Prof. Usman Yusuf is the former executive secretary, National Health Insurance Scheme. In this interview, he talks about developments in Niger republic and how they are impacting neighboring Nigeria.

A window for opportunity for dialogue has been opened with Islamic clerics moving over. Where government efforts are not yielding fruits, do private efforts appear to be indeed paving the way for peaceful resolution?

This window has always been there, it’s just that this government did not explore this window before going the military way; this window has always been there. There is a reason, you never start any negotiation with threats.

The threats have been passed before?

Absolutely, So ECOWAS dropped their last plan on the table, putting threats and saying, “if you don’t do this, we will do this, if you don’t do this, we will do this, then you say let’s talk? No, that’s exactly what is giving them legitimacy in Niger, when they come in to attack us and people are rallying round, even those that did not like him, they are rallying round. So, this clearly shows the inexperience of our president as the chairman of ECOWAS; you do not bring violence upfront, there are lots of avenues and we have seen that.

The ECOWAS, what do you think they should have done, you said that negotiation should have been first, to invite the hunter or send a delegation.

Exactly what the elders in the North are saying because we know the people in Niger, they are our people, they are Zaburumas, they are Hausas, they are Kanuris, they are Fulanis; 53 percent of Nigerieans are Hausas, we have shared not only borders, 7 states in the North share borders with them; 5 out of the 7 northwestern states share borders with them, and Borno and Yobe too. We share heritages of language; we inter marry, we have religions same and all of a sudden both will go to fight them? Of all African nations, Niger has been the most steadfast ally of Nigeria, from the time in memory. Division of that border is just artificial.

In what ways have they aligned with Nigeria?

During the civil war, Gabon and Cote d’ Voire, the same Cote d’ Voire that is pushing to go into Niger, were against Nigeria. France, this same France we were fighting for in Niger were against Nigeria, and there was a treaty 60 years old, between Nigeria and Niger, that Niger should not damp River Niger upstream and in exchange, Nigeria will supply Niger with electricity and it has been cut off, as part of the sanctions, it’s wrong. The president of the federal republic of Nigeria cut the treaty unilaterally without consulting the national assembly. He didn’t have the right and the power to do that; he did that on behalf of ECOWAS. I have said before that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you are now the president of ECOWAS.

He is the chairman of the summit of heads of states, he’s expected to provide leadership.

Leadership to Nigeria first, his primary responsibility; his primary constituency is Nigeria and Nigerians. Whatever is good for Nigeria should be what is put to the table.

So sometimes I think that perhaps what President Tinubu and ECOWAS are doing is some form of game of brinkmanship, push them to the limit, let the war exercise start, let the troop deployment start, he may not intentionally mean it, so as to force a response.

It’s absolutely wrong, this is what we call blaster, you don’t start a negotiation as a responsible leader and a responsible nation like Nigeria that way. “If you don’t do this, I’ll do this”.

They have joined issues with Nigeria, they have provided support intelligence and they have provided the sale of the Tucano jets.

Don’t talk to me about Tucano, Tucano is another big issue that we shouldn’t be talking about; they provided intelligence; in Agadas, United States has over 1,100 soldiers there, one of the largest drone bases, they are looking over you, maybe they are seeing what we are doing now, they are looking all over the Sahel, or have they ever provided intelligence to Nigeria, our Boko haram, where those Chibok girls are? Those bandits and their movement? They knew. Because one time they came with their helicopter and devastated a band of terrorists and picked one of their hostages and left, and now all of a sudden, they are telling us intelligence. Where have they been all this time?

I am saying it again and again and again, President Bola Ahmed should be very careful and not take us into this Niger, or it is going to be a proxy war between Russia and NATO and it’s going to be bad news for us; we Nigeria, we cannot go to Niger and forcefully, well the people that conducted that coup against Bazoum and his brigade of guards, so we are going to kill all the brigade of guards and pull Bazoum and be there forever.

Now that we have the window as the Islamic clerics for the first time, forcing that commitment from the military coupists to begin negotiations, how do we take advantage of it- ECOWAS, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the chairman

First thing, I said is take that threat of violence off the table, that window has always been there, all he needed was to call people within the North, please go through this channel; he should have done all these consultations before even convening ECOWAS meeting and at the ECOWAS meeting, he will present Nigeria’s position. Nigeria is the biggest power in ECOWAS and it will dictate the narrative, when you go and say when Americans are edging you, go and fight, and you place that on the table, everybody else will accept; well now Ghanaians are saying ”no way”, you’re not coming with us. It’s only Cote d’ Voire that is committing troops and we don’t have the troops for goodness sake, where are you going to get the troops in Nigeria?

Each of the 6 geo-political zones in Nigeria is on fire, you cannot pull troops out of the North west, neither can you pull troops out of the North east, the North central or the South east or the South-South. Where are you going to pull the troops from? South west, the number would be minuscule, where are the troops. And Nigeria is essentially broke, Nigeria is borrowing money to pay salaries, how are you going to fund this. My worry is that the United States or NATO would come and say “we will give you logistics, we will give you air cover, we will give you drone cover, we will give you funding to go and do their Business.” That’s why we are raising our voices, we are not going to allow that, I’ve said it again and again, any war against Niger is essentially waging war against northern Nigeria because we will bear the brunt of this.

Should ECOWAS come in directly or should they encourage the Islamic clerics and use them to further strengthen this opportunity?

It’s not even ECOWAS, its President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his advisers. He’s been poorly advised.

So, should we discard the use of ECOWAS?

Oh yeah ECOWAS, we can do this, thank you very much, drink tea, go home, lets handle this. We are taking care of this.

What should be our minimum demand from the couples? Is it to restore Bazoum?

You cannot enforce that, you had better be able to make good on any threat you make, if you make a threat and you can’t make good on that, you look weak. The Americans say we’ll do this here, they have the capacity to do it. Let’s not be edged to doing America’s bidding. There are a lot of ways to do that, just like we did. What we expect them to do is -take that threat of violence off the table, ease the sanctions. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you turned off that light, the switch, on a treaty that has been there. Unilaterally, put it back, what this is showing is goodwill, the best we can get is to pressure the junta to come up with a transition timetable as soon as possible, to ease out and allow democratic process to run.

A transition timetable even before previous military governments in Nigeria kept shifting till they perpetrated themselves in office

With the pressure of everybody else, it has been done before. President Obasanjo did it. Before you go even to ECOWAS, here you are, a president who’s barely 9 weeks old, he just recently moved into the villa, he has not even unpacked his bags, he wants to go to war, he doesn’t even have his team; the only people he has are his advisers and the Service chiefs, the Service chiefs have not even got their feet wet. They haven’t even found out what’s wrong in their places and how to make assessment and you’re taking the nation to war.

He has said it is ECOWAS that is taking the action and not himself.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is sitting on that table because he’s the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, without that, he wouldn’t be there. He is responsible as the leader to say “I am going there, wherever you are” ECOWAS, United Nations, AU, you are there to protect the interest of Nigeria.

Should we as good neighbours spanning several decades, try to resolve this matter and engage them bilaterally, rather than multilaterally using ECOWAS; Should the president have said ”let me speak to the coupists directly, Niger republic, bilateral relations framework, ” should that have been an option?

What this is showing exactly is the inexperience of the government in the international scene. What this Niger crisis shows is that he shoots before asking questions. There has been a precedent, a history of Niger going into the coup and even killing a president and Nigeria coming in. Even in 2000, during President Obasanjo’s reign, in 1999, President Manaisara  was shot at the airport, there was a coup. President Obasanjo was just one year old.

ECOWAS did all the meetings and what happened. They said President Obasanjo, because he’s experienced and he had his cabinet, the minister of Foreign affairs was Sule Lamido. They went through the back door and continued negotiations, what happened was that eventually when he was moved from power, there was a transition and Mohammed Tanja became the president.

[Sun]

Governance is serious business. It demands gravitas, rigour, diligence, and urgency. Those saddled with the responsibility of managing public trust must do so with circumspection, sobriety, and solemnity. The mood of the country, today, dictates temperance and moderation in dopamine-raising fiestas by those so entrusted with public utility.

At a time of national disquiet, wild celebrations over public responsibility are simply not the way to show attunement to prevailing concerns. Public service, ordinarily, should command less festivity and more solemnity.

But there seems to be a shifting from the status quo.

On Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Ajuri Ngelale, presidential spokesman, said the President would not hesitate to sack any underperforming appointee. He said: ‘’The President has set the benchmarks. The question now is about enforcement, and the President has shown, as he did during his time in Lagos State as governor, that he is not someone who is afraid to fire anybody. He is not somebody that is afraid to levy quick sanctions to ensure that they get the results that he wants, because, ultimately, if this administration fails, they will not say a minister failed or a set of ministers failed. They will say President Bola Tinubu failed, and he will not accept failure.”

Ngelale’s statement stirred reactions – I believe for its unorthodoxy. In the past, non-performing public officials, some of them self-confessed, enjoyed uninterrupted tenures, and even re-engagement. An anomaly that hangs over the national consciousness like a wraith. But there are knowing signs that there is a shifting from that status quo.

At the inaugural federal executive council meeting, President Bola Tinubu gave members of his cabinet their marching orders. A statement issued by the presidency quoted the president to have said: ‘’Emphasizing that anyone thinking that appointments are fixed term appointments are mistaken, the President expressed confidence that the carefully selected cabinet members know that his government is a new one with a new approach and a new mandate to deliver for Nigeria without any lamentation or excuses.’’

The President was also reported to have told his ministers: “You and I know that expectations are high, and these are tough times. We must work hard and move ourselves to create a buoyant economy that will serve Nigeria.’’

And clearly discerning the mood of country, the President directed the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs to freeze the processing of visas for all government officials seeking to travel to New York for the United Nations General Assembly without proof of direct participation in UNGA’s official schedule of activities. This was said to be a part of measures to reduce the cost of governance. Under a tonnage of hardship effectuated by some very necessary and compelling reforms, Nigerians have asked the government to show concern by cutting the cost of governance. I believe the government’s gesture will be a continuum.

Things should be done differently and are beginning to be done differently. A new order from what it used to be. The otiose status quo should not be re-invented or perpetuated. Nigerians deserve a breath of crisp oxygen.

This shift from the status quo should advance further, bringing vibrancy, fecundity, and vigour to our system.

A shift from the status quo implies public officials should consider themselves as servants of the people, and not their sovereign; submitting to transparency and accountability.

A shift from the status quo means the business of governance must be done with private-sector discipline; goal-oriented, performance-driven, and with clear targets. The administration is already bringing this inclination to governance.

A shift from the status quo dictates fiscal discipline, prudence, patriotism, and competence in the management of our finances.

A shift from the status quo implies the pursuit of the national interest, unity, and peace of the country at all times.

A shift from the status quo dictates sustaining the stimulus of Renewed Hope. And it is a good start.

Good governance is the kernel of Nigeria’s development. Effective leadership will address a good number of today’s nettlesome challenges. The vexing problems with education, healthcare, security, unemployment, and electricity can be managed or palliated with responsible leadership.

But there is also the need for citizens to shift from the status quo. There is the place of leadership and there is the place of followership in building a country. Citizens have as much responsibility as the leadership. But it is fundamental for the leadership to be the rallying crucible; to be the trigger and nucleus for nation-building.

Nigerians across stations, persuasions and ideological and political leanings will need to play their role to keep the wheel steady and in forward motion. The civil society, the media, and we, occupiers of the office of the citizen, have our part to play. Nigeria is our collective patrimony. It is our responsibility to make it work. It is our responsibility to help the country blossom.

Let’s begin with a quotation from Walter Anthony Rodney, a Guyanese historian, political activist, and academic. His notable works include “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa,” first published in 1972. Rodney was assassinated in Georgetown, Guyana, in 1980. Rodney, famously posited: “There is a perennial debt to be paid to black people for continuing enslavement and degradation. There are those who believe that the matter is over. They are completely wrong. Actually, there are those among us who believe that the demand and struggle for justice and restoration to full dignity would take a generation to win a crusade for reparations – in unison under concerted strategy.”

It is instructive to note that, slavery is a crime against humanity and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today. For those who do not know, this contribution that focuses on “Reparation Amidst Africa’s debt burden” will refresh our memories. Find below a brief history of “Reparation for Africa” as championed by one of the finest African and a Pan-Africanist Par-Excellence Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola GCFR:

Regrettably, the movement for reparations originated in the Organization of African Unity (OAU), now succeeded by the African Union (AU). At a meeting in Abuja, Nigeria on 28 June 1992, the OAU swore in a 12-member Group of Eminent Persons. The Group’s mandate was to pursue the goal of reparations to Africa. The original Chair of the Group was the pillar of sport in Africa, a Pan-Africanist, Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, (GCFR), who was later elected President of Nigeria, although was denied the privilege of office as the President C-in-C of the federal republic of Nigeria.

Painfully, other members were the Nigerian historian J. F. Ade Ajayi; Professor Samir Amin of Egypt; US Congressman R. Dellums; Professor Josef Ki-Zerbo of Burkina Faso; Mme Gracha Machel, formerly First Lady of Mozambique, and a political activist in her own right (and later the wife of Nelson Mandela); Miriam Makeba, the South African singer; the Kenyan social scientist Ali Mazrui (based in the United States); Professor M. M’Bow, former Director-General of UNESCO; former President A. Pereira of Cape Verde; Ambassador Alex Quaison-Sackey, former foreign minister in the government of Kwame Nkrumah of Ghana; and the Jamaican lawyer and diplomat Dudley S. Thompson.

It is not clear whether all 12 individuals were present at Abuja, or indeed if all were aware of their new role. As of December 2002, three members of the group were still actively pursuing reparations, mainly through their writings and lectures at academic conferences and institutions. They were J. F. Ajayi, Ali Mazrui, and Dudley Thompson. According to Thompson, they still filed annual reports to the OAU/AU, although yours truly the writer of this contribution has not been able to locate any such reports. According to Mazrui, there was very little contact among members of the Group, who acted in their individual capacities rather than as a collective.

The Group of Eminent Persons (GEP) was established at the suggestion of M. K. O. Abiola. MKO had apparently been influenced to take up this cause both by a chance discussion of the Holocaust with a Jewish businessman and by his contacts with the Congressional Black Caucus in the United States. In a speech delivered in London in 1992, Abiola said: “Our demand for reparations is based on the tripod of MORAL, HISTORIC, and LEGAL arguments… Who knows what path Africa’s social development would have taken if our great centers of civilization had not been razed in search of human cargo? Who knows how our economies would have developed…?” Bashorun Abiola in the year (1992), went on to argue that international law applied (retroactively) to slavery, the slave trade, and colonialism. “It is international law which compels Nigeria to pay her debts to western banks and financial institutions: it is international law which must now demand that the western nations pay us what they have owed us for six centuries.”

The then-President of Nigeria, General Ibrahim. B. Babangida (IBB), promoted the idea of reparations and officially dedicated US$500,000 to it (although the Group apparently received these funds from MKO’s private purse, not from the Government of Nigeria). Babangida had discussed the idea of reparations as early as 1991 with the then presidents of Senegal and Togo, the three agreed that the African debt “should be written off as part of the reparations due for 500 years of slavery of Africans in Western Europe and America”

“Pan-African Conference on Reparations” was held in Abuja, Nigeria, sponsored by the GEP and the Commission for Reparations of the Organization of African Unity (Mazrui 2002: 135). An official Proclamation was issued at this Conference. This Proclamation referred to the “moral debt” and “the debt of compensation” owed to Africa by countries that engaged in slavery, colonialism, and neo-colonialism. It also called for the return of “stolen goods, artifacts, and other traditional treasures”. For instance, such as the campaign by the African Reparations Movement in Britain to have the Benin bronzes presently housed in the British Museum returned to Africa. Compensation was envisaged in the form of “capital transfer and debt cancellation”, as well as in a re-ordering of international relations to give Africa more representation in the “highest decision-making bodies” and, in particular, a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

It is against this backdrop, that, developments and events of the past few days locally and internationally become very clear that “Reparation for Africa” is a just course as evidenced by the action and historically significant role of John Gladstone, one of the largest slave owners in the British West Indies. But fast forward to Friday 25 August 2023 at the University of Guyana, the family of former British Prime Minister William Gladstone apologized for their family’s slave owning past in Guyana as descendants of slaves have sought for reparations. Charles Gladstone, the great-great-great-grandson of John, who spoke at the event said “Slavery was a crime against humanity and its damaging impact continues to be felt across the world today.”

Furthermore, “we believe that his (John) actions amounted to a crime against humanity and wish to apologize to the people of Guyana. We know that we can’t change the past, but we believe that we can make a better future. Guyana for us isn’t just about money though. It is about acknowledging that slavery still has a massive impact on many people’s health and wider socio-economic status across the world.” Therefore, the Gladstone family called on the UK government to begin “reparative justice” by apologizing for slavery within the British Empire Empire. And besides an apology, the Carribean Community and Common Market (CARICOM) recommended reparation for descendants of “stolen people” and debt cancellation to clean up the “colonial mess.”

And on a similar note, Richard Odusanya in a recent article titled “Niger Republique: From Constitution to Constipation,” wrote in the concluding paragraph that “it is important to honor the memory of Bashorun Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola (MKO), the progenitor of REPARATION for Africa’ by making a demand for restitution from the big world. With profound respect and a very high sense of responsibility; I, therefore, wish to state that a definite time and amount of not less than five trillion dollars be placed as a demand for restitution. Additionally, the revitalization of NEPAD is expected to focus on REPARATION, so as to reduce the burden of our debt profile. Finally, this is an opportunity for President Bola Tinubu, the ECOWAS chairman to demonstrate the spirit of Pan-Africanism, take the lead, and be passionate and committed to Africa’s emancipation as exemplified by ‘MKO’ the pillar of sport in Africa.”

Lastly, the import and significance of President Bola Tinubu’s core message in his address to the NIGERIA BAR ASSOCIATION (NBA) at the ongoing conference in the capital city of Abuja underscore the real essence of “Reparation for Africa”. President Bola Tinubu profoundly posited: “Can we continue to service external debts with 90% of our revenue? It is a path to destruction. It is not sustainable.” In view of this, we need to revisit and reactivate the noble reparation idea of MKO Abiola GCFR. This is the only way out of our choking debt. After all, the African continent deserves full compensation for the trauma and setback effect of slavery and the Western exploitative tendencies typically characterized by neo-colonialism. Hence, Africans on the continent and in the diaspora should continue to make spirited demands for reparations on the premise of human rights violation, degradation and exploitation.

The attention of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) has been drawn to an article titled “FG ignores 17-year-old concession fee debts, renews terminal leases” published in The Guardian newspaper of Wednesday, August 23, 2023.

STOAN and its members, who are concessionaires at the nation’s seaports, hereby refute the false and libellous publication, which was obviously aimed at tarnishing their image. Clearly, the article was a hatchet job aimed at damaging the hard-earned reputation of port terminal operators and portraying them in bad light in the eyes of the public. The author of the article, in a desperate attempt to do her hatchet job, and unconcerned about the fact that she would mislead the public, did not as much as bother to crosscheck her facts with the terminal operators that she listed in her report or with the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) to which the operators make payments.

It is preposterous for the reporter in question to allege that “while some of the concessionnaires are still owing their concession fees since 2006 up till date, as well as failing to develop the port infrastructure as required of them in the contracts, they have had their various lease agreements renewed after much pressure from certain forces in government mandating the inter-agency committee involved in the renewal processes.” This claim, which was presented in a manner that appeared to be the personal opinion of the writer, was not crosschecked with either the terminal operators in question or the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), which oversees their operation and collects revenues due to the Federal Government. Making such false, unsubstantiated claims does not just fall short of basic journalistic standards; it is also libelous.

STOAN is aware that some retrogressive elements and entrenched interests who profited from the chaos of the pre-concession era are bent on reversing the progress made at the seaports over the past 17 years. These elements have become desperate and are looking for opportunities to tarnish the image of port operators.

We remind the author of the article and the general public that prior to the port reform and attendant port concession exercise of 2006, Nigerian ports were in a chaotic state due to the high rate of inefficiency that characterized cargo handling operations. Ships waited for more than 30 days to find berthing space while consignees struggled to get their goods out of the port due to severe port congestion and lack of cargo handling equipment. Corruption was rife at the port as consignees had to bribe port officials to position their cargoes for Customs examination or load containers on trucks.

The ports were also very porous. Vandalisation of containers and imported vehicles, ‘flying of containers’ (meaning illegally taking containers that were not duly released by Customs out of the port), ‘machine outside’ (the forgery of Terminal Delivery Orders and Customs release documents at business centres around the ports) and several other criminal activities were the order of the day. Miscreants popularly known as wharf rats were the lords of the port. Dockworkers were poorly paid while the labour unions of that era ruled with fear. Union officials of the pre-port concession era detained ships and willfully paralysed port activities at the slightest provocation without regards for the economic implications of such actions.

But all of that has changed, thanks to the bold move of the Federal Government to reform and concession the ports in 2006. The port concession transferred cargo handling operations from NPA to professional private terminal operators, who won lease agreements ranging from 15 to 25 years. NPA remained the landlord and technical regulator of the port and provider of marine services.
Seventeen years into the port concession exercise, there is a general consensus that the exercise has fully delivered on its promises. The landlord model of port concession adopted by the
Federal Government has freed the government of the financial burden required to develop and operate the ports. This burden has been transferred to the private terminal operators also known as concessionaires. In addition to not spending money to develop the ports, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Ports Authority, now realizes much more revenue through the ports.

For the avoidance of doubts, private terminal operators have invested more than two billion US dollars in port development over the past few years. This amount is far above the amount spent by the Federal Government in developing the ports in the 30 years prior to 2006. Also, the annual income of government through the ports has grown exponentially from less than one billion dollars to as much as $6.54 billion annually realized through the payments to NPA, Customs, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and other agencies of government. Where would this increased revenue have come from if terminal operators were not meeting their obligation as falsely alleged by The Guardian?

A recent study conducted by Akintola Williams Deloitte titled ‘Public Private Partnership (PPP) as an Anchor for Diversifying the Nigeria Economy: Lagos Container Terminals Concession as a Case Study’, affirmed that the ports witnessed increased ship traffic and cargo throughput, leading to 400 per cent rise in container throughput from 400,000 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in 2006 to 1.6 million TEUs in 2014.

The report also affirmed the eradication of ship waiting time at the port, as ships now berth on arrival. Vessel turnaround time has also been reduced from 30 days to less than a day while the average dwell time for cargo clearance reduced drastically from over 30 days to 14 days.

The ports concession, according to the Deloitte report, also saved Nigerian importers and exporters about $800 million (N400 billion) annually, which, hitherto, was paid to shipping companies as congestion surcharge. Also, through improved security and lighting of the terminals, the ports are now better secured for cargo and safe for port workers.

The port concession exercise has also created more jobs and led to better welfare and remuneration of port workers, including dockworkers who were shortchanged under the old order. This much was confirmed by the President-General of the Maritime Workers Union of Nigeria (MWUN), Comrade Adewale Adeyanju, when he commended the Federal Government for concessioning the ports to private terminal operators, saying the exercise has impacted positively on the lives of port workers.
Adeyanju said prior to the port concession in 2006, the wages of dockworkers were nothing to write home about.

“The era of using dockworkers as slaves in their fatherland no longer exists. We want to thank the Federal Government for concessioning the ports because that reform has changed the lives of dockworkers all over the nation’s seaports.

“Before concessioning, the wages of dockworkers was nothing to write home about. In those days, an average dockworker that worked for eights hours a day would go home with four thousand naira at the end of the month. We used to have stevedoring contractors but they did not care about the welfare of the workers. Some of the stevedoring contractors even ran away with the pensions of dockworkers.

“But since the terminal operators came in, we have seen the difference between the stevedoring contractors of those days and the terminal operators of today. We have been enjoying the present arrangement. My happiness today is to see dockworkers retire back home with something reasonable as retirement benefit,” Adeyanju said during the signing of a new three-year Collective

Bargaining Agreement by members of the Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN) and the union in March 2021.

The Chairman, Seaport Terminal Operators Association of Nigeria (STOAN), Princess Vicky Haastrup, who led other concessionaires to sign the Collective Bargaining Agreement, also corroborated Adeyanju’s position. She noted that terminal operators have ensured industrial harmony at the seaports by prioritising the welfare of dockworkers.

The gains of Nigeria’s port concession exercise are not in doubt as the exercise has received several commendations from home and abroad. The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC), former Ministers of Transport, lawmakers and many other high-ranking officials have all commended the port concession exercise, which has brought tremendous benefits to the Nigeria economy. The numerous accolades for port concession would not have come without the huge investment made by terminal operators and the harmonious working relationship between NPA and the operators. The renewal of expired port concession agreements is, therefore, hinged on the sterling performance of the terminal operators and the desire of concessionaires to inject fresh funds into the ports. It has nothing to do with political patronage as mischievously stated in the Guardian article.

The writer of the Guardian article further exposed her ignorance and mischief by alluding to the repair of quay aprons at the port. For the avoidance of doubt, the provision of marine services and repair of quay aprons rest with the NPA and not terminal operators. The reporter would have been given the correct information if she had bothered to contact the right sources.

A former General Manager Public Affairs of Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Chief Christopher Abiodun Borha, who played a key role as the spokesman of NPA during the port concession exercise, captured the sentiments of the port community about the exercise thus: “Not only was the port concession excellent, it should serve as a guide and it has served as a guide for ports development.”

According to Borha, the purpose of Nigeria’s port concession “has been achieved 100 per cent”.
We, therefore, caution journalists and media organisations to crosscheck their information with all concerned parties before publishing articles that make unsubstantiated claims and damage the reputation of port investors.

It is our expectation that The Guardian will give the same prominence to this rejoinder as it gave the malicious and fictitious publication in question.

[Guardian]

Former Chelsea striker, Chris Sutton, has named Liverpool as the team to challenge Manchester City for the Premier League title this season.

The former Premier League striker said, having watched the performances of the Reds.

Liverpool have been able to beat Bournemouth and Newcastle United in their most recent games.

The Reds went down to 10 men after Alexis Mac Allister and Virgil van Dijk picked up red cards in their respective fixtures.

Despite this, the Reds managed to secure all three points.

Sutton said that Jurgen Klopp’s team is showing the mentality of champions

“They are probably the ones who I think can push Manchester City the most,” he told BBC.

“I still think City will win the Premier League, but Liverpool needed that yesterday [against Newcastle] will go from strength to strength – if they can keep hold of Mohamed Salah.”

[DailyPost]

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has been appointed as a member of All Progressives Congress Campaign Council for Bayelsa State governorship election.

The council is chaired by the Gombe State Governor, Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya. The Minister of Defence, Badaru Abubakar, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, will serve as co-chairmen.

Details later…

[Punch]

The Board of Trustees of the New Nigeria Peoples Party has suspended its candidate in the Feb. 25 presidential election, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for alleged anti-party activities.

The BoT also suspended the National Working Committee of the party.

It also appointed new national officers headed by Dr Agbo Major as acting National Chairman and Mr Ogini Olaposi as acting National Secretary with 18 others.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the suspension is for six months.

NAN reports that the suspensions were put to a voice vote by members of the party at its special general assembly, held at the Rockview Hotels in Apapa.

NAN recalls that the NWC of the party on Thursday, Aug. 24, announced the suspension of the founder of the party, Dr Boniface Aniebonam and the National Publicity Secretary, Major.

Addressing newsmen at the end of the meeting in Lagos on Tuesday, Secretary of the BoT, Babayo Muhammed Abdulahi, accused Kwankwaso of hobnobbing with President Bola Tinubu, the Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and the presidential candidate of the Labour Party Mr. Peter Obi, without the board’s authorisation.

Abdullahi announced that Kwankwaso had been stripped of the NNPP national leader status by the board.

The secretary of the BoT said the purported suspension of the NNPP founder was a flagrant gross violation of the party’s constitution.

He pointed out that Aniebonam had resigned as the BoT chairman and a new BoT Chairman, Dr Chief Tope Aluko was elected with Abdulahi as new BoT Secretary, while High Chief Tony Obioha was elected as BoT spokesperson

Abdulahi said the pre-election Memorandum of Understanding signed with Kwankwasia Movement, The National Movement and National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders had been rendered void by the actions of the NWC.

Abdulahi said: “The purported suspension of the founder is a flagrant gross violation of the NNPP constitution such that it is tantamount to recklessness and irresponsibility on the part of the incompetent NWC.

“The BoT decided that material evidence in the public sector affirmed that Kwankwaso was involved in anti-party activities in various meetings, suggest political discussions with the President, Atiku and Obi without authorisation from the board.

” This has earned him six months suspension pending the outcome of investigation by the Disciplinary Committee.

“The BOT insisted that the avoidable violation of MoU between NNPP on the one part and Kwankwasia, TNM and NAGAFF on the other has no other choice than to withdraw from the partnership.

“It is therefore to state clearly that the MOU have been rendered void.”

Also speaking, the acting chairman said his team would hit the ground running by healing the wounds created by the suspended NWC members.

Major said the party would remain the most ordinary friendly party in the country and urged other members that are displaced for one reason or the other to return to its fold.

“We don’t intend to shut anybody out or censor anybody but we want to ensure that we remain on track and maintain our people oriented ideology,” he said.

NAN reports that the special general assembly meeting was attended by the new NWC and members from across the country.

[NAN]

The Police Force Public Relations Officer, Prince Olumuyiwa Adejobi, has urged Nigerians to engage their state PPROs more and should only contact him if these representatives fail them.

This was contained in a statement released Tuesday on his official X, formerly Twitter, account.

“Take note of these numbers. They might save you or others.

“Also, you are urged to always engage your PROs in all cases. It’s when they fail you or disappoint you before you reach out to me.

“It is not possible I attend to thousands of calls and messages every day. No way. Thanks,” Adejobi captioned the image containing contacts of all 36 states’ PROs.

Nigerians have since taken to the Police PRO’s comment section to share their thoughts on the new information released.

One Great_Khan wrote, “Lol. I have called the Abia state PRO twice, first not going, second, didn’t pick only to get a flash the next day.

“Called the Uyo one day, the man was cold asf and told me to go and talk to them and ask them what they want then I come to call him back.

“However, I called Abuja and they came through. I have mixed feelings about saving this screenshot though, but whatever.”

Another tweep alleged that the Ogun State PRO takes sides after.

Breakdfknrule tweeted, “Ogun state pro no dey ever pick the call and if she later picks na Wetin the officer talk she go believe.”

One Amarachi Ejimofor tweeted, “Stop this thing. What are you saying on thomdock sir? Many people are angry, they will come after you.”

Oluchijim simly wrote, “Thank you, sir.”

[NationlDaily]

The House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing the alleged non-remittance and utilisation of National Housing Fund from 2011 till date on Tuesday summoned the Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein.

The Chairman of the Committee, Dachung Bagos, who announced this during an investigative hearing in Abuja, also invited the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to appear before the panel on the same matter.

They are expected to address the committee on Thursday.

Bagos said the committee summoned the accountant-general in order to get full information on deductions of National Housing Fund from workers’ salaries and remittance of the same to the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria.

Madein is also expected to explain the disparities in the deductions from workers from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as remittance of only N20 billion to FMB since 2011.

[RipplesNigeria]

Nigerian legal luminary and former chairman, West Africa Bar Association, WBA, Mr Femi Falana has called for the immediate lifting of the sanctions placed on Niger by the Economy of West African States, ECOWAS, following the latter suspension of the use of force to unseat the military coup in Niamey.

Falana who was the keynote speaker at the West Africa Civil Society Week’23 on Tuesday, while speaking on the theme: Civil Society in West Africa: Reimagining the Role of the Third Sector in protecting civil space and consolidation democracy for regional development, ” noted that civil society organizations should reclaim their mandate of standing and speaking for the rights of the masses, and the promotion and sustainability of democracy.

Speaking at the three-day event organised by the West Africa Civil Society Institute, WACSI in partnership with Ford Foundation, Civil Space Resource Hub, CSR-HUB, and West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network, among others, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, while noting that CSOs should shun the temptation of doing the bindings of their donors that oftentimes negate the principles of democracy, noted that:” The effective civil society attitude, NGOs among, is supposed to be voluntary, non-partisan. However, in practice, many received monetary awards for work that was meant to be voluntary.

“Many NGOs understand democracy only in the interest of their donors. Yet democracy that does not lead to good governance or dividends for the people is of no use. And such a democracy, the populace can not defend it; when it comes under threat.

“African civil society groups should be focused, identify the campaign against violations of human rights of the people by demanding compliance by ECOWAS on the African Charter of Human and Peoples’ Rights. Urgent need to end tenure elongation in West Africa following the manipulation of the constitution by elected residents.

” ECOWAS should therefore approve the proposal for two terms for presidents. And since she has opted for dialogue in the military junta in Niger, as proposed to three-year military transition, the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS should be lifted as a matter of urgency and electricity should be restored by Nigeria,” Falana advised.

Suggesting ways to end uprisings in West Africa, especially coup d’états, the former WAS chairperson, called on ECOWAS to end the stealing of mineral resources by imperialism, and as a matter of urgency launch the single currency to be used by the continent, among other factors that he raised. “We must take advantage of the political crises in West Africa to launch the eco as the currency for the region.”

Meanwhile, the executive director, WACSI, Ms. Nana Afadzinu, noted that the conference was organised to chart a new course for civil society organisations, CSOs, and ECOWAS that will promote good governance, and oppose coup d’ètats, among many challenges facing West African states.

Her words:” To be very clear- We want democracy and good governance, we oppose coup d’états and prefer constitutional rule and good electoral governance- those are our principles and we have stood for and fought for them but even more fundamentally, we being West Africans ourselves are, stand for, and stand with the people- for our peace, security, prosperity and collective well-being.

“But, in a climate where citizens have demonstrated opposition to what seems ideal because they have not benefited from democratic dividends and even in countries that do not face these governance upheavals there is growing apathy the question stares at us – whose democracy has it been; who are those that are benefitting from the system we have; whose interest is it serving and what does it mean for us- our civic space? And really, whose side are we on?

“It is our firm belief that this week will afford us a rare opportunity for deep reflection; honest and bold discussions; sharing and also learning, finding ways to strengthen our solidarity; using current platforms like WADEMOS; enquire and deliberate on how to strengthen our engagement with ECOWAS and make functional already approved mechanisms like ECOWAS’ ECOSOCC; and look at ourselves again in the mirror as civil society in West Africa. “

On her part, the head of the Policy Influencing and Advocacy Unit, WACSI, Omolara Balogun, explained that the gathering of policymakers, and CSOs was to discuss the new role amidst democratic crackdown in West Africa. One major aim of this gathering is to disseminate knowledge to young people, and other stakeholders that democracy in its worst state is the best form of governance because the citizens have a say.”

[Vanguard]