…FRSC Warns Against Passenger Conveyance In Haulage Vehicles

The Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has once again warned drivers of trailers and haulage vehicles against violating traffic regulations after a road crash at Takalafia village along the Yawuri expressway in Magama Local Government of Niger State on Tuesday.

The incident involved a red commercial DAF Trailer with registration number SRZ446XA, driven by one Mr. Idi Doba.

The crash which was attributed to speed violation and resultant loss of control, claimed the lives of 17 male adults and left several others injured.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday by FRSC spokesperson, Bisi Kazeem, an investigation into the lone crash revealed that it occurred around 3 p.m. on Tuesday and involved a total of 229 people, comprising 220 male adults, 4 female adults and 5 male children.

Kazeem said 206 male adults, 1 female adult, and 1 male child were rescued with varying degrees of injuries, adding that the injured victims were swiftly evacuated to Kantagora General Hospital for urgent medical attention, while the deceased persons were taken to the hospital’s mortuary.

The statement partly reads, “Pursuant to the unfortunate road traffic crash that occured at Takalafia village, on the Yawuri expressway, Magama Local Government of Niger State on Tuesday 21 November, 2023, the Corps Marshal, Federal Road Safety Corps, Dauda Ali Biu has again warned drivers of trailers and other haulage vehicles to desist from conveying passengers in their vehicles due to the danger they pose to the lives of those passengers and other road users.

“Investigation into the lone crash revealed that it occured at exactly 0300HRS and involved a total of 229 people, comprising of 220 male adults, 04 female adults, and 5 male children. From that number, 206 male adults, 1 female adult and 1 male child were rescued with different degrees of injuries, while a total of 17 male adults were killed by the crash.

“The crash which involved a red coloured commercial DAF Trailer with registration number SRZ446XA driven by Mr Idi Doba, was caused by speed violation which resulted to loss of control.

“The injured victims have been evacuated to Kantagora General Hospital for immediate medical attention, while the dead victims were deposited in the mortuary of the same hospital.”

Gov Hope Uzodinma of Imo State has reportedly spent the whooping sum of N50 million on entertainment and N20 million on gifts to government guests in three months.

According to the state budget performance report, the Imo government spent over N650 million on stationery, gifts to government guests, entertainment and others and expended N30 million on poverty alleviation between July-September 2023.

The report shows that the state government spent the sum of N89,975,000 on office stationery and computer consumables and N21,070,000 on magazines and periodicals (newspapers).

Within the three months, the report analysed by SaharaReporters on Wednesday also showed the state government spent N10,675,820.29 on leave bonuses, while N506,434,736.31 was spent on unspecified items tagged “others.”

The report also shows that the Imo State government under Uzodimma, in the three months under review, recorded zero allocations for items such as “provision of water facilities, hospitals and health centres, libraries and ICT infrastructures.”

The report titled “Imo State Government Budget Performance Report – 2023 Quarter 3,” was “produced by the Account General Department/Ministry of Finance/Ministry of Planning and Budget/Imo State equivalent and published on the Imo State website.”

It stated that “This report includes the originally approved budget appropriation for the year 2023 against each organizational unit for each of the core economic classification of expenditures (Personnel, Overheads, Capital, and Others); the actual expenditures for the quarter Q3, attributed to each organizational unit, as well as the cumulative expenditures for the year to date, and balances against each of the revenue and expenditure appropriations.”

The report also stated that the Imo government spent a total sum of N200,000,000 on Heartland Football Club, while N5,000,000 was spent on constructing and equipping the gatehouse at the deputy governor’s lodge.

The document further showed that the governor spent the sum of N133,886,325.69 on transport within the three months under review, while he approved N30,000,000 for poverty alleviation in the state within the same period.

FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike has recounted how he was defrauded when he was the Governor of Rivers State while acquiring Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) in Abuja.

Wike, during a meeting with estate developers in Abuja, said he was defrauded of N57 million by officials of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA).

The minister said he received three fake C of Os from FCTA officials despite the whopping amount of money paid for his land allocations.

According to him, the officials disappeared after payment for the documents was made.

Wike announced that moving forward, a reduced fee of N5 million would be implemented to acquire legitimate Certificates of Occupancy to help address such fraudulent activities.

He said, “When I was governor of Rivers State, we had three C of Os from FCT. It turned out that all were fake.

“The C of O was coming from FCTA as a government, not as an individual. For the plots allocated or said to be allocated, we paid money.

“When I sent the Liaison Officer, the people from FCTA took him to the land, and later, we discovered that it was fake land. Look at the money we had paid.

“The people disappeared. We could not find them again. Over N57 million that we paid. Why? Because that was how it was being done in the FCT. I have said that it will not work again.”

In what will come across as a really startling development, a staff of one of the commercial banks located in Suleja, Austin Ilom has reportedly died.

The bank staff died following his abduction by kidnappers terrorizing the nation’s capital.

The deceased was abducted in his Abuja residence in Kubwa, a suburb of the FCT.

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Joe Igbokwe shared the development on his official Facebook page.

Igboke said the assailants, who picked Austin from Kubwa about three weeks ago, had demanded N50 million for his release.

He said his bank “refused to help him because he was kidnapped at home and not on duty, his brother-in-law, a serving senator, also insisted he would not do anything until the bank brought their own contribution for his release.

“He ended up bringing only 3m, his friends and colleagues in the office raised 11.5m in total.

“Kidnappers collected the 11m and asked them to go and get the balance, days later kidnappers called that they should come and pick him”.

However, according to the Facebook post, the family of the deceased had gone to pick him up but “shortly after he got to Bwari hospital, he asked for water, before they brought him the water, he gave up’.

When contacted on Wednesday, the Federal Capital Territory, FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh said, “I am trying to get information about this”.

Any Nigerian with rational and open mind knows that complexity of governance in Nigeria today is rooted in the country’s political system, which by any stretch of imagination and logic, is unsuitable for a heterogenous society like Nigeria with over 250 ethnic groups that are characterized by incompatible cultures, varied history, background and interests.  

These ethnic groups were hitherto independent nations that ceded their sovereignty to the Nigerian state under Federalism, a political system that took cognizance of their peculiarities and agreed upon by the country’s founding fathers.  But ever since this system was subverted and replaced with a Unitary state structure, Nigeria has been embroiled with unending suspicion, distrust, disunity, disharmony, nepotism, hegemony and rivalry among the various ethnic nationalities, indicative of its inappropriateness.  

Unsuitability of the Unitary state structure, inequitable revenue sharing method, breach of country’s secularity status, dishonest quota system and political location of industries are major national contradictions undermining Nigeria’s potentials.  Except to hide under cover of pretense, it is a common knowledge that Nigeria’s progress is held down by these national paradoxes. They are aberrations and drawbacks that are fundamentally responsible for the country’s stunted growth.  These are what President Bola Tinubu must address in 2024 to set the tone for equitable and prosperous Nigeria.  

Efforts outside this trajectory amounts to sheer cosmetic administrative routine and waste of valuable resources incapable of restoring hope.  The Unitary system of government has become a Frankenstein monster that is pushing the country towards the precipice with diminished national and global stature.  Until a more suitable political template is introduced, Nigeria will continue to drift in circles like a regional giant with no illuminating potentials to inspire public confidence.  

Federalism had been tested in Nigeria, and it worked.  It is a system of government where all federating states and central government are financially independent, autonomous, interdependent and co-equal with neither the federal government nor the states inferior to each other.  This is the political system that best suits the country’s cultural diversity and sociological complexities, capable of achieving equity, justice and balance.  

In a plural society like Nigeria, Unitary system is a misfit, lacking the capacity to promote unity.  It engenders acrimony, disaffection, nepotism, primordial nationalism and marginalization, owing to conflicting cultural aspirations.  Emergence of separatist movements and other related self-determination groups are some of the challenges facing Nigeria today, justifying the need for Federalism to stem the tide.  Otherwise, the country risks more ethnic nationalities surfacing to seek autonomy.

With about 68 items on the Exclusive list and 12 items on the Concurrent list, the 1999 Constitution is in structure, content and spirit, a Unitary constitution, where the destiny of the states and people are determined and centrally regulated, using revenue allocation as tool for coercion and subservient corporatism.  This Constitution has failed Nigerians.  The states or geo-political zones want independent hold of their future within the context of their distinct cultural aspirations.

As a way out, the concept of the 1963 Constitution should be invoked to allow states to take control of mineral deposits found in their domains.  In other words, fiscal federalism with derivation principle allowing retention of 50 percent minimum of accrued revenue found in or generated by the states, should be introduced.  All states and geo-political areas in Nigeria are evidently endowed as God has provided every habitat with natural resources, including agricultural crops for subsistence.  This will not only give states the necessary financial autonomy, but will encourage them to harness and optimize their potentials, just as it will encourage hard-work, healthy competition, and discourage indolence.

Government’s involvement in religion is also a national contradiction and aberration.  Nigeria is a secular state as affirmed by Section 10 of 1999 Constitution, which says that the Government of the federation or of a state shall not adopt any religion as state religion in Nigeria.  But federal government’s behavioral disposition undermines this clause when viewed against the backdrop of its contribution and participation in religious matters.  

By establishing the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) and the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) to oversee and facilitate the process for participation of Muslims in Hajj or Umra in Saudi Arabia and pilgrimage of Christians to Jerusalem and other holy sites, the federal government has adopted Islam and Christianity as official religions, contrary to the intention of secularism.     

Deception of Nigeria’s secularity status is further exposed by Nigeria’s membership of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), a religious body representing “the collective voice of the Muslim world”, and working “to safeguard the interests and ensure the progress and well-being of Muslims.”  Nigeria’s membership is a tacit endorsement of the country as an Islamic state, as depicted by its commitment to dues obligation.  

Religion is a personal affair, and individuals are at liberty to practice their faith as deemed appropriate, as long as it does not violate the right of others.  The huge amount expended by federal government annually to fund NAHCON and NCPC, as well as meeting financial obligations in OIC, is an infringement on the right of Nigerians whose taxes are used to service these private interests.  

After all, government’s involvement in religion has not reduced moral decadence in Nigeria, as most beneficiaries of these pilgrimages to Hajj and Jerusalem are involved in corruption that have contributed to the country’s woes.  Rather than waste the country’s resources on these unprofitable ventures, such money should be used to shore up decaying infrastructure across the country.  

President Tinubu should therefore dissolve NAHCON and NCPC, and remove Nigeria from membership of OIC, as part of strategies to maintain the secularity of Nigeria.  Any state government whosoever desires to fund its citizens to holy sites is free to do so at its own expense.  The federal government must hands-off religion to save tax payers’ money.  

Quota system is another national contradiction.  It is part of Nigeria’s problems, and a source of bureaucratic ineptitude that should be discarded for excellence.  This system has been consistently abused and manipulated by government officials to serve primordial and entrenched interests.  The system has also deprived millions of brilliant Nigerians of opportunities to serve their fatherland on account of their states of origin.   

When merit is sacrificed on the altar of representation, what you have is incompetence and failure.  Nigeria is currently paying price of poor performance in government owing to quota application in recruitment process in ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).  The outcome has been inefficiency and poor delivery output with no value addition.  

Sadly, the quota system is applicable to the educational sector that is supposed to be the substratum of research and development.  Unqualified students are admitted into federal unity schools and universities while brilliant ones are unable to secure placements.  In some cases, appointment of professors and award of PhD degrees are based on quota system, leading to production of quota scholars lacking capacity for research and discovery.  What an irony for a country that is striving to compete in global affairs! 

Quota system is a recipe for failure and poor performance.  It is not applicable in the private sector because of these gaps.  This may have also informed why the powers that be have deliberately refused to introduce the system in the selection of players for the national team, the Super Eagles.  They know that if the obnoxious quota is applied, the performance of the Super Eagles will be outright tragedy for the country.  

Another national contradiction is political location of industries.  Oil and gas companies involved in exploration of crude oil in the Niger Delta should be compelled to relocate their administrative headquarters to areas where they have a minimum of 70 percent of their operations.  This will not only accelerate development of the region, but will help in resolving current poverty and frustration, resulting from negligence and degradation in the region.  The Nigeria LNG Limited which moved its administrative headquarters from Lagos to Bonny Island, Rivers State, where its operational base is located, is enjoying support from its host communities.  The company should be commended and emulated. 

Therefore, to reset, reshape and reposition Nigeria for stronger brand identity aimed at maximizing its full potentials to achieve national progress, regional influence and global respect, President Bola Tinubu must address and nip these national contradictions in the bud by next year, 2024.  

Dr. Mike Owhoko, Lagos-based journalist and author, can be reached at www.mikeowhoko.com.

For over four months now, the Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Nigeria has failed to hold its statutory meeting and the bank has not stated convincing reasons for this failure. The 294th MPC meeting was scheduled for Monday, November 20 and Tuesday, Nov 21. The MPC is created by the CBN Act 2007 to assist the bank in attaining price stability and support economic policy of the federal government. It is also designed to serve other important functions such as review economic and financial conditions in the economy; determine appropriate stance of policy in the short to medium term; review regularly the CBN monetary policy framework and adopt changes when necessary; and communicate monetary/financial decisions effectively to the public and ensure the credibility of the model of transmission mechanism of the monetary policy. The law indicates that the MPC is the highest policy making committee in the bank with a mandate to formulate monetary and credit policy for the bank. In simple terms, the MPC is the chief economic and monetary adviser to the bank, the financial industry and the government. It determines the base lending rate that guide the banks in determining their interest rates. The CBN Act also stipulates that the MPC should meet every two months, or more often if there is an emergency. There is, however, no provision for delays or failures to meet.

In a terse statement on the recent postponement, CBN Director of Corporate Communications, Isa Abdulmumin, said Monday, ‘’MPC not meeting this week. All roads lead to the 2023 Chartered Institute of Bankers (CIBN) dinner scheduled for November 24, 2023’’. But there is more to it than the bankers’ dinner. By its failure to convene the MPC meeting, the bank is therefore in breach of its own law and this is causing anxiety and unease in the financial services industry and the economy as a whole. ‘’MPC not meeting creates anxiety and uncertainty in the system’’, says Prof. Akpan Ekpo, an eminent economist who was once a member of the Committee. He continues: ‘’This is unhealthy for an economy in which all macro fundamentals are moving in the wrong direction. Inflation is approaching a runaway level, forex market is in disarray, rate of unemployment is almost 40%, with misery index approaching 86%. The MPR is the anchor rate which influences lending, and with a negative real interest rate, banks and other financial institutions would be at a loss on the way forward. I suspect the new CBN Team is trying to rejig the management team as well as compose the MPC. However unnecessary delays would have adverse effects on the economy’’. A director in the CBN also spoke with the same tone with me last night. He noted that the delay in composing the MPC is due to non-receipt of nominations from the Presidency and this could create unnecessary apprehensions in the system. ‘’I can’t remember when we last had this type of delay since MPC was first established in 2005’’, he said.

The membership of the MPC consists of the Governor (who serves as its chairman); the four deputy governors; two members of the bank’s Board of Directors; three members appointed by the President and two members appointed by the Governor. I understand that President Tinubu is yet to make his appointments into the Committee and approve those nominated by the Governor and that’s the reason the Committee has not met since the new CBN Governors were approved by the Senate in September. The delay is therefore avoidable. The composition of the MPC should be a priority.

The MPC is served by two technical committees within the bank: Monetary Policy Technical Committee (MPTC) and Monetary Policy Implementation Committee (MPIC). MPTC is chaired by the Deputy Governor (Economic Policy) and members are directors in charge of Monetary Policy; Banking Supervision; Financial Markets; Development Finance; Financial Policy & Regulation; Research; Reserve management; Risk Management; Statistics; Other Financial Institutions; Trade & Exchange. The Special Adviser to the Governor, Economic & Financial Matters is also a member). MPTC meets monthly to review emerging risks and developments in the global and domestic economies and make recommendations to the bank’s management (the Governor and the deputies) and the MPC.

The MPIC is also chaired by the Deputy Governor in charge of Economic Policy, but its members are mostly the same directors who are member of MPTC. There are others like directors in charge of Banking Operations and Currency Operations. MPIC’s core mandates are to review the level of liquidity in the banking system to ensure that it’s in tandem with the CBN’s liquidity objectives for non-inflationary growth; review prudential requirements for banks; review fiscal operations and analyze their impacts and identify critical monetary policy issues. It is notable that the both MPTC and MPIC have been meeting even as MPC is yet to be composed.

From all indications, we may not have another MPC meeting in 2023 after the last one which was held in August. That's not good enough. As President Tinubu and his team travel the world looking for the elusive foreign investors, it is important to note that the investors themselves are also looking for serious, stable and well-managed countries governed by rule of law and good governance. Already, investors are very anxious about the restrictions in our foreign exchange markets which limit ability to repatriate profits and dividends. I recall that Nigeria was thrown out of two important bond indexes in 2015 for restrictions in the foreign exchange market. Foreign airlines, in particular, have had difficulties in repatriating their incomes. It is advisable that we take steps to assuage frayed nerves in the way we manage our economy.

… Orders payment of N5 million for C of O

… to seek approval of the President to provide NIN to obtain C of O

Nyesom Wike, the minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), says he has saved a sum of money—N110 billion—for the administration in three months.

He made this announcement during a high-level meeting with an estate developer in Abuja and expressed his dissatisfaction with the rate at which fake Certificates of Occupancy (C of O) are being issued through land processes. Wike also expressed his concern about corrupt officials in the administration.

During the meeting, Wike ordered that N5 million be paid to acquire a C of O. He further stated that he would seek the permission of President Bola Tinubu to add a National Identification Number (NIN) to any C of O that would be issued by his administration.

“I have saved N110 billion for FCTA since my assumption of office three months ago.

“Allocation of [one] land to three or more persons will no longer be allowed. C of O enables you to do business.

“When we make the right decision, some people will be happy, and some will not. We are ready for such a fight.

“When I was governor of Rivers State, 3 C of Os were given by FCT on my land, and we later discovered that the C of Os given to us were fake after we had paid N57 million for the lands.

“I will seek the president’s permission to link any C of O to the NIN number. The rich men will kick against it, but anything that will help our people must be done.

“Support this move. You will attest to the fact that there are changes. How will you feel that, at the end of the day, you have a C of O, but it is fake? Over the past 10 years, some people have not paid, and now the 5 million looks big for them”, he said.

Wike emphasised that it will no longer be business as usual, where three or more people are allocated the same plot of land with a fake C of O.

He recounted his experience as the governor of Rivers State, where he was given a fake C of O by some officials of the FCTA. He also criticised the payment of N8.9 billion as a monthly salary for CTA and FCDA workers.

The developers at the meeting appealed to the Minister to reduce the N5 million payment required for the C of O.

After an intensive appeal by the developers, the minister agreed that the payment could be made within four months, after which the C of O could be handed over to the applicant. Wike further stated that he would seek the president’s permission to link any C of O to the NIN number.

He believes that this move will help to eliminate the fake C of O and promote transparency.

Wike encouraged the developers to support this move, emphasising that it is necessary to provide a city that everyone can be proud of and that he is willing to fight for it.

[businessday.ng]

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), on Tuesday, lamented that vandals had carried out nefarious operations on over 5,000 kilometers of oil pipelines across the country, describing it as a national calamity.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Mele Kyari, who made the lamentation during an interactive session with the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream), however, assured Nigerians that the four oil refineries in the country would be made functional very soon.

He said that the problem of oil pipeline vandalism had been bedeviling the sector over the decades as the company had not been able to pump oil through the pipeline from Warri to Benin within the last 22 years.

“Over 5,000 kilometers of oil pipelines in the country are not working, As a result of pipeline vandalism, 10 million litres of oil was lost from volume pumped from Aba to Enugu at a time.

“The company has been unable to pump oil from Warri to Benin within the last 22 years and cannot connect to Ore.

“There is no amount of security measures that had not been taken to curb the crime without success, which to us in NNPCL, is substantially a national calamity,” he said.

Kyari however, said that as a way out, the company was embarking on massive replacement of the pipelines which aside from being vandalized, were old and obsolete.

He explained further to the Committee that deregulation of the oil sector and in particular subsidy removal carried out in May this year, had turned NNPCL into a profitable company.

He pointed out that before the deregulation in 2018, the company made a loss of N802 billion but after the deregulation in 2021, made an excess profit of N687 billion.

According to him, while 67 million litres of oil were consumed per day during the era of the subsidy regime, an average of 55 million litres is being consumed on a daily basis now, saying that the problem of smuggling the product across the border was a thing of the past.

The Chairman of the Committee, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah (APC, Anambra South), and all the members responded separately to submissions made by the NNPCL boss, that proper dissection of challenges facing the sector would be better made in a retreat.

However, Senator Seriake Dickson (PDP Bayelsa West), told the NNPCL boss to look critically into the surveillance security contract the company was operating as regards the non-inclusion of some oil-producing areas.

“Some local governments in Bayelsa State like Sagbama where I come from, are not covered by the contract with attendant consequences,” he said.

…says, I saved N110bn in 3 months

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Tuesday raised the alarm of disturbing numbers of fake Certificate of Occupancy ( C of O) being issued by FCTA officials to unsuspecting residents.

Wike said this during a meeting with estate developers and other stakeholders in Abuja.

The Minister said that he had confirmed what he experienced as a Governor when he was issued a fake C of O by FCTA officials.

While he stated that he has saved a whopping sum of N110 billion for the administration in three months, also disclosed plans to introduce some security features into the C of Os, to wade off fraudulent merchants.

He also disclosed that his short stay as FCT Minister has revealed that there are many bad eggs in the system, that forge C of Os to defraud people.

The Minister also noted that he would seek the permission of President Bola Tinubu to add a National Identification Number (NIN) to any C of O that would be given by his administration.

According to him, residents seeking C of O, henceforth will have to pay N5 million and the payment can be spread within four months.

Wike said, ” When I was governor of Rivers State, 3 C of Os were given by FCT on my land and we later discovered that the C of Os given to us were fack after we had paid N57 million for the lands.

“I will seek the president’s permission to link any C of O to the NIN number. The rich men will kick against it but anything that will help our people must be done.

“Support this move. You will attest to the fact that there are changes. How will you feel that at the end of the day, you have a C of O but it is fake? Over 10 years some people have not paid now the 5 million looks big for them”, he added.

30-year-old, Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dewan of the Young People’s Party (YPP) and member representing Pankshin North State Constituency of Plateau State has on Tuesday emerged as the Speaker of the State Assembly following the resignation of the former Speaker, Rt. Hon. Moses Sule, member representing Mikang Constituency

Former Speaker Rt. Hon. Sule who resigned alongside his Deputy Speaker Hon. Gwottson Dalyop Fom while speaking to journalists said his resignation is a personal decision for the sake of the state.

“Resignation is also part of good leadership, because leadership is not all about you, is about the people, as leaders we need to make sacrifices so that things will work for the people of the State, this resignation is born out of patriotism for the plateau to move forward. And nobody forced me to resign, I did so for the growth, progress and stability of the State.

Meanwhile the New Speaker of the Plateau House of Assembly Rt. Hon. Gabriel Dewan while speaking to Journalists after his election pledged to provide purposeful and focused leadership in the House of Assembly.

Dewan assured that he would use his office and reunite Plateau citizens over the lingering political turmoil in the state.

He thanked his colleagues for trusting him with leadership even as a Minority and the Youngest in the House of Assembly.

A Peoples Democratic Party PDP Member representing Riyom Constituency Hon Timothy Dantong was also elected as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Assembly.

The emergence of both the Speaker and his Deputy took place during the Tuesday plenary held at the temporary chambers old Government House, due to the undergoing renovations at the Assembly Complex.

New Telegraph reports that the Plateau state House of Assembly has 24 members, with PDP having 16, seven are of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and one member is of the Young Progressive Party YPP, who is now the Speaker.

However Many view the resignation of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker as a result of the Appeal Court judgement which recently declared sacked Governor Barr. Caleb Mutfwang, National Assembly Members and House of Assembly Members elected under the Peoples Democratic Party.