The Government of Japan has extended a grant of US$4.5 million (N1.4 billion) to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the provision of life-saving emergency work to assist people affected and displaced by the conflict in northeast Nigeria.
The grant will cover assistance in the provision of water, sanitation and hygiene facilities; health, nutrition and child protection services and education. It will focus primarily on assistance for children, with special attention given to populations trying to return to where they lived before they were forced to flee the violence.
According to a statement by the UNICEF, the seven years of conflict in northeast Nigeria, especially in the states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa, have caused massive human suffering, with children and women bearing the brunt of the difficulties. The conflict has triggered major population movements, with most recent estimates of people displaced by the conflict in the four most severely-affected states at over 1.7 million – more than half of whom are children.
“The people of Japan are strong supporters of UNICEF’s work to help children and women,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Representative in Nigeria. “This generous grant will help to make a tangible difference in the lives of children who have suffered so much. It will help them to recover physically and psychologically so that they can be children, can go to school and have a brighter future.”
The statement said that with a similar grant last year from the Government and people of Japan, UNICEF and its partners were able to boost primary health care services for people affected by the conflict in more than 100 health facilities in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states. Funding from Japan provided more than 65,000 people with clean water and more than 25,000 people with access to safe sanitation. Education was improved through creating temporary learning spaces for children in camps for the displaced; malnourished children were provided with life-saving treatment. Special support has been given to children who have been separated from their families by the conflict, and traumatised children have been given psychosocial support.
“The Government of Japan believes that primary education, health and nutrition are some of the basic rights of every child anywhere in the world and in this regard, Japan has and will continue to make efforts to ensure that no child is denied these basic rights, no matter the situation,” said Sadanobu Kusaoke, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Since 2000, the Government of Japan has been a major donor supporting child survival activities, prevention of infectious diseases in children and emergency assistance in Nigeria, through the UNICEF/Federal Government of Nigeria Programme of Cooperation. [myad]
Information reaching us indicates that the leadership of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF) are still diverting the sum of N558.2 Million monthly and sharing the money amongst themselves.
A former Director of Finance and Accounts at the NAF, Air Commodore Salisu Yushau (retd.), who is an EFCC witness, had revealed before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, that all past air chiefs diverted N558.2m monthly from funds meant for the payment of salaries of Nigerian Air Force officials.
The EFCC source confirmed the statement and added that the commission had reason to believe that the diversion of funds at the NAF is still ongoing
“We were told that over N558.2m was diverted by the office of the Chief of Air Staff monthly and the money was converted to dollars. We were told that air force officers from the rank of air commodore and above, all benefited from the money.
“We were told that even in February (this year), these illegal deductions were still made. In due course, our findings will be made public.” [myad]
Just as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki is embroiled in corruption legal battle, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu has been named an Anti Corruption Ambassador by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The National Assembly Liason Officer, of the EFCC, Mr. Suleiman Bakari, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Deputy Senate President, Uche Anichukwu, made this known when he led a team of the anti-graft agency on a courtesy visit to Ekweremadu.
Bakari said: “As an Anti-Corruption Ambassador, It is therefore Your Excellency, to on behalf of my Acting chairman, Mr. Ibrahim Mustafa Magu and the entire management and staff of the EFCC, decorate you as an Anti-Corruption Ambassador and formally present this frame, as a token of our appreciation to your person and office, and as a symbol of institutional partnership between the EFCC and the National Assembly.”
Bakari, appealed to the National Assembly to ensure adequate funding for the agency and advocated speedy passage of all the anti-corruption Bills before it.
This was even Ekweremadu called for the establishment of Special Anti-Corruption Courts to reduce the burden on regular courts and fast-track trial of corruption cases.
He explained that setting up Special Courts, was one of the surest ways to help the fight against corruption, as it would ensure speedy adjudication of corruption cases.
“I have been an advocate of special courts for the trial of corruption cases and I believe that other countries, who have enacted laws establishing such, are not fools because there are benefits to be derived therefrom.
“The idea is to expedite trial to make sure that those who are involved in corruption matters will have their day in court.
“When we have special courts, just as we have the National Industrial Court, such courts will do better than they are doing now. The establishment of special courts is not just something that will be done by an Act of the National Assembly.
“We have to amend the constitution to bring it about under section 6, for the purpose of trying corruption cases.”
Ekweremadu advocated value reorientation of Nigerians at all levels, with a view to returning to the good old days, and also cautioned the EFCC to ensure that in fighting corruption, it must respect the rule of law and ensure that the provisions of the constitution regarding fair hearing and treatment of an accused are also respected.
He commended the EFCC for decorating him as an Anti-Corruption Ambassador, and assured them that he would live up to the trust reposed in him.
He said that the National Assembly would do everything within its powers to ensure that the Bills before it, aimed at strengthening the fight against corruption, got speedy attention. [myad]
The Police Service Commission has confirmed that 705,352 applications have been received from applicants seeking to enlist into the Nigeria Police Force. A statement issued by the Head of Press and Public Relations of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, said that 202,427 applications applied for the position of Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police, 169,446, for the position of Cadet Inspectors and 333,479 for the position of Constables. The statement said that the commission would recruit 500 Cadet ASPs, 500 Cadet Inspectors, 1,500 Specialist Officers and 7,500 Constables to meet the approved 10,000 new entrants into the Force. In the statement, the Chairman of the commission, Mike Okiro, confirmed that the process of receiving the forms had been smooth and transparent. Okiro assured Nigerians of the commitment of the commission to making the process transparent and the exercise a huge success. It will be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had approved the recruitment of 10,000 policemen into the nation’s Police Force to reinforce the Police for better service. [myad]
A constitutional lawyer, Femi Falana has made it clear to the Senate that it has no power to invite the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Umar Danladi even as he described such invitation as embarrassing to the nation’s image.
In a statement, Falana called on the Senate to withdraw the summons immediately.
“Instead of exposing the Nigerian people to further undeserved embarrassment over the Senator Bukola Saraki case, the Senate should find ways of enhancing the fight against corruption by passing the Whistle Blowers Bill, the Proceeds of Crime Bill and the Witness Protection Bill which were passed by the 7th National Assembly but were not signed into law by former President Goodluck Jonathan.”
Falana advised that for the Nigerian people to take the war against corruption seriously, members of the legislative and executive arms of Government should demonstrate leadership by example, adding that given that majority of States are now owing arrears of workers’ salaries, the legislators should be prepared to make a sacrifice by reducing their fat salaries and jumbo allowances.
He said that the Ethics Committee of the Senate lacks the power to summon the Tribunal Chairman to testify in respect of a criminal investigation, especially given that the allegation being examined by the committee is the subject matter of a pending criminal case at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja.
Here is the full text of the statement:
The Illegal summons on Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman
We have confirmed that the leadership of the Senate has resolved to frustrate the ongoing trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal Holden at Abuja. Yesterday, the Tribunal ruled that the case would be conducted day by day until it is concluded under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. In a swift but contemptuous reaction to the ruling, the Ethics Committee of the Senate has purportedly summoned the Tribunal Chairman to appear before it on Thursday, December 20, 2016. The Judge is required to testify before the Senate Committee in respect of a petition alleging corrupt practices against him.
It is pertinent to point out that the Ethics Committee of the Senate lacks the power to summon the Tribunal Chairman to testify in respect of a criminal investigation. More so that the allegation being examined by the Ethics Committee of the Senate is the subject matter of a pending criminal case at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory sitting in Abuja. Following the allegation that the Personal Assistant to the Tribunal Chairman allegedly received a bribe from a suspect on behalf of his master the matter was investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. At the end of the investigation, the Tribunal Chairman was exonerated while his Personal Assistant was indicted. Consequently, the suspect has since been charged to court. Since the case has not been concluded or terminated it is the height of contempt on the part of the Senate or any of its Committee to decide to conduct another trial on the same subject matter.
However, by virtue of Sections 88 (1) & (2) of the 1999 Constitution the National Assembly is empowered to conduct an inquiry for the purpose of enabling it to- “(a) make laws with respect to any matter within its legislative competence and correct any defects in existing laws; and (b) expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence and in disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it.”
It is pertinent to note that the enormous investigative powers of the national assembly are circumscribed as they are exercisable subject to other provisions of the Constitution. In Senate of National Assembly v. Momoh (1983) 4 NCLR 269 at 295 the Federal Court of Appeal dwelt in extenso on the provision of Section 82 of the 1979 Constitution when it held:-
“It appears to me that section 82 is not designed to enable the legislature to usurp the general investigative functions of the executive nor the adjudicative functions of the judiciary. … They can only invite members of the public when they want to gather facts for the purpose of enabling them make law or amend existing laws in respect of any matter within their legislative competence or as witnesses in a properly constituted inquiry under section 82(1)(b). ”
It is submitted, with respect, that section 82 of the 1979 Constitution is in pari materia with Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution. In Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai v. The House of Representatives, National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria & Ors. (2003) 46 WRN 70 the Court of Appeal subjected to section 88 of the 1999 Constitution to a critical judicial interpretation. Oguntade JCA (as he then was) who read the leading judgment of the Court said:
“The crucial question that follows is this: when the 1st Defendant sent the letter of 20/3/2002 to the Plaintiff to appear before its Ethics and Privileges Committee, was it engaged in the making of law within its legislative competence or to expose corruption and inefficiency in a public department? Clearly, the answer is in the negative. It is apparent that the 1st Plaintiff and was intent on taking further steps following its antecedent determination. That this was the intention of the 1st Defendant which is made clear by the opening paragraph of the letter which stated that the Plaintiff had published defamatory matters concerning it.”
With respect to the matter on hand, it is submitted that Senate lacks the power to investigate allegations of corrupt practices and other criminal offenses. In Akomolafe v. The Speaker of Ondo State House of Assembly(1984) 5 NCLR 355 at 367 Ogundare Ag CJ (as he then was) of blessed memory held:-
“Neither the Speaker nor the House is empowered by the Constitution and statute law to deal with the issue assigned to the panel. The investigation of crimes is for the police, and the trial of criminal offenses is for the courts. The Speaker on receipt of Mr. Aladeselu’s letter ought to have referred it to the police for necessary action.”
Conclusion
In the light of the foregoing, the Ethics Committee of the Senate is advised to withdraw its illegal summons which has been issued and served on the Code of Conduct Tribunal Chairman. Instead of exposing the Nigerian people to further undeserved embarrassment over the Saraki case the Senate is enjoined to enhance the fight against corruption by passing the Whistle Blowers Bill, the Proceeds of Crime Bill and the Witness Protection Bill which were passed by the 7th National Assembly but were not signed into law by former President GoodluckJonathan. For the Nigerian people to take the war against corruption seriously, the members of the legislative and executive arms of Government ought to be prepared to demonstrate leadership by example. In a country where the majority of the states are owing arrears of salaries, the legislators should be prepared to make a sacrifice by reducing their fat salaries and jumbo allowances.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has promise to encourage investors to establish projects in the the capital territory so as to create job opportunities to the teeming population of the city.
The minister who spoke today, Tuesday when he performed the ground breaking of the Multi-Billion-Naira Novare Gateway Mall along the Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Expressway said that his government’s desire is to bring more investments that will serve the citizenry, create employment and generate multiplier economic activities. “On behalf of the residents, I thank you very much for this laudable project and I assure you that the FCT Administration will give you all the support that you require to make this project successful.” He commended Novare Gateway for partnering with the Abuja Chamber of Commerce to execution the project and leveraging on local expertise, information and contacts, adding: “I think with Abuja Chambers of Commerce, you have a very credible partner. “As you know, your mall is going to be a mega retail outlet. At this point, I’d like to advise you that it’s very important for you to start planning on local content in respect of the items that eventually would be sold. This is very important because, to be frank, a situation where everything has to be imported, including vegetable and fruits, in the long term, is not tenable. “This is the right time for you particularly since you have a mall here and another one in Lagos, to have a very robust system of local content, particularly on areas where it is easy to do so”. The Minister urged the firm to work on packaging because the main challenge has always been packaging; noting that in terms of quality, most of the foods and vegetable in Nigeria are organically grown and they are of the best health standard. “So, you need to start working on packaging and developing them. It’s going to be difficult and challenging; but at the end of the day, I think it’s going to be very beneficial for you and also the economy,” he added. Speaking earlier, the Chairman of Gray Bar Alliance Limited, owners of Novare Gateway Mall, Professor Fabian Ajogwu said that Novare Gateway Mall is driven by foreign direct investment, valued at over 68 million US Dollars; and that it is funded by a debt-equity hybrid financing. According to him, at its final stage, about 100 million US Dollars would have been invested in the project. He stated that the Novare Gateway is designed to be a world-class retail-shopping complex with state of the art facilities and exquisite architecture built to the highest international standards and set to be one of the largest retail shopping malls in West Africa with over 25,000 square meters of leasable space. [myad]
A bomb blew up a bus and set fire to another in Jerusalem yesterday, wounding 16 people in an attack that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu linked to a six-month-old wave of Palestinian street violence.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility from any Palestinian factions for the blast. Israeli officials declined to assign direct blame. They said two of the casualties had not yet been identified and may have been bombers.
Suicide bombings on Israeli buses were a hallmark of the Palestinian revolt of 2000-2005 but have been rare since. With Palestinians carrying out less organized stabbing, car-ramming and gun attacks since October, Israel has been braced for an escalation.
“We will settle accounts with these terrorists,” Netanyahu said in a speech, referring to whoever executed the bus attack.
“We are in a protracted struggle against terror – knife terror, shooting terror, bomb terror and also tunnel terror,” he added, speaking hours after Israel announced its discovery of an underground passage dug by Hamas militants from Gaza.
Police initially said they were looking at the possibility that a technical malfunction caused the fire that consumed two buses on Derech Hebron road, in an area of southwest Jerusalem close to the boundary with the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
But based on the wounds and other findings, authorities concluded that a small and possibly rudimentary explosive device was set off at the back of one of the buses.
Those details recalled the bombing of a Tel Aviv bus by an Israeli Arab during the 2012 Gaza war which caused injuries but no deaths.
In the last half year, Palestinian attacks have killed 28 Israelis and two visiting U.S. citizens. Israeli forces have killed at least 191 Palestinians, 130 of whom Israel says were assailants. Many others were shot dead in clashes and protests.
Drivers behind the bloodshed include Palestinian bitterness over stalled statehood negotiations and the growth of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, stepped up Jewish access to a disputed Jerusalem shrine, and Islamist-led calls for Israel’s destruction.
Bombings have not been carried out during this period – though Israeli prosecutors said a Palestinian woman who tried to blow up a gas balloon in her car after being pulled over by police in October was a would-be suicide bomber. [myad]
Senate has openly launched what looks like a counter-attack on the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar as the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki begins in earnest.
The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions kick-started the counter-attack with a letter to the CCT Chairman, inviting him over allegations of corruption. The Senate’s letter of invitation came just as Justice Umar announced that Saraki’s trial will run daily for the remaining part of this week.
In a letter signed by the Clerk of the Senate Committee, Freedom Odolo, the Senate asked Justice Umar to appear unfailingly by 2pm on Thursday 21st April. This was even as Justice Umar replied the committee that he has a court sitting on that day and throughout the week.
He said he would not be available until after the court sittings, which is on Saraki’s trial. The invitation letter was delivered to the CCT chairman shortly after he ruled that the tribunal will be sitting daily from 9am to 6pm.
The committee said: “Your letter with reference number CCT/HQ/ 126/S/ 111/ 515 dated 1st April, 2016 in which you requested for more time to enable you attend the hearing was received. “After due consideration of your request, the Committee rescheduled the hearing to give you at least two weeks from the 4th of April when you should have appeared. “Accordingly, you are now required to appear unfailingly as follows: Thursday, 21st April, 2016, Meeting Room 120 New Senate Building, National Assembly Complex. Time: 2pm “Please, remember to come personally along with 12 copies of any written submission you may wish to present.”
Some Senators are angry over his decision to allow the tribunal to sit from 9am to 6pm. “They saw the CCT Chairman’s decision as a plot to deny Saraki any opportunity to preside over the Senate plenary throughout his trial.
“Now, these Senators have also launched a counter-attack against the CCT chairman by revisiting the outstanding petition against the judge. Shortly after the CCT chairman decided to be sitting daily till 6pm, a letter came from the Senate Committee inviting Justice Umar on the outstanding petition against him.” But a source in CCT said: “The judge has asked the Registrar of the tribunal to write the Senate committee that he has a court sitting on Thursday and throughout the week and won’t be able to honour the summons. “The CCT Chairman’s letter was sent last night to the committee.” [myad]
The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) has began preparations for the 2016 Hajj operations in Saudi Arabia, drawing attention of Muslims to the fact that the Commission would as usual give priority to first timers.
A statement by the Commission’s head of Media, Alhaji Uba Mana said that the reason is to give ample opportunity to those that have not performed the Hajj to discharge their obligation.
The statement said however, that Hajj officials are exempted from this restriction due to essential nature of their duties, adding that this is in line with Pilgrims’ Registration guidelines issued by the Commission recently.
“Similarly, all Pilgrims Welfare Bodies/Agencies/Commissions are expected to collect payment deposits from intending pilgrims and remit same to the Commission as and when due, in line with the 2016 Hajj calendar of events.
“Reservation of slots for any reason whatsoever, including Government Sponsored pilgrims beyond the stipulated deadline for pilgrims registration is strictly is not acceptable as doing so will undermine Nigeria’s full compliance to the Saudi Hajj e-track requirement which usually results to loss of Hajj slots.
“Any Pilgrims Welfare Body or Tour Operator that collects payment from any intending pilgrim for 2016 Hajj and is unable to take such person for Hajj for no fault of the intending pilgrim, will bear the additional cost that might arise in the process of conveying such pilgrim for Hajj.”
The statement said that these decisions were taken at the end of the 7th Board meeting of the Commission held on Thursday 14th April, 2016. [myad]
Perhaps, I am one of Nigeria’s poorest citizens, existing, but not living and domiciled in one of the country’s least of slums, in an obscure state too. In there and against all persuasions, I hate to remember my state and much more the stark reality; it midwifed my ancestral identity as a Nigerian.
Most nights, I spend without a blissful sleep. I toss from one angle of the bed to the other, until nature descends its slap on my soul to embrace the momentary respite, suspending my troubles and worries. I wail loudly most nights to God Almighty, as a Christian, anxious of His intervention in soothing the pains I suffer daily as a Nigerian citizen. I pray fervently for His consolation. Sometimes, it comes. At other times, my spirit fails me. In some instances I feel I have lost the delicate divine nexus between me and my Saviour, the Lord.
My predicament replicates in many homes and on multiple souls in Nigeria. Having projected ourselves as the worse breed of Africans, who delight in the destruction of our cherished national treasures, Nigerians anywhere in the country woke upto assailed afflictions that should not be our bane. We have made life and existence, so hellish, an experience.
We elect upon ourselves to rubbish all structures designed and empowered to give us comfort in homes or offices, to restore our dignity and pride as a nation. The other day, my neighbor woke up to a flat tyre he has been managing for a while. He opted to replace the two front tyres with new ones manufactured by companies licensed in Nigeria. Three months later, he was livid with anger that the inner trade of the two tyres gave way in quick succession. They damaged beyond usage.
It’s only in Nigeria that buildings, especially mini-estates, are erected without recourse to approved standards. Yet, we have the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) staffed and equipped to checkmate such fraudulence. Farmers buy bags of fertilizer in the market, only to discover it is a mixture of sand and stones at the point of applying it on the farms. Much is also true of cement bags.
Vehicle owners constrained to replace damaged spare parts are faced with a recurring dilemma. They end up with spare parts worse than the replaced ones. The cabal of counterfeiters in the country is thick, solid and widespread. It is so vicious and nobody or segment of Nigeria is spared its fury.
And SON, one of the agencies with mandate to checkmate this menace has only manifested woeful failure in the last 16 years. There is no palpable indication that SON has made appreciable progress in the fight against counterfeit products ravaging Nigeria.
But as Nigeria battled its burden half-heartedly, the phenomenon of fake products became more pronounced during SON’s headship by Dr. Joseph Odumodu. Many Nigerians have perceived his manifest incompetence as the justification why the Federal Government under the change mantra of President Muhammedu Buhari sacked its Director-General among the first of 26 bosses of federal agencies and parastaltals.
I quiver to imagine that the Federal Government has over 500 of such agencies covering diverse areas and SON is fingered in the first batch of sacked bosses, rated as deserving urgent attention for revival, bespeaks of the decay within, which is visible even to the blind.
It is therefore laughable that the sack of Odumodu who has obviously presided over the blossoming of counterfeited products in the country is being praise-sang for a reappointment. Nigeria as a country has over 170 million sons and daughters. But very few among them really love their country, because if someone like Odumodu finds fanatics, who are so passionate about him, then no worse mischief can surpass it.
Worse still, the advocates of “No Odumodu, is death of SON,” have anchored their arguments on his initiation of Product Standardization Laboratories and the dire need to be allowed to complete them. More to it, the inclusion of SONCAP and MANCAP logos among the four new logos introduced by the sacked SON DG and describing it as a revolution is dragging the joke too far. They existed before he came on board as SON’s boss and what can be rightfully ascribed to him is his poor foresight and application of these logos for quality in local or imported products.
In essence, to mount media campaigns for the retention of Odumodu is like indicting the Federal Government for carrying out “improper” checks before terminating his appointment. It is the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians, who are routinely assaulted by the overwhelming flooding of our markets with fake products.
And it is safer to conclude that those championing his comeback, through media propaganda and projecting a successor outside of Odumodu as a taboo are probably the masked counterfeiters. They apparently thrived on his ineffectiveness to lead the agency for positive results, but afforded the counterfeiters the ambit to flourish in their dubious traps at the expense of Nigerians.
They feel appointing a competent successor to replace Odumodu, would terminate their nefarious activities. The Federal Government should be wary of such campaigns.
However, there is certitude at the end of the tunnel. The actions of SON’s Acting Director-General, Dr. Paul Angya in a few weeks on assumption of duty – have exposed the emptiness of the Odumodu’s reign of shame at this focal agency of government. Interpreted differently, Nigerians now understand through his actions so far that SON had no machinery in operation for the standardization and regulation of quality for local products and imported ones.
And also, SON before now neglected a critical function such as proper inspection of local factories to enforce adherence to approved quality standards or the inspection of foreign goods to ascertain their approved quality before shipment into Nigeria. The Acting DG is poised to redefine SON in such directions.
He has begun preliminary works toward the establishment of a Standard Laboratory Testing Company in Nigeria, which would test all locally manufactured products, as against the previous practice of testing them abroad and incurring expense in foreign exchange for avoidable trips. Since government is continuity, Angya has pledged to complete projects initiated by his predecessor and his recent inspection of the Standardization Laboratories in Lagos is manifest expression of a boss determined to march words with action.
Testimonies of Angya’s impressive performance at SON have been profound. A Nigerian identified as Jimoh attested to this as he wrote in Vanguard newspaper;
“As soon as he took over as the Acting DG, SON, Dr. Paul Angya fired a warning shot to importers of products which similar locally produced counterparts enjoy core competence and high quality. He promised to do everything to protect local manufacturers from unhealthy competition with imported products, adding that this would help to create more jobs and grow the economy.”
Besides, Angya is not a greenhorn in the management or administration of SON. He is a Lawyer and scholar who specialized in Standardization and consumer protection laws. Before his appointment as SON’s Ag DG, the 53-year old lawyer was the agency’s Director, Corporate Affairs and SON’s Consultant and honorary legal adviser to the African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO), Nairobi, Kenya. He doubled as honorary legal adviser of the African Eco-Labelling Mechanism (AEM), an AUC agency with mandate in Environment and Sustainability Standards in Nairobi.
He holds a Ph.D in Law from the University of Jos; a bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Lagos and the Benue State University, Makurdi respectively.
No evidence of his deep knowledge of SON than the fact that he acted as secretary to Council of SON at various times and director, Administration and Human Capital Development among others. As a passionate team player anywhere he served. Dr. Angya returned to SON after a one year stint as Acting director, Legal – Enforcement department, National Film and Video Census Board (NFVCB).
I believe that the Odumodu campaigners have no basis for such media hype, beyond mocking Nigerians. At all times, Nigeria should test fresh brains to tap from their wealth of knowledge. So the antics deployed by the masked agents of counterfeiters cannot be strange to Nigerians.
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The Government of Japan has extended a grant of US$4.5 million (N1.4 billion) to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for the provision of life-saving emergency work to assist people affected and displaced by the conflict in northeast Nigeria.
SON: Reflections On Nigeria’s Succession Antics, By Mamman Bello
Perhaps, I am one of Nigeria’s poorest citizens, existing, but not living and domiciled in one of the country’s least of slums, in an obscure state too. In there and against all persuasions, I hate to remember my state and much more the stark reality; it midwifed my ancestral identity as a Nigerian.
Most nights, I spend without a blissful sleep. I toss from one angle of the bed to the other, until nature descends its slap on my soul to embrace the momentary respite, suspending my troubles and worries. I wail loudly most nights to God Almighty, as a Christian, anxious of His intervention in soothing the pains I suffer daily as a Nigerian citizen. I pray fervently for His consolation. Sometimes, it comes. At other times, my spirit fails me. In some instances I feel I have lost the delicate divine nexus between me and my Saviour, the Lord.
My predicament replicates in many homes and on multiple souls in Nigeria. Having projected ourselves as the worse breed of Africans, who delight in the destruction of our cherished national treasures, Nigerians anywhere in the country woke upto assailed afflictions that should not be our bane. We have made life and existence, so hellish, an experience.
We elect upon ourselves to rubbish all structures designed and empowered to give us comfort in homes or offices, to restore our dignity and pride as a nation. The other day, my neighbor woke up to a flat tyre he has been managing for a while. He opted to replace the two front tyres with new ones manufactured by companies licensed in Nigeria. Three months later, he was livid with anger that the inner trade of the two tyres gave way in quick succession. They damaged beyond usage.
It’s only in Nigeria that buildings, especially mini-estates, are erected without recourse to approved standards. Yet, we have the Standard Organization of Nigeria (SON) staffed and equipped to checkmate such fraudulence. Farmers buy bags of fertilizer in the market, only to discover it is a mixture of sand and stones at the point of applying it on the farms. Much is also true of cement bags.
Vehicle owners constrained to replace damaged spare parts are faced with a recurring dilemma. They end up with spare parts worse than the replaced ones. The cabal of counterfeiters in the country is thick, solid and widespread. It is so vicious and nobody or segment of Nigeria is spared its fury.
And SON, one of the agencies with mandate to checkmate this menace has only manifested woeful failure in the last 16 years. There is no palpable indication that SON has made appreciable progress in the fight against counterfeit products ravaging Nigeria.
But as Nigeria battled its burden half-heartedly, the phenomenon of fake products became more pronounced during SON’s headship by Dr. Joseph Odumodu. Many Nigerians have perceived his manifest incompetence as the justification why the Federal Government under the change mantra of President Muhammedu Buhari sacked its Director-General among the first of 26 bosses of federal agencies and parastaltals.
I quiver to imagine that the Federal Government has over 500 of such agencies covering diverse areas and SON is fingered in the first batch of sacked bosses, rated as deserving urgent attention for revival, bespeaks of the decay within, which is visible even to the blind.
It is therefore laughable that the sack of Odumodu who has obviously presided over the blossoming of counterfeited products in the country is being praise-sang for a reappointment. Nigeria as a country has over 170 million sons and daughters. But very few among them really love their country, because if someone like Odumodu finds fanatics, who are so passionate about him, then no worse mischief can surpass it.
Worse still, the advocates of “No Odumodu, is death of SON,” have anchored their arguments on his initiation of Product Standardization Laboratories and the dire need to be allowed to complete them. More to it, the inclusion of SONCAP and MANCAP logos among the four new logos introduced by the sacked SON DG and describing it as a revolution is dragging the joke too far. They existed before he came on board as SON’s boss and what can be rightfully ascribed to him is his poor foresight and application of these logos for quality in local or imported products.
In essence, to mount media campaigns for the retention of Odumodu is like indicting the Federal Government for carrying out “improper” checks before terminating his appointment. It is the height of insensitivity to the plight of Nigerians, who are routinely assaulted by the overwhelming flooding of our markets with fake products.
And it is safer to conclude that those championing his comeback, through media propaganda and projecting a successor outside of Odumodu as a taboo are probably the masked counterfeiters. They apparently thrived on his ineffectiveness to lead the agency for positive results, but afforded the counterfeiters the ambit to flourish in their dubious traps at the expense of Nigerians.
They feel appointing a competent successor to replace Odumodu, would terminate their nefarious activities. The Federal Government should be wary of such campaigns.
However, there is certitude at the end of the tunnel. The actions of SON’s Acting Director-General, Dr. Paul Angya in a few weeks on assumption of duty – have exposed the emptiness of the Odumodu’s reign of shame at this focal agency of government. Interpreted differently, Nigerians now understand through his actions so far that SON had no machinery in operation for the standardization and regulation of quality for local products and imported ones.
And also, SON before now neglected a critical function such as proper inspection of local factories to enforce adherence to approved quality standards or the inspection of foreign goods to ascertain their approved quality before shipment into Nigeria. The Acting DG is poised to redefine SON in such directions.
He has begun preliminary works toward the establishment of a Standard Laboratory Testing Company in Nigeria, which would test all locally manufactured products, as against the previous practice of testing them abroad and incurring expense in foreign exchange for avoidable trips. Since government is continuity, Angya has pledged to complete projects initiated by his predecessor and his recent inspection of the Standardization Laboratories in Lagos is manifest expression of a boss determined to march words with action.
Testimonies of Angya’s impressive performance at SON have been profound. A Nigerian identified as Jimoh attested to this as he wrote in Vanguard newspaper;
“As soon as he took over as the Acting DG, SON, Dr. Paul Angya fired a warning shot to importers of products which similar locally produced counterparts enjoy core competence and high quality. He promised to do everything to protect local manufacturers from unhealthy competition with imported products, adding that this would help to create more jobs and grow the economy.”
Besides, Angya is not a greenhorn in the management or administration of SON. He is a Lawyer and scholar who specialized in Standardization and consumer protection laws. Before his appointment as SON’s Ag DG, the 53-year old lawyer was the agency’s Director, Corporate Affairs and SON’s Consultant and honorary legal adviser to the African Regional Organization for Standardization (ARSO), Nairobi, Kenya. He doubled as honorary legal adviser of the African Eco-Labelling Mechanism (AEM), an AUC agency with mandate in Environment and Sustainability Standards in Nairobi.
He holds a Ph.D in Law from the University of Jos; a bachelor and Masters degrees from the University of Lagos and the Benue State University, Makurdi respectively.
No evidence of his deep knowledge of SON than the fact that he acted as secretary to Council of SON at various times and director, Administration and Human Capital Development among others. As a passionate team player anywhere he served. Dr. Angya returned to SON after a one year stint as Acting director, Legal – Enforcement department, National Film and Video Census Board (NFVCB).
I believe that the Odumodu campaigners have no basis for such media hype, beyond mocking Nigerians. At all times, Nigeria should test fresh brains to tap from their wealth of knowledge. So the antics deployed by the masked agents of counterfeiters cannot be strange to Nigerians.
They shall be disarmed soon.
***Bello wrote in from Kaduna. [myad]