The world has become a knowledge-based system where critical thinking and innovations now dominate and drive governance. Economic growth, as a matter of fact, is hinged on the hub of ideas. According to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), “knowledge is now recognized as the driver of productivity and economic growth, leading to a new focus on the role of information, technology and learning in economic performance.” Knowledge-based economy stems from the fuller recognition of the place of information and technology in today’s world.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), in this regard, is excelling and setting a new pace with cutting-edge technologies and innovations. Its global outlook and rating over the years arguably distinguish it.
NAFDAC is among a very few government agencies that have demonstrated consistency in innovations and innovativeness; and has been diligently building on its reputation in line with emerging global trends and developments. Its ennobling influence on the people singles it out as a pro-active agency that understands the dynamics of human needs. It inspires hope in Nigerians and it is a constant reminder that Nigeria, as a nation, can no longer afford to sit back without a paradigm shift toward a knowledge-based economy as a national driving force. A system that is working at NAFDAC for good corporate governance will definitely work, overall, if fully embraced.
The Director-General of NAFDAC, Dr. Paul Orhii, has in the last six years built on the agency’s foundation by strengthening its technology and information base to achieve unprecedented results. He is a man who substantially understands the essence of a knowledge-based system as a global enterprise, and which must be keyed into to meet the needs of a growing population.
The world is embracing innovations, and NAFDAC, by a dint of hard work, professionalism and good leadership, is not lagging behind in this global drive. It has continued to buy into latest inventions in global administration and control of food and drugs to safeguard the public health of Nigerians.
The agency is a continuous success story. It has been lucky to be manned by dedicated and patriotic Nigerians who were and are committed to its founding vision. In reckoning with the history of the agency, it is equally gratifying that Orhii has regularly acknowledged the effort of his predecessor.
It is even more rewarding that Orhii has continued to grapple with emerging national challenges in the area of food and drugs control in Nigeria, working round the clock, protecting lives, safeguarding the health and securing future of the nation. Under his watch, NAFDAC is spearheading global efforts in the use of technologies to fight counterfeiting. The agency has introduced and deployed modern technologies such as TRUSCAN, Mobile Authentication Service (MAS) and Radio Frequency Identification in the fight against counterfeit drugs in the country.
NAFDAC is the first medicine regulatory authority to deploy and use Truscan – a hand-held device used for on -the -spot detection of counterfeit medicines, and has achieved resounding success within and at the nation’s borders, detecting counterfeit medicines on the spot. The MAS technology has provided a significant opportunity for more than 80 million Nigerian cell phone users to be able to detect counterfeit medicines. These technologies have greatly helped the agency to effectively fight fake drugs in the country.
There is an exciting feeling about the work of NAFDAC. That an ordinary Nigeria can, through his or her mobile phone, confirm the originality of a drug is quite inspiring. This is what NAFDAC has brought to the table that makes it a unique agency among others. Nigeria should be more innovative as a nation across all levels of government and understand the place of empiricism in governance.
In the space of six years, between 2009 and 2015, NAFDAC, according to available records, has seized and destroyed fake drugs and other regulated products worth over N500 billion. This definitely cannot be fully appreciated in terms of averted disaster, which these drugs could have done to humanity.
This exploit is remarkable and the world should obviously celebrate it. Orhii is doing a good job at NAFDAC and the agency is really working. The facts speak! Fighting the battle against fake drugs is like fighting a war against corruption: it fights back and sometimes in a fiercer manner that unsettles. Obviously, it has not been rosy for Orhii and his team. He is occupying a seat that gives no moment of respite and little or no chance to make a mistake. Every now and then, the bad guys in the evil business of counterfeit drugs and foods try to beat him to it, compromise his staff members, undermine his person and, sometimes, daringly go for the lives of the officials (including their family members). The risk involved is beyond what the best insurance cover could assuage, but one which a sense of national pride and patriotism has been sustaining.
The recent onslaught against Orhii both in the media and in a series of petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging corrupt deals are part of the challenges that come with fighting entrenched interests who are in the business of making huge money at the expense of innocent lives. Imagine the feathers that have been ruffled and strongholds that have been broken with the destruction of over N500 billion worth of fake drugs and other regulated products in the space of six years! Certainly, this will not be taken lightly by the affected persons and companies without a fight. They could go to any length to undermine the system and the personnel. Nigerians will readily remember several attempts made on the life of the late Dora Akunyili when she equally made “the obviously bad business” more difficult for the counterfeit drug barons.
Indeed, Orhii and his team members need prayers to successfully prosecute the war against counterfeit drugs. I would like to admonish here that institutions of the State saddled with the prosecution of crimes should be wary of petitions against agencies like NAFDAC. They should endeavour to determine the motives behind such petitions before publicizing them because, most times, petitions are written to distract, demonise and demoralise faithful and patriotic officials.
Rounding off, I propose that other government agencies and, indeed, the nation at large should take a cue from NAFDAC by prioritising knowledge, technology and innovations to drive governance in the spirit of real change. Indeed, as our nation continues to contend with “oil doom”, it is only wise to commence a gradual shift towards the knowledge-based economic system to enable diversification of revenue sources. NAFDAC is one such source; the agency is working; Nigerians are not only feeling it, they are also seeing the results and talking about them. Everything that needs to be done must be done to enable the agency realise its full potentiality as a veritable revenue earner for the nation.
Mr Ojeifo, Editor-in-Chief of The Congresswatch, sent in this piece from Abuja.[myad]
One of the 260 female students of the Government Girls Secondary School in Chibok, Borno state who was abducted from the school on April 14 last year, has narrated how she escaped from Boko Haram insurgents. The escapee, whose name is being kept secret, narrated her ordeal to the military personnel at Baga where she was finally taken to by a good Samaritan that found her. The escapee, who was impregnated and infested with Virgina Vascular Fistula (VVF), said that Chibok girls are alive but holed up in the Lake Chad region of the North East. Military sources disclosed to Saturday Vanguard that the girls who were moved from the initial Sambisa Camps of the terrorists, following unrelenting bombardments by air and land operations, have been relocated to Lake Chad area with some of the girls spread along border communities. The girl told the soldiers that she escaped from the Boko Haram’s camp and ran into the hands of some Fulani herdsmen, who having confirmed that she was a Chibok girl, assisted her to get to the Baga military base of the multi-national Joint Task Force. At the Baga base, the escapee girl was said to have confessed that many of them were forcefully married to the terrorists who not only impregnated them but infected some of them with different diseases. On her part, she was not only impregnated, but she got the VVF disease from one of the terrorists. According to the escapee, at the camp where she escaped from, there were about 60 of the girls while others were shared and moved to border communities. The escaped Chibok girl was said to have just been put to bed, but the VVF disease with which she was infected by the terrorist had made her uncomfortable, leading to her decision to flee to seek for medical help, as she was repeatedly passing solid waste uncontrollably. “When the Fulani herdsman saw the girl in the bush and questioned her about her mission, she narrated her experience, which made the herdsman to take her to the soldiers in that area. With her escape, there are now 59 of the girls left in her camp.” The escapee told security agencies Boko Haram insurgents kept on moving the girls from place to place in the Sambisa forest during the bombardments but that when the heat was too much, they were all moved out of the forest. The escapee further disclosed to security agencies that Boko Haram terrorists have been seriously weakened and are now moving from place to place aimlessly like lost sheep, planting mines and IEDs (improvised explosive devices) which some security forces have mistakenly fallen prey to. “All of us were forced to become Muslims but kept in camps far from each other. You can only see and recognize those in your camp as any of us who refused being Islamized was either beheaded or shot at point blank range.” She named the camps where the Chibok girls are now kept as Kangoora, Mallam Fatori, Damasak, Tunbun Kaka and Tumbum Gira. Many of these towns are located in the border communities around Lake Chad with some in Nigeria and others in Chad. Adopted and re-written from Vanguard. [myad]
The All Progressives Congress (APC), South South region, has attributed the current opposition mounted by the governor of Rivers state, Chief Nyeson Wike and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state against the ministerial nomination of the former state governor, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, to the role he played in dethroning the former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
According to APC: “Amaechi was unjustly witch-hunted and persecuted by the PDP machine in Rivers state led by Wike because of his (Amaechi’s) role in fighting down the evil machinations plotted against the good people of the state by the administration of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.”
In a statement today, the Vice Chairman of APC South South, Prince Hilliard Eta said that despite opposition from some of the senators from the state and the state governor, Nyesom Wike, the party remains behind the ex-governor, stressing that Wike and his co-travelers were embarking on a wild goose chase by witch-hunting Amaechi in the attempt to thwart his emergence as a Minister.
He said that those protesting Amaechi’s nomination as minister through spurious claims and accusations are into a wild goose chase that can only lead them to a futile end.
“Wike and his likes cannot assume the triple role of the complainant; prosecution and judge in their case against Amaechi as there have desperately shown in their several protests and attempts to thwart his emergence as Minister of the Federal Republic.
“As a result of the brazen desperation by the Wike-led PDP machine, they have forgotten that the extant laws provide that everyone is innocent of whatever accusation until proven otherwise.
“Wike and his ilk were showing the world that it cannot even hide nor pretend on their dance of lawlessness carried over from their hey days when the drums of impunity were conspicuously being beaten aloud.”
“The barrage of petitions against Amaechi’s ministerial nomination and the predetermined report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry submitted to Wike at his behest lend credence to the barefaced machinations to give a dog a bad name so to hang it.”
The statement said that the APC and the people of the south south were solidly behind Amaechi’s nomination as minister because of his doggedness and for his goodwill for the people.
It urged the senate leadership to discountenance the claims by the Integrity Group among others as they constitute distractions to the forward-moving disposition of the present leadership of the country. [myad]
Several weeks before their names were officially announced, the media were already awash with them. Hence, when Bukola Saraki, Senate president, unveiled the names of ministerial nominees on Tuesday, October 6, there were only a handful of new ones among them.
But this has not stopped the tongues wagging about those President Muhammadu Buhari considers as his ministerial nominees. Public scrutiny and criticisms of the 21 appointees are not likely to abate until probably after their swearing-in.
The appointees include Abubakar Malami, SAN, former legal adviser to the defunct Congress of Progressive Change (CPC); Abdurahman Bello Dambazzau, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of Army staff; Aisha Jumai Al Hassan, a former gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State; Lai Mohammed, national publicity secretary of the APC; Chibuike Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Chris Ngige, Ogbonaya Onu, Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Rivers, Lagos, Anambra, old Abia and Ekiti states, respectively. Others are Adebayo Shittu, lawyer and former attorney general of Oyo State; Solomon Dalong, a lawyer; and Audu Ogbeh, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The rest are Amina Mohammed, a special adviser to Ban Ki-Moon, secretary-general of the United Nations; Osagie Ehaneri, a consultant surgeon; Emmanuel Kachikwu, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; Suleiman Adamu, a civil engineer and current vice-president of the Association of Consulting Engineers in Nigeria; Kemi Adeosun, a former finance commissioner in Ogun State; Ahmed Musa Ibeto, former governor of Niger State; Ibrahim Usman Jubrin; Hadi Sirika, a former pilot and Udo Udoma, a lawyer and former senator.
In what some observers regarded as a way to soften the ground for the appointees when they appear before the Senate, President Buhari held a closed door meeting with leaders of the National Assembly on Wednesday, October 7. The meeting had in attendance Bukola Sarki, Senate president and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives, who led the leadership of the two chambers to the State House.
Saraki speaking on the outcome of the meeting with the State House correspondents, said they resolved that the two arms of government should work together for the growth of the country. He said they talked about how to fulfill the promises they made to Nigerians during their election campaign.
The meeting, initiated by Buhari, was the first official meeting Buhari would be holding with the leadership of the National Assembly since Saraki was elected as the Senate president on June 9.
Other Senate leaders at the meeting included Ali Ndume, Senate majority leader; Bala Ibn Na’Allah, deputy majority leader; Godswill Akpabio, minority leader and Philip Aduda, minority whip. Members from the House of Representatives included Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker and Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader.
Ike Ekweremadu, deputy Senate president and Binta Bello-Maigeri, deputy minority whip in the House were absent at the meeting. Saraki said they were both attending a conference outside the country.
How the meeting is going to help the appointees is yet to be seen. But for now, the major hurdle before all of them is how the Senate screening exercise slated for Tuesday, October 13 goes.
Ahead of the screening exercise, the Senate, on Thursday, October 8, raised hurdles that ministerial nominees must scale to be cleared for appointment.
The Senate, which said that the screening would be guided by the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended, directed all nominees to submit 115 copies of their resume each to the Senate, on or before Monday, October 12.
It said the Senate resolved that the old practice of allowing former members to bow and go had been modified and that all appointees would be thoroughly scrutinised.
However, the upper legislative chamber said it would retain its convention which made it mandatory for a nominee to secure the support of two senators from his home state to get the approval of the Senate. This has been interpreted as a means of denying the confirmation of Amaechi and other nominees who are being opposed by their senators. The three senators from Rivers State are believed to oppose the appointment of their former governor.
The decision to uphold the convention of the Senate was made at the executive session and was made public by Dino Melaiye, chairman, Senate ad-hoc committee on information, after the two-hour executive session.
That notwithstanding, one of the senators who participated in the session claimed that some APC senators rejected the decision, citing precedents in the Seventh Senate when the David Mark-led Senate confirmed Musiliu Obanikoro, a former senator, despite the opposition to his nomination by three senators from Lagos, his home state.
In any case, emotions are still very high as those against the appointment of certain individuals continue to express their reservations. In fact, the Senate is said to have been inundated with a plethora of petitions against the appointments of some nominees.
The latest among the deluge of petitions was submitted by Danuma Laah, a senator for Kaduna South, on Thursday, October 8, against the nomination of Amina Mohammed.
Presenting the petition, Laah said he had read in the newspapers that Mohammed was nominated to represent Kaduna State despite common knowledge that she hails from Gombe State and married to a Kaduna indigene. The senator said that such an appointment would Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution that a nominee must be an indigene of the state he/she will represent.
On Wednesday, October 7, George Sekibo, a lawmaker representing Rivers East Senatorial District, had submitted a petition against the nomination of Amaechi, as a minister on the floor of the Senate.
The submission of the 88-page petition did not go without a drama. No sooner than Sekibo, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, raised a point of order to submit the petition than the APC senators kicked against the submission, and raised their voice, shouting No! No! Notwithstanding the reaction of the APC senators, Sekibo went ahead with his point of order and got the permission of Saraki, to submit the document on behalf of his other colleagues from Rivers State.
Saraki, who ignored the protests of his party members, referred the petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the allegations against Amaechi and report back to the Senate.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the plenary, Sekibo said the petition was based on an investigation carried out by the Integrity Group, a Port Harcourt-based organisation. The senator said the same petition had been sent to Buhari and the various anti-graft agencies in the country.
According to Sekibo, the group “went into a research and discovered that over N70bn were transferred from hard currency account to places outside the country. A petition on this note was written to Mr. President. I believe the president has not read it.
“If he has read it, he may not have hurriedly nominated Rotimi Amaechi to be a minister. Amaechi is qualified to be a minister, but when issues of corruption and fraud are openly X-rayed by people, it is necessary for Mr. President to take a critical look and examine the allegations whether they are true or not.”
As if that was not serious enough, also on Wednesday, The Justice George Omeriji-led Commission of Inquiry recommended that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, should go after Amaechi and those who served under him. While submitting the report and recommendations to Wike at Government House, Port Harcourt, Omeriji said: “I plead with Your Excellency to read the report and act fast, so that you can help recover the stolen billions that are still stashed where the thieves kept them. The money belongs to the people of Rivers State and should be used by them.”
But in a swift response, Amaechi said on Wednesday, that no N53billion cash was missing during his tenure.
He said the funds in question were from the Rivers State Reserve Fund which were duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly. He, therefore, accused Governor Wike of resorting to last-ditch effort to scuttle his nomination as a minister by President Buhari.
Amaechi said: “The statement credited to the panel’s chairman Justice Omeriji of a “missing” N53 billion is unfortunate and leaves much to be desired. The mischief is all the more evident as the funds referred to are funds from the Rivers State reserve fund which was duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly and whose expenditure were duly captured and accounted for.”
Facing a similar opposition is Fashola, former governor of Lagos State.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, in a petition to the Senate against the nomination of Fashola said the former governor should not be confirmed. The petition signed by Debo Adeniran, executive director of the CACOL and dated Saturday, October 3, asked the Senate not to confirm Fashola “should his name pop-up as a ministerial nominee.”
The group urged the senators to visit Lagos, as governed by Fashola, before screening and confirming him for any appointment as a minister.
The petition said in part: “Howbeit, if the rumour making the rounds in some quarters, which has also been confirmed by some sections of the media, is anything to go by, we would say Nigerians’ hope for a true change has been dashed with the inclusion of some names that in a saner environment should not appear on the list, if integrity and honesty are the basis of the selection criteria.”
The group, therefore, catalogued a number of fraud and corruption allegations, most of which it had before now levelled against Fashola.
It recalled that Fashola had also been accused of constructing his personal website with government fund of N78.3 million, whereas every IT person CACOL contacted claimed that an estimate of the cost of the website at about N6 million.
“We make bold to say that the N78.3 million website contract is a trademark of Mr. Fashola’s administration. The website contract is an eye opener and lending credence to the allegations of the ‘True Face of Lagos’ where most of the contracts awarded before 2010 were said to have been immorally inflated by the regime of Babatunde Raji Fashola.”
In his defence, the former governor said only N12 million was actually awarded for the upgrade of the site while other services such as the handover countdown clock, mobile apps for Google, for iOS ipad, for Microsoft, and Blackberry and the annual maintenance cost for managing the site make up the total of N78 million.
He said due process was followed before the contract was awarded and that the procurement agency, PPA, did not raise any objection as at the time the contract was awarded.
The former governor also said he was transparent and followed due process in all transactions done by his administration.
The opposition against Shittu, a former attorney general and human rights activist, in Oyo State, is not on corruption. The APC in the state rejected his nomination saying he is unacceptable to the “vast majority of our people.”
In a petition to Buhari, the party alleged that Shittu was not a team player pointing out that he had refused to participate in all party activities. The petition signed by Akin Oke, state chairman and Mojeed Olaoya, secretary, accused the nominee of engaging in anti-party activities saying he had taken the party to court on three different occasions in respect of party primaries and congresses
“We like to place it on record that during the 2015 presidential election, Barrister Shittu was a lone ranger and that our party did not feel his impact for once, while we have it on good authority that he worked for the opposition during the last governorship election in Oyo State,” the party said.
It was learnt that Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State was also opposed to Shittu’s choice.
Responding to the opposition of his candidacy, Shittu said he contributed to the success of the party and that he had nothing against Governor Ajimobi.
Nevertheless, Saraki, on Thursday, October 8, mandated Samuel Anyanwu, chairman, Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to ensure that all petitions submitted against any nominee were treated on or before Monday, October 12, and submit the report on Tuesday before the screening starts.
In the public domain, opposition political parties, socio-political groups and some individuals have also expressed their reservation about those Buhari has appointed ministers to his cabinet.
For instance, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, national chairman of the Labour Party, LP, said most of the names in the list were recycled politicians who had nothing new to offer.
“For us in the Labour Party, we do not see anything that resembles change as far as the ministerial team is concerned. Imagine bringing someone who served in the government of the late Sarduana of Sokoto to serve as minister in 2015. All these people are analogue persons who cannot bring about any change under the current dispensation,” Abdulsalam said, adding: “This is to show Nigerians that the change mantra is fake; there is no sincerity of purpose there and no commitment to the Nigerian cause. They just deceived Nigerians with ‘change, change’ slogan and won the heart of Nigerians.”
The main opposition PDP, in a statement in Abuja by Olisa Metuh, its national publicity secretary, claimed that Buhari’s delay in constituting his cabinet could not be justified with the kind of persons he nominated into his cabinet.
It said: “Looking at the list, it is hard to put a finger on why it should take any serious-minded and focused government six months after its election to assemble such a regular team.”
He said the list and the length of time it took to present it had further confirmed that the APC-led administration was being driven by propaganda and deceit, a development he said raised doubts about the sincerity of the government’s anti-corruption crusade.
Expressing similar sentiments, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a human rights lawyer, said that nothing was inspiring about the list of the ministerial nominees because they were all familiar faces.
Adegoruwa who described the four-month of waiting the ministerial list as a colossal waste of time said further: “The impression that the president gave to everyone was that he was searching out for ‘saints’ to work with him. We could not have wasted the past three months waiting for Fayemi, Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige and Audu Ogbeh. These are people who had worked with the President, whose names he should have compiled even before he was sworn in.
“There was thus no need for all the hype and melodrama about the ministerial list, in the manner that the President has kept the whole nation in such frenetic suspense and deliberate guesswork.
Despite that he said Nigerians should not expect much from any of the ministers given the internal contradictions currently plaguing the ruling APC.
Although Balarabe Musa, former governor of Kaduna State, said he was disappointed with Buhari over the list, he noted that “there are about two or three who I can say are distinguished among them like, Audu Ogbeh who I have known for a very long time. We were together during the Second Republic.” Ogbeh was then a minister while Musa was governor. According to the former governor, Ogbeh has an outstanding public record that everybody knows.
Nevertheless, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, president, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, said the president picked those he could work with and trust. “The cabinet is a mix of old and young ones. The old ones will keep the young ones in line. The president has done well; I am happy with his choice since they are those he trusts,” Kaigama said
On his part, Richard Akinjide, SAN, a former attorney general of the federation, said he had no problem with the president’s choice of ministers. “The names of those in the list are familiar, but lets wait whether they can match their reputations with their performance as minister,” Akinjide said. The former minister would rather wait until another year to assess the ministerial appointees against their performance as agents of change.
What seems to excite Onyekachi Ubani, a lawyer and human rights campaigner, is the fact that at least five lawyers made the list. “We are very grateful for the fact that the bar is well represented. Those who made the list are those who have shown over the years that they can hold their own. I have no doubt they will perform.” He noted that there are only three women nominees in the list and therefore urged Buhari to appoint more women. The lawyer would also want the president to appoint technocrats into his cabinet to help with development and effect all the needed changes required by the country.
Ubani said despite the opposition from various quarters against some of the nominees, it would be difficult to disqualify any of them on the grounds of corrupt allegations. “They can only be disqualified if they are found guilty by a competent court of law.
Be that as it may, the screening exercise will determine whether the Buhari change agents would be approved by the Senate while the country awaits the remaining 15 nominees to make up the required by the constitution. The ball, for now, is in the Senate’s court.
The Rivers State Government has set up machinery for the prosecution of the former state governor, Chief Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi, retired Brigadier General Anthony Ukpo and some appointees of the former governor over the alleged missing of N100 billion from the state’s coffer. The former governor and the officers mentioned have been asked to refund the said money. A White Paper emanating from the recommendations of the commission of inquiry set up by the government of Nyeson Wike to probe the alleged sale of valued assets of the state and related matters by the administration of Amaechi, released yesterday in Port Harcourt, insisted that the alleged sale and lease of valuable assets of the state by the former government did not follow due process.. The state commissioner for Housing, Emma Okah, who read out part of the White Paper to newsmen, said that the Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Emma Aguma (SAN), will soon commence proceedings in court to recover the alleged missing money, adding that those that would be prosecuted are Chief Rotimi Amaechi and his Commissioner for Power, among others. He accused former government of diverting part of funds meant for the monorail project and for Clinotech projects, even as he said that a loan secured for the development of the agricultural sector was allegedly pocketed by the former administration. The White Paper, which queried issues around the sale of the four power assets of the state, said the government should review the action for the common good of the state. “You will agree with me that the Omereji commission had several terms of references and we will be taking them one after the other. “The first term of reference is to ascertain the sale of the Omoku 150 megawatts gas turbine, Afam 360 megawatts gas turbine, Trans-Amadi 136 megawatts gas turbine and the Eleme 75 megawatts gas turbine by the administration of former Governor Chibhike Rotimi Amaechi. “The commission finds as a fact that the sale of 70 per cent equity from the First Independent Power Limited in Omoku gas turbine, Trans-Amadi gas turbine, Afam Phase 1 gas turbine and Eleme gas turbine have been very difficult to justify. “They have therefore recommended the review of sale of the power assets and the government of Rivers State has accepted that recommendation for refund of proceeds by Chibuike Amaechi, Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha in furtherance of this findings that the sale of the four gas turbines was unjustifiable and against the interest of the government and people of Rivers State. “The commission recommends that the former governor of Rivers State, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, along with his former Commissioners for Finance and Power, Dr. Chamberlain Peterside and Augustine Nwokocha respectively, should be held to account for their roles in the sales of the power generation assets of First Independent Power Limited and the disbursement of the proceeds there from.” Meanwhile, the secretary of the Media and Publicity Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Godstime Orlukwu has said that the former governor was ready to meet the state government in court. Orlukwu described the White Paper as a non-issue. [myad]
The national airline of the Republic of the Congo has put together, the organization of the 47th Annual General Assembly and the Summit of the African Airlines Association (AFRAA) which has been scheduled to hold in Brazzaville from November 8 to 10. The Summit with the theme: “Open skies: Growth through competition and collaboration,” will be presided over by AFRAA President, Fatima Beyina-Moussa. She is also the Managing Director of ECAir. The event is being organized under the patronage of the President of the Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou-Nguesso, AFRAA re-groups 45 African airline members and around a hundred industrial partners, including aircraft and engine manufacturers, consultants, and high technology service providers, as well as representatives of governments, airports and international organisations. The Association was created in 1964 with a mission to encourage and support African companies as they develop their air transport services. It also aims to facilitate cooperation between African companies in order to develop interconnectivity and establish a maximum of intra-African relationships. The AFRAA General Assembly is a unique business event in Africa and it takes place every year in November. It is organised by an African airline and is attended by an average of 400 participants. This includes airline directors, chief executive officers and decision-makers on a global scale. During the event, participants would explore the challenges of the aeronautical industry and debate on which measures to implement in order to improve air transport growth across the continent. Fatima Beyina-Moussa, AFRAA President is expected to engage on a round table, other directors of African airlines. They are Mbuvi Ngunze, Kenya Airways managing director, Tewolde Gebremariam, Ethiopian Airlines president and managing director, Sherif Fathi, EgyptAir president and managing director, Abderahmane Berthe, Air Burkina managing director, Sanjeev Gahdia, Astral Aviation managing director, and Khellil Faical, Tassili Airlines managing director. The AFRAA General Assembly will put the spotlight on the Republic of the Congo’s aims and challenges with regard to air transport. The Summit’s Brazzaville location will attract the attention of the world industry towards the Congolese capital’s extraordinary opportunities, particularly with regard to the Maya-Maya Airport. Commercial and tourism ties will be strengthened throughout the continent and with new and traditional markets outside of Africa (Dubai, China, Europe). [myad]
One feels ashamed as a Nigerians that no Nigerian University is ranked in the first 500 in the world despite the abundance of talents that we have. Many factors count for rankings including but not limited to research output, number of successful PhD supervision, students satisfaction survey etc. I will like to analyze these three criteria. Firstly, with regards to research output, I want to believe that Nigerian researchers are doing well unfortunately as a result of the fact that many of our experts are in the diaspora in pursuit of better earning power, the results of their research output count for the universities where they work. There are actually some in the country who are doing some good work but how many of these researches are published in reputable journals with high impact factors? Understandably, Nigerian Universities now insists that academic stafff must have publications to their credit to gain promotion. There are certain requirements these days for academics to have some international experience’ to attain the level of a senior lecturer. Thus, there is a new trend of Nigerian academics seeking to attend conferences outside the country in order to meet this creteria. It is important to stress that after doing a good job preparing conference materials that Nigerian academics attend reputable conferences. Secondly, there is a need to review how thesis at the PhD level are supervised in the country. Why admit a student you do not wish to graduate? The purpose of setting admission standards is for you to be sure that you have admitted the right candidate. Conduct an interview aimed at testing the prospective candidates ability to do research. There is no point organising entrance examination fo research candidates. Again, there are some curious requirements in the prospectus of Nigerian universities. Asking research students to submit O’level results and NYSC certificate is so archaic. If the student has a degree it suffices that certain requirements have been fulfilled. Supervisors must learn to see research students as colleagues in Nigeria and not inferior. Thirdly, student satisfaction is very vital. Unfortunately many university academics in Nigeria see themselves as demigods in their classes. You listen to a lecturer shouting ‘I will fail you!’ or ‘A is for God, B is for the lecturer and C is for the best student’ or ‘If you fail to attend the first class in the session, you will fail!’ Those lecturers who make such unguarded statements would receive a sack letter in a university in a developed clime. The universities know that student satisfaction is important. In conclusion, it is important that lecturers in Nigeria develop good relations with students. They must realise that good universities recognise the term ‘mitigating circumstances.’ Strangely enough, if a university student in Nigeria misses an examination on account of ill health, that student is doomed to carry over the course. There are no feedback channels for a lecturer to provide feedback and a feedforward to a candidate who has taken a test or an examination. It is also important that we take into consideration the needs of students with disabilities. How many delexia students gain admission in Nigeria? Do we have special examinations for students with disabilities?? If we begin to do the right things maybe sooner than later we can have universities competing with the likes of Harvard, Oxford and Cambridge. Goodluck Nigeria!
Augustine Arimoro, a doctoral research candidate wroted in from the Kingston Law School, Kingston University London. email: augustine.arimoro1@gmail.com. [myad]
The suspended President of the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), Joseph Blatter, has appealed against his suspension by the Ethics Committee of world football body FIFA.
His American, lawyer Richard Cullen said told newsmen today that Blatter’s appeal was filed Thursday to the FIFA appeal committee.
The news came after Blatter’s adviser Klaus Stoehlker had said an appeal against the provisional suspension would make no sense.
The ethics committee on Thursday banned Blatter, as well as Michel Platini, the UEFA president and FIFA vice-president, for 90 days.
The ban was in in connection with a criminal investigation by Swiss authorities.
Blatter is suspected of mismanagement and Platini is named as the recipient of a “disloyal payment” from FIFA.
Platini said on Thursday that he would appeal the ruling and, like Blatter, he has protested his innocence.
Blatter and Platini are banned from all football activities for 90 days or until the appeal committee nullifies the ban.
However, there is still the possibility of the ethics committee extending the ban for another 45 days.
Platini is a candidate for the FIFA presidency at an extraordinary congress billed for Feb. 26, but he must however first go through an integrity check.
Another potential candidate, Chung Mong-joon of South Korea, was banned for six years Thursday over other issues.
As a result of this, and according to FIFA statutes, senior vice-president Issa Hayatou of Cameroon is now the acting FIFA president. [myad]
The Commonwealth of Nations has named former Nigeria President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to lead a 33-nation observer mission to the Sunday, October 25 General Election in Tanzania.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Yahya Simba, who disclosed this in Dar es Salaam, the Tanzanian capital, said that the mission will comprise observers from Africa, Asia, the America, Europe and the Pacific.
Simba maintained that while Jonathan will lead the Commonwealth observer team, former Mozambican President, Armando Guebuza will lead the observer team of the African Union, AU.
“Tanzania is pleased to note that the Post-2015 Development Agenda, inter alia, has taken on board the unfinished business of the MDGs, focusing on trans-formative change, and endeavouring to eradicate poverty in all its forms by 2030,” he stated.
On his part, the UN Resident Coordinator for Tanzania, Alvaro Rodriguez said: “Men and women in Tanzania look forward to peaceful and credible general elections and their voices to be heard on October 25, the date of the elections.
“They view the future with optimism and continue to rely extensively on community radios, local administration, the media fraternity and civil society organisations for information on political events and changes facing the nation.”
“Tanzanians are more aware than ever before about the MDGs and the upcoming transition to the SDGs, while the details of the goals are the targets may be unclear, they know there is a concerted attempt to assists in ending child stunting, ending discrimination and enhancing the overall quality of social services.
“The 70 years’ anniversary of the United Nations is a call for a reflection on lessons learnt over the decades and focus on how to eradicate extreme poverty in Tanzania and the world at large,” Rodriguez said. [myad]
Former Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke
The immediate past minister of the Petroleum resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke has been scheduled to undergo cancer surgery sometime next week.
The family lawyer, Oscar M. Onwudiwe, who announced this today asked Nigerians to help her with prayer to go through the surgery successfully.
He said that Mrs. Madueke has been on what he called chemotherapy in the last few months, probably since she left the country after the handing over of power from her principal, President Goodluck Jonathan to President Muhammadu Buhari in May.
The lawyer hoped that the former minister would emerge from the surgery strong enough to confront the numerous allegations that have been leveled against her, including her current travail with the British security and legal authorities over alleged corruption and money laundering. [myad]
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The Hurdle Before Ministerial Nominees, By Olu Ojewale
Several weeks before their names were officially announced, the media were already awash with them. Hence, when Bukola Saraki, Senate president, unveiled the names of ministerial nominees on Tuesday, October 6, there were only a handful of new ones among them.
But this has not stopped the tongues wagging about those President Muhammadu Buhari considers as his ministerial nominees. Public scrutiny and criticisms of the 21 appointees are not likely to abate until probably after their swearing-in.
The appointees include Abubakar Malami, SAN, former legal adviser to the defunct Congress of Progressive Change (CPC); Abdurahman Bello Dambazzau, a retired lieutenant general and former chief of Army staff; Aisha Jumai Al Hassan, a former gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Taraba State; Lai Mohammed, national publicity secretary of the APC; Chibuike Amaechi, Babatunde Fashola, Chris Ngige, Ogbonaya Onu, Kayode Fayemi, former governor of Rivers, Lagos, Anambra, old Abia and Ekiti states, respectively. Others are Adebayo Shittu, lawyer and former attorney general of Oyo State; Solomon Dalong, a lawyer; and Audu Ogbeh, former national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party.
The rest are Amina Mohammed, a special adviser to Ban Ki-Moon, secretary-general of the United Nations; Osagie Ehaneri, a consultant surgeon; Emmanuel Kachikwu, group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC; Suleiman Adamu, a civil engineer and current vice-president of the Association of Consulting Engineers in Nigeria; Kemi Adeosun, a former finance commissioner in Ogun State; Ahmed Musa Ibeto, former governor of Niger State; Ibrahim Usman Jubrin; Hadi Sirika, a former pilot and Udo Udoma, a lawyer and former senator.
In what some observers regarded as a way to soften the ground for the appointees when they appear before the Senate, President Buhari held a closed door meeting with leaders of the National Assembly on Wednesday, October 7. The meeting had in attendance Bukola Sarki, Senate president and Yakubu Dogara, speaker of the House of Representatives, who led the leadership of the two chambers to the State House.
Saraki speaking on the outcome of the meeting with the State House correspondents, said they resolved that the two arms of government should work together for the growth of the country. He said they talked about how to fulfill the promises they made to Nigerians during their election campaign.
The meeting, initiated by Buhari, was the first official meeting Buhari would be holding with the leadership of the National Assembly since Saraki was elected as the Senate president on June 9.
Other Senate leaders at the meeting included Ali Ndume, Senate majority leader; Bala Ibn Na’Allah, deputy majority leader; Godswill Akpabio, minority leader and Philip Aduda, minority whip. Members from the House of Representatives included Yusuf Lasun, deputy speaker and Femi Gbajabiamila, majority leader.
Ike Ekweremadu, deputy Senate president and Binta Bello-Maigeri, deputy minority whip in the House were absent at the meeting. Saraki said they were both attending a conference outside the country.
How the meeting is going to help the appointees is yet to be seen. But for now, the major hurdle before all of them is how the Senate screening exercise slated for Tuesday, October 13 goes.
Ahead of the screening exercise, the Senate, on Thursday, October 8, raised hurdles that ministerial nominees must scale to be cleared for appointment.
The Senate, which said that the screening would be guided by the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders 2015, as amended, directed all nominees to submit 115 copies of their resume each to the Senate, on or before Monday, October 12.
It said the Senate resolved that the old practice of allowing former members to bow and go had been modified and that all appointees would be thoroughly scrutinised.
However, the upper legislative chamber said it would retain its convention which made it mandatory for a nominee to secure the support of two senators from his home state to get the approval of the Senate. This has been interpreted as a means of denying the confirmation of Amaechi and other nominees who are being opposed by their senators. The three senators from Rivers State are believed to oppose the appointment of their former governor.
The decision to uphold the convention of the Senate was made at the executive session and was made public by Dino Melaiye, chairman, Senate ad-hoc committee on information, after the two-hour executive session.
That notwithstanding, one of the senators who participated in the session claimed that some APC senators rejected the decision, citing precedents in the Seventh Senate when the David Mark-led Senate confirmed Musiliu Obanikoro, a former senator, despite the opposition to his nomination by three senators from Lagos, his home state.
In any case, emotions are still very high as those against the appointment of certain individuals continue to express their reservations. In fact, the Senate is said to have been inundated with a plethora of petitions against the appointments of some nominees.
The latest among the deluge of petitions was submitted by Danuma Laah, a senator for Kaduna South, on Thursday, October 8, against the nomination of Amina Mohammed.
Presenting the petition, Laah said he had read in the newspapers that Mohammed was nominated to represent Kaduna State despite common knowledge that she hails from Gombe State and married to a Kaduna indigene. The senator said that such an appointment would Section 147 of the 1999 Constitution that a nominee must be an indigene of the state he/she will represent.
On Wednesday, October 7, George Sekibo, a lawmaker representing Rivers East Senatorial District, had submitted a petition against the nomination of Amaechi, as a minister on the floor of the Senate.
The submission of the 88-page petition did not go without a drama. No sooner than Sekibo, who is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, raised a point of order to submit the petition than the APC senators kicked against the submission, and raised their voice, shouting No! No! Notwithstanding the reaction of the APC senators, Sekibo went ahead with his point of order and got the permission of Saraki, to submit the document on behalf of his other colleagues from Rivers State.
Saraki, who ignored the protests of his party members, referred the petition to the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the allegations against Amaechi and report back to the Senate.
Speaking with journalists shortly after the plenary, Sekibo said the petition was based on an investigation carried out by the Integrity Group, a Port Harcourt-based organisation. The senator said the same petition had been sent to Buhari and the various anti-graft agencies in the country.
According to Sekibo, the group “went into a research and discovered that over N70bn were transferred from hard currency account to places outside the country. A petition on this note was written to Mr. President. I believe the president has not read it.
“If he has read it, he may not have hurriedly nominated Rotimi Amaechi to be a minister. Amaechi is qualified to be a minister, but when issues of corruption and fraud are openly X-rayed by people, it is necessary for Mr. President to take a critical look and examine the allegations whether they are true or not.”
As if that was not serious enough, also on Wednesday, The Justice George Omeriji-led Commission of Inquiry recommended that Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, should go after Amaechi and those who served under him. While submitting the report and recommendations to Wike at Government House, Port Harcourt, Omeriji said: “I plead with Your Excellency to read the report and act fast, so that you can help recover the stolen billions that are still stashed where the thieves kept them. The money belongs to the people of Rivers State and should be used by them.”
But in a swift response, Amaechi said on Wednesday, that no N53billion cash was missing during his tenure.
He said the funds in question were from the Rivers State Reserve Fund which were duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly. He, therefore, accused Governor Wike of resorting to last-ditch effort to scuttle his nomination as a minister by President Buhari.
Amaechi said: “The statement credited to the panel’s chairman Justice Omeriji of a “missing” N53 billion is unfortunate and leaves much to be desired. The mischief is all the more evident as the funds referred to are funds from the Rivers State reserve fund which was duly approved by the Rivers State House of Assembly and whose expenditure were duly captured and accounted for.”
Facing a similar opposition is Fashola, former governor of Lagos State.
The Coalition Against Corrupt Leaders, CACOL, in a petition to the Senate against the nomination of Fashola said the former governor should not be confirmed. The petition signed by Debo Adeniran, executive director of the CACOL and dated Saturday, October 3, asked the Senate not to confirm Fashola “should his name pop-up as a ministerial nominee.”
The group urged the senators to visit Lagos, as governed by Fashola, before screening and confirming him for any appointment as a minister.
The petition said in part: “Howbeit, if the rumour making the rounds in some quarters, which has also been confirmed by some sections of the media, is anything to go by, we would say Nigerians’ hope for a true change has been dashed with the inclusion of some names that in a saner environment should not appear on the list, if integrity and honesty are the basis of the selection criteria.”
The group, therefore, catalogued a number of fraud and corruption allegations, most of which it had before now levelled against Fashola.
It recalled that Fashola had also been accused of constructing his personal website with government fund of N78.3 million, whereas every IT person CACOL contacted claimed that an estimate of the cost of the website at about N6 million.
“We make bold to say that the N78.3 million website contract is a trademark of Mr. Fashola’s administration. The website contract is an eye opener and lending credence to the allegations of the ‘True Face of Lagos’ where most of the contracts awarded before 2010 were said to have been immorally inflated by the regime of Babatunde Raji Fashola.”
In his defence, the former governor said only N12 million was actually awarded for the upgrade of the site while other services such as the handover countdown clock, mobile apps for Google, for iOS ipad, for Microsoft, and Blackberry and the annual maintenance cost for managing the site make up the total of N78 million.
He said due process was followed before the contract was awarded and that the procurement agency, PPA, did not raise any objection as at the time the contract was awarded.
The former governor also said he was transparent and followed due process in all transactions done by his administration.
The opposition against Shittu, a former attorney general and human rights activist, in Oyo State, is not on corruption. The APC in the state rejected his nomination saying he is unacceptable to the “vast majority of our people.”
In a petition to Buhari, the party alleged that Shittu was not a team player pointing out that he had refused to participate in all party activities. The petition signed by Akin Oke, state chairman and Mojeed Olaoya, secretary, accused the nominee of engaging in anti-party activities saying he had taken the party to court on three different occasions in respect of party primaries and congresses
“We like to place it on record that during the 2015 presidential election, Barrister Shittu was a lone ranger and that our party did not feel his impact for once, while we have it on good authority that he worked for the opposition during the last governorship election in Oyo State,” the party said.
It was learnt that Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State was also opposed to Shittu’s choice.
Responding to the opposition of his candidacy, Shittu said he contributed to the success of the party and that he had nothing against Governor Ajimobi.
Nevertheless, Saraki, on Thursday, October 8, mandated Samuel Anyanwu, chairman, Senate committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to ensure that all petitions submitted against any nominee were treated on or before Monday, October 12, and submit the report on Tuesday before the screening starts.
In the public domain, opposition political parties, socio-political groups and some individuals have also expressed their reservation about those Buhari has appointed ministers to his cabinet.
For instance, Abdulkadir Abdulsalam, national chairman of the Labour Party, LP, said most of the names in the list were recycled politicians who had nothing new to offer.
“For us in the Labour Party, we do not see anything that resembles change as far as the ministerial team is concerned. Imagine bringing someone who served in the government of the late Sarduana of Sokoto to serve as minister in 2015. All these people are analogue persons who cannot bring about any change under the current dispensation,” Abdulsalam said, adding: “This is to show Nigerians that the change mantra is fake; there is no sincerity of purpose there and no commitment to the Nigerian cause. They just deceived Nigerians with ‘change, change’ slogan and won the heart of Nigerians.”
The main opposition PDP, in a statement in Abuja by Olisa Metuh, its national publicity secretary, claimed that Buhari’s delay in constituting his cabinet could not be justified with the kind of persons he nominated into his cabinet.
It said: “Looking at the list, it is hard to put a finger on why it should take any serious-minded and focused government six months after its election to assemble such a regular team.”
He said the list and the length of time it took to present it had further confirmed that the APC-led administration was being driven by propaganda and deceit, a development he said raised doubts about the sincerity of the government’s anti-corruption crusade.
Expressing similar sentiments, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a human rights lawyer, said that nothing was inspiring about the list of the ministerial nominees because they were all familiar faces.
Adegoruwa who described the four-month of waiting the ministerial list as a colossal waste of time said further: “The impression that the president gave to everyone was that he was searching out for ‘saints’ to work with him. We could not have wasted the past three months waiting for Fayemi, Fashola, Amaechi, Ngige and Audu Ogbeh. These are people who had worked with the President, whose names he should have compiled even before he was sworn in.
“There was thus no need for all the hype and melodrama about the ministerial list, in the manner that the President has kept the whole nation in such frenetic suspense and deliberate guesswork.
Despite that he said Nigerians should not expect much from any of the ministers given the internal contradictions currently plaguing the ruling APC.
Although Balarabe Musa, former governor of Kaduna State, said he was disappointed with Buhari over the list, he noted that “there are about two or three who I can say are distinguished among them like, Audu Ogbeh who I have known for a very long time. We were together during the Second Republic.” Ogbeh was then a minister while Musa was governor. According to the former governor, Ogbeh has an outstanding public record that everybody knows.
Nevertheless, Bobboi Bala Kaigama, president, Trade Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, said the president picked those he could work with and trust. “The cabinet is a mix of old and young ones. The old ones will keep the young ones in line. The president has done well; I am happy with his choice since they are those he trusts,” Kaigama said
On his part, Richard Akinjide, SAN, a former attorney general of the federation, said he had no problem with the president’s choice of ministers. “The names of those in the list are familiar, but lets wait whether they can match their reputations with their performance as minister,” Akinjide said. The former minister would rather wait until another year to assess the ministerial appointees against their performance as agents of change.
What seems to excite Onyekachi Ubani, a lawyer and human rights campaigner, is the fact that at least five lawyers made the list. “We are very grateful for the fact that the bar is well represented. Those who made the list are those who have shown over the years that they can hold their own. I have no doubt they will perform.” He noted that there are only three women nominees in the list and therefore urged Buhari to appoint more women. The lawyer would also want the president to appoint technocrats into his cabinet to help with development and effect all the needed changes required by the country.
Ubani said despite the opposition from various quarters against some of the nominees, it would be difficult to disqualify any of them on the grounds of corrupt allegations. “They can only be disqualified if they are found guilty by a competent court of law.
Be that as it may, the screening exercise will determine whether the Buhari change agents would be approved by the Senate while the country awaits the remaining 15 nominees to make up the required by the constitution. The ball, for now, is in the Senate’s court.
Source: http://realnewsmagazine.net/featured/the-hurdle-before-ministerial-nominees. [myad]