YOU STILL NEED ME, DON’T WISH ME DEAD – OBASANJO BEGS YOUTHS

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Sunday advised Nigerian youths against wishing him and other elder statesmen dead.
He gave the advice while speaking at the youth governance dialogue held by the Youth Development Centre of the Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Obasanjo, who described the current agitations across the country as an expression of frustration, admonished youths not to lose hope.
According to Obasanjo,“Don’t wish us dead; don’t wish us to disappear because you will need us. You need us to mentor and prepare you for the future. You need our experience and assistance of some of us to guide you through life.
“You should not lose hope, you should not feel frustrated. Whenever I go abroad, they always ask me what my fear about Nigeria and Africa is, and I tell them my greatest fear is youth anger, frustrations and youth explosion which have no bound.

“We have the Boko Haram in the north, the MASSOB and IPOB in the south-east, the militants in the Niger Delta and the Oodua Peoples Congress in the south-west. All of these are the expression of anger and frustrations.”

The North, which North? by Tola Adeniyi

We have lived with this myth for far too long. We have tolerated and accepted this political deception for as long as any one can remember. But the myth has to be exposed for what it really is. The lie must be consigned to the dust bin. The mask has been removed. For too long people speak of Hausa-Fulani. The truth of course is that the so called Hausa Fulani as a person or human being does not exist. You cannot be Ijaw-Igbo, or Hausa-Gwari. You are either an Ijaw or an Igbo! As closely related the Isokos and Uhrobos are you cannot have an Isoko-Uhrobo as a person. Egbas and Ijebus are within the same linguistic bracket, but you do not have an Ijebu-Egba. You are either Ijebu or Egba. In the same vein you are either Hausa or Fulani. You cannot be both!
The second myth is with the phrase Northern cabal. There is no Northern Cabal. The only all conquering and scheming cabal in the Nigerian political equation is the Fulani Cabal. The Hausa had been conquered and controlled since about 200 years ago! And in any case there is nothing special about cabals. Cabals exist everywhere in human communities. We have cabals in my home town Ago-Iwoye. We have cabals in Ijebu. There is Egba cabal. There is the Tiv cabal. What we have had all along and had sheepishly submitted to is what I call the derivative of the politics of language. The Republican Party in the United States is the world’s master in the coinage and deployment of politics of language to deceive, bamboozle and terrify opposition. The politics of language is used to make an unsuspecting opponent lose faith in his or her own self-worth.
I have written copiously on the subject of The Politics of Language and have also given scholarly lectures on the subject at academic forums. I should give an example; everybody knows that all currencies of the world are made of paper. But in the deployment of politics of language the US brands its own currency the Hard Currency making other currencies of other nations to look like tissue paper. Politics of language refers to some people as ‘people of colour’ as if there is any human being on earth whose skin is colourless! I have argued even at a lecture I gave to a huge international gathering in Edmonton Canada 2002 that there is no Blackman there is no Whiteman. There is no human being whose skin colour is that of charcoal or for that matter the colour of white chalk or cotton wool. The African is chocolate brown while the Caucasian is pink, like colour of a leper!
This brings us to the myth of the so-called Fulani cabal. Like I said we cannot even talk of the North Cabal because the North of the great Sir Ahmadu Bello does not exist any more. And the Fulani cabal as possessing any extra-ordinary powers like a Magician does not exist, just as the US branded Hard currency does not exist.
Simply put, what we have had and does exist is a group of cunning schemers who have ridden on the legacy of heroic Sir Ahmadu Bello who at a time in history believed that the rest of the contraption called Nigeria must forever be subjugated to the whims and caprices of the Fulani, who at that point in history were the sole power block in the old Northern region.
It is a historical fact that the Fulani Jihadists overran the whole of the expanse of land carved out by Lugard and named Northern Protectorate. The Jihadists also stole parts of the Southern Protectorate until they met their Waterloo at Osogbo. It should also be pointed out that the Jihadists could not penetrate or conquer the Kanuris of Borno Empire who at that point in history had superior civilization and superior knowledge of the Quran and Islam.
Sir Ahmadu Bello was a great tactician, great strategist and great visionary politician who was also lucky to have the backing of the dubious colonial masters. Sir Ahmadu realized very early in his political career and with knowledge of the teachings of immortal Chairman Mao Tzekung of China coupled with the said backing of the insidious British that power flows from the barrel of the gun.
The so-called North when there was something like that up till 1967 was armed to the teeth. It was however not the Fulani that were armed, it was their ‘slaves’, the other ethnic nationalities in the North; the people of Lantang, the Gwaris, the Jukumns, the Tivs, the Southern Zaria Christians in the Kataf region, the Godogodos, and several other minorities who were to be the monkeys for the baboons meals. These were the men, the foot soldiers in the Military Wing of the ruling political parties of the then North. They were the coup makers any time the Fulani masters felt the need to prolong their stronghold on their territory called Nigeria. That monopoly has been weakened since 1999.
But the scale has fallen off the eyes of these slaves of yesteryears. Following the Dimka and Orka led Coups, and following the execution of Mamman Jiya Vatsa the minorities that were hitherto used as tools for coup making have had a rethink. Anybody who thinks the Military in present day Fulani colony of Nigeria is the same Military of pre-1967 is living in fools’ paradise. We do not need to look far; we have seen the level of morale in the wrong headed prosecution of the Boko Haram insurgency.
There is so much mistrust and distrust in the land. There is so much greed in the land. There is no single grain of patriotism or nationalism anywhere in the land. And the Military are not immune from the malady that had consumed Nigeria since 1999. The translation of this code is that there is no more the Army of the North. The Northern military euphemistically called the Nigerian Military does not exist any more in reality.
But the real death knell of the so-called North came about by the unwarranted prosecution and unabashed persecution of Christians in the Northern region. I wish the so-called Northern leaders who appear to be condoning the slaughtering and butchering of Christians in the North have their ears put to the ground to know the degree of angst the persecuted groups nurse against the power blocks in the North. To that extent therefore the North of the visionary leader Sir Ahmadu Bello is dead. Ahmadu Bello was not self seeking, he did not amass wealth and whatever politics he played, what ever policies he enunciated, and whatever strategies he deployed were for the greater benefit of the whole of the North. Eternal credit remains interred in his bones for uniting the North of his day with the adoption of Hausa language as lingua franca of the whole North.
It is this universality of the Hausa language in the North that deceives the south to believe erroneously that every speaker of Hausa language is Hausa or Fulani. Foul!!
The greatest blow to the unity of the so-called North is the brutal and brutish barbarism of the Fulani herdsmen whose madness does not have rhyme or rhythm. All they know is to spread grief, anguish and dreadful pain wherever they choose to display their unbridled cruelty and impunity. They have wrecked havoc in Adamawa, they have raped and killed in Taraba, they have massacred thousands of innocent Agatus in Benue, they have wrecked havoc in Niger, they have continually butchered thousands in Southern Kaduna, Kogi state is under their hammer and Plateau is under their occupation, the list is endless. And these lands and people being ravaged are NORTHERNERS!!!!
And all these people being ruthlessly assaulted have relations and families in the Military, the Police, the SSS, the Immigration and Customs as well as in other armed Security outfits in the land. Yet some one somewhere will seat his whimsical ass on the sofa in an air-conditioned office gazing at the millions of Naira hidden in his mind and say there is a North. Which North?????
Let no one try it; the cohesive Military that committed pogrom against the Igbo’s in 1967-70 does not exist anymore!!!The world of 1967 is not the world of 2017!
If any part of the internally colonized contraption called Nigeria wishes to opt out of the yoked marriage, it should be allowed to go in peace. The inevitable breakup if we do not go confederate, should be allowed without undue and mindless bloodshed which invariably will result in the same breakup.

THE MOST EXPENSIVE SLEEP........ SENATE HOUSE

Distinguished Sleeping Senators

This weekend, I have chosen to delve into an unfriendly territory. I am not penning this out of mischief. I respect our legislators. For me, they are the true representatives of the people. That notwithstanding and unlike Emperor Nero, I cannot sleep, while Rome burns.
Lawmaking anywhere in the world is serious business. Nigeria must therefore not be an exception. In Africa, we ought to lead the way, while others must follow. After all, our presidential system is the biggest and most expensive in the world, with the exception of the United States of America.
Regrettably, the composition of the current Eighth Senate is a far cry from what is expected. Yes, there are serious and active senators. They sponsor people-oriented motions. They make robust contributions. They are serious representatives of their people.
Unfortunately, the Senate is gradually becoming a retirement home for former governors. The Red Chamber, as it’s often called is now populated by tired and sleepy old men who should ordinarily be tending to their grandchildren.
In the current upper legislative chamber, there are about 20 former governors and deputies. More than eighty per cent of this league of former governors is either being investigated or currently facing trials at various courts.
Senators who once served as governors are Bukola Saraki of Kwara State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of Kano State, Kabiru Gaya of Kano State, Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State, Theodore Orji of Abia State, Abdullahi Adamu of Nasarawa State, Sam Egwu of Ebonyi State, Shaaba Lafiagi of Kwara State, Joshua Dariye of Plateau State, Jonah Jang of Plateau State, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of Sokoto State, Ahmed Sani Yarima of Zamfara State, Danjuma Goje of Gombe State, Bukar Abba Ibrahim of Yobe State, Adamu Aliero of Kebbi State and George Akume of Benue State.
Former deputy governors in the Senate are Mrs Biodun Olujimi of Ekiti State and Enyinaya Harcourt Abaribe of Abia State.
Danladi Abubakar Sani served as the acting governor of Taraba State.
This league of former governors and deputies parades the highest number of sleeping and tired senators. They are seldom in the chamber. Whenever they feel obliged to ‘visit’, they neither make contributions nor sponsor serious motions and bills.
They are committed bench warmers. When the lens of cameras is not ‘watching’, they take a quick nap. They are the last to come into the chamber, but the first to leave.
Within the vicinity of the Red Chamber, these ‘distinguished’ senators need no introduction. By their appearances, you shall know them.
This league of eminent lawmakers is on permanent holidays in the chamber. During the screening exercise of ministerial nominees in late 2015, these ‘elite’ lawmakers did not make any contributions.
The Eighth Senate has considered and passed two budgets since the inception of this current government. During the serious considerations of these important documents, the league of tired and sleeping senators looked the other way.
Pa Jonah Jang, octogenarian former governor of Plateau State, tops the list of tired lawmakers in the Senate. It’s always a beautiful sight to behold, whenever Senator Jang walks into the chamber.
For journalists covering the Senate, we usually observe a moment of silence whenever Pa Jang makes contributions. No journalist is permitted to speak. This is because we must pay extra attention in order to hear him. He struggles to speak.
Former governor of Yobe State, Senator Abba Bukar Ibrahim is a prominent member of this elite group. Since he left office as governor of the northeast state, he has been repeatedly reelected.
He is a frequent face in the chamber, no doubt.
He cracks jokes and illuminates the parliament. He seconds motions and sometimes makes contributions. His seat in the Senate, serves as the ‘Mecca’ of the Red Chamber. He is always consulted by other lawmakers.
Senator Ibrahim never misses plenary.
Despite his frequent attendance, he does not miss the slightest moment to take a quick nap when serious businesses are considered. Like Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, Senator Ibrahim does not sleep at plenary. He only ‘pretends’.
A prominent member of the league of former governors, Senator Joshua Dariye, is another high flyer. He is the bench warmer-in-chief. For him, the Senate is a perfect retirement home. Like a retiree, he enjoys his largesse.
Senator Dariye is allergic to debates on the floor of the Senate. He is also allergic to sponsorship of serious motions and bills. He is however a champion of secondment of motions whenever active lawmakers lead the way.
Ochendo Worldwide (as he is often called in the Senate) and immediate-past governor of Abia State, Theodore Orji, is another retiree in the Senate. The South East parades some of the best brains in the Eighth Assembly. There are a few exceptions, however.
Give it to him, Senator Orji has sponsored motions and bills. He also seconds motions. But among the crop of South East lawmakers, Ochendo stands tall as the least contributor to serious debates and motions.
I cannot end this piece without giving honour to ‘distinguished’ Senator Jeremiah Useni. He’s a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and retired Army General. Like Jang and Dariye, Useni is from Plateau State. In the chamber, Useni abhors sponsorship of bills and motions. On the floor, he looks the other way or chats with fellow idle colleagues. He is also irritated by the presence of journalists outside the chamber. Maybe he still harbors the false belief that he is in active service in the military.
Outside the chamber, he also keeps mum. Journalists are often instructed by his staff to write formal letters to secure appointments with the ‘distinguished’ senator.
It’s unprecedented in the Red Chamber. It’s a taboo for media guys to visit his office without prior approval by the General. He is a special breed.
There are other idle people in the Senate, who in the real sense of it, should not be addressed as lawmakers. They only wear the toga of lawmakers, but fail to perform the responsibilities attached to the title.
I hold the Senate in very high esteem, but the truth must be told sometimes. Tired and sick lawmakers who have nothing to offer should not convert the revered chamber into a retirement home for spent forces (politicians). I do not want wahala. So, let me drop my troublesome pen here. Cheers.

One more thing…
The Senate is gradually becoming a Fuji House of Commotion where anything goes. Senators, who ordinarily should set the standard need to be tutored on how to comport themselves whenever serious issues are considered at plenary.
Everyday, the Chief Whip of the Senate loses his voice while trying to call erring and noise-making lawmakers to order. Their movements disrupt proceedings and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki is sometimes frustrated.
No lawmaker is exempted. Maybe Saraki may have to secure a whip and ensure that it’s ‘used’ whenever lawmakers err.
Imagine folks from other parts of the world watching the misnomer and the funny impression they create.
Lawmakers should lead by example and observe some decorum. Besides, senators do not sit beyond 2pm daily. They commence the day’s legislative business between 10.30-11am and conclude before 2pm. Moreso, they attend plenary three out of seven days in a week.
If you add up everything, senators only spend 10 hours, 30 minutes weekly in the chamber. If they cannot maintain the minimum decorum within this brief period, then we are in trouble.

I CONVENED CONFAB IN NIGERIA’S INTEREST – JONATHAN

FORMER President Goodluck Jonathan said on Wednesday that his administration took the decision to convene a national conference in Nigeria’s interest.
Jonathan explained that the implementation of the recommendations of the conference was a solution to the lingering problems of insecurity and agitations in some parts of the country.
Calling on the current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to implement recommendations of the conference, the ex-President noted that decisions taken at the conference came from Nigerians from various parts of the country.
Jonathan spoke on Wednesday during the Rivers State Golden Jubilee Lecture and Documentary on the state held in Port Harcourt.
He explained that he resolved to organise the national conference when The Patriots led by Prof. Ben Nwabueze and others called for such a gathering, adding that The Patriots had insisted that a national conference was the way forward for Nigeria.
“I insisted on the national conference after Prof. Ben Nwabueze led The Patriots to demand a national conference to address those areas regarding our growth. Every decision taken at the national conference was by consensus.
“If the government implements the recommendations, some of the things agitating our minds will be addressed,” the former President stressed.
He berated council chairmen, who he said, were in the habit of receiving allocations without using the funds to develop the community.
The former President lamented that though huge funds had come into the Niger Delta through interventionist agencies, not much had been achieved in terms of project execution due to the issue of tenure and the lifespan of the office holders.
Explaining that states had utilised the 13 per cent derivation that come to the oil-rich region, Jonathan said, “The interventionist agencies leave behind uncompleted projects. The 13 per cent that come to the states, I have seen better utilisation of that money.”

WHY SOME UTME CANDIDATES WON’T GET THEIR RESULTS - JAMB REGISTRAR

Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, yesterday, vowed not to release results of candidates identified in footages of Close Circuit Television, CCTV, to have indulged in unwholesome practices during the just-concluded Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME.
JAMB Registrar, Professor Ishaq Oloyede, who spoke as guest on a Channels Television current affairs programme, Sunrise Daily, said his agency had been busy in the past days reviewing recorded footages of the examination across the country, and that a number of candidates had been marked out for sanction.
Oloyede was responding to a question by one of the anchors of the programme on why some candidates were yet to receive their results, despite promises by JAMB to release outcomes within 24 hours.
He said: “Those who have not received (their results) are qualified not to receive for now. In all cases where there were no problems, we released results of the examination within 24 hours.
“But those who have not (received their results), they may not be culpable but we are investigating. Where we have reason to doubt anything or where we have report of anything that is not acceptable to us, we have withheld the results. We will keep on releasing them as we clear them.
“For instance, this morning (yesterday), we released another 15,000 results. But among those who sat in that centre, we have reasons, concrete evidence to say about 300 of them, their results will not be released because we know they were not in the hall where the examination took place.”
“We are comparing those who sat for the examination, how long they sat in the hall, and how some of them took excuses that they were going to the toilet only to go to what they called 'VIP'.
“All these we are now able to track. And we want to say that we will not hesitate to sanction anybody no matter how highly placed.”
Oloyede said the CCTV cameras deployed at every Computer Based Test (CBT) centres across the country helped JAMB detect and arrest unwholesome practices.
He said some centre operators however tried to sabotage his agency’s plan to make the examination fraud-free, citing the example of a centre in Kubwa, Abuja, where operators blinded the cameras with sacks to frustrate remote detection of malpractices that happened there.
The JAMB registrar appealed to credible organisations and individuals to come forward to partner JAMB in the establishment of reputable CBT centres across the country.
“Crooks are now establishing CBT centres, and meeting our requirements only to misuse the opportunities,” he said.
JAMB had on May 16 released the first batch results of the UTME conducted between May 13 and May 20. The Board continued to release the results in batches ever since.
About 1.7 million candidates registered for the 2017 UTME and sat for the examination in 642 centres across the country.
About 1.2 million candidates registered for the examination in 2016.

SENATE SCRAPS NNPC, OTHERS IN NEW PETROLEUM INDUSTRY GOVERNANCE BILL

The ding-dong over a legal regime that would reform and make the petroleum industry more transparent and efficient began a homeward stretch Thursday as the Senate passed the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB).
The bill, when concurred to by the House of Representatives and assented to by the president, would institute a new governance structure in the management of the nation’s oil industry assets and its manager, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC).
The Senate gave the bill its nod on a day crude oil prices dropped $1.24 a barrel to $52.72 before regaining ground at $53.76 as the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and non-OPEC members decided to extend cuts in oil output by nine months to March 2018.
The PIGB, which is the first leg of the 17-year-old Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), which has been broken into five separate bills by the 8th Senate, scraps the NNPC, the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), the Petroleum Products and Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) and several government agencies in the oil sector and now creates three new entities to oversee activities in the sector.
The three new entities are National Petroleum Company (NPC), National Petroleum Assets Management Commission (NPAMC) and Nigeria Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NPRC).
Under the new governance structure, NPC would be an integrated oil and gas company, operating as a fully commercial entity that will run like a private company, while the NPAMC would be a single petroleum regulatory commission, which would focus mainly on regulating the industry.
The bill also saddles the commission with the responsibility for health and safety regulations in the industry, and would collaborate with the Ministry of Environment on environmental issues.
The regulatory commission would be funded through a retention of 10 per cent of the revenue it generates for the government of the federation. The expenditure is however subject to appropriation by the National Assembly.
The NPRC would replace and take over the functions of PPPRA and DPR.
The rite of final passage began when the bill was read the third time and the Committee of the Whole considered the Report of the Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Petroleum Downstream and Gas presented by Senator Donald Alasoadura. It then went through the clause-by-clause ritual with minor amendments before it was passed.
“We made a commitment and it’s being fulfilled,” an elated Senate President Bukola Saraki said, adding: “This bill is not only for Nigerians but for our investors. We are proud of what has been done.”
Saraki’s excitement is understandable given the fact that the PIB had been with the National Assembly since 2000 but had suffered passage delays because of objections and concerns raised by International Oil Companies (IOCs) who felt threatened by the fiscal regimes proposed by the bill.
The 8th Senate, therefore, decided to split the bill into five, isolating the contentious fiscal issues in separate bills, for easier passage.
However, the PIGB still has another hurdle to overcome as the House of Representatives has a different version before it.
House of Representatives said Thursday that it did not yet have a specific timeline for the passage of the bill.
Deputy spokesman of House of Representatives, Hon. Gaza Gbefwi, told reporters that the lower chamber was still carefully considering inputs made by local and international stakeholders during a seminar on the bill last year.
The passage got positive reviews from industry stakeholders Thursday describing it as a welcome development that would create a vibrant industry.
Chief Executive Officer of Seplat Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), Mr. Austin Avuru, said the passage of the bill would set the tone on how the oil and gas industry should operate.
“It is a welcome development. That is the governance bill and it sets the tone on how the industry should operate,” said Avuru, whose company is listed on both the London and Nigerian Stock Exchanges. He expressed the hope that the lawmakers would also pass the second aspect of the bill that governs the fiscal regime before the end of this year.
Avuru urged the Senate and the House of Representatives to harmonise the different versions of the bill before them.
Chief Executive Officer of the International Energy Services, Dr. Diran Fawibe, commended the upper chamber for passing the bill.
He said the passage by the Senate would put pressure on the House of Representatives to pass their own version for both chambers to harmonise the bill for the benefit of Nigeria.
“We have to commend the Senate for taking the right step in the right direction. That is what is expected of the upper chamber because the bill has been languishing in the National Assembly for over 10 years,” he said.
All Progressives Congress (APC) commended the Senate on the passage of the bill.
“We are very excited that the bill was passed today after about 12 years delay. We specially commend the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, for his focused leadership of the 8th Senate, which has produced several legislative actions that have positively affected the lives of Nigerians, promoted good governance and advanced on-going efforts by the APC-led administration to rebuild the country,” the party said in a statement Thursday by its National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi.
“The passage of the bill is an indication that our federal legislators are diligent and reform-minded, and are committed to fulfilling the promises our party made to Nigerians,” he said, calling on the House of Representatives to follow the example of the Senate by also promptly passing the bill.

BUHARI APPOINTS MALAMI, SIX OTHERS TO BOARD OF SOLID MINERALS DEVELOPMENT FUND

Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, on Thursday inaugurated the Board of Solid Minerals Development Fund (SMDF).
Mr. Fayemi said the approval for the reconstitution of the Board by President Muhammadu Buhari was a clear indication of the administration’s commitment to fixing the Nigerian Mining sector to become a key contributor to the economy.
The minister said at the inauguration ceremony held at the ministry’s conference hall that the inauguration of the board marked an important milestone in the efforts of the present government in repositioning of the Nigerian mining sector.
Mr. Fayemi said “as the administration marks two years in office, we are pleased that these successes are being recorded during our stewardship of this sector, and under the direction of Mr. President”.
The minister stated that the mandate of the Board in addition to the mandate of the SMDF include the restructuring and operationalisation of the SMDF by designing the appropriate governance structure, organisation, strategies and operations for effective management, to promote the establishment of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) facilitator Fund and work with investors to establish its governance and financial structure.
He said the Board members were carefully drawn from active practitioners in the sector, a representative of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and a representative of the Bankers Committee.
The competent team of seasoned professionals, Mr. Fayemi said, will inspire confidence and trust from other stakeholders they would be working with. “their wealth of experience and networks would be brought to bear on this job towards achieving the desired results”.
“We are pleased that this administration’s strategic focus on the Mining sector is being justified by the very strong sectoral performance that is now being recorded.
The minister noted that efforts of the present administration in repositioning the mining sector had started to yield dividends as evident in the latest report by the National Board of Statistics (NBS) which indicated a positive growth in the sector.
“The First Quarter 2017 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results recently released by the National Bureau of Statistics indicates that, “Coal mining; Metal Ores; and Quarrying and other metals; grew strongly by 2.03%, 40.79% and 52.54% respectively.”, he said, stressing that the strong performance of the Mining Sector has contributed to the steady recovery of the Nigerian economy which the NBS further reports have steadily improved in the last three quarters.
He said: “There is however a lot more grounds to cover. In the FGN’s recently launched ‘Economic Recovery & Growth Plan (2017-2020)’, the Minerals and Metals sector was duly recognised as one of those to drive Nigeria’s recovery.
“The document projected to grow sectoral contribution to GDP from N103 billion (2015) to N141 billion in 2020, at an average annual growth rate of 8.54%.
“Other targets for the sector include the facilitation of Coal to Power Plants to contribute to our energy mix towards bridging our energy deficits.
“The strategy document which is very much in sync with the sector’s Roadmap, also aims to produce geological maps of the entire country by 2020 on a scale of 1:100,000; as well as integrate artisanal miners into the formal sector.”
In his acceptance speech, Chairman of the Board, Uba Saidu Malami, on behalf of the Board members accepted the responsibility with all humility.
He assured that the Board will focus their energy to pursue speedy establishment of the SMDF to achieve Federal government strategy in the sector as enshrined in the economic and growth plan of 2017-2020.
Mr. Malami pledged that the Board will develop a quick strategic working plan with schedules and time line to guide their activities, adding that the Board will be creating, innovating and working closely with the SMDF, the Ministry and all stakeholders to deliver on their mandate.
Other members of the board are Fatima Shinkafi (Secreatary and Head of Secreatariat); Ademola Gbadegesin; Theo Iseghohi; Samuel Ogbu Eze; Uwatt Bassey Uwatt, (Corporate Member representing Central Bank of Nigeria) and Yinka Mubarak (Corporate Member Representing Bankers Committee).
SMDF was established by Section 34 of the Nigerian Mining and Minerals Act 2007, to address the fundamental sectoral challenge of Insufficient Funding – a problem that has historically undermined the growth potentials of the sector.

WHEELBARROW: JEALOUS OPPONENTS BLACKMAILING ME – ORTOM

Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom on Thursday said that his political opponents jealous of his achievements are blackmailing him towards 2019 elections over wheelbarrow distribution in the state.
Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Ortom said that such opponents are latching on rumour in attempt to diminish his rising profile.
He said that it was regrettable that deliberate lies were being told against him by people scheming to gain advantage in the run up to 2019 general election.
On the accusations of disturbing wheelbarrows for empowerment, he said: “That is outright falsehood. There is no iota of truth. It is meant to scandalize, blackmail and to reduce my rising profile in Benue because of achievements we have recorded during these two years.
“When you hear the likes of David Mark, who are supposed to be an elder statesman, go to make false propaganda against people who are supposed to be his subjects, I used to regard him as an elder, but it’s unfortunate he is telling lies.
“Those wheelbarrows were brought to us by National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to be distributed to displaced people who need them.
“They actually need those wheelbarrows and they were given to the state emergency relief body for onward distribution to the victims. And for whatever reasons, the agency wrote my name that I was distributing it.
“But as soon as that was drawn to my attention, I refuted it and I said this is not my property.
“In empowerment, I have several programmes for the youth and this one is not meant for the youths. It was distributed to displaced people.
“So, it was just meant to blackmail me because PDP in Benue are still dreaming, including David Mark, that I am governor and I won election.
“I left them (PDP) because of the injustice they did to me and I came to APC and found a platform. The people accepted me and I won. They are out to blackmail me and it will not work because there is no iota of truth.”
On the jealous opponents, he said “Of course, they have been propagating that they want to take over the leadership in 2019 but I think they are just dreaming because even when it was pepper, I was able to finish the food, how much more now that it’s with chicken and sesame seed. You know it’s easier to eat and the people we are working with, we have gotten more support.
“More people have decamped from the PDP to the APC. So, where will they go? The local government elections is coming up on June 3. I want them to come up and compete.
“It’s unfortunate that even to present candidates, there are factions and up till today.
“I am told that they have six candidates out of the 23 local governments. It is their problem. They should go and sort out their own problem. All I am concerned is to bring development to my people.” he said
Ortom said that he has invited former Senate President, David Mark, to a meeting where he presented his administration’s second year scorecard but he declined, adding that other Benue citizens however applauded his effort.
He said: “On the 22 May, I invited all Benue stakeholders, David Mark was invited and I was given standing ovation. That alone is an indication that Benue people are pleased with me in all sectors despite all the challenges especially in funding.
“I have cleared arrears of salaries. These people are just jealous, David Mark is jealous and all his cohorts are jealous. They have left Benue State and went to Rivers and met and came and disturb us in Benue State. Let them come to Benue State.” he added
He maintained that his problem with Mark was not about a quarrel but spreading of falsehood, adding however that he would take any opportunity to discuss the issue over with the former Senate president.
He said “I don’t think it’s about quarrel. For a very senior citizen of that level to spread falsehood and tell lies against his governor when I invited them to stakeholders meeting where my two year scorecard was delivered to my people and they accepted it and appreciated what we are doing and he refused to come only to go to Rivers and be telling lies against me, It’s unfortunate.
“Anytime I have the opportunity I think we will discuss things over,” he stated.
It would be recalled that while commissioning some projects executed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers state recently, Mark had alluded to the fact that while Wike was commissioning roads, some state governors were busy distributing wheelbarrows to their citizens.

Ifeanyi Ubah today, who’s next?

We have reached the zenith of perfidy and you ask, how did we get to this low point? Are they for real to seek the death penalty for Dr Ifeanyi Ubah? Yeah! this is no joke the DSS wants death penalty and they said so in their court papers. They do not just want to kill his business , they want him dead too. That’s where we are!

I was born in the middle of the Nigerian civil war, a war that saw millions of my people killed and survivors losing  their rights of place in a country that they fought against.

Growing up, I witnessed my people being treated unfairly and not allowed  to enjoy the fullness of their citizenship. I saw the leadership care less about their pains and frustrations. Today, the majority want out of this contraption not because they are certain of their destination but because they feel unwanted and more in particular, the current regime is forcing them out.

So as I write on Dr Ubah on the cross, It’s not just him that I see hung on the cross, I see a thickening cloud around many Igbo greats like OUK, Peter Obi, Coscharis, Ibeto, Innoson, Emeka Offor etc. The determination to hang ndi-Igbo dry and exclude them from the politics and economic heights of Nigeria is real.

When I wrote and published ‘My thoughts on the harassment, intimidation, interrogation, arrest and forced trial of Dr. Ifeanyi Ubah by the DSS’, I wasn’t writing to shield him because he is Igbo but to expose the fact there is more to this whole drama than just a business that went awry. I know Ubah occupies a very strategic business interest that is subject of envy and could sooner than later put him on collision course with the state, especially with our unstructured business climate . I told him this much when we met the first time in 2013. But what do I know?

My article elicited mixed reactions from readers, some of whom accused me of taking sides because Ubah is Igbo. They tried to remind me that DG of NIA and SGF etc. are under investigation and there was no reaction by people of their respective ethnic extractions. I don’t know why some Nigerians like to compare apples with oranges.

For example; NIA and SGF were government office holders unlike Ifeanyi Ubah. NIA and SGF were not arrested by DSS or any other security agency unlike Ifeanyi Ubah. NIA and SGF were not detained unlike Ifeanyi Ubah. NIA and SGF were holding privileged positions unlike Ifeanyi Ubah who became the MD of Capital Oil based on hard work and vision.

NIA and SGF were not in commercial transactions with another entity unlike Ifeanyi Ubah’s Capital Oil.

On May 6, 2017, the DSS announced the arrest of Ifeanyi Ubah and based their action on the following allegations: Ubah engaged in acts of economic sabotage which included stealing, diversion and illegal sale of petroleum products stored in his tank farm by the NNPC.  They claimed that the products stolen amount to over Eleven Billion Naira (N11bn)  an act capable of  negatively impacting  on the national economy. The DSS further claimed that Ubah engaged in other activities inimical to national security and public order by inciting members of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD), a critical player in the downstream sub-sector of the Petroleum Industry, to refuse/stop the lifting of products. DSS established that Ubah planned to curry the sentiments of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers and cause them to embark on strike and also stage protests in his favour with the ulterior motive of arm-twisting the NNPC to abandon the cause of recovering the stolen products. For these offences the Nigeria state , the Presidency through the DSS wants death penalty for Ubah.

Ubah through his lawyers has since rebutted the DSS allegations. In a well circulated rebuttal, his firm Capital Oil and Gas stated that Capital Oil / NNPC are into commercial transaction and in a matter of conflict emanating from the contract, DSS does not have a place. NNPC is yet to refute that the Corporation does not owe Capital Oil.  When DSS issued its press release against the person of Dr Ifeanyi Ubah calling him an economic hit man, such wrong choice of words has the capacity to cause incalculable damage on the economy as it could scare away intending foreign investors and create unnecessary panic in Nigeria’s business circles.

In 2012, Capital Oil and Gas had its N10.9billion held by the NNPC up to December 2015, yet, the company didn’t use DSS to close down NNPC. That debt dragged the Capital Oil business backward.

In October 2016, a court ruled that AMCON, a government agency  should pay N26billion to Capital Oil as contained in a consent judgment delivered as far back as 2013, but the agency is yet to comply with that order.

Year 2019 and the search for Nigerian President

In a few days the Muhammadu Buhari administration will be two years old. following  the historic elections that swept an incumbent president Goodluck Jonathan out of power and reduced the majority of the former ruling PDP to minority in the national assembly, Nigerians were fully mobilised for a change in approach to governance that will hopefully transform our collective misfortune to progress and prosperity.
Unfortunately, the mid-term score card of the first four year mandate of the Muhammadu Buhari presidency, records a disappointingly low performance in most critical aspects of its core responsibilities of security of lives and properties, economic well-being of the citizenry and national unity. Under the current administration, the economy slipped into a debilitating recession leading to a drastic reduction in the already poor standard of living of most Nigerians.
As a direct result of the non-conciliatory posture of the victorious APC’s Muhammadu Buhari following the defeat of PDP’s Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election, which is expressed by his doctrine of a political scorched earth policy of rewarding only areas and peoples who voted for him ( 95 per cent) and punishing areas and peoples who voted against him ( 7 per cent) and made real by his pattern of appointments and patronage has left the Nigerian nation most divided in its entire history as a sovereign nation. This is because, the pattern of voting in the 2015 presidential election was largely influenced by ethno-religious sentiments that saw the former president Goodluck Jonathan receiving massive support from the predominantly Christian population of his home region of south south and the closely ethno-geographic affiliated south east region, while his main challenger and current president Muhammadu Buhari enjoyed near total support of his predominantly Hausa- Fulani Muslim enclave of the north west and the equally closely ethno-geographic Muslim population of the north east region, thereby polarising the country into two extreme halves.
The contest was tipped in favour of Muhammadu Buhari by the unbounded votes he received from significant section of Christian northern population of the central states coupled with a slight majority of votes from the south west. These set of people were already weary of the corruption riddled government of succeeding PDP administrations hence voted objectively for change as they were not affiliated to Buhari by tribe or religion but were drawn to him by his personal qualities of integrity, honesty and incorruptibility, which was bolstered a great deal by his consistent challenge of every incumbent PDP president in every election since 2003.
However, with the level of sectionalism witnessed under the current administration, it has become abundantly clear that the president owes his electoral success more to the support he had consistently received from the Muslim north but not the votes he obtained from other parts of the country, which made the difference this time in his electoral fortunes. So far the president have largely implemented the original “Arewa agenda’’ that propelled his interest in partisan politics in the first instance, which led him to throw his hat into ring of contest to wrestle power from the south back to the north in 2003. Apparently, it was his devotion to this agenda that kept Muhammadu Buhari in the race and not his love for Nigeria as previously widely believed. The negative consequences of these high levels of sectionalism are largely responsible for the lack of progress in all aspects of national lives today.
Matters are made worse by a corrupt and incapacitated political establishment, which controls the two major political parties that are APC and PDP. There appears to be no difference in approach to governance between the former ruling party and the current one. The same set of individuals who ‘’destroyed Nigeria in 16 years’’ now congregates in the ruling APC and holding forte in government at every level from top to bottom. The more the APC blames the PDP the more the former is looking and behaving like the latter. The current political establishment has become obsolete and is increasingly degenerating into political irrelevancy because it has failed to fulfil the promise of economic dividends of democracy. The major preoccupation of the establishment is still power rotation and sharing of our national resources among the ruling elite, whom because of their extreme comfort are careless about the collective well-being of the citizens.
As 2019 approaches, Nigerians must begin to look beyond APC’s Muhammadu Buhari for good governance, progress and prosperity. The bar and standard of the quality of leadership must be raised above ethno-religious sentiments to pragmatic solutions to our problems as a nation. One lesson learnt from the old order of power struggle, which is usually resolved by rotation and zoning of political offices leading to the institutionalization of sectionalism in government business at every level, has not paid off the intended beneficiating sections of the country. The original intention of power rotation, which was to ensure equitable distribution of resources and even spread of development across the federating units, has unfortunately degenerated into cesspool of corruption resulting into an equitable distribution of loot among the ruling elite, cutting across all ethno-religious divides.
For example, after six years of ‘’our son’’ presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, the fortunes of the Niger delta region remains unchanged. He did not succeed in transforming the landscape of the polluted oil rich environment to a clean and safe place for his own people; neither did he significantly improve their socio-economic life. His developmental legacies in the Niger delta are mostly of abandoned projects including the vital East-West road. Similarly, the rate at which the Buhari presidency is underperforming, the enormous problems confronting the northern region will largely remain unresolved. After his first four year mandate and despite his sectionalism, the north will remain in the unenviable list of educationally disadvantaged region. His sectionalism will not improve the socio-economic fortunes of his north west, which still ranks very low on the Human Development Index as one of the poorest regions in the entire world and hence the twin scourge of Al majiri and Boko Haram will remain with the north. Clearly, that a president comes from a section does not always guarantee benefit to the people. Therefore, the clamour for a northern presidency in 2019 by some regional groups is a recipe for retrogression.
There are no northern solutions to northern Nigeria problems neither are there southern solutions to southern Nigeria problems. There is only a Nigerian solution to Nigerian problems, north or south to be administered by a Nigerian president.

Two years of APC change

About two years ago, the chants of change from All Progressives Congress (APC) and their fanatical supporters in Nigeria could be deafening. Such chants of change can pull down walls and even cause traffic jam. The shouts of change were so tremendous that alternative viewpoints were drowned in the cacophony of change riotous and combative crowd.

They chanted and shouted change without defining the form and shape of change they are promising Nigerians. In their bid to take power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the APC chanters promised Eldorado and even heaven on earth. And the gullible Nigerian voters believed them and gave them their mandate.
But now, those that voted APC to power are full of regrets. They are wailing more than the original ‘wailing wailers.’ They are weeping so inconsolably like small babies forcefully deprived of their mothers’ breasts. They are cursing the day they cast their votes for the party in power.

And they have many reasons to do so. Their lives are much more wretched now than they were two years ago. Their businesses were better two years ago than now. The steadily rising inflation and high cost of living have killed their businesses and considerably reduced their standard of living. The economy is in shambles. Workers are suffering. Pensioners are suffering. People are committing suicide on a daily basis.

They are all weeping victims of aborted or arrested change in whichever way you want to look at it. Having secured power on the altar of change, the APC Federal Government has provided everything but change to Nigerians. Their first 100 days in office did not record any achievement worth mentioning.

They considered the first one year in office as honeymoon period. Now, almost two years after the change administration took over from the PDP federal government, its handlers are making excuses that two years is not enough for a change regime to make significant impact. Even the party’s leadership was reported as saying that even eight years will not be enough for APC to make impact.

Very soon, they may even say that 16 years which the PDP spent in power will not be enough for it. Nigerians are getting used to APC excuses and they are getting sick and tired of a party that came to power on a lot of promises of change but poor in delivering such hefty promises. Nigerians believe that two years is enough for APC to make appreciable impact. Two years of APC has left Nigerians much poorer than where the APC met them.

APC came to power when the exchange rate was below N200 per one US dollar. Today, the exchange rate is between N400 and above per one US dollar. APC may beat its chest that it has decimated the insurgency technically speaking and worked for the release of over 100 Chibok schoolgirls through prisoners’ swap and hefty ransom payment in foreign currency, which the government has stoutly denied.

It may even beat its chest on its war against corruption. Regardless of the politics of these modest achievements, let’s give credit to the APC government on those three areas. How many jobs has the government created since assumption of office two years ago? How many industries have folded up since two years ago of Buhari administration?
How many Nigerians have Fulani herdsmen killed since Buhari came to power? What of kidnapping and armed robbery? They too have intensified and the kidnappers seem to have found love in kidnapping school children for ransom in Lagos and Ogun states.  Despite the claims of technically defeating the Boko Haram insurgency, the sect still has the capability of harassing Nigerians with occasional suicidal and deadly bombings. Their new target now seems to be the University of Maiduguri campus, which has witnessed series of bomb attacks in recent times.

There are also reported threats to bomb Abuja by the sect. All these are stark pointers that the war on terror is indeed far from being over as the APC government wants Nigerians to believe. Even the war against corruption where this government is overrated for its success has not escaped accusations of bias and selectivity.

The war has tilted against those in the PDP camp more than those in APC camp. The friction between the executive and the legislature has stalled governance in some instances. It took more time to pass the budget and more time to clear nominees for some political appointments.  The separation of powers between the three arms of government is not working well in this dispensation. The legislature and the judiciary are called names by the executive. There is in-fighting among those in APC over power and who is in charge. We did not witness such politicking with the PDP.

The APC handling of Buhari’s ill-health in terms of giving Nigerians regular updates is not satisfactory. The transfer of power between the president and his vice whenever the former is away should be seen as normal but not so with the APC government. Otherwise the politicking over ‘acting president’ and coordinating acting president’ should not have arisen if the APC is intact.  Since the president and the vice president have joint ticket, the division being created by some power seekers between them is not healthy. It is natural that the vice president will act on the president’s behalf whenever the president  is not available for duty. Nigeria’s case ought not to be different. We should try to do things the best way.

We should not circumvent the situation because we do not like the face of the person involved. The allegation of the existence of a cabal in a government of change is bad enough. It is worse when the cabal is apparently dispensing a power that it does not have. We have heard of cabals before but it appears the present cabal is more virulent.

Two years of APC government is not good for majority of Nigerians. The change has not translated to positive change in the lives of most Nigerians. They are suffering now more than when the PDP was in power. That is the truth the APC and its vociferous handlers must be humble enough to admit. The government has failed in bringing change to Nigerians.
Their change is not good enough. They should stop acting as a judge in their own case. The APC should use the next two years to redeem its image by fulfilling its numerous promises to Nigerians and stop thinking of 2019. In 2019, Nigerians will decide which way their votes will go. Nigeria is far greater than the PDP and the APC. Nigerians should determine their future in 2019.

Nigerian politicians under abilu spell

Have you ever heard of abilu and do you know what it does? Well, I searched for an English name for it online and the most common I got is ‘evil works.’ As the English alias suggests, abilu is an unpleasant and harmful spell. Although it is Yoruba, but of course, the Yoruba may not have the patent to its making and application. There is evil everywhere under the sun and in different guises. I learnt that when anyone is afflicted with the abilu spell, things stop working for him as envisaged, every good thing he does turns out negative, every step he takes becomes a misstep, everything he says is misunderstood.
If you look deeply into the orbit of the ruling All Progressives Congress since taking over the nation’s leadership almost two years ago, you cannot but wonder if the party and its stalwarts aren’t suffering from an abilu spell. And you can say the same of the former ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party. In fact, PDP had been under a spell long before the APC was cobbled together. Till this moment, the spell that made the PDP lose power which it had wielded since the return of the country to democracy since 1999 had not yet been exorcised. That is why the party has been unable to fulfill the role of an effective opposition. That is why two chairmen are contesting the headship and all attempts to reconcile them have ended up in futility. Let’s not waste much time on PDP. Its case looks like the case of a mad person who has entered the market. You need more than a psychiatrist to cure such madness.
Let’s dwell on President Muhammadu Buhari who is the head of the ruling government and national leader of the APC. Who would have imagined that after contesting elections on four occasions before emerging president, and with the determination and zeal exerted to make the difference after being sworn into office, Buhari would now be bogged down by sickness? He himself was so stunned that he declared on his return from medical vacation in London on March 9 that he had never been so sick in his life. Meanwhile, while he was away, his aides made repeated statements that he was hale and hearty.
Now he has returned to London on his doctors’ advice. There is no information about how he is faring. The Presidency had stated that updates on his health status would not be provided, but this is generating another round of anxiety and wild speculations.
A simple letter the president wrote to the Senate prior to his departure for treatment also became source of controversy. Stating that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would coordinate the nation’s affairs while he is away was condemned by those who perceived the wordings as a ploy to prevent Prof Osinbajo from having the full powers of acting president.
Buhari had written similar letters to the Senate in the past, but the dust raised by this last one is still to settle. Following from the letter Nigerians are now watching every action, every step of Osinbajo whether he is truly the acting president who can sign budget and swear in new ministers or just a coordinator of the nation’s affairs. Would this confusion have happened, if the letter had simply stated that Osinbajo is acting president?
This spell has also struck the government spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. He says one thing and it’s wrongly presented and misinterpreted. He makes rebuttals regularly. The latest being denying that he did not say the Federal Government did not know who would sign the 2017 budget.
Sometimes mischief-makers post messages online and he is forced to deny them. In February the Minister of Information refuted reports quoting him as saying that President Muhammadu Buhari would not return home from London because his aircraft was faulty.
And after Buhari returned, the minister denied saying the president would henceforth work from home. What he said was that the president only decided to work from home on that day the statement was made.
Isn’t it shocking that rather than getting praises for negotiating the release of Chibok schoolgirls from the den of Boko Haram, many Nigerians believe the whole Chibok saga is a scam?
They allege that the kidnap was stage-managed to ridicule the government of ex-president Goodluck Jonathan. The proponents of the scam theory argue that the girls are being released in batches to boost the image of the Buhari administration. Is the Chibok kidnap saga truly a scam?
I believe the administration deserves accolades for the release of the girls and if it’s getting knocks for the feat rather than kudos, then something must be fishy.
Last Tuesday,the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Tukur Burutai shocked the nation with the revelation that some politicians had been approaching some soldiers for undisclosed political reasons.
Gen. Burutai’s statement implied that some politicians were plotting to scuttle the nation’s democracy. He warned the Army officers and soldiers to steer clear of politics and politicians.
If some politicians were already plotting to invite the military back to power, does anyone require additional evidence that our politicians are under abilu spell?
Who could have placed a curse on the politicians? The answer isn’t far to seek. It’s the ordinary people who are suffering from many years of misrule. Many politicians do anything to get into office and their motive is self service rather than the good of all.
If the APC government leaves the stage and another party takes over, the spell won’t disappear.  It’s unfortunate that even the good-intentioned politicians are now suffering from the evil perpetrated by others. The sad development will continue to manifest in the output of governments until conscious cleansing effort is made.
Nigerian politicians must seek the face of God and rule with the fear that they will ultimately account to the Creator for every office held and resource expended.