A Minister's Careless Talk

     

          The Federal  government  better make up its mind over who are behind the incessant attack of the herdsmen. One day the SSS says the attacks are the handiwork of the IS in West Africa another day the military will say the attacks are as a result of the anti grazing laws enacted by different states in the Federation. What this means is that the agencies saddled with the security of the country are not on the same page. It is either they are incompetent or they lack the will to call a spade a spade. If the latter is the case then the security agencies are part of the problem.   The other aspect of this is that the statement by the Defense Minister Mansur Dan-Ali  http://punchng.com/defence-minister-blames-herdsmen-killings-on-anti-grazing-law-route-blockage/is unfortunate not least because it came out of his mouth but because he seemed to tacitly support the actions of the murderous herdsmen but implying that because of the fact that you don't like a law that gives you the right to react violently and criminally to the said law. This, unfortunately, is an invitation to anarchy because it engenders a resort to self help by citizens which has the deleterious effect of upending law and order in the polity. If one is not comfortable with a particular law there is a laid down procedure for challenging that law. The Minister should therefore be seen by all peace loving people as a contributor to the conflagration sweeping across the country as a result of the criminal activities of the Fulani herdsmen.

Karma is a bitch

 

   Karma is a bitch. APC and their supporters gave Jonathan hell for daring to increase fuel price but with power they seem to be as powerless as they can be. A lot of deadlines to NNPC has come and passed but scarcity remains. The President is incidentally the Petroleum Minister but could not manage the situation. The situation will unfortunately persist as we practice a mutant form of Federalism unlike any in this world. A Federalism where the federating units go to the center every month, cap in hand, to collect handouts from a powerful center (the big brother). It aches my heart to see my nation doing the same thing over and over again and expecting to have a different result. It is very unfortunate that our leaders can not exhibit the traits of leaders. Leaders must take hard decisions for their nations to move forward.
 

A situation where the President can not address the nation on the cause and government efforts to stem the scarcity of this all important resource, calls to question the leadership qualities of the President.A case where France, for example, is hit by a terrorist and our President would be the first to send condolences but the same man would not address his own people in a time of need if dubious and suspect. The president's handlers are not helping matters. They believe laundering the President image by way of a documentary is what Nigerians are interested in at this time. The little fuel in my generator is what I poured in my car to take me to the office. Without NEPA  and bereft of fuel in my gen how would Nigerians watch a documentary? Very ill-timed and needless at this time. Unless it was a grand plan to deflect public attention from the crippling fuel scarcity.  The regime has proven itself adept at the dark art of misdirection time and time again.
 

   The nation must be restructured and government involvement in the economy must be at a minimum. Unnecessary subsidies must be removed. The price of fuel can't be the same across the length and breadth of Nigeria. Let each state buy and sell according to the dictates of economics. Our 5 or so refineries must be made to work. Iran, under years of economic sanctions, was still able to refine its oil. It's a pity that we can not refine our Petroleum at peace time. We cannot even distribute at peace time. What are we turning to as a nation? A nation of nampy pambies? Always looking for the quick fix. When the price differential of tomatoes up north and down south is so wide, condemning costs etc, why should anyone expect the cost of petrol to be the same up north and down south? Government picking the price equalization bill can not work forever. We all thought the era of subsidy was over until we learnt government IS still subsidizing by about #26. This blind leading the blind must stop. Nigeria is very blessed and we deserve the best. Alas, with Buhari it is not yet Uhuru. 

A season of Anomie

   This is truly a season of Anomie in our dear nation. A different day a different slapstick comedy of the absurd takes place. These comedies would have been laughable if not for the harsh economic atmosphere. If one laughs too much on an empty one may cross over to the other side. We have the DSS refusing to allow the EFCC operatives effect the arrest of a former D.G of DSS Ita Ekpeyong at his Asokoro residence. These are two agencies of government working at cross purposes. This more so when the EFCC had a search and arrest warrant to carry out their brief.
  Another drama acted itself out at the State House when the family picture of the apprehended notorious kidnapper, Evans, was found hung on the wall of the State House building.
Earlier, the IG of Police had withdrawn the security details protecting the Anambra State governor Sir Willie Obiano. The I.G predicated his move on the assertion that the Governor could use the police security to his advantage during the recently held gubernatorial poll in the state. These are the same security details reporting to the I. G. They are policemen for God's sake. Mr I. G you don't trust your guys anymore? Will same be done to the President during the presidential election? Thank God the I. G was prevailed upon to rescind the withdrawal order.
We had the Goat, Tea, and the wheelbarrow empowerment in Kastina Kano, and Benue states respectively. The respective governors bought these items with state funds to distribute to their youth ostensibly to provide employment.
We had the I. G saying he had a right to romance any lady police in the force. He however claimed he did not say that.
In Rivers the dramatis personae involved the Governor and the Transport minister Amaechi, himself the predecessor of the incumbent governor. Apparently, Amaechi was coming into town with his convoy when "fortuitously" the Governor happened to be passing on the same road. Since the road is apparently small for the duo, their was a clash of the security details. Tempers flared and gun totting security details were on edge all because of the Personal egos of the two personalities. Two VIPs causing commotion on the streets of Port Harcourt. Shame! With issues like this why are we surprised Nigeria is not progressing? 

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.

The Church and the People

   
   

Some people are complaining about the issue of tithing in church. They are of the opinion that they are unable to afford the school tuition for the Churches' Primary and University. The people allege these set of pastors are living large while the church members are languishing in penury.
   The pastors counter this saying the tithe belongs to God. It is an injunction commanded by God. My friend on Facebook declared last week his total rejection of the Christian Church as it obtains in Nigeria. He said he he still a Christian but would not be going to church henceforth. He is particularly piqued by the attitude of the pastors in not returning tithe paid into the church coffers by fraudsters and looters of the people's commonwealth. He believes the pastor should return stolen monies paid as tithe back to the government or the rightful owners. Meanwhile, the pastors claim they have no authority over tithes already paid in. They should go to God to collect it.