Nigerian News Du Jour - Tuesday 30 December, 1997
Mobolaji E. Aluko
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Nigerian News Du Jour - Tuesday 30 December, 1997
A Selection of Public and Private News on Nigeria
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In Today's Nigerian News Du Jour (NNDJ) ------ 9 Items
UNNAMED MAJOR GENERAL HEADS COUP PANEL
OBA OYEKAN OF LAGOS URGES ABACHA TO PUNISH COUP PLOTTERS
ONLY GOD CAN SAVE COUP SUSPECTS-ADMINISTRATOR
DIYA'S ADC REPORTED MISSING
BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT POSTPONED
BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT POSTPONED
EXPECTATIONS RUN LOW FOR 1998 FEDERAL BUDGET
NIGERIA TO SHUN ''ENEMIES'' IN WORLD CUP BUILD UP
IN BRIEF
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UNNAMED MAJOR GENERAL HEADS COUP PANEL
The federal government yesterday confirmed that it had made more arrests
and had set up a special commission to investigate the alleged plot to
overthrow General Sani Abacha. Defence Information spokesman Colonel
Godwin Ugbo did not disclose the identities of those arrested. The
government said twelve people were rounded up on December 21 in connection
with the coup plot, but unofficial sources said over 100 persons are
already in detention. ''More arrests have been made but it is after
investigation that we will know those affected,'' Ugbo told a news
conference in Lagos. He said a 12-member special panel, headed by an army
general, was set up at the weekend and given one month to investigate the
alleged plot. Members of the panel are drawn from the police, navy,
airforce, state security service and army.''It is not a tribunal, it is
not a court martial. It is just to find out those involved...before a
tribunal is set up,'' said Ugbo. He would not name the 12-member panel nor
the head. Nigerian newspapers last Wednesday reported they doubted the
coup plot and demanded a full investigation. On the same day, Abacha
hosted traditional rulers in the capital Abuja where he reportedly played
video and audio taped evidence of the plot to overthrow him.
Yesterday, Abacha spoke on the coup plot whilst welcoming Kano state
indegines including the city's Emir Alhaji Ado Bayero, Emir of Daura,
Alhaji Mohammed Bashir, Senator Magaji the chairman of the National Centre
Party, Alhaji Dan Kabo, Alhaji Kabiru Bako and Alhaji Maitama Sule. ''The
unfortunate incident is capable of undermining and subverting all that we
have achieved within and outside the country'' Abacha said. ''I thank God
that the plot was uncovered before they executed me'' he added. Ado-Bayero
said his entourage was in Aso Rock to express support for Abacha. ''We
have an implicit confidence in your leadership and we pray that you succeed
in your endeavours'' he said. Deputy chairman of Nadeco, Chief Abraham
Adesanya, yesterday said the government should not hesitate to charge the
alleged coupists to court ''now that Abacha has video and audio evidence
against those arrested''. Adesanya, who is a lawyer said ''In law, an
accused person is presumed innocent until proved guilty'' adding that they
should not be tried in the media but in an open court. ''The principle in
law is justice delayed is justice denied so the government should charge
these people to court at the earliest opportunity. Keeping people in
suspense is a sin against humanity'' Adesanya said. He described pro-Abacha
demonstrators as ''hungry people'' whose desperate actions cannot prove
that there was indeed a coup.
OBA OYEKAN OF LAGOS URGES ABACHA TO PUNISH COUP PLOTTERS
The traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II, has sent a
solidarity letter to General Sani Abacha saying those arrested for alleged
coup plotting should be severely punished. ''These dastardly acts by the
unpatriotic devil inspired and mischievous elements is condemned in all
its ramifications by the peace loving people of Lagos state'' Oyekan said
in his letter. The octogenarian has been on the throne for over three
decades. Last year, the media reported that the aging monarch was
suffering from Alzheimer's disease. ''We wish to implore the authorities
to carry out full investigations into the ugly incident and bring to book
those found guilty. The coup plotters wanted to derail the transition
programme'' Oyekan said adding ''We will not beg for General Diya and the
eleven suspects. The devil pushed them, God caught them, and so they
should be punished''.
ONLY GOD CAN SAVE COUP SUSPECTS-ADMINISTRATOR
Ondo state military administrator Navy Commander Anthony Onyearugbulem has
said only God can save those arrested for coup plotting. ''The best thing
to do now is to watch and pray. Let's pray that the mercy of God will
prevail'' the administrator said. He advised against ''wild'' speculations
on the coup.
DIYA'S ADC REPORTED MISSING
A military officer serving as personal assistance and body guard (aide de
camp) to Lt General General Oladipo Diya has gone missing. Lt. Colonel
Keshinro aka ''Kesh'' was not among Diya's personal staff named by the
government as a coupist. Details of Keshinro's whereabouts are unknown and
critics of the government are suspecting foul play. Reports from Abuja
indicate that Keshinro may have been one of the casualties when Diya was
arrested. ''It is strange that Lt Colonel Keshinro was not arrested or is
not among those the government said were planning a coup. If he was not
arrested then he may have been killed when his boss was being arrested'' a
military source said. On the day the alleged coupists were captured,
residents of Abuja reported hearing gunshots from around Aso Rock, the
area which houses Abacha and Diya. Keshinro who hails from Lagos and has
been described as a professional to the core, may have been one of several
unnamed casualties in a possible crossfire. He has been Diya's ADC for
over three years.
BUDGET ANNOUNCEMENT POSTPONED
National Planning Minister Chief Ayo Ogunlade has said the annual budget,
planned to be released tomorrow, might be delayed until January 3.
Speaking after a cabinet meeting in the capital Abuja, Ogunlade said
General Sani Abacha would read the budget by January 3 at the latest. A
government promise to complete the budget on time, by December 31, was
seen by local business as a sign of seriousness about needed economic
reforms and commitment to Abacha's Vision 2010 economic blueprint. In
recent years Nigeria's budget has been delayed for weeks from the usual
New Year takeoff date -- with adverse consequences for businesses trying
to conclude strategic plans.
COCOA PRICES UP AHEAD OF BUDGET
Nigeria's local cocoa prices are on the way up as dealers expecting
adverse policy measures move stocks ahead of the scheduled January 1
budget announcement, traders said yesterday. ''The suspicion is that the
government might impose an export levy and tamper with the exchange
rate,'' one trader told the media. He added that many dealers wanted to
move as much cocoa as possible in case the government unveils policy
measures which may curb bean exports. Nigerian cocoa processors grouped as
the Cocoa Processors Association of Nigeria, announced early in December
that they had sent a set of recommendations to the military government to
discourage bean exports. They included the imposition of a levy on bean
exports and the setting up of a commodity exchange to help maintain stocks
for all year trading. Many operators in the industry say they expect a
favourable response. Exporters are also worried that an anticipated merger
of Nigeria's dual exchange rates might mean a stronger naira with adverse
consequences. ``We are surprised at the market,'' said a risk manager for
a commodity trading company.''In previous years local cocoa prices went
down every December 15 but this year it is different,'' he added. Farmgate
prices closed at 107-108,000 naira per tonne at the end of last week up
from 102-103,000 naira two weeks before. Traders said they expect local
prices to move closer to 110,000 naira a tonne in the days before the
announcement of the 1998 budget. ``The exchange rate is the main thing
even though an export levy would compound things,'' said a cocoa manager
for an international commodities trading company. ``If the naira is
allowed to appreciate beyond 70 to a dollar it would be very bad for the
industry,'' he added. The naira, whose value is determined by a
combination of market forces and central bank intervention, has already
firmed to 75 naira from 82 naira over the past two months. Fears that it
will strengthen further centre around the possibility of the merger of an
official government rate of 22 naira to the dollar with the central bank
selling rate of 75 naira to the dollar. Overvaluation of the naira was a
major factor in the decline of Nigerian cocoa output during the early
1970s when governments awash with oil money used it to keep the naira
strong.
EXPECTATIONS RUN LOW FOR 1998 FEDERAL BUDGET
The federal government could take significant steps to reassure local
business and foreign investors of commitment to economic liberalisation in
the 1998 budget earlier scheduled for tomorrow, but nobody is expecting
too much. Top of the wish list for many businesses are the abolition of
dual exchange rates, tax reform, improvement of collapsing infrastructure
through investment or better still privatisation, and a commitment to
spend more on the lifeblood oil industry. But all hopes are tempered by
the 1997 experience, when General Sani Abacha squashed expectations of the
privatisation of pathetically inadequate utilities and kept to the dual
exchange system which gives selected ministries cheap hard currency. A
potent symbol of Nigeria's instability, counterbalancing whatever may be
announced in the budget for wary foreign investors, was the arrest this
month of Abacha's deputy for an alleged plot to overthrow him. ``Investors
are not going to rush in here anyway,'' said one Lagos-based businessman.
``What we will be looking for in the budget are signals that the
government is eager to reform; fiscal incentives, improvements to
infrastructure.'' The year 1997 has been a desperate one for Nigeria's
economy. Although annual inflation touched single figures for the first
time since 1991 and external reserves rose significantly as a result of
cutting spending to the limit, businesses have been harder hit than ever
by fuel shortages, power cuts and perennially bad communications provided
by state-run firms. Share prices have been headed down for most of the
year. Oil companies say they have not had the funding they need to
maintain production, while there is no sign a foreign debt estimated at
$27 billion will be rescheduled any time soon. Abacha recently estimated
growth this year at 3.77 percent, considerably higher than expected by
many economists, but still below the 1997 budget target of 5.5 percent.
Hope of a turnaround in 1998 rests partly on the report of the Vision 2010
committee, set up by Abacha, which recommended freeing up the economy --
even though committee members say the government toned down their original
proposals. But it is also the year in which Abacha has decreed elections
to end military rule, in which many pundits predict he will stand, making
long-term reforms more difficult to push through and pointing towards
policies to give instant joy to the electorate. One popular move is the
strengthening of the naira currency, which has already firmed to 75 naira
to the dollar from 82 in October. The trouble is that although it is
popular because it means cheaper imports, it also damages non-oil exports.
Fears that the naira may strengthen even further if Abacha decides to
merge the central bank rate with the official rate of 22 naira to the
dollar at some mid-point have spooked the local cocoa market and made
local foreign exchange dealers cautious. What local business hopes for is
that the official rate will simply be scrapped, with a market-determined
naira in its place. A single rate is also seen as essential for an
agreement with foreign lenders which could precede debt rescheduling
talks. ``The easiest way to jump-start economic recovery would be to
simply scrap the use of the official exchange rate,'' said Atedo
Peterside, chief executive of the Investment Banking and Trust Company.
``Adopting the autonomous exchange rate for budgeting purposes will
immediately lead to a three to fourfold boost in the naira budgetary
allocations received by impoverished state and local governments,'' he
explained. Full privatisation of poorly run utilities is seen as essential
in the long term, but many analysts say that for Abacha to push it through
in the face of powerful regional and military interests in an election
year would be difficult. If nothing else, business will be looking for a
budget delivered on time and with its commitments met when they are
supposed to be met, instead of after long delays as has happened in recent
years. ``A budget that is not released on time is almost self-defeating,
especially in an environment where the public sector insists on playing
the dominant role,'' said Peterside.
NIGERIA TO SHUN ''ENEMIES'' IN WORLD CUP BUILD UP
Nigeria will not play countries hostile to the military government while
preparing for next year's World Cup finals, a Nigeria Football Association
(NFA) spokesman said yesterday. Austin Mgbolu said the NFA would turn down
any request for a friendly match from any country which has a diplomatic
face- off with Nigeria's military government. ``Neither are we going to
approach such 'enemies','' he said. ``This is in accordance with a
directive from Sports Minister Emeka Omeruah.'' Mgbolu did not name the
``enemies'' but military-ruled Nigeria has been under fire from many
Western countries since 1993 for its poor human rights record and slow
pace of democratic reform. Mgbolu said Nigeria would play in next month's
four-nation tournament in Hong Kong, which also features World Cup
qualifiers Chile and South Korea. ``This will be the first test for our
new coach Bora Milutinovic and we intend to field a full team.''
Yugoslav-born Milutinovic was appointed 11 days ago to guide Nigeria's
challenge at France '98, where they are drawn in Group D with Spain,
Bulgaria and Paraguay for the opening phase. State-run News Agency of
Nigeria reported on Friday that Yugoslavia, another France '98 qualifier,
will play Nigeria in a friendly in Belgrade next May.
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IN BRIEF
Some 133,000 Nigerian jobs were lost in 1997 against 50,000 last year,
according to a survey. All sectors of the economy were affected. The
October/December 1997 report of the Nigerian Employers' Consultative
Association, NECA, revealed that the employment situation in 1997 suffered
a 17% drop.
Three of the four editorial staff of a newspaper arrested on Sunday, were
released yesterday. Only the editor, Mr Niran Malaolu, is still being
held. Released were Messrs Wale Adele, Emeka Egeruge, and Emma Ewuara.
They are to report at the Directorate of Military Intelligence on Friday.
They were not interrogated or told why they were arrested.
A new board for Nigeria's $3.8 billion liquefied natural gas project may
be named this week. Petroleum minister Dan Etete dissolved the old one
last May. Foreign firms in the venture are Shell, Elf and Agip.
Repairs on Kainji Dam on the River Niger are due for completion next
month, raising hopes of improved power supply.
Total British investment in Nigeria is $3.48 billion, says the British
high commission in Lagos.
A reconstituted board of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas company will
seek to settle a dispute with ENEL of Italy for breaching a gas deal
between them.
Commodity exporters have renewed calls for the establishment of a
commodity exchange in 1998.
A group of Nigerians has concluded plans to start a plastic factory in
Liberia, says president of the Liberia-Nigeria chamber of commerce, Chief
Anthony Anyanso.
Ramadan fasting period begins in Nigeria
_____________________________________________________________
Rahmomoh
In a message dated 97-12-30 11:52:12 EST, mal...@SCS.HOWARD.EDU writes:
> OBA OYEKAN OF LAGOS URGES ABACHA TO PUNISH COUP PLOTTERS
>
> The traditional ruler of Lagos, Oba Adeyinka Oyekan II, has sent a
> solidarity letter to General Sani Abacha saying those arrested for alleged
> coup plotting should be severely punished. ''These dastardly acts by the
> unpatriotic devil inspired and mischievous elements is condemned in all
> its ramifications by the peace loving people of Lagos state'' Oyekan said
> in his letter. The octogenarian has been on the throne for over three
> decades. Last year, the media reported that the aging monarch was
> suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
This is a terrible disease indeed.... the first thing to go is the mind, then
everything else.
I pray for my king!
Adesoji O. Adelaja
One of the problems with the Obaship system is that even when an Oba is
too old to make decisions, his subjects have no recourse but to wait
until his demise. However, Obas are surrounded by others who should be
able to step in when the Oba's mind is gone. I wonder who wrote the
letter for the Oba.
Soji