Gov. Bello vs Kogi Workers

  Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state is one bloke with a dual and conflicting personality. He had embarked on a year long staff audit purportedly to weed and sniff out ghost workers and those with dubious employment letters. Ordinarily, this is a noble pursuit except that one of the expected end-a punctual payment of the civil servants- remains a mirage. The civil servants of the state are owed a reported 20 months salaries in some cases. The workers could take it no more and promptly embarked on a protracted strike.
   

The Gov. declared a no work no pay regime. Not done with that-when the workers continued the strike action- he declared them sacked if they refused to return to work last Monday. This is coming from a Gov. who continues to draw his salary and emoluments every month. He has a retinue of Advisers, Senior Advisers, Senior Special Advisers, Commissioners, and other official hangers-on. These constitute a huge drain on the finances of the state. This is clearly Penny wise pound foolish. A lot of political goodwill was bestowed on the Governor being the youngest in the country. Even though his age is unnaturally fluid-he claims he is 41 years old while in an interview on Channels TV he said Nigeria is older than him by 12 years which will make his real age 45-the fact remains he is a young man. His problem is likely to be a lack of administrative experience, youthful exuberance, or simply that of ego. He likely has a chip on his shoulders. He thinks backing down is a sign of weakness. Pray, how could someone who has not been paid for so long have the energy in his body not to talk of the locomotive means of coming to work. My take is that anyone who goes to work is a Thief. When the normal monthly salary ordinarily can not take you home or cater to your family needs how on earth can you threaten a worker with sack when you have not paid him his deserving pay. This is more so when the Gov. Yahaya Bello received two tranches of the Paris Club refund. He is awaiting the third installment. The young governor should be ask to account for the disbursement of the aforesaid refund. His he telling the nation that the state could not ordinarily have paid its workers with its monthly receipt from the Federation Account and the state IGR? With the influx of so much money into the state coffers how come the state is in such financial dire straits? The situation is a lesson in the powerlessness of the state assembly. The institution is best placed to call the Governor to order. Impeachment proceedings should be started against the Governor immediately in order to compel him to do the needful. The Governor should know he carries the hopes and aspirations of the nation's teeming youth. His failure is a fodder for those who believe the youth are not ready to take up the mantle of leadership in  Nigeria. The contribution of 40 Senators of 1260 bags of rice to Kogi workers is  tokenistic. The issue is calling Governor Yahaya Bello to order. If the legislature can not get the Governor to toe the path of Honour the President should come in and compel his acolyte and party member to do the needful either by moral persuasion or by mandating the EFCC to begin rigorous financial forensic analysis of movement of money in and out of the state account. As we all know, all politics are local. Come 2019 APC's fortune may well nosedive in the state as a natural corollary of Governor Yahaya Bello's negative actions and inactions. 

Atiku on the back of the Tiger

Atiku Abubakar was one of the key supporters of the Nigeria president Muhammadu Buhari, during the presidential election that brought the latter to power. The relationship between the duo has, of recent, reached rock bottom. This is not unconnected to Atiku Abubakar's not so secret intention to run for the president office come 2019. Immediately the administration saw the seriousness of Atiku's intention it went into overdrive to cut off Atiku's cash cow, the Intels Nigeria Limited, INL. The government terminated the Pilotage Agency Agreement with INL. The company has since termed the termination of the agreement as "preposterous" and "highly injurious" to Nigeria. Be that as it may, the fact remains that Atiku is the architect of his present predicament. He obviously has bitten more than he can chew. On the other hand, #pmb is being petty. The action is closely related to that of a junta and a dictatorship. In this fight it is the ordinary Nigerians that will suffer. The staff will be laid off and homes and the economy will be the worse for it.                         

   
This is a case of dog eat dog. Both parties are members of the #APC. If the administration can do this to one of their own one can only conjecture what it would do to the opposition. Running for the highest office in the land is the inalienable right of all qualified Nigeria citizens. This move against Atiku can only cement the negative reputation of the present administration as one that moves against real and perceived enemies. The main reason why most view the so called war against corruption as a lopsided one. Trying to ruin a company that has been doing business in Nigeria for the past 30 years because of the perceived transgressions of the chief executive is nothing if not ill-timed and I'll advised. It is high time Buhari rose above premordial sentiments and Ego-tripping and face governance without fear or favour.

When Silence is not Golden

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        It is becoming an embarrassment the fact that President Buhari keeps eerily quiet whenever his vocal reassurance is needed. His communication with the citizens leaves a lot to be desired. If there is a shortcoming of this administration it is a paucity of timely and requisite information. Communication and information coming directly from the mouth of the President can not be substituted for that coming from another a la Lai Mohammed, the Information Minister, et al. Various serious issues like the Fulani herdsmen, Nnamdi Kanu's IPOB, Kachiku vs Baru, EFCC vs. NIA, DSS vs. EFCC, Babachir Lawal and NIA probe, the Senate vs Inspector General of Police,nature of his sickness, and EFCC vs. NIA, DSS vs. EFCC, Babachir Lawal vs NIA probe, the Senate vs Inspector General of Police,the issue concerning the Aso Rock Clinic. Buhari's wife and Zahra the daughter have been raising hell concerning the parlours state the Aso rock Clinic. Common syringes were not bought even after a lot of money was budgeted. Upwards of $3.2 bn was allocated to the clinic yet nothing to show for it. One would expect President Buhari to weigh in on the issue but as usual he has refused to join in the fray. The President must know that silence is not always golden. His words have a lot of weight. His words can assure a sceptical nation of the true thinking and position of the government. This is moreso that the President's wife and daughter are not government functionaries. They have no constitutional responsibilities as the former's office is purely ceremonial. Buhari should come out of his cocoon and let the nation know what his stand on   current issue is.

Ego-tripping and Governance

  

   
 

The Min. Of State Ibe Kachiku also accused Maikanti Baru of insubordination. This is a recurring decimal in the #pmb's administration. It is like some people believe they are superior to their boss. Maybe they believe that they have the hear of the President or the so called cabal in government. It could be recalled that the Nigeria Customs boss, Col. Hameed Ali, was accused by the Finance Minister of reporting directly to the Presidency instead of his immediate boss, the Honorable Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun. The Comptroller General of Customs was accused of promoting and demoting some men and officers of the Customs without recourse to her as  Minister of Finance. The intervention of the President is urgently required to cut the oversized ego of his appointees to size in order to engender a smooth administration. Buhari should also be seen to be up and doing. This have the effect of the people knowing that the State is working.

  Maikanti Baru, the GMD of NNPC awarded N9 Trillion-about $26b-contract without due process according to the Min. Of State Kachiku. The leaked memo by Kachiku on this matter should ordinarily jolt a nation out of her slumber. The amount involved is huge. Coming from the the person who should know, the President should ordinarily be up and doing after the receipt of this memo. However, the news making the rounds is that the President has not seen the Min. of State since the news broke. In order words the President Mohammadu Buhari does not regularly see his Min. of State for Petroleum. Don't forget Buhari is THE Min. for Petroleum. The Petroleum sector is is the goose that lays the Golden egg of the Nigerian economy and as such its welfare impacts directly on the well-being of the citizens.

Ego-tripping and Governance

  

   
 

The Min. Of State Ibe Kachiku also accused Maikanti Baru of insubordination. This is a recurring decimal in the #pmb's administration. It is like some people believe they are superior to their boss. Maybe they believe that they have the hear of the President or the so called cabal in government. It could be recalled that the Nigeria Customs boss, Col. Hameed Ali, was accused by the Finance Minister of reporting directly to the Presidency instead of his immediate boss, the Honorable Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun. The Comptroller General of Customs was accused of promoting and demoting some men and officers of the Customs without recourse to her as  Minister of Finance. The intervention of the President is urgently required to cut the oversized ego of his appointees to size in order to engender a smooth administration. Buhari should also be seen to be up and doing. This have the effect of the people knowing that the State is working.

  Maikanti Baru, the GMD of NNPC awarded N9 Trillion-about $26b-contract without due process according to the Min. Of State Kachiku. The leaked memo by Kachiku on this matter should ordinarily jolt a nation out of her slumber. The amount involved is huge. Coming from the the person who should know, the President should ordinarily be up and doing after the receipt of this memo. However, the news making the rounds is that the President has not seen the Min. of State since the news broke. In order words the President Mohammadu Buhari does not regularly see his Min. of State for Petroleum. Don't forget Buhari is THE Min. for Petroleum. The Petroleum sector is is the goose that lays the Golden egg of the Nigerian economy and as such its welfare impacts directly on the well-being of the citizens.

Masari and his critic

It is 35 days now that a critic of Gov. Aminu Masari of Kastina state was incarcerated.

Ibrahim Bature is a 31 year old from Dutsinma who was arrested for allegedly criticising the Governor on Facebook on 28th last month. He was taken to court and detained in prison custody since then. Bature's allegedly offence is his call on the Gov. to desist from collecting a loan when the one he collected could  not be accounted for. This scenario is very alarming considering the fact that we pretend to be in a democracy. Or is Nigeria only having civil rule but not democracy. The law is clear on this. Bature can not be kept in custody on holding charge. You either arraign him or you release him within 48 hours. More so, the allegation of defamation of character is a tort. As such it falls under the civil rights of individuals. The Constitution is very clear per the rights and liabilities of individuals. Bature should be released forthwith.