[Naijanet] Re: [edo-community] edo-delta news 2
Omo Oba
slavery. Our leaders should remember that banning those foreign religions
is not the end. Edo cultural studies must replace those foreign religions.
Africans must begin to write and continue to tell OURSTORY.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Nowa Omoigui" <now...@yahoo.com>
To: <edo-co...@egroups.com>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2000 7:39 PM
Subject: [edo-community] edo-delta news 2
: Edo Assembly Kicks Against Teaching Of Islamic Studies
:
: Weekly Trust (Kaduna)
: October 23, 2000
: Shehu Abubakar, Benin City
: Kaduna
:
: The Edo State House of Assembly has voted against a
: motion which would have compelled the state government
: to introduce the teaching of Islamic Religious
: Knowledge in the state's private and public primary
: and secondary schools along with the Christian
: Religious Knowledge as approved by the federal
: ministry of education.
: The motion for the teaching of Islamic studies was
: sponsored by the Chief Whip of the State House of
: Assembly, Hon. Luqman Muhammad and co-sponsored by
: Abubakar Momoh, Dauda Abu and three other Christian
: members of the House.
: Though the motion was not debated on the floor of the
: House as nobody spoke against it when it was put to
: vote, the motion was instantly rejected by the
: Christian-dominated House of Assembly who saw the
: teaching of the Islamic Religious Knowledge to school
: children in the state as a means of introducing Sharia
: or promoting Islam which they vowed not to ever allow.
: Edo State which has a sizeable number of Muslims
: spread across the state has three Muslim members in
: the state House of Assembly but without a single
: member in the State Executive Council or even a
: chairman of a board of parastatal. Prince Isa Momoh
: described this as "a great marginalisation of the
: Muslim community in the state."
: In his contribution to the foiled motion, Hon, Akhere
: Ugbesia of the House of Assembly, a Christian
: representing Esan South East and Chairman of the Edo
: State House Committee on Information, Youths and
: Sports told Weekly Trust that the motion was a very
: good and harmless motion and wondered why it could not
: scale through. He added: "I voted for the motion
: because I am a liberal-minded person and I just feel
: that the motion was harmless and since Christian
: Religious Knowledge is taught in our schools, why
: can't we teach Islamic Religious Knowledge?" he asked.
: On the possibility of some Muslim-dominated states
: reacting by cancelling the teaching of Christian
: Religious Knowledge in their states, Hon.
: Ugbesia said "it will be punitive and unconstitutional
: for any Muslim- dominated state to stop the teaching
: of Christian Religious Knowledge. But if they feel
: they must do it, well this is democracy. So be it."
: On his reason for voting against the motion, Hon.
: Atulah said "Edo is not an Islamic state and nobody
: can impose Islam on us. I earlier advised Luqman not
: to move that motion because he will never succeed. If
: anybody feels he can introduce Sharia anywhere and
: succeed, we can equally do what we feel like doing in
: our state."
: Meanwhile, the main sponsor and mover of the motion,
: Hon. Luqman Muhammad, in an interview with Weekly
: Trust said he will not surrender the fight.
: He promised to take up the matter with the state
: commissioner for education and the state governor and
: may consider court action if all peaceful avenues are
: exhausted.
: "Our authority first is section 38 of the constitution
: which guarantees the rights of worship and propagation
: of beliefs. We also looked carefully at the 1998-2000
: WAEC syllabus and discovered that it has provided for
: the teaching of both Islamic and Christian Religious
: Knowledge," Hon. Luqman added.
: The administrative secretary of the Christian
: Association of Nigeria (CAN), Mr. Peter O. Idahor,
: told Weekly Trust that the decision on the House of
: Assembly is a fall-out of the introduction of Sharia
: law by some Northern states.
: The Edo State commissioner for education, Mr. Solomon
: Ebozoje, said the executive cannot do anything on the
: issue since the state House of Assembly rejected the
: motion, adding "I think those who sponsored the motion
: wanted to make it mandatory on everybody in the state
: to teach Islam. That was why the motion failed to
: scale through."
: Meanwhile, the Supreme Council on Islamic Affairs in
: the state has vowed to use all legal means to ensure
: that the teaching of Islam to Muslim students in Edo
: State is introduced
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Edo governor defends foreign trips
:
: From Mike Osunde, Benin
:
: EDO State Governor Lucky Igbinedion, at the weekend,
: gave a spirited defence of his numerous foreign trips
: since assumption of office last year, which, according
: to him, have started yielding fruits.
: He spoke on the occasion of the presentation of a N1
: billion cheque being proceeds of the State's Revenue
: Bond.
: Igbinedion, credited with over 18 foreign trips in 17
: months, the sum was one of the benefits of "my trips
: to various places in and outside the country,"
: expressing profuse thanks to God who had endowed him
: with "good health and youthfulness."
: Recalling how he traversed Broad Street in Lagos and
: did same in Abuja, complementing it with numerous
: telephone calls, Igbinedion insisted that the reaction
: of the bond had not came easy for him, his finance
: commissioner Mr. Clement Ehebha or the two discount
: finance houses that floated the bond.
: "They went beyond the call of duty, he said as he
: praised the state legislators who facilitated the bond
: with the quick passage of a bill initiated by him to
: enable him raise N3 billion from the capital market in
: six instalments of N500 million, for development
: purposes.
: The first N500 million meant to build a new housing
: estate at Ogba, near Benin, was oversubscribed,
: forcing the finance houses to merge the first two
: instalments, raising N1 billion in the process.
: Managing Director of Union Merchant Bank, Alhaji Salim
: Ehimiaghe, and Mr. Osamudiame Osunde of Fidelity
: Finance, presented the cheques.
: Igbinedion said, the over-riding result would be how
: the money will be utilised.
: Noting that the investors had reposed confidence in
: his administration, he noted that the onus was on the
: state government to reciprocate the gesture by
: executing the housing project with dispatch and
: efficiency.
: He declared: "We are in the eye of the whole nation in
: this project, and our names, future and integrity are
: on the line. Therefore, we will leave no stone
: unturned to ensure that we make everybody involved in
: this project proud."
: Assuring the stockholders of absolute honesty in the
: execution of the project, Igbinedion added: "it will
: speak volumes for us, the state government and the
: capital market. The die is cast, N1 billion is in my
: hands and it is left for us to go and start the
: execution of the project," which he promised would be
: ready for commissioning by June next year.
: Presenting the cheque earlier, Ehimiaghe said the old
: Bendel State, a part of which Edo State was, blazed
: the trail in floating a states revenue bond in 1978
: with a demand for N20 million.
: According to the bank chief, since then, the highest
: subscription to privately floated bonds, had been 34
: per cent thus making the Edo State government bond a
: huge success.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Glimpses At Nigeria's Destiny
:
: Tempo (Lagos)
: OPINION
: October 23, 2000
: Lagos
:
: Without question, a big size confers some advantages
: to a nation. But if our size and heterogeneity remain
: a hindrance to our prosperity, all of us will be
: better served by getting off the Nigerian bus.
: The legacies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo in Western
: Nigeria bear witness that even without oil resources,
: the Yoruba will be far better off the Nigerian bus.
: Awolowo demonstrated that with Spartan discipline and
: judicious husbandry of limited resources, quantum
: leaps of progress are possible even if a people have
: no oil. Likewise, the Hausa-Fulani would be better off
: the Nigerian bus where they can resume the tremendous
: multi-faceted development that took place under the
: leadership of the Sardauna of Sokoto, Sir Ahmadu
: Bello.
: Needless to say, the legacies of Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe
: and Dr. Michael Okpara resoundingly prove that the
: Igbo would have been far better off had they not been
: forced back into the Nigerian bus. Needless to say,
: the Nigerian minorities such as those in the Delta
: region or the Middle Belt would have done far better
: on their own. What is the logic or morality of this
: fixation on unity? Let us stay united if and only if
: being "united" will foster peace, liberty and
: prosperity for our people. Otherwise, let us convoke
: around a mahogany table and discuss the terms of our
: parting of ways. What we call unity today is nothing
: but coerced co-existence in which all of us are
: victims of distrust and concomitant marginalization.
: Fallacy Number Four: Our part of Nigeria is
: marginalized. In traveling across Nigeria, one
: commonly encounters the fallacy of the greener grass.
: "Those in the other parts of Nigeria are doing much
: better than "we" are; "they" have better schools,
: hospitals, roads etc." Quite commonly, Southerners
: portray the North as a region flowing with milk and
: honey; Easterners think the Westerners are doing well;
: the Westerners think that life is more abundant in
: Northern and Eastern Nigeria! This myth is echoed
: daily across Nigeria. In sad reality, Nigeria has been
: reduced to a fragment of hell, from Port Harcourt to
: Kaura Namoda and from Lagos to Nguru. Today, a Yoruba
: is the president in Nigeria. But how has that
: preferentially benefited the workers of Osun State
: whose salaries are rarely paid on time? We must not
: discountenance the ethnocentric undercurrents of
: Nigerian politics. But we must not allow corrupt
: leaders to exploit the concern about marginalization
: for their self-serving purposes. In any case, when a
: Nigerian politician decries the marginalization of his
: people, his primary concern is often for himself not
: the people; he is craving more opportunities for graft
: and embezzlement. If a Yoruba Stealator enriches
: himself by inflating the cost of procuring computers,
: does that make Yoruba less marginalized than their
: Ibiobio compatriots? Our elite, regardless of ethnic
: origin, are plundering Nigeria's treasury while
: sentencing the masses of all ethnic groups to marginal
: existence. How many of our senators or ministers are
: concerned that after 30 years of service, the total
: gratuity of a professor, engineer, lawyer, surveyor,
: teacher or civil servant is less than the furniture
: allowance of a senator or minister? What is needed is
: a united front by the marginalized masses of Nigeria
: against adventurers in power and career opportunists
: who have turned public service into looting service.
: Fallacy Number Five: Nigeria is a rich and great
: country. It is true that God has bequeathed Nigeria
: with abundant natural resources that can make us a
: rich and great nation. However, the truth is that
: nations do not become rich or great simply because
: they have natural resources. The Soviet Union, a
: nation with a surfeit of natural resources, languished
: in economic stagnation and eventually imploded under
: the crushing weight of its own internal
: contradictions. Their experience and ours epitomize
: the great gulf between greatness and potential
: greatness. Those who enjoy the thrill of watching a
: buffoon making a fool of himself may deceptively call
: us the "Giant of Africa" but we must not be hoodwinked
: by such frivolity. Of course, the antics of a buffoon
: in the market square is a comic relief but those who
: enjoy and laugh at such antics never wish to have a
: buffoon for a child.
: The whole world has become a global village in which
: being "the Giant of Africa" while remaining a "dwarf
: of the world" is nothing to sing about. The pandemics
: of grinding poverty, preventable diseases, ridiculous
: superstitions cloaked as religion, environmental
: degradation and technological backwardness, all
: sprawling across Nigeria are not indicators of
: greatness. Do we talk of greatness about a country
: where educational institutions have broken down,
: transportation services are backward, physical
: infrastructures are decrepit, and agricultural
: technology is primitive? Can we describe as great a
: nation where medical services are extremely poor,
: water supply is episodic, and power supply is
: epileptic? These variegated but all-too-familiar woes
: inflict economic asphyxiation and physical
: debilitation on our people. Yet, we talk about
: greatness! Likewise, how can we say that Nigeria is
: rich when there is more wealth in this city, Dallas,
: Texas, than the entire country of Nigeria? Sure,
: Nigeria has the potential to be rich. As we speak,
: there are many individuals today who have the
: potential to be rich. But unless they develop that
: potential, they will never be rich. Likewise, the
: wealth of nations is not created by wishful thinking
: or bloated ego. Rather, it is created and sustained by
: the concerted application of human ingenuity and
: discipline in the exploitation of natural resources.
: Whither The Nigerian Bus? It is clear by now that I
: have not painted a rosy picture about Nigeria's
: future. I have long disqualified myself from the
: membership of OFN (Operation Fool the Nation).
: Problems are not solved when we shy away from them.
: The perennial recurrence of our woes is sufficient
: proof that problems do not disappear just by being
: neglected. The Nigerian bus is badly damaged.
: Together, we can repair it. Every bus needs
: headlights.. Nigeria will not prosper until we embrace
: a collective vision of justice for all. If unity is
: our goal, justice must be our guiding light. When a
: nation sows the seed of injustice, it inevitably reaps
: disunity. Together, we must fight injustice in every
: part of our land.
: Every bus needs a roof, windscreen and a protective
: frame. For the Nigerian bus, the Rule of Law together
: with an unflagging adherence to universal human rights
: must be our roof and windscreen. Nigeria will not
: prosper until the winds of tyranny and the disregard
: for due process are structurally disabled from ever
: assaulting our human rights and civic liberties. These
: liberties are our God-given unalienable rights. Any
: government attempting to infringe upon these liberties
: must be resisted by any means necessary. Every bus
: needs a steering wheel. For the Nigerian bus, the
: steering wheel must be discipline. And by discipline,
: I speak not of the regimentation of our lives by
: military or civilian autocrats. Rather, national
: discipline is the singular focus on noble goals and
: the rational process for achieving them.
: It is not about morbid centralism; it is about the
: resolute choices of a free people in moral pursuit of
: progress. Every bus needs breaks, and seatbelts. For
: the Nigerian bus, our brakes and seatbelts must be
: constitutional checks and balances that safeguard our
: nation against governmental excesses. Of course, every
: bus needs an engine, a battery, tyres, wheels
: accelerators etc. I have no doubt that together, we
: can provide the Nigerian bus needs. However, the issue
: is not what we can do together; it is what we shall do
: together. The options before us are limited- only
: three. First, we may leave the bus unattended and
: continue our journey of harrowing woes. Needless to
: say, it is suicidal for anyone to knowingly travel in
: a bus that is in a state of disrepair. Sooner or
: later, such a bus will crash.
: Ask the Soviet Union, India, Pakistan, Yugoslavia, and
: Czechoslovakia all of whom imploded under the weight
: of internal stress. We must reject this option.
: Second, we may repair the bus and take a ride to peace
: and prosperity. Examples abound in history about
: nations that rebuilt from disrepair. Third, we may
: disembark the bus and let the passengers get unto new
: ones according to their sovereign and free wishes.
: That was what happened when Denmark peacefully broke
: into Sweden and Denmark; Sweden later peacefully broke
: into Norway and Sweden. That was what happened when
: Czechoslovakia peacefully broke into Czech and
: Slovakia. Quite frankly, I am completely comfortable
: either with joining to repair the Nigerian bus or
: helping to peacefully dismantle it so that we all can
: be spared the agonizing but inescapable destiny of
: riding a damaged bus to our collective perdition. And
: so, to that infinite source of vision, wisdom, courage
: and grace, the Supreme One we call Allah, Chineke,
: Obong, Oghene, Olodumare, Ooundu, Osalobua etc., I
: say: So help us God to either repair soon or
: peacefully and quickly dismantle our hapless bus!
:
: Cover Date: October 26, 2000
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Immortalising the late Dele Giwa
: Tribute
:
: By Kabir Alabi Garba
:
: THE International Press Centre IPC has instituteed a
: competition in honour of the late Dele Giwa. Titled
: the Annual Dele Giwa Memorial Essay Competition
: (DIMEC), the initiative which was announced last week
: in commemoration of the 14th anniversary of the death
: of the late editor- in- chief of Newswatch magazine
: through a parcel bomb on October 19, 1986 was
: announced by Lanre Arogundade, co-ordinator of the
: centre.
: Arogundade who was a former chairman of the Lagos
: State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ
: said the competition is for students of Mass
: Communication and Journalism in tertiary institutions.
: He said that the competition would begin with students
: in Nigeria and later extend to other West African
: countries.
: He said participants in the competition are expected
: to write on an international media topic to be decided
: by the competition's Board of Trustees, which will
: also determine the prizes for winners.
: The board, according to him, will include
: representatives of the International Federation of
: Journalists (IFJ), West African Journalists
: Association (WAJA), Article 19, Media-for-Democracy in
: Nigeria Project (MFD), Nigeria Press Organisation
: (NPO), International; Press Institute (IPI),
: Non-Governmental Organisations, veteran journalists,
: academics and mass communication experts.
: The IPC co-ordinator reasoned that the late Dele Giwa
: who was killed via a parcel bomb in October 19, 1986
: deserved the memorial honour in view of his
: contribution to uplifting the standard of journalism
: in Nigeria.
: He recalled that this was why the Lagos State chapter
: of the Nigeria Union of Journalists during his tenure
: published a book: Journalism in Nigeria-Issues and
: perspective to mark the 10th anniversary of his death
: in October 1996.
: Arogundade reiterated that the brutal killing of Giwa
: should not be a closed chapter. He therefore urged the
: police to renew the search for his killers.
: Dele Giwa, a former features editor with Daily Times
: studied English and Public Communications in the
: United States of America. He worked for five years
: with the New York Times before returning home to work
: in the Daily Times.
: At the inception of the Concord newspapers, the late
: Dele Giwa was appointed editor of Sunday Concord where
: in addition he wrote a weekly column titled "Paralax
: Snaps". After parting ways with the Concord, he veered
: into publishing Newswatch magazine.
: But barely two years of existence of the magazine,
: Giwa who was the editor-in-chief was murdered in his
: house on Sunday, October 19, 1986. He was killed in a
: bomb blast which occurred when he was opening a parcel
: addressed to him.
: The parcel exploded, killing him few minutes after
: arriving at First Foundation Hospital, Ikeja. By his
: death, the Nigerian press lost an outspoken and
: fearless newspaperman
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Ibori wants NFA privatised
:
: By Ibe Ojo
:
: TO ensure Nigeria meets up with the challenges of
: global football in the new millennium, NFA should be
: privatised by the Bureau for Privatization and
: Commercialisation of Public Enterprise (BPCPE)
: according to Governor James Ibori of Lagos State.
: Describing football as a national passion that should
: be taken seriously, Governor Ibori said football has
: contributed greatly towards fostering unity in the
: country.
: He urged NFA to be self-financing and autonomous in
: order to be in a position to move football forward.
: Governor Ibori threw the challenge yesterday while
: declaring open the football house annual general
: meeting at Asaba.
: He donated N5 million to the NFA while promising to
: help the office financially and otherwise.
: Earlier, Chief Solomon Ogba, Delta State Sports sole
: administrator urged NFA to come out with policies that
: will ensure general improvement of the seemingly
: current dwindling fortunes of the game.
: He also called the F.A to address the role of referees
: in the local league.
: He blamed the relegation of Kwara United on referees.
: According to him, "Kwara United was sent on relegation
: at the end of last season after their fans manhandled
: the centre referee. That kind of situation, I implore
: should be guarded against because it tends to create
: serious credibility problem.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: First Urhiapele Golf Classic for December
:
: AS part of efforts to return Sapele to its elite
: position, golfers and prominent indigenes of Delta
: State are putting together the first Urhiapele Golf
: Classic to be played at the golf section of Sapele
: Athletic Club in Sapele, Delta State.
: The championship according to Mr. Farid Khalil,
: competition secretary of the host club would give
: opportunity to golfers to savour hospitality and
: serenity of the land and people of Sapele, which is
: believed to be housing the foremost golf club in
: Nigeria (built in 1913).
: "History have it that Sapele is one of the foremost
: channels of golf to our country and the indigenes both
: golfers and non golfers are proud of this and as such
: would be hosting golfers in December for Urhiapele
: classic. The event would be an annual event," Khalil
: said.
: The championship will feature professional golfers who
: will vie for prize money over four days at the
: nine-hole course while amateurs have been scheduled to
: have their rounds on the last two days with golf
: related items, electronic and trophies at stake as
: winnings.
: Chairman organising committee, Abel Edinomo who also
: doubles as Nigeria Golf Federation's technical
: director said that apart from ensuring that the
: tournament conforms with rules of golf as stipulated
: by the world governing body in St. Andrews, Scotland;
: Sapele would be a ground to exercise some of the
: modern adjustments in stroke play rules which
: ultimately is meant for the betterment of the game.
: Over N6 million has been budgeted for the
: championship. Tex Egbedi, Mary Agbajo and Kofi
: Ajekukon are other members of the organising
: committee.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Age-long 'academicals' tourney may return
:
: By Ibe Ojo
:
: NATIONAL Inter School Football competition known in
: the 1960s and early 1970s as academicals would be
: revived before the end of this year as part of efforts
: to check the dwindling standard of football in the
: country.
: Apparently perturbed by the falling standard of
: football in the country, NFA Congress last weekend
: agreed to organise primary and post primary football
: competitions, as a first step towards reviving the
: game.
: Other decisions taken at the Congress held at Asaba
: include establishment of weekend soccer academies in
: all state capitals and Abuja, full computerization and
: sanitization of NFA professional league department and
: awareness and campaign to eradicate hooliganism and
: violence at match venues.
: The NFA International Department would also be
: overhauled while a concerted effort would be made for
: private sector participation in football. NFA chairman
: Brigadier-General Dominic Oneya who revealed these
: decisions before the association went to a close door
: meeting said NFA was very disturbed with the level of
: football in the country.
: He regretted that the Super Eagles have lost their
: status as one of the most entertaining teams in the
: world.
: For the first time, the association accepted that the
: U-23 team grossly failed at the Sydney 2000 Olympic
: Games.
: The inability of Nigerian clubs to win the CAF
: Champions League, and the ageing of national team
: players without replacements, the Brigadier said, has
: been giving the football house concern.
: He said the Congress has resolved to check the
: situation. He also called for inputs towards the
: establishment of the enabling law which will enhance
: full private participation in football.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Delta approves N150m housing loan scheme for workers
:
: From Sunny Ogefere, Asaba
:
: A N150million loan scheme has been approved for public
: servants in Delta State, as applications for purchase
: of the fully commercialised government initiated 500
: units home ownership scheme commenced at Asaba.
: The loan package, according to the state Commissioner
: for Finance and Economic Planning, Chief David
: Edevbie, would enable the public servants partake in
: the home ownership housing scheme for the middle
: income group, if they so desire.
: Besides, he said that the public servants were at
: liberty to draw from the facility to buy or provide
: the facility to buy or provide accommodation for
: themselves outside the government sponsored 500
: housing units being built in Asaba and Jeddo.
: Edevbie, who fielded questions from journalists along
: with the Commissioner for Works, Housing and
: Transport, Mr. James Manager, explained that the
: measure was to ensure that the public servants were
: not disadvantaged by the commercialisation of the
: housing scheme.
: Said he: "In addition, the government has approved a
: staff loan scheme totalling N150 million. So we are
: expecting that our staff will also be able to benefit
: from the scheme and that the scheme will enable them
: to buy some of these housing units."
: The finance commissioner disclosed that the funds
: realised from the commercial housing units would
: assist the state government in effectively
: implementing its plan for the massive housing projects
: for the low income group expected to be subsidized for
: the junior public servants.
: Answering questions on the home ownership scheme for
: the middle income group, Manager said that the first
: phase of the 500 units would be completed and be ready
: for occupation by the end of December this year.
: He said that the state has secured an overdraft of
: N600 million from the Standard Trust Banks Limited to
: finance the project expected to gulp N1.2 billion.
: At completion, the 3 bedroom bungalow will sell for
: N3.7 million while the 4 bedroom bungalows will sell
: for N4.3 million and beneficiaries would be allowed to
: pay in three instalments, the commissioner for Works
: disclosed.
: Asked whether there would be patronage for the housing
: scheme, he said that they were already receiving
: impressive response from applicants and that the
: private sector was involved to ensure quality standard
: and success of the scheme.
: Said he: "The BGL/Standard Trust Bank alliance
: including Majoroh Partnership is purely an alliance of
: private sector financial/technical consultants. They
: were responsible for the site plan/layout, managing
: finance and project management working in conjunction
: with Delta Development and Project Authority (DDPA).
: He continued: "It is expected that because of the high
: quality materials being put in place and because of
: the infrastructures being provided, that the scheme
: will attract so many people from within and outside
: the state."
: Manager explained that the acute shortage of housing
: in the state coupled with the promises made by
: Governor James Ibori's administration to the
: electorate during the electioneering campaigns,
: informed the provision of the housing scheme.
: Of the 500 housing unit, 180 units would be located in
: Asaba while 320 would be built in Jedda. The
: application forms are being sold for N15,000 for the 3
: bedroom bungalows and N20,000 for the 4 bedroom
: bungalow.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: GUARDIAN EDITORIAL
:
: The NDDC board
:
: IT is a welcome development that the Federal
: Government has eventually named the members for the
: Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)
: four months after the bill was passed into law. The
: appointment signifies government's determination to
: ensure that the commission takes off on a strong
: footing. Precious time has been lost in the one year
: since the bill was presented by the executive.
: Controversy raged over several fundamental areas of
: the bill, making the beneficiary states uneasy about
: the real intention of the government. The nomination
: of the board has cleared these doubts. On its part,
: the Senate's Committee on the Niger Delta which is
: screening the nominees has set aside three days this
: week to scrutinize their credentials and backgrounds.
: On the whole, the appointments appear well spread
: across the region, probably because they were made
: sequel to a meeting between President Olusegun
: Obasanjo and the governors of the oil-producing states
: a few weeks ago.
: It is, however, not surprising that the nominations
: have already attracted a flurry of comments from the
: various stakeholders in the area. The people of that
: region have suffered untold neglect and deprivation
: since commercial crude oil exploration commenced in
: the country over four decades ago. They are therefore
: eager to be treated fairly and justly. Besides, the
: performance of the commission will depend largely on
: the integrity and competence of its management. The
: Senate has a duty to weigh every complaint on its
: merit, since it is axiomatic that any nominee will
: always attract a comment or two. There is however no
: place for partisan considerations.
: The appointment of Mr. Godwin Omene, the immediate
: past Deputy Managing Director of Shell Petroleum
: Development Company, as NDDC's chief executive has
: stirred controversy. He is from Delta State which
: currently accounts for about 30 per cent of Nigeria's
: oil production. Shell Nigeria is a major player in the
: oil industry. That sector will contribute three per
: cent of its annual budget to the NDDC. Rightly or
: wrongly, the people of the oil region link their
: plight to the multinationals. Shell has been the butt
: of these criticisms. Supported by the might of the
: Federal Government, the oil multinationals have
: behaved as if they are law unto themselves. Shell
: itself has been imperial in its ways, bestriding the
: Niger Delta like a colossus. The afflicted communities
: do not make any distinction between the companies, and
: the negligent government. Thus appointing Shell's
: former employee as chief executive of the NDDC is
: bound to raise doubts about the independence of the
: commission. With a rich background in that industry,
: Omene will have to prove that it is possible to run a
: government organisation as efficiently as the oil
: sector is managed. His appointment also reflects
: President Obasanjo's earnest search for a technocrat
: who can husband resources at the best grade possible,
: and not a politician. Indeed, this is the expectation
: of the larger Nigerian society. In particular, Shell
: in spite of its bad image in the region, has
: established codes of conduct for its employees and
: business partners which reflect these expectations.
: The NDDC could adopt these methods in its operations
: to avoid the pitfalls of its predecessors and many
: other government agencies. After the disaster that was
: the Niger Delta Development Authority and the Oil
: Mineral Producing Areas Development Commission
: (OMPADEC), the nation cannot afford any failure this
: time around.
: Besides questions raised about Omene, there have also
: been complaints about the appropriateness of the NDDC
: chairman, Mr. Onyema Ugochukwu from Abia State.
: Without prejudice to the substance of these protests,
: we can say that the President has made a wise choice.
: It is instructive that none of the petitions has cast
: doubt on the professional competence and integrity of
: the nominees. This is what should inform the
: deliberations of the Senate on the matter. Already,
: the Upper House has indicated that it would follow
: strict procedures to establish that a nominee meets
: the conditions laid down in the relevant sections of
: the NDDC Act to ensure accountability and
: transparency. This is as it should be. If in doing so,
: the Senate discovers that a particular nominee does
: not qualify to serve the board well, it should not
: hesitate to ask the President to drop the name. There
: are many competent professionals for the assignment.
: We would also like to urge representatives of the
: non-oil producing areas on the board to avail the body
: of their experience. They should bear in mind that
: their position is not an opportunity to seek
: patronage, a practice which ruined the chances of
: former intervention agencies.
: It bears repeating that the NDDC board faces great
: challenges ahead. The oil-producing areas have
: suffered neglect and deprivation for long. Their
: patience has run out and they are therefore anxious to
: see quick results. Important physical infrastructure
: need to be developed to tackle the enormous
: difficulties in the areas of transport and social
: welfare. The degraded environment need urgent
: remediation. Millions who are jobless should be
: brought into productive employment. Peace and
: reconciliation mechanisms have to be set up to
: undertake mediation work and reduce the ethnic and
: communal conflicts in the region. There is so much to
: do in so short a time. The board should be inaugurated
: without further delay
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Pressure groups move to scuttle NDDC
:
: From Onwuka Nzeshi, Warri
:
: PRESIDENT Olusegun Obasanjo may have to brace up to
: scale greater hurdles to actualise the visions of his
: pet project, the Niger Delta Development Commission
: (NDDC) as pressure groups intensify lobby to have a
: board of their choice or work against the President’s
: men.
: Obasanjo’s recent bid to constitute the board and get
: done with what has become one of the greatest ‘bugs’
: on the presidential seat has earned him a mix-grill of
: applause and knocks from across the country.
: Armed with a joker to supplant the NDDC with the new
: battle cry for total resource control, the lobby
: groups, The Comet learnt, would stop at nothing to
: have the President withdraw his list of nominees
: currently being screened by the Senate.
: But the greatest danger lies in the growing awareness
: that the NDDC, apart from being highly politicised,
: may be still-born, lacking the soul and the will to
: adequately resolve the perceived injustices of neglect
: and marginalisation of the Niger Delta.
: A non-governmental organisation, Friends of Niger
: Delta (FOND), carpeted the nominees’ list at the
: weekend and urged the National Assembly to suspend
: forthwith all screening processes slated for the
: candidates whose names were submitted to the Senate
: barely a week ago.
: The body, after a two-day exhaustive deliberation on
: the executive/legislative stand off on the Niger Delta
: Development Commission Act, expressed dissatisfaction
: with what it described as President Obasanjo’s drive
: to foist on the commission, certain characters who do
: not enjoy the confidence and support of the people.
: "Our objection to the list stems from the antecedents
: of some of the nominees to the board. One of them who
: has been slated to play a prominent role in the
: affairs of the NDDC does not enjoy the confidence of
: the Niger Delta people," a communiqué issued at the
: end of the two-day workshop stated.
: Consequently, a six-man delegation led by the National
: Vice President, National Council of Women Societies,
: Dr. Bolere Ketebu Nwokeafor would be in Abuja today to
: consult with the Senate and the Presidency on ways of
: amending the list to suit the yearnings and
: aspirations of the people.
: The delegation would be made up of eminent sons and
: daughters of the Niger Delta and would explore ways of
: midwifing an NDDC that would be a break from the mould
: of failure associated with previous bodies set up for
: the development of the area.
: But even as the agitations for a more acceptable NDDC
: board continues, some opinion leaders across the Niger
: Delta region have renewed their call for total
: resource control in preference to the NDDC and the
: current revenue derivation formula.
: Mr. Ibinabo Jack of the Niger Delta Development
: Project, another NGO, said it would be erroneous to
: make the world believe that mere balancing of the NDDC
: board along ethnic or political lines would resolve
: the Niger Delta crisis when no attempt was made to
: make Nigeria a true federal state.
: Ibinabo decried the arguments of certain opinion
: leaders who see the NDDC as an end in itself, warning
: that as long as the government continued to operate
: the unitary federalism bequeathed by the military
: marginalisation and oppression of the Niger Delta
: would persist.
: He urged legislators representing the South-South
: political bloc at the National Assembly to examine the
: nation’s constitution with a view to plugging all the
: loopholes that have kept Nigeria far from being a true
: federal state.
: He contended that a true federal structure would
: guarantee the rights of the people to
: self-determination, economic emancipation and control
: of their own resources, describing the present
: structure as deceitful and riddled with chaos.
: Ibinabo further urged the National Assembly and the
: Presidency to observe the principles of separation of
: powers as enshrined in the constitution to avoid a
: situation where both groups dissipate energies
: witch-hunting one another while the business for which
: they were elected was allowed to suffer.
: He also raised questions on the implementation of the
: 13 per cent derivation formula, asking the Presidency
: to be transparent on the issue to avoid more conflicts
: and loss of confidence in government.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: The high stakes at NDDC
:
: Staff correspondent, COLLINS OBIBI writes on
: government's recent steps to actualise the Niger Delta
: Development Commission (NDDC) and why the crop of
: officials whose names were recently forwarded to the
: senate for approval must deliver. Additional report by
: Political Reporter, OMA DJEBAH.
:
:
: MR. Godwin E. Omene, 58 years old, an engineer and
: former deputy managing director of Shell Petroleum
: Development Company must be a man of history. For over
: 30 years, he worked in Shell, the major oil producing
: company in the Niger Delta notorious for its community
: development record.
: It has been said that if Shell has been treating its
: host community with respect, and taken interest in
: their development even if working in concert with the
: government, much of the problems being talked about in
: the area today would not have arose.
: For 31 years Omene worked in Shell, rising to the
: position of the second in command, and indeed the
: highest rated blackman in the company until he retired
: in 1997, yet Shell operated in the manner it did,
: drawing the ire of people of the Niger Delta.
: It is with this background that Omene is coming into
: the Niger Delta Development Commission, a body set up
: by law to address the Hydra-headed problems of the oil
: producing areas.
: Ordinarily this background could pass for an albatross
: for the Delta State-born Omene. Little wonder the
: outburst of emotions by some people immediately his
: name was announced as president Olusegun Obasanjo's
: nominee to the senate for the post of the managing
: director, Chief Executive of the NDDC.
: But indeed, this background is Omene's strength. He
: has known the expectations of the people and that what
: matters is how much one achieves with what he has and
: not how much he achieves with plenty. It has dawned on
: him that quite a lot is expected from the few in the
: oil producing areas who have come up to not only go
: into positions to warm seat, but to work for the
: people, even if it means jolting existing policies and
: the status quo.
: He has known that history is the greatest judge, and
: most importantly that people would not accept excuses
: for failure.
: It is not surprising that the emotional outbursts from
: a few people in the first few days his name was
: mentioned have fizzled out. In a state like Delta
: which parades a galaxy of qualified personnel and
: where many people jostled for the position, it is not
: unexpected that whoever clinches the job would receive
: some verbal shots even if to test his stamina for
: public office.
: Omene must have his weak points, everyone has. But a
: few factors appeared to have watered the ground for
: his nomination for the post. Besides his being a first
: class brain, Omene's other sterling qualities further
: gave him an edge over other contestants to the post.
: Omene is not a politician and would probably not be.
: He passes for a pure civil servant, the type people
: call "British". He is not therefore likely to share
: the glory of the success of NDDC with the powers that
: be in Abuja or those at the capitals of oil-producing
: states in Asaba, Port Harcourt, Yenegoa, Uyo, Owerri,
: Akure, Umuahia and Calabar unlike most of his his
: contemporaries and co-contestant who are more prone to
: use the NDDC to bolster their image and use it to
: political advantage.
: Much more importantly is Omene's prudence in financial
: management. He is not given to flamboyant lifestyle
: and profligacy. Many analysts have suggested that this
: tendency might pitch against some interest groups in
: the Niger Delta and in Abuja who might want it to be
: business as usual. He would definitely need the wisdom
: of Solomon to overcome.
: According to Omene, his immediate plan as boss of the
: NDDC is how to calm the restiveness in the Niger
: Delta, of arising from the violent activities of the
: youths.
: He said: "My immediate plan of action for a start is
: how to calm the restiveness of the youths. We need
: peace and a stable situation, because without these
: two ingredient, nothing can happen. They will be
: recognised and addressed. Once that is done, and the
: confidence is generated, then things would be easy.
: Then there must be a plan on the ground to tackle the
: issue of development. By this I mean, development for
: the communities, that have been suffering and things
: would be put in place to ensure that this development
: goes round, to build that sense of belonging and to
: engender the feeling that somebody is looking after
: them all".
: For critics of his style and his antecedent in Shell,
: the first-class oil and Gas expert, who has been a
: consultant since his retirement from the multinational
: oil octopus says: they should go and check my
: records".
: Appealing for understanding, Omene said: "There will
: always be criticism, no matter how perfect you are or
: how well you try. Let them go to shell and find out
: the send off party that was organised for me when I
: retired. Does that should I have any bad things,
: there. Even till date, after I left people still use
: my influence to get projects."
: The choice of Onyema Ugochukwu former editor of Daily
: Times and at present the president's Senior Special
: Assistant on National Orientation from Abia as the
: Chairman of the board also points to the role prudence
: and moderate lifestyle played in the selection of key
: officers of the commission.
: It is only hoped that some of the other names in the
: board that are not quite known are of impeccable
: standing. The board members list include
: representatives of the oil producing states. Abia ñ
: Mr. Onyema Olujie; Akwa Ibom ñ Mr. U.M. Akpan;
: Bayelsa, Dr. Amba Ambaowei; Cross River ñ Dr. Eyo Etim
: Nyong; Delta ñ Prof. V. Peretemode, Edo ñ Dr. J.E.
: Egharevba; Imo ñ Mr. Victor Chukwu Kogah; Ondo ñ Chief
: Olusola Oke, and Rivers ñ Sheorack Ekaloku.
: North West zone ñ Dr. Garba Nadama; North East zone ñ
: Amb. Ibrahim Jimeta; North Central zone ñ Alh.
: Alhassan Shuaibu. Other members include representative
: of oil-producing companies ñ Mr. Samuel Iyang of
: Shell; representative of the Federal Ministry of
: Finance; Mrs. E.B.P. Emuren; representative of
: Ministry of Environment ñ Ms. Anne Enita; and two
: executive directors ñ Engr. Udo Mboso ñ Akwa Ibom, and
: Ndutimi Alaibe ñ Bayelsa.
: The failure, until recently, of the presidency to take
: concrete measures to set up the NDDC had been at the
: heart of the problem between the Presidency and the
: National Assembly, resulting in the firing of verbal
: missiles against each other. While the presidency
: accused the National Assembly of altering the face of
: the bill it sent to it, the National Assembly posited
: that the presidency could not claim to be more abreast
: of the problems and issues in the development of the
: oil-producing areas which some of its members
: represent directly, and cannot claim to be the only
: repository of knowledge on how to address them.
: The situation degenerated to a stage where the South
: South caucus of the House of Representatives took paid
: newspaper pages to disparage the president for the
: delay in implementing the NDDC bill, submitting that
: he should be held responsible for the suffering of the
: people in the area and any action they take to secure
: a hearing on their plight.
: Essentially, the two arms of government disagreed on
: sources of funds and method of appointing key officers
: of the commission.
: But the people of the Niger Delta, indeed the oil
: producing areas are agitated and are not prepared to
: wait any longer. The most worrisome of their problems
: over the past few years, no doubt, is the
: irreconcilability of the palpable poverty of
: individuals and the environment with the enormous
: resources nature-endowed them with resources that
: sustain the whole country.
: The matter is accentuated by what easily passes for
: official indifference to their plight, while strenuous
: efforts are being made to drill every drop of oil
: found in the area.
: With this background, it is not difficult to
: appreciate the posturing of the people in the past few
: years. Coersion, harassment and intimidation have not
: tamed them.
: In fact, in the present dispensation, events point to
: the fact that the people are not prepared to become
: the proverbial grass that suffers when two elephants
: fight. Suffice it to say that whether the presidency
: and the National Assembly are locked in a battle of
: wits or power play over the NDDC law, the people of
: the area are not prepared to be made sacrificial
: lambs.
: This appears not to be lost on the government. In
: fact, the continued disquiet in the area which can
: only exacerbate could rock the oil boat, and
: conversely the nations' economy.
: To the presidency, therefore, notwithstanding the
: dilemma over the major changes introduced into the
: NDDC law by the National Assembly, the commission has
: to be rolled off the ground.
: Given the situation in the oil-producing communities,
: the expectation is that the people would jump at any
: attempt to bail them out of the woods. Some people
: expect that they should be the ones brokering peace
: and dousing tension to ensure the realisation of such
: projects.
: But appreciating the people's reactions to events
: denote having an understanding of the area and its
: people. Such understanding also provides the necessary
: impetus for a clear focus and dogged determination to
: carry on and achieve results.
: The configuration of the area-people, culture,
: environment is fascinatingly pluralistic, peculiar and
: somewhat controversial. It should therefore not be
: unexpected if diversity of opinions and controversy
: trail many events in the area.
: Reactions to the list of nominees to the NDDC key
: offices is instructive. Penultimate week when only the
: name of the nominee for the post of chief executive
: was known, some groups in the Niger Delta fired salvos
: to disparage him and called for his replacement. Since
: last week when the full list was published, similar
: calls are being made concerning some of the other
: nominees.
: Some of those who have criticised some of the nominees
: include the Ijaw Youth Council, the Movement for the
: Survival of Ogoni People (MOSOP) and the Ilaje Youth
: Movement.
: MOSOP, for instance, is opposed to him because he at a
: time associated with Shell which is the arch enemy, as
: it were, of the Ogoni people. They accuse Shell of
: having a very bad human rights record in the
: Niger-Delta.
: Ilaje Youths in Ondo have also attacked the
: appointment of Chief Oke into the board.
: Mr. Ovie Igbuku-Otu of the African Network a
: non-governmental organisation who is from Delta State
: summarised the people's criticism of the choice of
: Omene: "He (Omene) has not contributed to the
: development of the area. When he was in Shell, he
: never did anything. He stood aloof even all these
: years that we have been fighting for the rights of the
: people."
: But he feels that the Delta people cannot continue to
: shoot down every of their son or daughter, but stated
: that Omene has a second chance to redeem himself.
: Igbuku-Otu believes that the NDDC, though not exactly
: what the people of the oil-producing areas wanted, is
: acceptable and if well managed can make impact in the
: area. He called for the decentralisation of power in
: such a way that the zonal offices which would be
: closer to the people would handle most of the
: projects.
: He cautioned against the NDDC duplicating the
: functions of state and local governments such as roads
: construction and borehole provision. He advised that
: the officials must first visit and appreciate the
: problems of the oil-producing areas and embark on
: projects that would give skills and employment to
: youths in the area. This task the commission can do by
: encouraging the building of cottage industries;
: providing opportunity for food production and
: improving on the technological standing of the area.
: To Igbuku-Otu, if the NDDC is to make reasonable
: impact, there is no reason why every council in the
: Niger Delta should not have an industrial estate.
: "Without empowering the people, other resources we are
: endowed with cannot be tapped," he said.
: But the Niger Delta professionals (NDP) maintained at
: the weekend that what is paramount at the moment is
: not to politicise the list of nominees forwarded by
: president Obasanjo to the senate for confirmation.
: Rising in strong defence of Omene's choice, the Niger
: Delta professionals made up of professionals from the
: constituent stales in the NIger Delta insists that
: "Omene being a depoliticised professional and a sound
: professional of the highest order, going by his
: background and records in the Oil and Gas sector, is
: the best choice at this point in time because what the
: Niger Delta Area needs is and Gas technocrat who would
: be able to put in place a marshall plan for the
: accelerated development of the deprived Niger Delta".
: Mr. Tom Awana and Mr. E. Aluya, spokesmen of the group
: maintaned on Friday that the task at hand should not
: be to pull the nominees down, but the evolve workable
: programmes that would assist them in the overall
: development of the marginalised area.
: They said: "This what what happened in the case of
: OMPADEC. It was like a pull down syndrome. This time,
: we, the Niger Delta professionals have surveyed and
: critically examined the nominees, especially the
: background of the Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Godwin
: Omene and discovered that for now, his choice is the
: best given his background. We cannot toy with the
: Niger Delta by installing politicians in that volatile
: seat. What Omene and his team should do now is to
: marshall out a development blueprint that would in the
: shortest time possible help to reduce tension in the
: area and then quicken the pace of community
: development in all its remifications. What patriotic
: Niger Deltan's should do now is to come up with
: suggestion as to how to improve the area for the team
: nominated by President Obasanjo".
: The picture of the Oil Mineral Producing Areas
: Development Commission (OMPADEC) and similar bodies
: established in the past stares everyone in the face.
: The dashed hopes of the past have not encouraged
: people to believe in similar government programmes for
: the area. The NDDC has a chance to change this
: perception.
: The federal government has a stake in the success of
: NDDC. It is politically expedient afterall. But for
: Ondo, all the states in the area have sympathy for the
: ruling Peoples Democratic Party.
: The oil companies have a responsibility to make NDDC
: succeed. The success of the commission for one would
: reduce tension in the area and secure for them a more
: conducive operating environment. Shell, for instance,
: has an opportunity to redeem its image through an
: ex-staff.
: Beyond these, many people expect the team when finally
: endorsed by the Senate, to start by drawing an
: enduring plan of action, a kind of foundation for the
: take-off of the area in several aspects of
: development. With such a body, and the fact that the
: oil-producing states currently get an additional 13
: per cent of the total federally distributable revenue,
: it is expected that the long-neglected Niger Delta
: will be transformed in a couple of years.
: According to some analysts, the federal government
: should ensure that the fate that befell the ill-fated
: OMPADEC, does not repeat itself in the case of the
: NDDC.
: To them, the inclusion of representatives of non-oil
: producing areas, especially from the North West and
: North East of the country, "gives the impression that
: the NDDC is going to function and is indeed structured
: like the defunct OMPADEC'.
: In fact, former military Vice President, Admiral
: Augustus Aikhomu, was quoted as saying yesterday that
: the nddc and the former OMPADEC and similar
: instructure. "Look at the NDDC, how is it different
: from OMPADEC?, Aikhomu had declared.
: Beyond all these divergent tunes the general
: expectation in the deprived Niger Delta is one of
: quick magic to salvage the people from the feeling of
: despair, agonies and a sense of deprivation in the
: midst of abundant natural wealth. For Omene, and his
: team, this is really the task
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
:
: Obaseki confirms fear over Nigeria's oil production
: capacity
:
: By Yakubu Lawal, Energy Correspondent
:
: AS the world oil consumers mount pressure for increase
: in production level to stem, the increasing price
: level, officials of the Nigerian oil industry have
: expressed the nation's inability to sustain such
: higher output quota if the Organisation of Petroleum
: Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided so.
: The Guardian in October 4 reported doubts over
: Nigeria's ability to sustain higher OPEC quota.
: Specifically, the Group Managing Director of the
: Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr.
: Jackson Gaius-Obaseki told The Guardian in Abuja that
: though Nigeria was capable of producing any output
: granted it by OPEC, the problem would lie on its
: ability to sustain such increase in output.
: "If OPEC allocates higher output to us, yes, we will
: be able to produce it but we might not be able to
: sustain it," he stated.
: According to him, the only way to overcome the problem
: is to tackle investment seriously in oil and gas
: ventures in the years ahead.
: He pointed out that the 2001 joint venture programme
: would emphasize assets maintenance, rehabilitation and
: optimization of existing facilities to raise higher
: yields.
: The NNPC boss said effort would be concentrated on
: proper funding of the joint venture operations while
: the Production Sharing Contract (PSC) would be allowed
: to operate fully, adding that other measures aimed at
: boosting investment would also be put in place.
: Gaius-Obaseki noted that with government production
: target of three million barrels per day (mbd) and
: reserve level of three billion barrels by the year
: 2003, enormous resource would be required for the
: realisation of the goal and also maintain the status
: quo.
: Also, speaking in the same vein, Chairman, Senate
: Committee on Petroleum, Senator David Brigidi said
: there would be increased activities in the upstream
: sector next year to be able to cope with demand
: pressure in the international market.
: Brigidi also noted that all priority projects would be
: examined critically in order to give them the
: necessary support.
: "From vantage point, I can say there will be increased
: activities in the industry, because of demand increase
: in production and may increase investment from
: government side," he said.
: The Senate Petroleum Committee chairman stated further
: that the legislative arm would examine government
: policy in this direction and put in place strategies
: that would allow the authority to meet the objection.
: Among the steps taken by NNPC to boost output include:
:
: Payment of cash call to the joint venture operation
: based on approved budget;
: encourage the PSC companies to optimize their
: production level;
: implementation of alternative funding to some of the
: new fields to be developed by the multi-nationals, and
:
: farm-out mechanism between the major and local
: indigenous producers.
: Nigeria's current output has been estimated at 2.5
: mbd.
: Industry officials in the earlier report, had
: identified government's consistent under-funding of
: the industry and incessant community disturbances as
: reasons for the nation's low output capacity.
: These include the fact that budgetary allocation to
: fund 58 per cent participating interest of the
: Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in
: various oil ventures has stood at $2 billion (N228
: billion) over a period of six years (1993 to 1998) or
: 60 per cent of minimum investment required.
: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
: Presidency backs council chiefs on four-year tenure
:
: Emeka Nwankpa, Martins Oloja and
: Alifa Daniel, Abuja
:
: COUNCIL chairmen may have succeeded in winning the
: presidency to their side in the battle to wrest
: themselves from the administrative stranglehold of
: state governments, permitted by the 1999 Constitution.
:
: While some state authorities have sacked some council
: chairmen, many others have increasingly exhibited
: hegemonistic tendencies, citing Section 7 of the
: Constitution as their weapon.
: The Section says: "The system of local government by
: democratically-elected local government council is
: under this constitution guaranteed; and accordingly
: the government of every state shall, subject to
: Section 8 of this constitution, ensure existence under
: a law which provides for the establishment, structure,
: composition, finance and function of such councils."
: Paragraph 6 (v) of that section also stipulates that
: the House of Assembly of a state shall make provisions
: for statutory allocation of public revenue to local
: government councils within the state.
: And, in line with that constitutional status, some
: state assemblies have enacted laws stipulating a
: two-year tenure for local government councils, an
: action which the latter have described as grossly
: unfair. Vice President Atiku Abubakar was at a point
: reported to have accused some state assemblies of
: extorting money from the council chiefs, failing which
: their tenures would be pegged to two years.
: The Federal Government, rising to the defence of the
: status of the councils, is believed to be mooting the
: idea of sponsoring an executive bill which will amend
: Section 7 of the constitution, with a view to
: stemmining the actions of the state governments.
: The latest move by the Federal Government emerged at
: last weekend's meeting between President Olusegun
: Obasanjo and the 774 council chairpersons who were
: reportedly advised to withdraw a bill they were
: planning to send to the National Assembly for that
: purpose.
: The executive bill is expected to accommodate all
: inputs from all the tiers of government on the matter.
:
: Instead of the two-year tenure being pushed by the
: state governments, a four-year term is being proposed
: by the councils chiefs operating under the aegis of
: the Association of Local Government Council of Nigeria
: (ALGON).
: At the meeting, the chairmen cited the sack of their
: colleagues by the Kaduna and Ebonyi State governments
: as evidence of their predicament while contending that
: they represented the third tier of government in the
: country.
: The forum, in a statement issued by the Secretary to
: the Government of the Federation (SGF) last night,
: recognised the councils as the third tier of
: government as conceived in the Local Government Act of
: 1976 and not by name only.
: The forum, attended by President Obasanjo, the SGF,
: Chief Ufot Ekaette, the Minister of State for
: Intergovernmental Affairs, members of the Federal
: Executive Council, the Chief of Staff to the
: President, Maj. Gen. Mohamm ed Abdullahi, and the
: Police Deputy Inspector-General, congratulated the
: Federal Government for the bold initiative in
: assembling all the chairpersons for what it called a
: most constructive dialogue which it recommended should
: be held periodically.
: The President in return congratulated the chairmen for
: their gesture in donating 1,000 jeeps to the police
: recently to enhance security and surveillance in the
: country.
: The forum reminded the local government chairmen of
: their responsibilities in all spheres of governance
: and stressed the need to live above board as they are
: the custodians of public trust at their own level
: which is nearest to the common people. The chairmen
: should therefore maintain transparency and
: accountability in the conduct of public business.
: The forum took cognisance of the anti-corruption
: crusade of the government and also recognised that the
: anti-corruption law is for all Nigerians. All tiers of
: government, their agencies and public office holders
: should adhere to its provisions; and
: The forum recognised the initiative of the Federal
: Government in the programme of poverty alleviation in
: areas of social services such as healthcare delivery,
: sanitation, water and electricity supply. It also
: welcomed the introduction of the Youth Employment
: Scheme (YES). Furthermore, it emphasised that all
: tiers of government must support the local government
: councils so as to address the issues of rural poverty,
: urban squalor and social disharmony.
: Furthermore, the Forum discussed the problems and
: prospects of the Universal Basic Education (UBE) and
: agreed as follows:
: (a) That the local governments should be fully
: involved in the implementation of all issues
: concerning the UBE; and
: That the local government councils, through ALGON
: should submit their input to the draft UBE Bill to the
: Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
: In addition, the Forum agreed that:
: (a) Avenues should be found to involve the local
: government councils in the deliberations and business
: of the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC);
:
: (b) Local government chairmen should sensitize their
: people to benefit from the privatisation programme;
: and
: (c) All tiers of government should continue to
: dialogue on the question of tenure for local
: government councils.
: Other matters discussed were:
: (a) The need to maintain uniformity in the local
: government system in the country and to create avenues
: for dialogue and adequate communication between all
: tiers of government especially between state and local
: government, which should work as partners for the
: progress of Nigeria and should be guided by the
: provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic
: of Nigeria, 1999;
: (b) The security implications of inadequate supply of
: electricity and telecommunications and security
: personnel. The local Government Chairmen were called
: upon to be more vigilant while the Federal Government
: promised to keep its words on the promise involving
: NEPA, NITEL and Television coverage.
:
:
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: "And tho' we are not now that strength which in old days moved earth and
heaven; that which we are, we are; one equal temper of heroic hearts, made
weak by time and fate, but strong in will, to strive, to seek, to find, and
not to yield." - Ulysses
:
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