, there is no way you would make such a revolutionary re-organisation of the oil industry in this country without going through challenges. I think it would be naïve of any Nigerian to think so. I know for a fact that there a lot of interests, economic interests, political interests, social interests that are tied into the oil sector. In dealing with a subject like the PIB which seeks to reshape the industry, re-create it and quite frankly, remake it on a commercial basis and take out a lot of the wastes and a lot of the unnecessary patronage that is presently associated with the industry, I don’t think you can achieve that without some level of turbulence.

I think you would have some of those challenges but the important thing is that if those key actors in this, namely the federal government, the National Assembly, our own people, if we all put the interest of Nigeria first, finding a common ground and passing a law that would actually enable the petroleum industry to develop to the benefit of the Nigerian people would not be too difficult an assignment. I know that oil industry players would have their own interests which they would like to see written into the law but we are Nigerians; the resource belongs to us and it is the interest of our people that we should promote over and beyond anything else. And you also have to remember that in promoting the interest of our people, you must make sure that those who participate in the industry can get fair returns for their investment because if they don’t get it, then even trying to get something for your own people would be useless. It’s not rocket science.

There are existing models in other societies they have used that has worked and is working very well. You can take the case of Malaysia, which has Petronas, that of Brazil which has Petrobas; even the Libyan Oil Company; all these are reforms in their oil sectors which have resulted in national oil companies themselves becoming major economic and big time players in the industry. They are even investing in other societies outside their countries and bringing home profit from their investments. Instead, our own NNPC is a source of debt, it’s a source of patronage, it’s a source of waste, it’s a source of mismanagement of the oil industry. So, the PIB is supposed to take care of all that and anytime you want to change something that people are benefiting from, there’s bound to be challenges and many of you know that that is always the case. People don’t give up their benefits easily.

What’s your opinion about the task force set up by the Petroleum Minister?
I don’t work in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources; I’m a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. When the bill is brought to the Senate, I would have my opportunity as a senator and as chairman of the Petroleum Resources (Downstream) to make my input. Whatever processes the executive wants to use to clarify their own thoughts and sieve through whatever proposals they have in order to arrive at a document that they are comfortable with, that they understand properly, that they believe would work in the best interest of the Nigerian people is exactly and totally within the purview of the executive.

If the minister decides to do that by a task force, by a committee, by a technical team or whatever, that is her prerogative as a minister. I can’t sit here and comment on it but what I know is that before any PIB would become a law in this country, it would come to the Senate and every senator would have an opportunity to make contributions and so would the House of Representatives. It’s the National Assembly that ultimately would pass the law and as I said earlier, as we speak today, it has not been re-introduced but I’m glad and happy that the executive is working hard to the knowledge of Nigerians to speed up efforts to see that the PIB is re-introduced into the National Assembly.

How soon should Nigerians expect your report?
We are very, very mindful of the fact that the country would benefit from speedy conclusion of this assignment because the subsidy regime is still in place and whatever we can do to make it work better and more efficiently, I think would be to the benefit of the Nigerian people. We are all very conscious of that and that is why we are ready to do whatever it would take and as quickly as it would take to get it done so that whatever recommendations the Senate would have to make to government and the operators of the subsidy regime to make it more efficient and useful to the people and more transparent, we would make those recommendations.

I believe that given the amount of interest that this has generated, I think that even without waiting for the recommendations; I believe that the NNPC, Petroleum Ministry, PPPRA and the Presidency are already working on ways of trying to make the process more transparent. I know for one that they’ve dispensed with the pool arrangement and working directly with tank farm owners. They’ve brought in some form of innovations to try to improve on what they are doing. I met with the Executive Secretary of the PPPRA and he told me about some of the actions they have taken on their own at this time, including bringing in international inspectors at the point of discharge.

They have done some things to try and improve on public confidence in the process. So, everybody is working and we believe that whatever recommendations we can make that would help that process would benefit this country. But, definitely, the way it was run before, I don’t think it’s going on like that after the public hearing and I don’t believe it can go on like that given the interest of the people in a more transparent and accountable subsidy regime.

WHY I WENT INTO TOILET BUSINESS– DUROJAIYE

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Why I went into toilet business– Durojaiye
By ’NIYI OKIRI
Thursday, January 26, 2012

•Durojaiye

Out of the very close personal aides responsible for the orderly day-to-day activities of the late Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola, very few learnt a handful of secrets from the mogul’s business savvy and were able to run away with equally a few wands from the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election’s bag of tricks. One such lucky ‘relative’ is the Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of DMT Mobile Toilets, Chief Isaac Durojaiye (aka Otunba Gadaffi).

At a time when those who took the late chief’s presence for granted, including his blood relatives, were ‘dying’, Otunba Gadaffi was planning to immortalize the name of his great benefactor. Where most were eyeing and claiming rights to the late maestro’s estates (home and abroad), Durojaiye saw a need to show what he had gained serving MKO, in the establishment of an outfit, the least the modern day businessman would dream of…shit carrying, a vocation formerly identified with particular clans in Nigeria.

And, yes, he’s had a resounding success where ‘no Eagle dares’, picking up international and local honours and awards through 20 years of commendable service. And he’s delving again into the ‘magic box’ for another ‘trick’ that would extend his credibility and expand his horizon…the conversion of shit into bio-fuel, and other related by-products. The Otunba lays it all open in this one-on-one with The Sun, including a few national issues begging for attention.
Excerpts:

Why ‘shit’ business?
Everybody shits. Yes, it started like an idea, a child’s play. In 1992 I was in charge of a big society wedding, where we had about 10,000 guests and only two toilets were available. That was when the idea of mobile toilets came to me, and in 1996, it became a business. I expanded the idea; we constructed the toilets locally and today it’s working! But if you look at it before now, Nigerians celebrate anything, especially in the south. And when they are celebrating, there are no conveniences. But, today, if not for the fact that we have entered into that area, Lagos, with a population of about 18 million, couldn’t boast of 500 functional clean public toilets.

I beg to be challenged by anybody. They equip the toilets but they are not properly maintained; they were dilapidated, dirty and stinking. Not until we went into that sector. So, you can imagine if Lagos is populated by about 15 to 18 million people and you have about 2,500 functional toilets, indirectly 2,500 people are employed and are there to maintain. Therefore, shit carrying has now become a business. So we tell people not to see construction and provision of toilets as a social service anymore, but as a business!

Gone are the days when the public toilet is seen as a municipal council business. Today it has become a business and attracts creativity and passion. Now, we have just introduced a set of toilets that are fully air-conditioned with MP-3 player, red-carpet reception and satellite TV…giving you the glamour you may not be able to provide for yourself. Apart from when you make love to your wife – or your lover – when you’re naked, the only other time you’re naked is when you’re in the toilet. And if you don’t empty your bowels, it becomes health hazard to you; and that means you could do it in a nice, convenient environment. We should glamorize the way people answer the call of nature. There is no big man in the bathroom, it’s only the soap the individual uses that might be different.

You see, pride is a disease, a barrier. It is what does not allow people to see business opportunities open in an environment where there is so much suffering and so much problems. It is only pride that would make a graduate to say; ‘I am a graduate; I have a degree in so and so, therefore, I cannot go and learn tailoring; I cannot go and learn carpentary; I cannot go and learn welding; I cannot go and acquire a skill’. It all boils down to pride. You see, the moment we can learn to take pride out of our lives, we’ll see so many business opportunities open to us. Listen, when we were young, we had people coming to do washings in our homes; we called them Alagbafo (contract dry-cleaners) or Washerman. They will wash and dry, and mostly return the second day to iron the dried clothes…and they get paid. Apart from the well-established dry-cleaning companies, how many people still do that today? Forgetting that they can start from that small Alagbafo and become the biggest dry-cleaning company in town.

Yes, we say ‘Shit business is serious business’. If you’re not serious, how can people defecate on the ground and we’ll say we want to go and pack it? Shit is not what anybody wants to tamper with anyhow. And we don’t discriminate against any shit, regardless of race, sex, religion, language, creed or distance. But against all odds, we have been able to prove to doubting ‘Thomases’ that it is possible. Even some members of my family think that after my long sojourn abroad, this might not the right thing for me to do. But today, I’m Senior ‘Agbepo’ of Nigeria (SAN).

Creativity / Integrity
But, you see, people have attached some notion or sentiment to certain jobs. Nobody wants to sweep the streets of Lagos anymore; they want to leave such jobs to those old men and women, forgetting that you can sweep the streets of Lagos and be creative about it, and be passionate about it, and you can make a statement. They are talking about keeping Lagos clean; let some people organize themselves and begin to clean the streets and gutters. Before you know it, they would have attracted attention.

And they would appeal to passersby and get N100 here and N200 there, and that is how it all starts. You see, one way or the other, indirectly, whether you like it or not, you are contributing your own quota to the development of the country because when the country is neat, it will attract foreign investments and the economy will boom. It’s not all about oil, and it’s not all about banking. It is about creativity and entrepreneurship. You see, all these micro and small businesses are the things that build an economy.

We ventured into ‘shit’ (excrement) business having realized that people will hire canopies, tables and chairs; they will provide good food, good music, and every other thing that goes with a party. And when they are pressed for nature, where would they go to ease themselves? That was what brought about the idea of Mobile Toilets and, today, it has become an industry. We now have public toilets and private conveniences everywhere, so that when people are organizing functions, they have toilets to use. And, you see, waste must be created – solid, liquid or shit – and they must be managed, and if the onions fall on us to manage human waste, we want to do it with all sense of pride and dignity. I don’t want to cover my face because I pack ‘shit’, as was obtainable in the past. It’s my job and I dignify it. And when Nigerians begin to dignify and introduce integrity in what they do, all these Boko Haram, whatsoever, would not be there.

Yes. Integrity has been bastardized. People want to get rich quick. Members of the National Assembly and all those in government are stealing and embezzling the people’s money. So, the young graduate who is supposed to imbibe the culture of integrity, patience and build some business wants to get rich overnight…and when that happens, what happens? The machine that drives the society is broken down. So, nobody wants to do certain jobs. I was talking to a young lady very recently; she just graduated last year.

She was telling me categorically that she couldn’t take a job that pays less than N100,000 a month. It means that she might end up a prostitute, because she has registered it in her psyche that she would not accept any job that pays less than N100,000 a month. And when her type gets to the position of authority tomorrow with her thinking, she’ll start embezzling. You must start from somewhere, building experience and establishing yourself. And when you start your own business, you need a minimum of about five years for it to stabilize.

What we are saying is we found ourselves in doing this business and we are proud about it; we’ve built integrity around it and I’m passionate about it. I’ll talk about shit anywhere. People are complaining about problems in Nigeria. If there are no problems, where would the opportunities come from? So, I see no problem; I see only opportunities. Tell me, where has it being said that a vulcaniser should be sweating it out in the sun while mending tyres? Can’t we be innovative, create a decent environment and when motorists develop flat tyres, they’ll sit in a cossy atmosphere, while they are being attended to.

You could even offer them a bottle of Coke or a cup of tea and you can indirectly build the cost into their charges. That’s creativity. Even to be a prostitute, you need creativity to succeed. That’s why you’ll see some call girls in skimpy, tight skirts and body hugs; they’ll now apply so much ‘oil’ on there legs, so that when motorists are driving past at nights, the headlamps pick up their images and they become attractive. If they don’t expose their breasts and parts of their ‘yansh’, how would people notice the compliments of their bodies? But they are being creative in a negative way. So, you see, in anything legitimate that you do, you need creativity, you need passion, and you need commitment.

We all love ‘Booli’. Don’t you eat ‘Booli’ (roasted plantain). Most of the time you patronize those women on the roadside when you want to buy ‘Booli’. Where is it written that it is only those women that must roast ‘Booli’…in a dirty environment? People should be creative. Get a shop, a nice oven, and introduce packaging. If you’ve traveled towards Ife a few times, there is a place called Kosu, where they sell ‘Akara’ (beans cake). They wrap them in papers and sell to buyers. What stops them from being a little creative? They could make a nice box and put the ‘akara’ in it. The quantity you want can determine the size of the box…so when a buyer comes, you fold it up like the take-away box and hand it over neatly. Creativity!

It is not compulsory that you must invent a new process; you can develop on a process and improve on it without compromising quality. In those days, when you want to go to interview someone, you take a writing pad and a midget recorder, but with the improvement in technology, virtually everything is inside your phone. Formerly, when I’m driving and I remember something, I pick up my tape and talk into it…but today I record such information inside my phone, and play back whenever I need to make references or notes. Somebody has introduced a process; now you can record whatever you want and you can take photographs with your phone. That’s creativity.

The Bio-fuel idea
I always ask this question of people that ‘where did God deposit crude oil?’ Inside the earth – gold, diamond and other mineral resources that mankind will need to survive are deposited therein. And when God wanted to create you and I, He took us from the ground, so inside me and inside of you sitting here, there’s an element of gold, there’s an element of diamond, there’s an element of precious stones and so many other wonderful things. So, all we need to do is to discover that thing that God has deposited inside of us. We can turn our passion to business, we can turn our talents to business; things that we do naturally could be turned into businesses.

Ever since people have been evacuating ‘soak-away’, they have all ended up inside the lagoon, whereas this thing can be a source of material. We’ve been talking about lack of electricity, lack of energy. This thing can be converted into electricity, and you can imagine if, today, we decide to convert all the shit that end up in the lagoon into electricity, we would not be talking about lack of electricity in Nigeria by now. Again, this is creativity.

Thinking big, thinking out of the ‘box’. So, no waste is wasted. Government has been talking about ‘Waste-to-Wealth’. This is nonsence because, to me, there is nothing like waste-to-wealth. I see it as ‘waste to job opportunities’. That is why all these so called waste-to-wealth programmes have not succeeded. It is not compulsory that when you go to waste, you get wealth; but when you create a job opportunity for yourself and it is properly handled, then you get wealth.

Inspiration from MKO
In terms of financial gains, I would say I did not make much. But I learnt some virtues in him. When you are so close to a man like that, you shouldn’t look at what you gain from him financially. You should avail yourself of the ability to learn what makes him tick. Chief was humble; he commands humility and respect. He never forgot that he came from a very poor background and, in so doing, he always remembered the poor. That was why he was making all those philanthropic gesture, and there is no way you do that and not succeed. God Almighty Himself set the law: ‘The more you give, the more you get! Another thing I learnt from that man was that he doesn’t give up; he never believes in impossibility. He was hardworking and passionate about it.

Future goals
I want to be the Bill Gates of shit in Nigeria; the Dangote of shit. There is success and failure in everything, as much as there is time for everything. Sometimes we try to outrun God, but He’ll withhold His Glory when it is not time. For every success made, there is the hand of God in it.

RINGIM’S LAST MOMENTS

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•Ringim’s last moments
From MURPHY GANAGANA, Abuja
Thursday, January 26, 2012

• Ringim

After several weeks of intense lobby and battle to secure his office, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Alhaji Hafiz Ringim was shown the exit door yesterday, as President Goodluck Jonathan bowed to pressure and announced an Assistant Inspector General of police (AIG), Mohammed Dikko Abubakar, as his replacement. President Jonathan also announced the retirement of all the six Deputy Inspectors Generals of police (DIGs).

They are Mrs. Ivy Okoronkwo who was second-in-command to Ringim, and Mr. Azubuko Udah, who was the DIG ‘A’ Department. Others are Messrs Sarduana Abubakar, Audu Abubakar, Saleh Abubakar, and Mohammed Yesufu.

Out of the six DIGs, two of them, namely, Audu Abubakar and Saleh Abubakar, were due for retirement on March 1, 2012. Others had a period of about one or three years to remain in the service. For instance, while Ringim’s second-in-command, Mrs. Okoronkwo was to retire on August 1, 2013, the DIG ‘A’ Department, Azubuko Udah, was expected to bow out of the force on August 1, 2014, and the DIG ‘E’ Department, June 5, 2013.

The statutory date due for retirement for the DIG ‘F’, Mohammed Yesufu, is April 30, 2014. Ringim’s sack came amid efforts by an influential clique of high ranking officers in the security community to shield him from the sledgehammer, which had dangled over his head for about six months, following the spate of bombings and rising insecurity across the country.

Daily Sun learnt that the ex-IGP, who was expected to retire from service on March 1, was asked by President Jonathan to prepare his handing over notes yesterday at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. He had been summoned to the Villa earlier in the morning. Indications that the Jigawa State-born number one cop might have lost the battle to retain his job emerged shortly after he departed the Aso Rock Villa at the end of a closed-door meeting with the President on Tuesday.

Sources hinted that Ringim’s mood was in sharp contrast with his usually boisterous self as he drove out of the presidential villa, where he had earlier shunned the State House correspondents, as he pleaded to be left alone. Checks indicated that after the meeting with President Jonathan on Tuesday, the ex- IGP drove to his official residence located at the Maitama District of Abuja, where he pulled off his uniform and spent some hours before he left for his office under the cover of darkness at about 8:00pm. He rode to his office in an SUV and back-up car, without the usual blare of siren.

His mission to the office at that period could not be ascertained, but it was believed that he might have been there to remove his personal belongings, since he got wind of his replacement on Tuesday. He reportedly told some of his close aides before leaving to see President Jonathan yesterday morning that his time was up.

Speculations on Ringim’s removal were rife as early as 10:00am yesterday, amid conflicting signals in respect of the official quarters from where the pronouncement would be made. Suspense and anxiety mounted as reporters awaited an official statement on his sack from the Presidency, the Ministry of Police Affairs, or Police Service Commission [PSC].

But by 2.30pm, reports indicated that AIG Mohammed Abubakar, who was in charge of the Zone 12 police command with headquarters in Bauchi, had been flown from his base aboard a presidential jet to Abuja. And by 4:00pm, it was confirmed that the new IGP was at the villa where he met with President Jonathan and departed at about 5:10pm. As at press time, the new IGP was being awaited at the police force headquarters.

TERRORIST OUTRAGES: IT’S UNFAIR TO BLAME JONATHAN!

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Terrorist outrages: It’s unfair to blame Jonathan!
From the Other Side By Lindsay Barret
Thursday, January 26, 2012

It has become commonplace for some commentators to accuse Dr. Goodluck Jonathan of everything from negligence to incompetence as a consequence of the outrages perpetrated against innocent Nigerians by the dreaded “Jamatul Ahlil Sunnah lit daawati wal jihad” generally called “Boko Haram”. Since the Kano debacle we have been fed with various forms of “expert advice” from many who claim to have the answer to what is fast becoming Nigeria’s greatest aberration.

Many have of course called for the sacking of the security chiefs, and one can hardly blame them. The disgraceful revelations of what is beginning to look like collusion rather than confusion in the behavior of some security agencies, especially the Nigerian Police, justifies almost any allegation of professional delinquency on the part of these bodies. For example, the presence of Commissioner Zakari Biu in the police force without any apparent qualified scrutiny, given his well-documented record of abuse of office in the past, beats the imagination. But the President could not be expected to personally monitor the deployment of rogue appointees. It was a serious breach of both professional intelligence and ordinary common sense for someone with Biu’s antecedents to have been put in charge of such a sensitive assignment.

The interrogation and investigation of a miscreant with the profile of the individual who is now being described as the mastermind behind the Madalla Christmas Day bombing should have been handled by the State Security Service (SSS) right from the outset. From the moment that he was captured the suspect should have been in the custody of what is assumed to be the most effective arm of state security without any chance of escape. The coincidental timing of his escape and the terrifying outrage in Kano has raised the criminal profile of the terrorist organization, which has warned all commentators to desist of from calling it “Boko Haram”.

This organisation now poses a serious threat to the common good in Nigeria as a whole even though so far its most determined attacks and operations have been concentrated in some Northern states. The provocation of sentiments of resistance and chauvinistic protectionism in some Southern states will certainly follow the outrage in Kano although the victims of this outrage have overwhelmingly been people of Northern origin who in many cases were adherents of the Islamic faith. Those who claim to be the perpetrators have made it clear that they wish to provoke a division of national interests. Their pre-attack warning, which was widely circulated in Kano for days before the actual operation commenced indicated that their targets would be the agents of government enforcement and security that they regarded as having targeted their members.

This same document characterised “Christians” as collaborators with the official agencies. This showed that while the perception of their rationale is widely allied to religious bigotry their true purpose is even more sinister. The perpetrators of this outrage are determined to impose anarchy on the society in pursuit of an improbable objective. Dr. Jonathan cannot by any stretch of the imagination be accused of having created the climate for such an intrinsically destructive agenda. Even though the security apparatus of the government, which he largely inherited rather than created, has been impotent in confronting the rise of terror represented by these outrages it is wrong to attribute the tragic development to the failure of the government that he is presiding over. To do so would be to legitimise terror as an instrument of change. The slaughter of innocents cannot and should not be condoned on any count and those political opportunists who have been quick to point fingers at the President are not helping matters at all.

It is very easy for us to point fingers but we should not forget the old adage that says “When one finger points at others four point back at the pointer (accuser).” The underlying focus of the problem represented by the rise of home-made terrorism keeps changing as the nature of the outrages change. Let us not forget that last year’s UN bombing forced us to consider the extent of international collaboration and what the ultimate objective of the core perpetrators might be. Since then we have heard of territorial and religious motives for continuing outrages but one thing that has been clear is that the main purpose of the perpetrators has been to intimidate ordinary citizens and create chaos. Unfortunately they have achieved what can be described as a qualified success in promoting their agenda.

It is quite clear that the security apparatus of the state has failed either to adjudge the extent and strategic weight of the terrorist organisation or to comprehend the true nature of its organisational form. The success of its tactical initiative of surprise uprisings in increasingly populous and strategically important metropolises has signaled the existence of a formal plan and motives that are quite predictable. In spite of this the security forces have constantly been wrong-footed by the perpetrators of these outrages. They have continually claimed to be making headway against these forces while consistently being taken by surprise. In fact it is becoming quite clear that Dr. Jonathan has been misled by his security advisers to the same extent that he appears to have been misled by some of his economic advisers over the likely consequences of the abrupt removal of the fuel subsidy. It is unfair to accuse a leader of causing problems caused by circumstances that precede his tenure but he must be answerable for the consequences of condoning inefficiency and accepting bad advice.

These are the only grounds on which the outrages in the North could possibly be blamed on Dr. Jonathan but in the present circumstances he is clearly not entirely at fault. Just as his advisers on the economic and social fronts have come equipped with impressive recommendations his security advisers lay claim to impressive professional credentials. What is becoming increasingly obvious is that the level of threat to the overall stability of the nation that is being faced by the Jonathan Administration is unprecedented. Those of us who can remember the period preceding the start of the Nigerian Civil War find the present circumstances frighteningly similar if not even more distressing. The fundamental differences between the form of the nation then and now could easily conspire to aggravate negative sentiments of territorial distrust. In the sixties Nigeria was a flawed federation replete with inequalities among the four regions.

Today Nigeria is an even more flawed federation beset by diverse interests and objectives being manipulated by the political leaders of thirty six unequal states. Dr. Jonathan bears no responsibility either for the foundation on which the nation that he leads is built or for the fundamental processes that have undermined its stability. Nevertheless he cannot totally extricate himself from blame over the failings of the security and other forces under him. He must restore confidence in the ability of government to anticipate and react with courage to a strategy of unprecedented brutality, but he cannot accept blame for the emergence of this strategy. Those who want him to admit culpability are overlooking the true dangers that the new terrorist element poses in Nigeria’s historic evolution. They are suggesting that regional equity is a secondary element in defining leadership in Nigeria. That suggestion spells doom for the nation. Under the present circumstances Dr. Jonathan cannot be accused of setting the stage for this.

MY SOUR TALE OF WAR VICTIMS –ADA AGBASIMALO

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My sour tale of war victims –Ada Agbasimalo
By DAMIETE BRAIDE
Thursday, January 26, 2012

•Ada Agbasimalo

War is never an antidote or the best way to resolve issues. This is because war usually has its negative consequences on society. In her new book, The Forest Dames, Ada Agbasimalo, educates readers on her war experiences that must be told to free the mind and prick the conscience of the agitators.

Agbasimalo has written two books entitled Bow You Must and Waves of Destiny which draws the attention of the reader to male/female relations aside exploring avenues to set it right by creating room and space. The books both paint the picture of the strength of womanhood, oftentimes undermined.

In a recent chat with Daily Sun, Agbasimalo spoke on why she went into self-publishing, how she copes with writer’s block and the kind of words she uses in her works.

My new book
The Forest Dames is a novel based on war experiences that must be told in order to free the mind, disseminate information and prick the conscience of war agitators. It is a true life story that was fictionalized.
The book tells the story of a young girl who lived with her parents in the relatively calm and peaceful British colony of Nigeria, where shortly after independence compatriots went for each other’s throats. This soon exploded into a full blown civil war and from that time onwards, nothing was ever the same again.

The war came with ugly incidences, one of which was the hunt for and abduction of girls and women to be forcibly converted to bed-mates. Families sought hiding places for their ‘eligible’ females but these hide-outs were soon discovered through the power of and intimidation from the gun. Two women however decided that their daughters would never be made victims. They found a ‘safe haven’ for their daughters – the evil forest where the roars of wild animals were continually heard. But this is nothing compared to the brutal termination of lives and wanton destruction of properties through air, land and marine attacks; including starvation that was the order of the day, and which placed the final death mark on the people.

The forest dames, four in number, survived the war and one of them decides to tell the unfortunate story of the elasticity of human suffering. All four dames are still alive and can be reached for further interactions. One of the brave mothers is also still living. The main character is Deze, a young girl with keen mind who lived with her parents in an African setting and observed the Biafran war between the late 60s and early 1970. Upon becoming an adult, the memories remain intact, haunting her.
The Forest Dames is astrident voice detailing and condemning potentially malignant actions that continue to impede the development of African nations and indeed parts of the Third World…

Why I went into self-publishing
My first two books were equally self-published. I think the question should be ‘why did you publish abroad? My first two books were ill-published and as a result received less attention than they deserved. Furthermore the publishing and marketing strategies were faulty.

This time the book is so finely published that it is delightful to hold and read. It is clean and properly aligned and bound; unlike my first book where sometimes page 40 comes before page 19 and some pages are upside down, while others are blank; and the printing blotted. It was very embarrassing. Anyway the book was published in 1999 and I think that by now things must have changed. Let no one get me wrong, I don’t mean that there are no great publishers in Nigeria; I was just not fortunate enough to get their attention. And you know what they say about being once beaten and doubly shy.

My previous books
My first two books are entitled Bow You Must (1999) and Waves of Destiny, (2006). They both draw attention to male/female relations and explore avenues of creating room and space for all because as it is said, what is good for the goose is good for the gander. The books paint the picture of the strengths of womanhood, oftentimes undermined. Since I have been told by many that they are very good books, I am republishing them. I have retouched them and will soon get them republished because people are actually calling for those books.

Inspiration
The same drive that inspired me to write my first two books – passion. But there are many interestingly incredible and intriguing things that happened in the past in Nigeria that must not be waved away with the hand. For knowledge sake, it is only fair to allow those who do not know to know. Several stories have been told about the strategies and logistics of the civil war fought in Nigeria before many were born. Several people have read them but not many stories exist in book form about what happened at home while the war raged at the battle grounds. A lot of the stories are based on hearsay but when one emerges from a situation and decides to narrate the experience, it is usually different, and if the narrator happens to be so strong-willed as to promise herself that she would not like to depart mother earth without letting the world have a different dimension of the story, then that becomes the big reason behind writing the book.

Why it took me some years before coming up with a new book
I wanted the book to be well cooked, well brewed, if you like. I really hope I achieved that. Also there was a lot of back and forth movements between me and the publishers. Some of my editors delayed the book and sometimes I needed to confirm some issues before going further while at other times the manuscript had to be retrieved for modification. All these contributed and besides, I was tied down somewhere and had little or no time to attend to my book matters. Thank Goodness I got free and focused on my book, and here it is. It is on Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble and several other online marketers.

My target audience in the Forest Dames
My work is classified under the adult category, as opposed to children’s books. But my work is so clean that young adults and teenagers can read and understand it. My target audience therefore is every literate adult. The Forest Dames is targeted at everybody who wants to know why war is not an option or alternative and why we must flee from the idea of war. Since everybody is expected to know, the book is targeted at everybody, virtually.

Choice of words in the new book
I said earlier that even young adults can read my books. This is because they are written in a fluid, simple and proper grammatical format. It is standard but if some however find the need to consult their dictionary to understand certain portions, it is all part of the merit of the book and that aids the learning process.

Advice to upcoming writers
Do not be in a hurry. Do not venture into areas you know nothing about. Do not steal other people’s ideas, be original and if you do borrow any one’s ideas, be humble enough to acknowledge them. Even after your book has been reviewed, read it again, in between lines because it is your book, you know what you mean in everything you write. Avoid ambiguity and repetitions. Keep it simple, It is not true that the bigger the grammar, the better for the book. Do not set out writing for money, write for satisfaction first then fame and money can come later. Identify with other writers and ask questions when you don’t understand. Do not procrastinate, start now.

How I cope with writer’s block
Writer’s bock is inevitable, even when you are writing about something you have on your finger tips. When it happens to me, I literarily close shop for a while. In the interim, I watch stupid films to unwind, I read other people’s books, I play and dance to my favorite music, crack jokes and just feel happy all the way. Sometimes I keep away from writing for months and that also causes delay in completing the work. Writer’s block is good because it forces the writer to slow down a bit.

BAFARAWA IS A COMMITTED IDEOLOGUE

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Bafarawa is a committed ideologue
By Kande Ibrahim
Thursday, January 26, 2012

I refer to BROKEN TONGUES of Thursday, December 23, 2011 on Sokoto politics especially as it concerns Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and wish to interject as follows.
Since the return of Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, the former Governor of Sokoto State, to his original party, the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), many of those who are not familiar with his politics have tended to give a mischievous interpretation to his action. While some feel that Bafarawa is not committed to any political idea, others are of the impression that his main objective is to grab power from whatever political platform.

Those who hold these views have their right to speculate or guess. Unfortunately, their guess or speculation is very much off the mark. As a politician, Bafarawa is driven by the belief that the people are the fulcrum of governance. His interest always is to adopt an approach in governance or in politics that will ensure that the dividends of democracy reach the people, especially those at the grassroots.

As one of the founding fathers of ANPP, Barafawa ensured that those who were elected under the platform of the party respected this guiding principle of the party. That was why as the Governor of Sokoto State, he embarked upon projects and programmes that impacted very positively on the people. It is an indisputable fact that Bafarawa’s record in the area of road construction, for instance, remains unequalled by any Governor, past or present, in Nigeria. Even the former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, was so impressed by Bafarawa’s stride in this area that he christened him ‘Road Master”. But this is just an example. The fact is that Bafarawa has a political idea which goes beyond the confines of political association.

As someone who made ANPP proud as a performing Governor, Bafarwa left the party not because of any selfish political pursuit. He left because the then leadership of the party was infiltrated by external elements who, with the backing of the Presidency, ensured that the party was weakened and incapacitated for serious electoral contest. When he could not rescue the party from the stranglehold of the quislings within and the scavengers from outside, Bafarawa left to form the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP). However, the fact remains that even though the DPP was different in name, it was one and the same thing with ANPP in terms of ideology and focus. What this means is that Bafarawa may have left ANPP because certain circumstances forced him to do so, but he did not leave behind the kernel of the party. He went away with it and nurtured it afresh in DPP.

It is significant to note that the powers-that-be at that time who dictated who would be what from Abuja were very much aware of Bafarawa’s game plan. He wanted to use the DPP to keep Sokoto State intact. They had destabilized the ANPP believing that it was the end of Bafarawa’s political journey. But when he took the soul of ANPP and relaunched it in DPP, the forces after him were afraid. They became jittery. That was why they entered into an emergency coalition with the ANPP they had destroyed. They got the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to acquire the remnants of ANPP with the aim of fighting Bafarawa at the polls. But the alliance could not muster the strength to face up to DPP. But because they were desperate to shove Bafarawa aside, the presidency moved in, using all instruments of coercion and suppression. That was how they manipulated the 2007 elections in the state and awarded victory to PDP which did not have a stronghold in Sokoto.

Regardless of what the Presidency did to decapitate DPP, the fact remains that the party was the people’s choice because its leadership broadly represented by Bafarawa was focused on better life for the people. It did not therefore matter that Bafarawa left ANPP at the time he did. What was important was that he remained committed to the ideology that recognized the primacy of people in politics and governance.
The reason behind Bafarawa’s exit from DPP should also be properly understood. Those who know anything about party politics will appreciate the fact that expediencies play a big role in deciding or determining the direction of politics. In Sokoto State, DPP fought a good fight at that material time. But it was muzzled out of the way by a high level conspiracy that included the judiciary. Of course we all are living witnesses to how the political perfidy visited on DPP by powerful forces destroyed the very fabric of the judiciary in Nigeria. But that is a story for another day.

The point being made is that DPP served its purpose. But the need arose for Bafarawa to join forces with other democrats who want to wrest power from PDP in order to bring about good governance in Nigeria. Thus, the idea of a mega party came up. The arrowheads were General Muhammadu Buhari, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa and Alhaji Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Unfortunately, the idea of a mega party could not fly. The political actors who were supposed to make it happen, for whatever reason, went their separate ways. Buhari joined the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and was later to become its presidential candidate. Atiku returned to PDP. Bafarawa was left alone with Tinubu. At this point, the idea of a mega party had died.

But one thing was clear-Bafarawa did not lose focus. He still remained committed to his political ideals.
At the time the idea of a mega party fizzled out, the ANPP in Sokoto State had also been milked dry by PDP. The PDP had got what it wanted and did not need ANPP anymore. But what gain did the people of Sokoto State derive from this? The people took a hard look at what PDP was giving them in terms of governance in the state and decided that they will bring back their man, Bafarawa. Thus began the move to get him to return to ANPP and reinvigorate it.

Since Bafarawa’s political philosophy and ideas are still embedded in those of ANPP, he had no difficulty making up his mind. The decision to return to ANPP was not borne out of selfish motive. It was done in the interest of the people of Sokoto State.
If Bafarawa were a political prostitute as some uninformed people would have us believe, he would have joined the PDP. After all, there was much pressure on him to join PDP in 2007 so that he would retain power in the state. Bafarawa rebuffed such overtures because he does not believe in PDP’s philosophy and ideals. It is only a committed ideologue like Bafarawa that will remain true to his political convictions. If he were not, he would have joined the PDP where anything goes.

Bafarawa therefore needs to be commended for his decision to return to ANPP. He is on a rescue mission. He has come to bring back the lost glory of the party. The party used to be strong when the likes of Bafarawa held sway. It lost steam following its decapitation by the Presidency. Today, some of the founding fathers of the party like Bafarawa are poised to reclaim has soul.

Ibrahim writes from Abuja.

BOKO HARAM: KANO CAN URGES CHRISTIANS AND MUSLIMS TO PRAY FOR DIVINE INTERVENTION

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Boko Haram: Kano CAN urges Christians and Muslims to pray for divine intervention
From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Kano State chapter, has called on both Christians and Muslims in the country to pray for divine intervention over the incessant attacks by members of Boko Haram.

The Islamist sect’s many attacks had claimed hundreds of lives. The Kano blast killed 166 people last Friday. The body also appealed to the non-indigenes, fleeing from the state, to stay, noting that God is in charge. Making the call on Wednesday, the CAN state chairman, Bishop Ransome Bello, said the exodus is not a solution to the present predicament facing the country, while insisting that with prayers, all things are possible.

He observed that there is no place where both good and bad human beings do not co-exist, insisting that the Almighty God would one day touch their hearts to retrace their steps for good. He noted that they have received a tremendous support from the Muslim community in the state who have continued to assure them that they too condemned the killings.

He appealed to both the religious and traditional rulers in the state to use their positions to dialogue with Boko Haram beacuse they are human beings who are given to reason.
Bishop Bello called on the state government to consider the advice given by members of Nigeria Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) on the need to establish the state and local government chapters.

Secretary of CAN, Apostle Isaac Bello, urged all to embrace peace, saying no tangible development can take place in any society characterized by chaos and anarchy.

ONIGBINDE WARNS NIGERIA AGAINST FIFA’S HAMMER

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Onigbinde warns Nigeria against FIFA’s hammer
By MERCY JACOB
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Onigbinde

FIFA and CAF instructor, Chief Adegboye Onigbinde, has warned against FIFA’s hammer against the country, saying that NFF doesn’t need to inform the House of Representatives before changing its name.

“It is better that both parties come together and discuss, to avoid FIFA’s hammer. I want to advise those who are already in jubilation mood to hold their peace because this problem will degenerate to what will not favour Nigerian football, even though, I believe that Nigerian football needs re-organisation but that is not the way to do it, from the FIFA Statutes, NFF doesn’t owe House of Representatives any obligation to inform it before changing its name.

Meanwhile, Onigbinde said that Nigeria was not missed at the on-going Africa Nations Cup in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Before the present edition, many almost believed that Nigeria had a God-given right to participate at the biennial African showpiece, stressing that the competition without the country would lose its shine.

But having watched proceedings a few days after the start of the African football premier championship, Chief Onigbinde said he had come out with the verdict that the football fiesta had its glamour fully intact without Nigeria.

“For me, the Nations Cup is bubbling without anybody missing the so called big names in African football, who is conspicuously absent as result of her inability to qualify for the African World Cup. The insinuations of not having a high competitive game at the event are all false. In fact, with the way football is growing in Africa, time would come when all these countries who are not known in football would take over the African football fiesta. In football, names don’t play football, neither do names achieve result, if you fail to plan well, you should not expect to achieve good result.

As far as I’m a concerned, the 16-team currently jostling for the prestige African trophy are the best we have in the continent for now. The only thing all the teams missing in this tournament should do is to fight hard to be in the next competition coming up next year in South Africa.

PDP IS FINISHED IN ZAMFARA—LIMAN, GOV’S AIDE

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PDP is finished in Zamfara—Liman, gov’s aide
From ATTAHIRU AHMED, Gusau
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Kabiru Sahabi Liman is Commissioner for Budget and Economic Planing, Zamfara State, and a former member of the state House of Assembly. In this interview, he said with the recent court verdict that upheld the election of Governor Abdulaziz Yari, the era of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state is over. Excerpts:

Governor Abdulaziz Yari
Abdulaziz Yari is a gentleman with vision and mission of transformations. Something keeps telling me that he has people in mind. One interesting thing about him is when he speaks, you can quote him. He does not double speak. When God gave him the mantle of leadership, his desire to transform the state was too glaringly. He has the zeal and love for the state to progress. He wants to see that the state meets with other states in terms of rapid transformation. The first 100 days of his administration was remarkable. The people are begining to marvel about his achievements.

ANPP in the eyes of the people
I do not think anybody that has the love of the party and the state at heart would say the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) is not strong. It was true during our campaign there was intense struggle and high politicking in the party. ANPP has been the ruling party for eight years. The defection of former governor Mamuda Aliyu Shinkafi to PDP did not shake us even for one day. ANPP members passed through vigorous test before the last April general elections that saw Yari as governor.

PDP has no chance in Zamfara State
The era of PDP in Zamfara politics is over. More than 90 per cent of the electorate in the state are members of ANPP. We knew how the election was won and we would build on that and evolve strategies to better the lives of our teeming supporters. Apart from that, the governor has promised to transform the state. People have started seen development. There is no vacancy in Zamfara Government House. Yari is the people’s choice and our choice for the betterment of the state. God has choosen him for us.

Court verdict upholding Yari’s election
With the recent verdict, it has vindicated the judiciary. It also proved that there is rule of law in this country. Before the ruling, some thought the governor was going to lose his seat. But we were confident that victory would be ours. We have capable and competent lawyers, we trusted them and they gave us the assurance that victory would be ours. We beat them in this round, Insha Allah, we will beat them again.

Appeal Court
No shaking at all, nothing will change. It would remain by the power of God whom we trust and believe. The mistake of the PDP is that they are looking at the whole thing from political point of view. I am appealing to them to accept the wish of Allah. Allah gives power to who ever He likes at the time He wants it. Let them understand that this is the governors time and no person on earth can change the wish of God.

The governor and his party are both for the winners and the losers. To build the state is a collective responsibility. Nobody from outside will do it for us. I want to appeal to aggrieved members to join hands with us in building the state. We want to make the state strong both socially and economically. We can only suceed if we are united and support one another.

Here’s how ECOWAS ended up with a War Chest of $US252million (3)…

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Accidental ECOWAS & AU Citizen: Here’s how ECOWAS ended up with a War Chest of $US252million (3), and How the African Integration narrative is far from over!

By E.K.Bensah Jr

Last week, I touched on proposals for innovative financing paths; the case of ECCAS and its levy on imports; the case of UEMOA/CEMAC; and the case of ECOWAS.

On the proposals, you may re-call that a study by the AU commission had proposed no less than eight scenarios, which included (a) tax on imports; (b)tax on revenue from hydrocarbon exports; (c)tax on insurance premiums; (d)levy on airline tickets, but that the AU had proposed three, which are: : (i) levy on imports from the rest of the world; (ii)levy on airline tickets; and (iii)levy on insurance policies.

ECCAS has a levy, which it calls community contribution for integration (CCI), which is calculated as 0.4%. UEMOA’s levy rate is 1%, whereas ECOWAS’s is 0.5% of the value of goods imported from third countries. So far, so straightforward. The real story and one I hope has left one salivating long enough is how on earth ECOWAS ended up with a so-called ?war-chest? of 252million. If you know your figures for how much ECOWAS made between 2007 and 2009 from imports, it is not difficult at all to understand how between that period, it managed to bag that amount.

In ECOWAS, during 2007 and 2009, revenue from the Community levy amounted to US$230, 314 and 360 million respectively. In that same period, the approved budgets of ECOWAS institutions run to US$160, 220 and 274 million, respectively. This left a positive balance of US$72, 94 and 86 million, respectively.

It is clear that in the three years, ECOWAS achieved ?a cumulative positive balance of US$252million? and recorded in its books as carried forward earnings. This balance is what the AU’s ?Bulletin of Fridays of the Commission? considers a veritable ?war chest?, offering ECOWAS ?considerable leeway in implementing its mandate?. There are two significant things about this development. First, that while the world was going through the financial crisis in 2008, here was West Africa, through its innovative fund-raising mechanisms raising revenue and secondly, getting a surplus for good measure.

Levy on Insurance Policies and airline tickets: Africa Solidarity tax

Even after all this good news on financing African integration, the story is not quite over ? as exemplified by discussions on more levies. In this specific proposal, which is also known as ?a citizen tax?, the idea is to get this levy to involve ?all African citizens? through insurance subscriptions: automobile and real estate. Heath insurance is exempted.

The so-called ?solidarity tax? is so-named because most of the tax is supposed to come from G8 and G20, and can be applied to flights leaving Africa and with destinations in Africa; flights departing from Africa with destinations outside Africa, with the Commission of the African Union proposing US$2 for short distances, and US$5 for ling distances.

How Senegal innovatively-finances (integration)?and way forward?

Truth be told, ECOWAS member state Senegal has been doing this for a while. In the country, the tax applies only to flights departing from airports in the country. Collection of the levy is done through IATA for all airlines associated with it. At its monthly payment operations, IATA pays the share due Senegal into a bank account (escrow account) held with the BNP Paribas.

If we stop and reflect on this for a nano-second, can we really say we need to continue depending on donors, or is it perhaps not time to re-consider that fallacy of needing an ?aid-exit? plan to woo investors and so-called FDI? If we can get past this mindset ? and I believe the sub-region has the capacity to do so, as exemplified by my post last year where I expatiated on how instrumental the Ecowas Bank for Investment and Development has been ? then the sky will certainly offer itself as the proverbial limit on seed funding for continuing the narrative of African integration which continues to be written summit after summit.

AU summit: 23?30 January, 2012
Speaking of which, this week of 23 January is a great week for African integration as between 23 and 30 January, the AU hosts its 18th summit in the home of the AU, with the theme ?Boosting Intra-African Trade?.

Reports online indicate that although the main theme is intra-African trade, it will be a significant summit for the manner in which it will cover the following topics: Election of the Chairperson; the Deputy Chairperson and the other commissioners; the state of peace and security in Africa in relation to the North Africa Revolution; the issues of ?shared values?: good governance; elections and human rights; the humanitarian situation in Africa; the review protocol of the African Court of Justice and human rights; the future of the Pan-African Parliament; the way forward on the political transformation of the AU.

It goes without saying that this will be the first AU summit without Gaddafi, and also the first that will include the full participation of the new Libyan and Egyptian authorities. It remains an exciting time for the AU on account of the fact that the AU is no less than 10 years this September. No less than the Chinese President Hu Jintao will be in Addis to officially hand over the new gargantuan AU Headquarters to the African Heads of State.

In 2009, in his capacity as a ?Do More Talk Less Ambassador? of the 42nd Generation?an NGO that promotes and discusses Pan-Africanism–Emmanuel gave a series of lectures on the role of ECOWAS and the AU in facilitating a Pan-African identity. Emmanuel owns “Critiquing Regionalism” (http://critiquing-regionalism.org). Established in 2004 as an initiative to respond to the dearth of knowledge on global regional integration initiatives worldwide, this non-profit blog features regional integration initiatives on MERCOSUR/EU/Africa/Asia and many others. You can reach him on [email protected] / Mobile: +233-268.687.653.

Articles by Emmanuel K. Bensah Jr.

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