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Wednesday, 19 August 2015

LAST week, President Mu­hammadu Buhari under­scored his commitment to the battle against corruption with the announcement that the prosecution of treasury looters would begin in a mat­ter of weeks. 
He also inaugu­rated a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corrup­tion to advise his government on the prosecution of the war against corruption, and ap­pointed prominent professor of law and civil rights activist, Prof. Itse Sagay, as its head.
A number of suspects are already being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption allegations, while a directive has been issued to the Ministries, De­partments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to remit all government revenue into a Treasury Single Account (TSA) to promote transpar­ency and probity in their operations.
We strongly commend the Federal Government for these promising first steps in the battle to free Nigeria from the ravages of corrup­tion.
THESE are, indeed, indications that the war against corruption has started in earnest, and we stand firmly with the president in what he has described as his irrevocable commitment to breaking the vicious cycle of corruption by putting suspected treasury looters on trial and recovering stolen public funds. His affirmation that Nigeria has to break the cycle of corruption before it can make progress is the bare truth, and we urge all Nigerians to support the government in this war to send a strong message that public corruption will no longer be tolerated in the country.

We condemn the insinuations in cer­tain quarters that the president’s fre­quent statements on his anti-corruption initiatives may distract him from gover­nance. We do not think they can. Cor­ruption is a serious crime that Nigeria needs to make a clean break with, as it has brought virtually all sectors of our national life to their knees. Infrastruc­ture, power supply, education, health, the economy and most other sectors in the country are gasping for life on ac­count of rabid treasury looting that has cost the country trillions of naira in the last five years, with $150 million of the loot said to be stashed in banks abroad.
Public sector workers are owed many months arrears of salaries, while many state governments can no longer fulfill their responsibilities in many areas, in­cluding payment of pensions. The time has, therefore, come for Nigerians to stand firm against corruption and be one with the new government in the ef­fort to reduce it to the barest minimum.
There are, indeed, no two ways about it. Nigeria must either kill corruption, or corruption will kill the country. The choice is ours, and it is a choice we must make now with President Muhammadu Buhari leading the way, to ensure that we will have a country to bequeath to our children.
It is, therefore, strange that the presi­dent’s statements on his plans to bring treasury looters to book have been ruffling feathers, with claims in some quarters that they are not in Nigeria’s best interest. The Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar-led National Committee on the Peaceful Elections, unfortunate­ly, lent its weight to this position last week when it visited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja. The Committee was reported to have counselled the Feder­al Government against “too much talk about the promised probe”. It said this was necessary so that the government would not “get distracted from the core business of governance on account of the probe”
It is important that all well-meaning Nigerians speak with one voice on the matter of corruption. There should be no breaking of ranks on the mat­ter, and we must never regard any talk about it as an unfruitful distraction.
Corruption is a big issue in the coun­try and we must all continue to talk about it, and also act on it, to send a strong signal to all public officers that it will no longer be tolerated in the polity. Not properly dealing with cor­ruption under the guise that it is a dis­traction will only encourage the pres­ent public officers to also loot public funds with impunity.
The prosecution of the war against corruption should not stop the govern­ment from implementing its change agenda in the country, as both activi­ties are not mutually exclusive. What is necessary, as the Peace Committee has also stated, is that the president must strictly adhere to the rule of law in his battle against graft.
As we have had occasion to state before, the battle against corruption must not be prosecuted in a way to suggest that it is a witch-hunt of any particular past or present public offi­cer. It must not also deliberately ex­clude any treasury looter, no matter how highly placed.
Billions of naira in public funds have been committed to sundry projects in many sectors of national life such as power, the railways, roads and other public infrastructure with very little to show for it. The probe should un­earth how the billions of naira were expended. Nigeria has severally been listed among the most corrupt nations in the world.
All hands must be on deck to cor­rect this perception. We must not cre­ate the impression it is necessary to slow down the president’s campaign against corruption.As Nigerians await the commencement of the prosecution of those who are suspected to have looted the treasury, we advise that the trials should be open, non-selective, fair, all-encompassing and targeted at recovering the looted sums.
News

Corruption: Let The Trials Begin

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

LAST week, President Mu­hammadu Buhari under­scored his commitment to the battle against corruption with the announcement that the prosecution of treasury looters would begin in a mat­ter of weeks. 
He also inaugu­rated a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corrup­tion to advise his government on the prosecution of the war against corruption, and ap­pointed prominent professor of law and civil rights activist, Prof. Itse Sagay, as its head.
A number of suspects are already being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption allegations, while a directive has been issued to the Ministries, De­partments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to remit all government revenue into a Treasury Single Account (TSA) to promote transpar­ency and probity in their operations.
We strongly commend the Federal Government for these promising first steps in the battle to free Nigeria from the ravages of corrup­tion.
THESE are, indeed, indications that the war against corruption has started in earnest, and we stand firmly with the president in what he has described as his irrevocable commitment to breaking the vicious cycle of corruption by putting suspected treasury looters on trial and recovering stolen public funds. His affirmation that Nigeria has to break the cycle of corruption before it can make progress is the bare truth, and we urge all Nigerians to support the government in this war to send a strong message that public corruption will no longer be tolerated in the country.

We condemn the insinuations in cer­tain quarters that the president’s fre­quent statements on his anti-corruption initiatives may distract him from gover­nance. We do not think they can. Cor­ruption is a serious crime that Nigeria needs to make a clean break with, as it has brought virtually all sectors of our national life to their knees. Infrastruc­ture, power supply, education, health, the economy and most other sectors in the country are gasping for life on ac­count of rabid treasury looting that has cost the country trillions of naira in the last five years, with $150 million of the loot said to be stashed in banks abroad.
Public sector workers are owed many months arrears of salaries, while many state governments can no longer fulfill their responsibilities in many areas, in­cluding payment of pensions. The time has, therefore, come for Nigerians to stand firm against corruption and be one with the new government in the ef­fort to reduce it to the barest minimum.
There are, indeed, no two ways about it. Nigeria must either kill corruption, or corruption will kill the country. The choice is ours, and it is a choice we must make now with President Muhammadu Buhari leading the way, to ensure that we will have a country to bequeath to our children.
It is, therefore, strange that the presi­dent’s statements on his plans to bring treasury looters to book have been ruffling feathers, with claims in some quarters that they are not in Nigeria’s best interest. The Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar-led National Committee on the Peaceful Elections, unfortunate­ly, lent its weight to this position last week when it visited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja. The Committee was reported to have counselled the Feder­al Government against “too much talk about the promised probe”. It said this was necessary so that the government would not “get distracted from the core business of governance on account of the probe”
It is important that all well-meaning Nigerians speak with one voice on the matter of corruption. There should be no breaking of ranks on the mat­ter, and we must never regard any talk about it as an unfruitful distraction.
Corruption is a big issue in the coun­try and we must all continue to talk about it, and also act on it, to send a strong signal to all public officers that it will no longer be tolerated in the polity. Not properly dealing with cor­ruption under the guise that it is a dis­traction will only encourage the pres­ent public officers to also loot public funds with impunity.
The prosecution of the war against corruption should not stop the govern­ment from implementing its change agenda in the country, as both activi­ties are not mutually exclusive. What is necessary, as the Peace Committee has also stated, is that the president must strictly adhere to the rule of law in his battle against graft.
As we have had occasion to state before, the battle against corruption must not be prosecuted in a way to suggest that it is a witch-hunt of any particular past or present public offi­cer. It must not also deliberately ex­clude any treasury looter, no matter how highly placed.
Billions of naira in public funds have been committed to sundry projects in many sectors of national life such as power, the railways, roads and other public infrastructure with very little to show for it. The probe should un­earth how the billions of naira were expended. Nigeria has severally been listed among the most corrupt nations in the world.
All hands must be on deck to cor­rect this perception. We must not cre­ate the impression it is necessary to slow down the president’s campaign against corruption.As Nigerians await the commencement of the prosecution of those who are suspected to have looted the treasury, we advise that the trials should be open, non-selective, fair, all-encompassing and targeted at recovering the looted sums.

15:54 Share:
The ongoing publication of the names of chronic bank debtors in some national dailies is generating debates, with opinions sharply divided on the benefits of the ‘naming and shaming’ campaign. Already, some of the named ‘debtors’ have strongly denied owing the banks and have threatened to sue the banks and newspapers that published their names for libel.
The publication of the debtors’ lists, which commenced last week in compliance with a directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), covered individual and corporate customers, as well as the directors of organisations which have defaulted in loan repayments for a period of at least one year. Penalties for such loan defaulters, the CBN circular dated April 22, 2015 said, will include the banning of such individual and corporate debtors from the official foreign exchange (forex) and government securities markets. Among the issues raised on this matter is whether the naming of the debtors has not infringed on the expected confidentiality in customer-banker relationships.
Another question pertains to the observance, or otherwise, of due diligence by the banks in their efforts to recover the bad loans. Some stakeholders have also been asking if this naming of serial bank debtors is, indeed, the best way to recover the loans.
The anxiety over increasing Non-performing Loans (NPLs) in the country is quite understandable. The volume of the bad debts, put at over N400 billion, informed the naming campaign, in the hope that it will force the debtors to either pay their debts, or enter into negotiations with the banks for the rescheduling of the facilities. It is clear that commercial banks in the country are facing numerous challenges. Already, half year results of many of them show weak profit growth amid a struggling economy.
Many of the affected banks have reported loan losses ranging between 239 percent and 449 percent. What this indicates is that the banks may exceed the CBN’s 5 percent maximum bad debt ratio, if the spiraling bad debts are not checked. The check is necessary if the debts are not to seriously affect the liquidity and solvency of the banks and, ultimately, the economy.
We recognise the fact that banks bear a certain degree of risk when they lend to their customers. But, this is not an excuse for debtors to fail to repay loans as agreed with their bankers. Failure to repay loans put banks in harm’s way and place shareholders’ funds at risk.  We, therefore, urge the debtors to make haste to either pay or negotiate the rescheduling of the loans to avoid the kind of situation that led to the sack of some bank chief executives and the takeover of their institutions by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2009.  Beyond this, it is necessary for the CBN to properly think out the ongoing publication of debtors’ names. The unintended fallout of the exercise, such as denials and threats of court action by some of the debtors, could cost some of the banks their high-profile customers.
The corporate image of the banks will also be negatively affected on account of their failure to ensure due diligence before publication. But, it remains a serious concern that, wittingly or unwittingly, the confidentiality which is the cutting-edge in customer-banker relationship has been irreparably damaged in the bid to “name and shame” the debtors.
This is because the success of any bank depends partly on customers’ confidence. In all the controversies that have trailed the ongoing publication of the lists of the debtors, we believe that the banks have a share in the blame.
Some of the banks have laissez-faire lending procedures that some customers may have taken advantage of. These include inattention to loan policies, overly generous loan terms and lack of clear standards, disregard of banks’ own policies and poor supervision of loan administration personnel. Other self-inflicted problems of the banks include lack of understanding of borrowers’ cash needs, poor systems for detecting potentially bad loans, and out-of-market lending.
All of these may have contributed to the rise in the credit losses, and the adverse consequences on the stability of the financial system. The question now, however, is what happens after the “naming and shaming” campaign. The due process of the law still needs to be followed to recover these loans. Going forward, there should be tighter administration of the lending process to reduce the incidence of bad loans. There ought to be written loan policies that must be strictly enforced, if the banks are not to collapse under the weight of delinquent facilities.
Henceforth, loan defaulters, especially corporate customers, should have their names sent to credit rating agencies, and blacklisted. Altogether, we advise the CBN and the banks to tread cautiously on the current exercise to avoid unintended consequences for the debtors, the banking industry and the economy.
News

Beyond The Naming of Chronic Bank Debtors

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

The ongoing publication of the names of chronic bank debtors in some national dailies is generating debates, with opinions sharply divided on the benefits of the ‘naming and shaming’ campaign. Already, some of the named ‘debtors’ have strongly denied owing the banks and have threatened to sue the banks and newspapers that published their names for libel.
The publication of the debtors’ lists, which commenced last week in compliance with a directive from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), covered individual and corporate customers, as well as the directors of organisations which have defaulted in loan repayments for a period of at least one year. Penalties for such loan defaulters, the CBN circular dated April 22, 2015 said, will include the banning of such individual and corporate debtors from the official foreign exchange (forex) and government securities markets. Among the issues raised on this matter is whether the naming of the debtors has not infringed on the expected confidentiality in customer-banker relationships.
Another question pertains to the observance, or otherwise, of due diligence by the banks in their efforts to recover the bad loans. Some stakeholders have also been asking if this naming of serial bank debtors is, indeed, the best way to recover the loans.
The anxiety over increasing Non-performing Loans (NPLs) in the country is quite understandable. The volume of the bad debts, put at over N400 billion, informed the naming campaign, in the hope that it will force the debtors to either pay their debts, or enter into negotiations with the banks for the rescheduling of the facilities. It is clear that commercial banks in the country are facing numerous challenges. Already, half year results of many of them show weak profit growth amid a struggling economy.
Many of the affected banks have reported loan losses ranging between 239 percent and 449 percent. What this indicates is that the banks may exceed the CBN’s 5 percent maximum bad debt ratio, if the spiraling bad debts are not checked. The check is necessary if the debts are not to seriously affect the liquidity and solvency of the banks and, ultimately, the economy.
We recognise the fact that banks bear a certain degree of risk when they lend to their customers. But, this is not an excuse for debtors to fail to repay loans as agreed with their bankers. Failure to repay loans put banks in harm’s way and place shareholders’ funds at risk.  We, therefore, urge the debtors to make haste to either pay or negotiate the rescheduling of the loans to avoid the kind of situation that led to the sack of some bank chief executives and the takeover of their institutions by the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) in 2009.  Beyond this, it is necessary for the CBN to properly think out the ongoing publication of debtors’ names. The unintended fallout of the exercise, such as denials and threats of court action by some of the debtors, could cost some of the banks their high-profile customers.
The corporate image of the banks will also be negatively affected on account of their failure to ensure due diligence before publication. But, it remains a serious concern that, wittingly or unwittingly, the confidentiality which is the cutting-edge in customer-banker relationship has been irreparably damaged in the bid to “name and shame” the debtors.
This is because the success of any bank depends partly on customers’ confidence. In all the controversies that have trailed the ongoing publication of the lists of the debtors, we believe that the banks have a share in the blame.
Some of the banks have laissez-faire lending procedures that some customers may have taken advantage of. These include inattention to loan policies, overly generous loan terms and lack of clear standards, disregard of banks’ own policies and poor supervision of loan administration personnel. Other self-inflicted problems of the banks include lack of understanding of borrowers’ cash needs, poor systems for detecting potentially bad loans, and out-of-market lending.
All of these may have contributed to the rise in the credit losses, and the adverse consequences on the stability of the financial system. The question now, however, is what happens after the “naming and shaming” campaign. The due process of the law still needs to be followed to recover these loans. Going forward, there should be tighter administration of the lending process to reduce the incidence of bad loans. There ought to be written loan policies that must be strictly enforced, if the banks are not to collapse under the weight of delinquent facilities.
Henceforth, loan defaulters, especially corporate customers, should have their names sent to credit rating agencies, and blacklisted. Altogether, we advise the CBN and the banks to tread cautiously on the current exercise to avoid unintended consequences for the debtors, the banking industry and the economy.

15:52 Share:
In spite of the general belief in the country that the biggest operator automatically calls the shots and oppresses other operators, Daily Sun’s findings indicates that there is more to size than meets the eye.
From the  NCC’s  Competition Practices Regulation(CPR), of 2007 “Dominance is a position of economic strength in one or more  specifically defined communications markets, such that, they have the ability to unilaterally restrict output, raise prices, reduce quality or otherwise act independently of competitors or consumers…”.
According to the NCC, Nigeria’s mobile voice market was not effectively competitive, and MTN designated a dominant operator (based on control of 44 per cent market share and possibility of “calling clubs”).  In fixed voice, there was a decline; no dominant operator was identified, while fixed data was also a nascent market, which no dominant operator was identified. There was no effectively competitive; no dominant operator identified in mobile data. While the upstream segment, which was said to be not effectively competitive; had Globacom and MTN designated as ‘joint dominant operators’ in the wholesale leased lines and transmission capacity sub‐segments. And downstream segment  – also had no dominance”. At the end of the 2013 study,  the NCC declared MTN a dominant operator because it had a market share of 44 per cent. NCC went ahead to declare MTN a dominant operator even though it only controlled about 20 per cent market share in the transmission market, while no other operator (some of whom had around 20 per cent) was declared as jointly dominant with MTN in the voice market.
Telecom experts note that unlike 2013, in 2009 when NCC did a similar study it painstakingly followed the NC/CPR procedure and relied on clear, open empiric data to find the market to be sufficiently competitive. MTN was not declared a dominant operator then, even though MTN had a market share of 41.2 per cent.
Naturally, dominance should come with both responsibilities and privileges, particularly because in Nigeria’s case, MTN and the other larger operators earned that status through active competition, and not due to any special treatment from the regulator. Daily Sun’s investigations however reveal that Nigeria’s dominant operator’s hands are tied most often owing to its dominance status.  This has resulted in making the dominant operator a sacrificial lamb for others to grow.
As stated by an official of the company who asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press, “The collapse of off-net/on-net differentials eliminated any ability to present flexible options to MTN’s customers. MTN tariffs automatically made more expensive than other networks. Only two tariffs were approved for over six months”.  The official  also noted that the “The characteristics of the Nigerian market with over 50 per cent multi-SIMing ratio made the obligations particularly destructive of MTN’s market competitiveness”. He also noted that when  telecoms umpire , Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), compelled MTN to introduce the flat tariff , and other operators were allowed to continue to offer flexible tariffs, no one complained about it, because it only affected the business interest of MTN. As the official noted, the impact of these measures were very hard on MTN because  Nigeria is one of the most price-sensitive markets and that any measure which denies a player of tariff flexibility automatically makes its services less competitive than its peers.
Speaking on MTN’s growth,  MTN’s Public Relations Manager, Mr. Funso Aina noted that “MTN gained its leadership position through very aggressive investments and active competition, starting at a time when few foreign investors had faith in Nigeria. According to him, “NCC itself acknowledged that through our robust network rollout, contributed to the leapfrog of telephone subscriber base from the paltry figure of 500,000 in 2001 to over 108 million as at December 2012”. And also that MTN “ painstakingly and deservedly earned ” its dominant position in the mobile voice segment of the Nigerian telecoms market.
However, industry experts consider the  obligations imposed on MTN rather unfair because they are the sort imposed on former national monopolies who gained market dominance as a result of reliance on government funding, public infrastructure, or other preferential treatment.
The experts also told Daily Sun  that dominance is not wrong in itself, and also that transitory factors may soon eliminate current dominance.  They noted that since  punishments can only be imposed when an operator declared dominant contravenes the regulations or carries out activities deemed to be an “abuse of its dominant position or an anti-competitive practice”, there is no need to penalize the dominant operator.  Corroborating this view, the unnamed MTN official noted that no finding of abuse was made against MTN – the “calling club effect” is a common practice on all networks. Detailed provisions for investigation of abuse in Ss. 10 &22 CPR and its schedule were not followed. It therefore appeared that the penalties were based on the unfair presumption that market size/”dominance” should be penalized. Industry experts note that this has effectively been rewarding market inefficiency to Nigeria’s detriment  because no investor will invest aggressively in the industry for fear of being penalized for success.
Experts therefore lauded the recent decision of the NCC to allow MTN 30 per cent, which they consider as a head start towards ensuring full competition, even though still discriminatory. They were therefore surprised when Etisalat took NCC and MTN to court  over this 30 per cent relief, claiming that it is a threat to its market growth and profitability. The MTN official called this a disturbing development since in his opinion, Etisalat had grown its market share by piggy-backing on the other operators and enjoying generous concessions from the NCC, such as the asymmetric interconnect rates which allowed it to pay much less interconnect charges to MTN and other operators.
Daily Sun made concerted efforts to contact NCC for clarification but this has so far proved abortive.
Efforts to also reach Etisalat’s Head of Corporate Communications, Chineze Amanfo on phone also proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
Online jobs to grow by $5bn in 2018
…As Nigerian youths get Etisalat’s back up
The Programme Manager, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Oluwatosin Abolaji,has explained that the digital jobs industry is estimated to grow globally to about $5 billion  by 2018, therefore it is important to expose the youth to opportunities in digital/online jobs.
According to him, PIN is a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youths with ICT-enabled opportunities.
Meanwhile, Etisalat Nigeria  has also drummed support for the initiative by tasking Nigerian youths to look beyond their current circumstance and break any limitation that may be standing between them and their dream.
Head, Marketing Communications, Etisalat Nigeria, Gerald Osugo, gave the advice when the Etisalat team visited and inspired a group of youths, who were undergoing Information Communication Technology (ICT) training at the Paradigm Initiative Network (PIN) Centre in Lagos, in commemoration of the 2015 United Nations International Youth Day last week.
He stressed that the rewards within the ICT space are remarkable. Noting that Etisalat has been at the forefront of youth empowerment by promoting initiatives that help them reach their full potential.
“Etisalat has developed several platforms that are geared towards adding value to the youth. Last year a young Nigerian won the Etisalat Prize for Innovation when he came up with an innovative ICT solution called Exammate which helps students to study for examinations,” he disclosed.
Glo Wi-Fi roaming facilities for subscribers 
Subscribers on the network of Globacom, will now enjoy Wi-Fi roaming facilities anytime they travel out of Nigerian shores.
In a press statement issued in Lagos  and endorsed by Globacom’s Chief Commercial Director, Mr. Ajay Mathur,  Glo Wi-Fi roaming service affords subscribers who travel outside the country the ultimate mobile internet experience in over 300,000 hotspots in 42 countries.
According to him, subscribers on  Glo prepaid and postpaid platforms are able to enjoy ultra fast Wi-Fi speeds on their mobile device or tablet in popular locations such as airports, hotels, restaurants, stadia and coffee shops in the countries where the offer is available.
“The Glo Wi-Fi roaming plans are like passes which grant our subscribers access to their favorite social media applications, websites or emails on any Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device or tablet. It automatically connects them to thousands of hotspots when they travel,” Mr. Mathur explained.
News

Dominance in The Telecoms industry, the Dilemma of Size

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

In spite of the general belief in the country that the biggest operator automatically calls the shots and oppresses other operators, Daily Sun’s findings indicates that there is more to size than meets the eye.
From the  NCC’s  Competition Practices Regulation(CPR), of 2007 “Dominance is a position of economic strength in one or more  specifically defined communications markets, such that, they have the ability to unilaterally restrict output, raise prices, reduce quality or otherwise act independently of competitors or consumers…”.
According to the NCC, Nigeria’s mobile voice market was not effectively competitive, and MTN designated a dominant operator (based on control of 44 per cent market share and possibility of “calling clubs”).  In fixed voice, there was a decline; no dominant operator was identified, while fixed data was also a nascent market, which no dominant operator was identified. There was no effectively competitive; no dominant operator identified in mobile data. While the upstream segment, which was said to be not effectively competitive; had Globacom and MTN designated as ‘joint dominant operators’ in the wholesale leased lines and transmission capacity sub‐segments. And downstream segment  – also had no dominance”. At the end of the 2013 study,  the NCC declared MTN a dominant operator because it had a market share of 44 per cent. NCC went ahead to declare MTN a dominant operator even though it only controlled about 20 per cent market share in the transmission market, while no other operator (some of whom had around 20 per cent) was declared as jointly dominant with MTN in the voice market.
Telecom experts note that unlike 2013, in 2009 when NCC did a similar study it painstakingly followed the NC/CPR procedure and relied on clear, open empiric data to find the market to be sufficiently competitive. MTN was not declared a dominant operator then, even though MTN had a market share of 41.2 per cent.
Naturally, dominance should come with both responsibilities and privileges, particularly because in Nigeria’s case, MTN and the other larger operators earned that status through active competition, and not due to any special treatment from the regulator. Daily Sun’s investigations however reveal that Nigeria’s dominant operator’s hands are tied most often owing to its dominance status.  This has resulted in making the dominant operator a sacrificial lamb for others to grow.
As stated by an official of the company who asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the press, “The collapse of off-net/on-net differentials eliminated any ability to present flexible options to MTN’s customers. MTN tariffs automatically made more expensive than other networks. Only two tariffs were approved for over six months”.  The official  also noted that the “The characteristics of the Nigerian market with over 50 per cent multi-SIMing ratio made the obligations particularly destructive of MTN’s market competitiveness”. He also noted that when  telecoms umpire , Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), compelled MTN to introduce the flat tariff , and other operators were allowed to continue to offer flexible tariffs, no one complained about it, because it only affected the business interest of MTN. As the official noted, the impact of these measures were very hard on MTN because  Nigeria is one of the most price-sensitive markets and that any measure which denies a player of tariff flexibility automatically makes its services less competitive than its peers.
Speaking on MTN’s growth,  MTN’s Public Relations Manager, Mr. Funso Aina noted that “MTN gained its leadership position through very aggressive investments and active competition, starting at a time when few foreign investors had faith in Nigeria. According to him, “NCC itself acknowledged that through our robust network rollout, contributed to the leapfrog of telephone subscriber base from the paltry figure of 500,000 in 2001 to over 108 million as at December 2012”. And also that MTN “ painstakingly and deservedly earned ” its dominant position in the mobile voice segment of the Nigerian telecoms market.
However, industry experts consider the  obligations imposed on MTN rather unfair because they are the sort imposed on former national monopolies who gained market dominance as a result of reliance on government funding, public infrastructure, or other preferential treatment.
The experts also told Daily Sun  that dominance is not wrong in itself, and also that transitory factors may soon eliminate current dominance.  They noted that since  punishments can only be imposed when an operator declared dominant contravenes the regulations or carries out activities deemed to be an “abuse of its dominant position or an anti-competitive practice”, there is no need to penalize the dominant operator.  Corroborating this view, the unnamed MTN official noted that no finding of abuse was made against MTN – the “calling club effect” is a common practice on all networks. Detailed provisions for investigation of abuse in Ss. 10 &22 CPR and its schedule were not followed. It therefore appeared that the penalties were based on the unfair presumption that market size/”dominance” should be penalized. Industry experts note that this has effectively been rewarding market inefficiency to Nigeria’s detriment  because no investor will invest aggressively in the industry for fear of being penalized for success.
Experts therefore lauded the recent decision of the NCC to allow MTN 30 per cent, which they consider as a head start towards ensuring full competition, even though still discriminatory. They were therefore surprised when Etisalat took NCC and MTN to court  over this 30 per cent relief, claiming that it is a threat to its market growth and profitability. The MTN official called this a disturbing development since in his opinion, Etisalat had grown its market share by piggy-backing on the other operators and enjoying generous concessions from the NCC, such as the asymmetric interconnect rates which allowed it to pay much less interconnect charges to MTN and other operators.
Daily Sun made concerted efforts to contact NCC for clarification but this has so far proved abortive.
Efforts to also reach Etisalat’s Head of Corporate Communications, Chineze Amanfo on phone also proved abortive as at the time of filing this report.
Online jobs to grow by $5bn in 2018
…As Nigerian youths get Etisalat’s back up
The Programme Manager, Paradigm Initiative Nigeria (PIN), Oluwatosin Abolaji,has explained that the digital jobs industry is estimated to grow globally to about $5 billion  by 2018, therefore it is important to expose the youth to opportunities in digital/online jobs.
According to him, PIN is a social enterprise that connects Nigerian youths with ICT-enabled opportunities.
Meanwhile, Etisalat Nigeria  has also drummed support for the initiative by tasking Nigerian youths to look beyond their current circumstance and break any limitation that may be standing between them and their dream.
Head, Marketing Communications, Etisalat Nigeria, Gerald Osugo, gave the advice when the Etisalat team visited and inspired a group of youths, who were undergoing Information Communication Technology (ICT) training at the Paradigm Initiative Network (PIN) Centre in Lagos, in commemoration of the 2015 United Nations International Youth Day last week.
He stressed that the rewards within the ICT space are remarkable. Noting that Etisalat has been at the forefront of youth empowerment by promoting initiatives that help them reach their full potential.
“Etisalat has developed several platforms that are geared towards adding value to the youth. Last year a young Nigerian won the Etisalat Prize for Innovation when he came up with an innovative ICT solution called Exammate which helps students to study for examinations,” he disclosed.
Glo Wi-Fi roaming facilities for subscribers 
Subscribers on the network of Globacom, will now enjoy Wi-Fi roaming facilities anytime they travel out of Nigerian shores.
In a press statement issued in Lagos  and endorsed by Globacom’s Chief Commercial Director, Mr. Ajay Mathur,  Glo Wi-Fi roaming service affords subscribers who travel outside the country the ultimate mobile internet experience in over 300,000 hotspots in 42 countries.
According to him, subscribers on  Glo prepaid and postpaid platforms are able to enjoy ultra fast Wi-Fi speeds on their mobile device or tablet in popular locations such as airports, hotels, restaurants, stadia and coffee shops in the countries where the offer is available.
“The Glo Wi-Fi roaming plans are like passes which grant our subscribers access to their favorite social media applications, websites or emails on any Wi-Fi-enabled mobile device or tablet. It automatically connects them to thousands of hotspots when they travel,” Mr. Mathur explained.

15:50 Share:
The recent appointment of ex-Super Eagles skipper, Sunday Oliseh, as the new coach of the national team is generating sundry reactions from keen followers of Nigerian football. The new coach replaces Stephen Keshi, who was sacked last week. Oliseh has a three-year contract under which he will earn N5 million a month.
While some football fans have hailed the appointment, and described it as the best for football in Nigeria considering the many reverses it has suffered in re­cent times, others are quick to point out that Oliseh is not the best man for the job. The handler of the national team during Oliseh’s days as a player, Clemens Wester­hof, a Dutch, has condemned the appoint­ment. He, among other things, said that the new coach lacks the capacity and ex­perience to manage the team.
Despite the criticisms of Oliseh’s ap­pointment, it will be recalled that he coached in the Belgium lower tier between 2008 and 2009. He is a holder of UEFA’s Pro Licence coaching qualification and a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group. Besides, Oliseh demonstrated a deep knowledge of football during his var­ious appearances on Supersport, a cable television network.
The new coach is passionate about Ni­gerian football and has come up with fresh ideas on how to raise the standard of the game in Nigeria. He appears to have sound technical knowledge on how best to improve the dwindling fortunes of foot­ball in the country. It is good that he has been given a chance to prove his mettle in this regard, and we urge him to live up to the expectation of Nigerians.
We congratulate Oliseh on his appoint­ment and advise him to learn from his predecessor’s mistakes. He should try to improve on Keshi’s achievements. It will also be in his interest to avoid the mistakes that led to Keshi’s sack, which are clear­ly far beyond his rumoured search for a coaching job in Cote d’Ivoire.
Oliseh should also be mindful of the politics of Nigeria’s football house and the intrigues that can sometimes be frus­trating for even the best coaches. Nigeria has a long history of hiring and firing of coaches, foreign and indigenous. How­ever, the erstwhile strident clamour for a foreign coach is ebbing, and Oliseh should do all he can to demonstrate that he is up to the task.
Oliseh is coming to manage the national team at an auspicious time that the for­tunes of the team have plummeted. The task before him is, indeed, enormous. This is a period that discipline is at a low ebb and calls for national assignments are no longer taken seriously.
The first assignment before Oliseh is to map out workable strategies for building a formidable national team. He should strive to build a team that can instill fear in our opponents and triumph over them on the field.
We need a team with players who are hungry for success and ready to do what is required to win laurels for the country. We need a team that will inspire interest, hope and confidence each time it is on the pitch.
For some time now, our football has been predictable, especially with regard to avoidable defeats and humiliations. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). It did not advance beyond the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
If Oliseh must succeed, he should, be­yond fielding players in top leagues abroad, look for talents wherever they are and give them opportunity to wear the national colours. Local talents should not be excluded from his searchlight. There is no doubt that there are talented foot­ballers in all parts of the country. What is required to bring them out is a diligent and rigorous search, and good training to blend them into the national team.
But, Oliseh cannot do this alone. He re­quires the assistance of a sound technical crew. He needs a good psychologist who can motivate the players and psych them up for football glory. He also requires good football administrators who will ca­ter for the needs of the players in camp and at tournaments. We have had cases of unpaid match bonuses and other aber­rations in the past. This should no longer be so. We will also like to see a reduction of the meddlesomeness of officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in the running of our football. Their interference in the choice of players and other similar decisions contributed immensely to the ruination of the game in Nigeria.
We wish Oliseh a successful tenure as he strives to bring football glory back to the country.
News

Sunday Oliseh And The Future of Nigerian Football

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

The recent appointment of ex-Super Eagles skipper, Sunday Oliseh, as the new coach of the national team is generating sundry reactions from keen followers of Nigerian football. The new coach replaces Stephen Keshi, who was sacked last week. Oliseh has a three-year contract under which he will earn N5 million a month.
While some football fans have hailed the appointment, and described it as the best for football in Nigeria considering the many reverses it has suffered in re­cent times, others are quick to point out that Oliseh is not the best man for the job. The handler of the national team during Oliseh’s days as a player, Clemens Wester­hof, a Dutch, has condemned the appoint­ment. He, among other things, said that the new coach lacks the capacity and ex­perience to manage the team.
Despite the criticisms of Oliseh’s ap­pointment, it will be recalled that he coached in the Belgium lower tier between 2008 and 2009. He is a holder of UEFA’s Pro Licence coaching qualification and a member of FIFA’s Technical Study Group. Besides, Oliseh demonstrated a deep knowledge of football during his var­ious appearances on Supersport, a cable television network.
The new coach is passionate about Ni­gerian football and has come up with fresh ideas on how to raise the standard of the game in Nigeria. He appears to have sound technical knowledge on how best to improve the dwindling fortunes of foot­ball in the country. It is good that he has been given a chance to prove his mettle in this regard, and we urge him to live up to the expectation of Nigerians.
We congratulate Oliseh on his appoint­ment and advise him to learn from his predecessor’s mistakes. He should try to improve on Keshi’s achievements. It will also be in his interest to avoid the mistakes that led to Keshi’s sack, which are clear­ly far beyond his rumoured search for a coaching job in Cote d’Ivoire.
Oliseh should also be mindful of the politics of Nigeria’s football house and the intrigues that can sometimes be frus­trating for even the best coaches. Nigeria has a long history of hiring and firing of coaches, foreign and indigenous. How­ever, the erstwhile strident clamour for a foreign coach is ebbing, and Oliseh should do all he can to demonstrate that he is up to the task.
Oliseh is coming to manage the national team at an auspicious time that the for­tunes of the team have plummeted. The task before him is, indeed, enormous. This is a period that discipline is at a low ebb and calls for national assignments are no longer taken seriously.
The first assignment before Oliseh is to map out workable strategies for building a formidable national team. He should strive to build a team that can instill fear in our opponents and triumph over them on the field.
We need a team with players who are hungry for success and ready to do what is required to win laurels for the country. We need a team that will inspire interest, hope and confidence each time it is on the pitch.
For some time now, our football has been predictable, especially with regard to avoidable defeats and humiliations. The Super Eagles did not qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations (AFCON). It did not advance beyond the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
If Oliseh must succeed, he should, be­yond fielding players in top leagues abroad, look for talents wherever they are and give them opportunity to wear the national colours. Local talents should not be excluded from his searchlight. There is no doubt that there are talented foot­ballers in all parts of the country. What is required to bring them out is a diligent and rigorous search, and good training to blend them into the national team.
But, Oliseh cannot do this alone. He re­quires the assistance of a sound technical crew. He needs a good psychologist who can motivate the players and psych them up for football glory. He also requires good football administrators who will ca­ter for the needs of the players in camp and at tournaments. We have had cases of unpaid match bonuses and other aber­rations in the past. This should no longer be so. We will also like to see a reduction of the meddlesomeness of officials of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) in the running of our football. Their interference in the choice of players and other similar decisions contributed immensely to the ruination of the game in Nigeria.
We wish Oliseh a successful tenure as he strives to bring football glory back to the country.

15:40 Share:
The resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to deal with political assassinations and kidnappings in the country can hardly be questioned. Right through the campaigns that brought him to office, he had consistently maintained that all political assassinations and other such serious offences committed for political gain would not go unpunished. It is, therefore, not surprising that he restated this resolve at a recent meeting with state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nigeria’s history since independence is replete with unsolved political murders. Successive governments have appeared helpless in the face of growing numbers of politically-motivated killings. If they were not outright complicit, then they clearly lacked the political will to solve the murders and bring their perpetrators to justice.
Fortunately, the prosecution of any crime, especially crimes against the state, is not statute-bound. So, no matter how long ago some of these murders were committed, the cases can be re-opened. But, how far back do we expect the present administration to go in these investigations? Reading President Buhari’s body language so far, he may be ready to go as far back as evidence can be available. He is not one to be daunted by personal, filial or political considerations. His life-long career has been one of personal discipline and impeachable integrity. This is partly what has been lacking in the investigation of these cases, and we believe that he will deliver on his resolve.
Our laws, whether the Criminal Code Act (2004) or the Penal Code Act (2004), frown at such criminal acts. Many of them were not diligently investigated because of lack of political will to do so. From what Buhari has said, it does seem that there will no more be a hiding place for criminal elements on the nation’s political landscape. The police may have tried to solve some of these politically-motivated murders in the past, but because of the high-profile nature of some of them, political interests and interference may have gotten in the way. Now is the time to crack these murder cases that have troubled us for so long.
The list of these political murders is not exhaustive. But, it includes Chief Bola Ige, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation in the administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Others are Chief Alfred Rewane, Funso Williams, Harry Marshall, Ogbonnaya Uche and his wife. The failure to bring the killers of these people to justice may have strengthened the hands of other political killers in the just-concluded 2015 general elections.
Yet, the place of peaceful and credible elections in the sustenance of our democratic project cannot be over-emphasised. All of these murders must be solved for the good of our country and people. Many families have been deprived of their breadwinners and loved ones for no other crime than having a different political opinion. Such crimes against the state must be unraveled and punished.
To achieve this objective, President Buhari will need the cooperation of the relevant bodies and agencies. The National Assembly must stand firmly with him in this resolve to solve and deal with political murders. Where the laws are found to be inadequate and vague, they must be strengthened and clarified. The 8th National Assembly must be mindful of the apprehension in the polity that the crisis attending the emergence of its principal officers and its inability to resolve it may indicate its unwillingness to make a clean break with the past and put the nation first in its deliberations.
The judiciary must stand up to be counted too. It must take some responsibility for the present state of affairs. When both the Bench and Bar seemingly connive to shield suspects, and stall judicial processes that could lead to a quick resolution of high profile crimes, they are inadvertently empowering criminal elements in the society. The time has come to do away with our old and unhelpful ways, and embrace the positive change mantra of the present administration.
Our security personnel, especially the police, should also play their part in Buhari’s plan to deal with political offenders. Our security personnel have consistently come back with laurels and distinctions from engagements abroad, so the problem cannot be a lack of ability. Now that Nigeria appears to have found the leadership to do things differently, the police should not be a clog in the wheel of progress.
Whatever is required to motivate the police should be provided for them so that they can resolve political assassinations and kidnappings in the country, and consign them to the past.
Going forward, the police must be strengthened and re-oriented towards preemptive and proactive crime detection. An alert police force should be able to sniff out some of these crimes before they are committed. To succeed in this assignment, the president will need the support of his cabinet and a conscientious Attorney-General.
What will be required after the identification of suspects will be their diligent prosecution to bring a closure to the cases. In this assignment, there should be no sacred cows and no grounds left uncovered.
News

The Plan to Probe Political Murders

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

The resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to deal with political assassinations and kidnappings in the country can hardly be questioned. Right through the campaigns that brought him to office, he had consistently maintained that all political assassinations and other such serious offences committed for political gain would not go unpunished. It is, therefore, not surprising that he restated this resolve at a recent meeting with state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nigeria’s history since independence is replete with unsolved political murders. Successive governments have appeared helpless in the face of growing numbers of politically-motivated killings. If they were not outright complicit, then they clearly lacked the political will to solve the murders and bring their perpetrators to justice.
Fortunately, the prosecution of any crime, especially crimes against the state, is not statute-bound. So, no matter how long ago some of these murders were committed, the cases can be re-opened. But, how far back do we expect the present administration to go in these investigations? Reading President Buhari’s body language so far, he may be ready to go as far back as evidence can be available. He is not one to be daunted by personal, filial or political considerations. His life-long career has been one of personal discipline and impeachable integrity. This is partly what has been lacking in the investigation of these cases, and we believe that he will deliver on his resolve.
Our laws, whether the Criminal Code Act (2004) or the Penal Code Act (2004), frown at such criminal acts. Many of them were not diligently investigated because of lack of political will to do so. From what Buhari has said, it does seem that there will no more be a hiding place for criminal elements on the nation’s political landscape. The police may have tried to solve some of these politically-motivated murders in the past, but because of the high-profile nature of some of them, political interests and interference may have gotten in the way. Now is the time to crack these murder cases that have troubled us for so long.
The list of these political murders is not exhaustive. But, it includes Chief Bola Ige, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation in the administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Others are Chief Alfred Rewane, Funso Williams, Harry Marshall, Ogbonnaya Uche and his wife. The failure to bring the killers of these people to justice may have strengthened the hands of other political killers in the just-concluded 2015 general elections.
Yet, the place of peaceful and credible elections in the sustenance of our democratic project cannot be over-emphasised. All of these murders must be solved for the good of our country and people. Many families have been deprived of their breadwinners and loved ones for no other crime than having a different political opinion. Such crimes against the state must be unraveled and punished.
To achieve this objective, President Buhari will need the cooperation of the relevant bodies and agencies. The National Assembly must stand firmly with him in this resolve to solve and deal with political murders. Where the laws are found to be inadequate and vague, they must be strengthened and clarified. The 8th National Assembly must be mindful of the apprehension in the polity that the crisis attending the emergence of its principal officers and its inability to resolve it may indicate its unwillingness to make a clean break with the past and put the nation first in its deliberations.
The judiciary must stand up to be counted too. It must take some responsibility for the present state of affairs. When both the Bench and Bar seemingly connive to shield suspects, and stall judicial processes that could lead to a quick resolution of high profile crimes, they are inadvertently empowering criminal elements in the society. The time has come to do away with our old and unhelpful ways, and embrace the positive change mantra of the present administration.
Our security personnel, especially the police, should also play their part in Buhari’s plan to deal with political offenders. Our security personnel have consistently come back with laurels and distinctions from engagements abroad, so the problem cannot be a lack of ability. Now that Nigeria appears to have found the leadership to do things differently, the police should not be a clog in the wheel of progress.
Whatever is required to motivate the police should be provided for them so that they can resolve political assassinations and kidnappings in the country, and consign them to the past.
Going forward, the police must be strengthened and re-oriented towards preemptive and proactive crime detection. An alert police force should be able to sniff out some of these crimes before they are committed. To succeed in this assignment, the president will need the support of his cabinet and a conscientious Attorney-General.
What will be required after the identification of suspects will be their diligent prosecution to bring a closure to the cases. In this assignment, there should be no sacred cows and no grounds left uncovered.

15:38 Share:
CONTROVERSY continues to trail the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC), Mrs. Amina Za­kari. Many political analysts insist that her reappointment did not follow the provisions in the constitution.
There is a consensus among those in this school of thought that the tenure of the acting chairman, Mrs. Bala Zakari expired midnight, July 21.
Under section 155(1) (c ) of the constitution, the duration of the office of both national and resident INEC commissioners is five years. The implication of this is that Zakari’s tenure ended July 21, 2015 at midnight and is expected to vacate office except she is re-appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in consultation with the Council of States and subject to the confirmation of the Senate. In the first instance, her appointment as a national commissioner was made in consultation with the National Council of State and was confirmed by the Senate and her appointment which is a five-year tenure ended on July, 2015. On June 30, 2015, President Buhari appointed Zakari as Acting Chairman of INEC following the expiration of the tenure of Attahiru Jega, its immedi­ate past chairman. He wrote a letter through the Head of Service which announced the termination of her tenure and her subsequent appointment. This action has generated a lot of controversy and many have questioned President Buhari’s action since the purported termination did not follow laid down constitu­tional provisions.
The procedure for the appointment of a chairman of the electoral body is duly laid out in section 157 (1) of the constitution. The section states that, “Subject to the provisions of the subsection (3) of this section, a person holding any of the offices to which this section applies may only be removed from that office by the President acting on an address sup­ported by two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any cause) or for miscon­duct.”
Even though the presidency and even Zakari herself have insisted that her appointment followed due process, critical observers argue that none of the laid down provisions in the constitution were fol­lowed and that the contin­ued stay of Zakari in office has put a question mark on President Buhari’s pledge to uphold the rule of law.
A similar case recently came up in Lagos and it involved the Head of Service of the state, Mrs. Folashade Jaji who, acting on a direc­tive from Governor Baba­tunde Fashola, renewed the tenure of five members of the judicial council without approval from the Lagos State House of Assembly. The constitutional provi­sion for the appointment of members of the judicial commission indicates that the renewal of the tenure of any member of the constitution is subject to approval by the Lagos Assembly. The process of reappointment of five members of the commission was not followed according to the constitution and Jaji was summoned by the state lawmakers to explain her actions. When she appeared on the floor of the Assembly, the speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, pointedly told her that it was the prerogative of the Assem­bly to approve the reappoint­ment of any member of the commission. Jaji was told that she erred in that regard and she apologized.
Lawyer and public affairs analyst, Martins Agoziem believes that for a position as sensitive as that of the chairman of the electoral commission, there should not arise issues bordering on constitutionality. He said that if the constitutional issues are not addressed, President Buhari would be laying a bad precedence if he clearly disregards the procedure laid down by the constitution in appointing the commission’s chairman.
“This issue should not be treated with levity because President Buhari belongs to a particular party. There are procedures laid down on the constitution that should be followed in appointing the chairman of a sensitive commission like INEC. If he disregards those provi­sions, he would be sending the wrong signals and many would believe that there is an agenda which she is meant to achieve for the President and his party. If such an issue is not addressed, the Presi­dent would be setting a bad precedent, so it would be in his best interest to obey the provisions in the constitu­tion” he said.
Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun Olu Adegboruwa insists that Zakari’s appointment was unconstitutional in the first place because there is no provision in the constitu­tion for an acting chairman, insisting that she must vacate the office.
In an interview with Daily Sun, he stated that Zakari’s continued stay in office without following due pro­cess amounts to a breach of sections 153 and 154 of the constitution.
According to him, “The tenure of Mrs. Bala Zakari expired by 12 midnight on July 21 and her continued stay in office would amount to a breach of the consti­tution. Since she has not vacated the office, we have filed a case against her at the Federal High Court asking her to vacate office and the court to restrain her from supervising or organising any elections in Nigeria especial­ly the governorship elections of Kogi and Bayelsa States. Mrs. Zakari is occupying that office illegally. The constitu­tion does not recognise the title of acting chairman of INEC either in section 153 or 154.
“The constitution states that INEC is different from all other agencies of the government and because the word ‘independent’ is added to its name, it has been given the power to carry out its own procedures without interference from the Federal Government. It is because of that independence that the past INEC chairman handed over to a senior commis­sioner before he left, expect­ing the President to appoint a substantive chairman.
“There are two reasons why Zakari cannot be re-appointed as chairman. The first is that her tenure has ex­pired. For you to be a chair­man, you must be a member of INEC either as a national commissioner or a resident commissioner. The mode of appointment of the chair­man is provided for, under section 154 (1) and (2) of the constitution which says the President, in exercising his power to appoint the chair­man or members of INEC shall consult the Council of State and such appointment shall be subject to confirma­tion by the Senate. Therefore, for her tenure to be renewed, these provisions have to be followed. But none of that has been done.
“But if it is eventually done, the question of Zakari’s neutrality then comes into play. She has a relationship with the President and Gov­ernor Nasir El-Rufai of Ka­duna State. The contention in many quarters is that the like­lihood of being influenced and the conflict of interests disqualify her. Those against her reappointment reason that PMB and El-rufai are entitled to a second term in office and may take part in an election that she’ll supervise. Also, they are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), so there is bound to be a conflict of interest. The contention is that for any free and fair election to take place, the umpire should not have any form of relationship with any political party likely to take part in an election. Unfortunately, Zakari is close to PMB and El-rufai who are members of the APC, so the likelihood of bias when she conducts any election is very high.”
News

Appointment of INEC Acting chair: Matters arising

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

CONTROVERSY continues to trail the appointment of the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commis­sion (INEC), Mrs. Amina Za­kari. Many political analysts insist that her reappointment did not follow the provisions in the constitution.
There is a consensus among those in this school of thought that the tenure of the acting chairman, Mrs. Bala Zakari expired midnight, July 21.
Under section 155(1) (c ) of the constitution, the duration of the office of both national and resident INEC commissioners is five years. The implication of this is that Zakari’s tenure ended July 21, 2015 at midnight and is expected to vacate office except she is re-appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari in consultation with the Council of States and subject to the confirmation of the Senate. In the first instance, her appointment as a national commissioner was made in consultation with the National Council of State and was confirmed by the Senate and her appointment which is a five-year tenure ended on July, 2015. On June 30, 2015, President Buhari appointed Zakari as Acting Chairman of INEC following the expiration of the tenure of Attahiru Jega, its immedi­ate past chairman. He wrote a letter through the Head of Service which announced the termination of her tenure and her subsequent appointment. This action has generated a lot of controversy and many have questioned President Buhari’s action since the purported termination did not follow laid down constitu­tional provisions.
The procedure for the appointment of a chairman of the electoral body is duly laid out in section 157 (1) of the constitution. The section states that, “Subject to the provisions of the subsection (3) of this section, a person holding any of the offices to which this section applies may only be removed from that office by the President acting on an address sup­ported by two-thirds majority of the Senate praying that he be so removed for inability to discharge the functions of the office (whether arising from infirmity of mind or body or any cause) or for miscon­duct.”
Even though the presidency and even Zakari herself have insisted that her appointment followed due process, critical observers argue that none of the laid down provisions in the constitution were fol­lowed and that the contin­ued stay of Zakari in office has put a question mark on President Buhari’s pledge to uphold the rule of law.
A similar case recently came up in Lagos and it involved the Head of Service of the state, Mrs. Folashade Jaji who, acting on a direc­tive from Governor Baba­tunde Fashola, renewed the tenure of five members of the judicial council without approval from the Lagos State House of Assembly. The constitutional provi­sion for the appointment of members of the judicial commission indicates that the renewal of the tenure of any member of the constitution is subject to approval by the Lagos Assembly. The process of reappointment of five members of the commission was not followed according to the constitution and Jaji was summoned by the state lawmakers to explain her actions. When she appeared on the floor of the Assembly, the speaker of the House of Assembly, Mudashiru Obasa, pointedly told her that it was the prerogative of the Assem­bly to approve the reappoint­ment of any member of the commission. Jaji was told that she erred in that regard and she apologized.
Lawyer and public affairs analyst, Martins Agoziem believes that for a position as sensitive as that of the chairman of the electoral commission, there should not arise issues bordering on constitutionality. He said that if the constitutional issues are not addressed, President Buhari would be laying a bad precedence if he clearly disregards the procedure laid down by the constitution in appointing the commission’s chairman.
“This issue should not be treated with levity because President Buhari belongs to a particular party. There are procedures laid down on the constitution that should be followed in appointing the chairman of a sensitive commission like INEC. If he disregards those provi­sions, he would be sending the wrong signals and many would believe that there is an agenda which she is meant to achieve for the President and his party. If such an issue is not addressed, the Presi­dent would be setting a bad precedent, so it would be in his best interest to obey the provisions in the constitu­tion” he said.
Constitutional lawyer and human rights activist, Ebun Olu Adegboruwa insists that Zakari’s appointment was unconstitutional in the first place because there is no provision in the constitu­tion for an acting chairman, insisting that she must vacate the office.
In an interview with Daily Sun, he stated that Zakari’s continued stay in office without following due pro­cess amounts to a breach of sections 153 and 154 of the constitution.
According to him, “The tenure of Mrs. Bala Zakari expired by 12 midnight on July 21 and her continued stay in office would amount to a breach of the consti­tution. Since she has not vacated the office, we have filed a case against her at the Federal High Court asking her to vacate office and the court to restrain her from supervising or organising any elections in Nigeria especial­ly the governorship elections of Kogi and Bayelsa States. Mrs. Zakari is occupying that office illegally. The constitu­tion does not recognise the title of acting chairman of INEC either in section 153 or 154.
“The constitution states that INEC is different from all other agencies of the government and because the word ‘independent’ is added to its name, it has been given the power to carry out its own procedures without interference from the Federal Government. It is because of that independence that the past INEC chairman handed over to a senior commis­sioner before he left, expect­ing the President to appoint a substantive chairman.
“There are two reasons why Zakari cannot be re-appointed as chairman. The first is that her tenure has ex­pired. For you to be a chair­man, you must be a member of INEC either as a national commissioner or a resident commissioner. The mode of appointment of the chair­man is provided for, under section 154 (1) and (2) of the constitution which says the President, in exercising his power to appoint the chair­man or members of INEC shall consult the Council of State and such appointment shall be subject to confirma­tion by the Senate. Therefore, for her tenure to be renewed, these provisions have to be followed. But none of that has been done.
“But if it is eventually done, the question of Zakari’s neutrality then comes into play. She has a relationship with the President and Gov­ernor Nasir El-Rufai of Ka­duna State. The contention in many quarters is that the like­lihood of being influenced and the conflict of interests disqualify her. Those against her reappointment reason that PMB and El-rufai are entitled to a second term in office and may take part in an election that she’ll supervise. Also, they are members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), so there is bound to be a conflict of interest. The contention is that for any free and fair election to take place, the umpire should not have any form of relationship with any political party likely to take part in an election. Unfortunately, Zakari is close to PMB and El-rufai who are members of the APC, so the likelihood of bias when she conducts any election is very high.”

15:35 Share:

Monday, 17 August 2015

The resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to deal with political assassinations and kidnappings in the country can hardly be questioned. 
Right through the campaigns that brought him to office, he had consistently maintained that all political assassinations and other such serious offences committed for political gain would not go unpunished. It is, therefore, not surprising that he restated this resolve at a recent meeting with state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nigeria’s history since independence is replete with unsolved political murders. Successive governments have appeared helpless in the face of growing numbers of politically-motivated killings. If they were not outright complicit, then they clearly lacked the political will to solve the murders and bring their perpetrators to justice.
Fortunately, the prosecution of any crime, especially crimes against the state, is not statute-bound. So, no matter how long ago some of these murders were committed, the cases can be re-opened. But, how far back do we expect the present administration to go in these investigations? Reading President Buhari’s body language so far, he may be ready to go as far back as evidence can be available. He is not one to be daunted by personal, filial or political considerations. His life-long career has been one of personal discipline and impeachable integrity. This is partly what has been lacking in the investigation of these cases, and we believe that he will deliver on his resolve.
Our laws, whether the Criminal Code Act (2004) or the Penal Code Act (2004), frown at such criminal acts. Many of them were not diligently investigated because of lack of political will to do so. From what Buhari has said, it does seem that there will no more be a hiding place for criminal elements on the nation’s political landscape. The police may have tried to solve some of these politically-motivated murders in the past, but because of the high-profile nature of some of them, political interests and interference may have gotten in the way. Now is the time to crack these murder cases that have troubled us for so long.
The list of these political murders is not exhaustive. But, it includes Chief Bola Ige, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation in the administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Others are Chief Alfred Rewane, Funso Williams, Harry Marshall, Ogbonnaya Uche and his wife. The failure to bring the killers of these people to justice may have strengthened the hands of other political killers in the just-concluded 2015 general elections.
Yet, the place of peaceful and credible elections in the sustenance of our democratic project cannot be over-emphasised. All of these murders must be solved for the good of our country and people. Many families have been deprived of their breadwinners and loved ones for no other crime than having a different political opinion. Such crimes against the state must be unraveled and punished.
To achieve this objective, President Buhari will need the cooperation of the relevant bodies and agencies. The National Assembly must stand firmly with him in this resolve to solve and deal with political murders. Where the laws are found to be inadequate and vague, they must be strengthened and clarified. The 8th National Assembly must be mindful of the apprehension in the polity that the crisis attending the emergence of its principal officers and its inability to resolve it may indicate its unwillingness to make a clean break with the past and put the nation first in its deliberations.
The judiciary must stand up to be counted too. It must take some responsibility for the present state of affairs. When both the Bench and Bar seemingly connive to shield suspects, and stall judicial processes that could lead to a quick resolution of high profile crimes, they are inadvertently empowering criminal elements in the society. The time has come to do away with our old and unhelpful ways, and embrace the positive change mantra of the present administration.
Our security personnel, especially the police, should also play their part in Buhari’s plan to deal with political offenders. Our security personnel have consistently come back with laurels and distinctions from engagements abroad, so the problem cannot be a lack of ability. Now that Nigeria appears to have found the leadership to do things differently, the police should not be a clog in the wheel of progress.
Whatever is required to motivate the police should be provided for them so that they can resolve political assassinations and kidnappings in the country, and consign them to the past.
Going forward, the police must be strengthened and re-oriented towards preemptive and proactive crime detection. An alert police force should be able to sniff out some of these crimes before they are committed. To succeed in this assignment, the president will need the support of his cabinet and a conscientious Attorney-General.
What will be required after the identification of suspects will be their diligent prosecution to bring a closure to the cases. In this assignment, there should be no sacred cows and no grounds left uncovered.
News

The plan to probe political murders

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

The resolve of the Muhammadu Buhari administration to deal with political assassinations and kidnappings in the country can hardly be questioned. 
Right through the campaigns that brought him to office, he had consistently maintained that all political assassinations and other such serious offences committed for political gain would not go unpunished. It is, therefore, not surprising that he restated this resolve at a recent meeting with state chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Nigeria’s history since independence is replete with unsolved political murders. Successive governments have appeared helpless in the face of growing numbers of politically-motivated killings. If they were not outright complicit, then they clearly lacked the political will to solve the murders and bring their perpetrators to justice.
Fortunately, the prosecution of any crime, especially crimes against the state, is not statute-bound. So, no matter how long ago some of these murders were committed, the cases can be re-opened. But, how far back do we expect the present administration to go in these investigations? Reading President Buhari’s body language so far, he may be ready to go as far back as evidence can be available. He is not one to be daunted by personal, filial or political considerations. His life-long career has been one of personal discipline and impeachable integrity. This is partly what has been lacking in the investigation of these cases, and we believe that he will deliver on his resolve.
Our laws, whether the Criminal Code Act (2004) or the Penal Code Act (2004), frown at such criminal acts. Many of them were not diligently investigated because of lack of political will to do so. From what Buhari has said, it does seem that there will no more be a hiding place for criminal elements on the nation’s political landscape. The police may have tried to solve some of these politically-motivated murders in the past, but because of the high-profile nature of some of them, political interests and interference may have gotten in the way. Now is the time to crack these murder cases that have troubled us for so long.
The list of these political murders is not exhaustive. But, it includes Chief Bola Ige, Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation in the administration of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Others are Chief Alfred Rewane, Funso Williams, Harry Marshall, Ogbonnaya Uche and his wife. The failure to bring the killers of these people to justice may have strengthened the hands of other political killers in the just-concluded 2015 general elections.
Yet, the place of peaceful and credible elections in the sustenance of our democratic project cannot be over-emphasised. All of these murders must be solved for the good of our country and people. Many families have been deprived of their breadwinners and loved ones for no other crime than having a different political opinion. Such crimes against the state must be unraveled and punished.
To achieve this objective, President Buhari will need the cooperation of the relevant bodies and agencies. The National Assembly must stand firmly with him in this resolve to solve and deal with political murders. Where the laws are found to be inadequate and vague, they must be strengthened and clarified. The 8th National Assembly must be mindful of the apprehension in the polity that the crisis attending the emergence of its principal officers and its inability to resolve it may indicate its unwillingness to make a clean break with the past and put the nation first in its deliberations.
The judiciary must stand up to be counted too. It must take some responsibility for the present state of affairs. When both the Bench and Bar seemingly connive to shield suspects, and stall judicial processes that could lead to a quick resolution of high profile crimes, they are inadvertently empowering criminal elements in the society. The time has come to do away with our old and unhelpful ways, and embrace the positive change mantra of the present administration.
Our security personnel, especially the police, should also play their part in Buhari’s plan to deal with political offenders. Our security personnel have consistently come back with laurels and distinctions from engagements abroad, so the problem cannot be a lack of ability. Now that Nigeria appears to have found the leadership to do things differently, the police should not be a clog in the wheel of progress.
Whatever is required to motivate the police should be provided for them so that they can resolve political assassinations and kidnappings in the country, and consign them to the past.
Going forward, the police must be strengthened and re-oriented towards preemptive and proactive crime detection. An alert police force should be able to sniff out some of these crimes before they are committed. To succeed in this assignment, the president will need the support of his cabinet and a conscientious Attorney-General.
What will be required after the identification of suspects will be their diligent prosecution to bring a closure to the cases. In this assignment, there should be no sacred cows and no grounds left uncovered.

16:26 Share:
LAST week, President Mu­hammadu Buhari under­scored his commitment to the battle against corruption with the announcement that the prosecution of treasury looters would begin in a mat­ter of weeks. He also inaugu­rated a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corrup­tion to advise his government on the prosecution of the war against corruption, and ap­pointed prominent professor of law and civil rights activist, Prof. Itse Sagay, as its head.
A number of suspects are already being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption allegations, while a directive has been issued to the Ministries, De­partments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to remit all government revenue into a Treasury Single Account (TSA) to promote transpar­ency and probity in their operations.
We strongly commend the Federal Government for these promising first steps in the battle to free Nigeria from the ravages of corrup­tion.
THESE are, indeed, indications that the war against corruption has started in earnest, and we stand firmly with the president in what he has described as his irrevocable commitment to breaking the vicious cycle of corruption by putting suspected treasury looters on trial and recovering stolen public funds. His affirmation that Nigeria has to break the cycle of corruption before it can make progress is the bare truth, and we urge all Nigerians to support the government in this war to send a strong message that public corruption will no longer be tolerated in the country.

We condemn the insinuations in cer­tain quarters that the president’s fre­quent statements on his anti-corruption initiatives may distract him from gover­nance. We do not think they can. Cor­ruption is a serious crime that Nigeria needs to make a clean break with, as it has brought virtually all sectors of our national life to their knees. Infrastruc­ture, power supply, education, health, the economy and most other sectors in the country are gasping for life on ac­count of rabid treasury looting that has cost the country trillions of naira in the last five years, with $150 million of the loot said to be stashed in banks abroad.
Public sector workers are owed many months arrears of salaries, while many state governments can no longer fulfill their responsibilities in many areas, in­cluding payment of pensions. The time has, therefore, come for Nigerians to stand firm against corruption and be one with the new government in the ef­fort to reduce it to the barest minimum.
There are, indeed, no two ways about it. Nigeria must either kill corruption, or corruption will kill the country. The choice is ours, and it is a choice we must make now with President Muhammadu Buhari leading the way, to ensure that we will have a country to bequeath to our children.
It is, therefore, strange that the presi­dent’s statements on his plans to bring treasury looters to book have been ruffling feathers, with claims in some quarters that they are not in Nigeria’s best interest. The Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar-led National Committee on the Peaceful Elections, unfortunate­ly, lent its weight to this position last week when it visited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja. The Committee was reported to have counselled the Feder­al Government against “too much talk about the promised probe”. It said this was necessary so that the government would not “get distracted from the core business of governance on account of the probe”
It is important that all well-meaning Nigerians speak with one voice on the matter of corruption. There should be no breaking of ranks on the mat­ter, and we must never regard any talk about it as an unfruitful distraction.
Corruption is a big issue in the coun­try and we must all continue to talk about it, and also act on it, to send a strong signal to all public officers that it will no longer be tolerated in the polity. Not properly dealing with cor­ruption under the guise that it is a dis­traction will only encourage the pres­ent public officers to also loot public funds with impunity.
The prosecution of the war against corruption should not stop the govern­ment from implementing its change agenda in the country, as both activi­ties are not mutually exclusive. What is necessary, as the Peace Committee has also stated, is that the president must strictly adhere to the rule of law in his battle against graft.
As we have had occasion to state before, the battle against corruption must not be prosecuted in a way to suggest that it is a witch-hunt of any particular past or present public offi­cer. It must not also deliberately ex­clude any treasury looter, no matter how highly placed.
Billions of naira in public funds have been committed to sundry projects in many sectors of national life such as power, the railways, roads and other public infrastructure with very little to show for it. The probe should un­earth how the billions of naira were expended. Nigeria has severally been listed among the most corrupt nations in the world.
All hands must be on deck to cor­rect this perception. We must not cre­ate the impression it is necessary to slow down the president’s campaign against corruption.As Nigerians await the commencement of the prosecution of those who are suspected to have looted the treasury, we advise that the trials should be open, non-selective, fair, all-encompassing and targeted at recovering the looted sums.
News

Manufacturing sector’s prospects bright despite challenges –Jacobs, MAN president

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

LAST week, President Mu­hammadu Buhari under­scored his commitment to the battle against corruption with the announcement that the prosecution of treasury looters would begin in a mat­ter of weeks. He also inaugu­rated a Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corrup­tion to advise his government on the prosecution of the war against corruption, and ap­pointed prominent professor of law and civil rights activist, Prof. Itse Sagay, as its head.
A number of suspects are already being investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over corruption allegations, while a directive has been issued to the Ministries, De­partments and Agencies of government (MDAs) to remit all government revenue into a Treasury Single Account (TSA) to promote transpar­ency and probity in their operations.
We strongly commend the Federal Government for these promising first steps in the battle to free Nigeria from the ravages of corrup­tion.
THESE are, indeed, indications that the war against corruption has started in earnest, and we stand firmly with the president in what he has described as his irrevocable commitment to breaking the vicious cycle of corruption by putting suspected treasury looters on trial and recovering stolen public funds. His affirmation that Nigeria has to break the cycle of corruption before it can make progress is the bare truth, and we urge all Nigerians to support the government in this war to send a strong message that public corruption will no longer be tolerated in the country.

We condemn the insinuations in cer­tain quarters that the president’s fre­quent statements on his anti-corruption initiatives may distract him from gover­nance. We do not think they can. Cor­ruption is a serious crime that Nigeria needs to make a clean break with, as it has brought virtually all sectors of our national life to their knees. Infrastruc­ture, power supply, education, health, the economy and most other sectors in the country are gasping for life on ac­count of rabid treasury looting that has cost the country trillions of naira in the last five years, with $150 million of the loot said to be stashed in banks abroad.
Public sector workers are owed many months arrears of salaries, while many state governments can no longer fulfill their responsibilities in many areas, in­cluding payment of pensions. The time has, therefore, come for Nigerians to stand firm against corruption and be one with the new government in the ef­fort to reduce it to the barest minimum.
There are, indeed, no two ways about it. Nigeria must either kill corruption, or corruption will kill the country. The choice is ours, and it is a choice we must make now with President Muhammadu Buhari leading the way, to ensure that we will have a country to bequeath to our children.
It is, therefore, strange that the presi­dent’s statements on his plans to bring treasury looters to book have been ruffling feathers, with claims in some quarters that they are not in Nigeria’s best interest. The Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar-led National Committee on the Peaceful Elections, unfortunate­ly, lent its weight to this position last week when it visited the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in Abuja. The Committee was reported to have counselled the Feder­al Government against “too much talk about the promised probe”. It said this was necessary so that the government would not “get distracted from the core business of governance on account of the probe”
It is important that all well-meaning Nigerians speak with one voice on the matter of corruption. There should be no breaking of ranks on the mat­ter, and we must never regard any talk about it as an unfruitful distraction.
Corruption is a big issue in the coun­try and we must all continue to talk about it, and also act on it, to send a strong signal to all public officers that it will no longer be tolerated in the polity. Not properly dealing with cor­ruption under the guise that it is a dis­traction will only encourage the pres­ent public officers to also loot public funds with impunity.
The prosecution of the war against corruption should not stop the govern­ment from implementing its change agenda in the country, as both activi­ties are not mutually exclusive. What is necessary, as the Peace Committee has also stated, is that the president must strictly adhere to the rule of law in his battle against graft.
As we have had occasion to state before, the battle against corruption must not be prosecuted in a way to suggest that it is a witch-hunt of any particular past or present public offi­cer. It must not also deliberately ex­clude any treasury looter, no matter how highly placed.
Billions of naira in public funds have been committed to sundry projects in many sectors of national life such as power, the railways, roads and other public infrastructure with very little to show for it. The probe should un­earth how the billions of naira were expended. Nigeria has severally been listed among the most corrupt nations in the world.
All hands must be on deck to cor­rect this perception. We must not cre­ate the impression it is necessary to slow down the president’s campaign against corruption.As Nigerians await the commencement of the prosecution of those who are suspected to have looted the treasury, we advise that the trials should be open, non-selective, fair, all-encompassing and targeted at recovering the looted sums.

16:24 Share:
After 15 weeks of industrial action, members of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have suspended the indefinite strike they embarked on over non-implementation of a grade level ‎skipping as directed by the Head of Service of the Federation.
The suspension of the strike was formally announced by the association’s chairman, Dr. Luqman Ogunjimi, who was assisted by the Secretary-General, Dr. Anthony Ude, during a press conference in Ibadan yesterday. The resident doctors had embarked on the strike on May 1, 2015.
The leadership of ARD in UCH also directed all resident doctors at the teaching hospital to resume duty immediately, adding that negotiation would continue with the hospital management towards resolving the bone of contention.
The association, according to Ogunjimi, suspended the strike as a result of intervention by former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; the Medical, Dental Council Association of Nigeria (MDCAN); the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII); elders in the field of Medicine and Dentistry; and other well-meaning Nigerians.
Ogunjimi, who held that the directive was effective from 8 a.m Sunday, explained that the decision was reached in the “interest of our patients.” He noted further that UCH management, under the leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Prof Temitope Alonge, could pay the skipping allowance (from the N940 million fund) from the personnel subvention of the teaching hospital.
“Our stand as a congress is that this N940 million can be used to pay skipping, since payment of salary from personnel subvention can never be misappropriation, more importantly now that the permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, has expressly reiterated the directive for skipping,” he stated.
Ogunjimi also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the strike in UCH and various teaching hospitals across the country with a view to ensuring that similar actions are prevented in the future.
He particularly urged Buhari “to investigate the deliberate delay in the promotion of members of staff in the hospital by hospital management despite regular and up-to-date submission of confidential reports of resident doctors by various clinical departments, among others.”
News

UCH resident doctors suspend 15-week strike

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

After 15 weeks of industrial action, members of Association of Resident Doctors (ARD) at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, have suspended the indefinite strike they embarked on over non-implementation of a grade level ‎skipping as directed by the Head of Service of the Federation.
The suspension of the strike was formally announced by the association’s chairman, Dr. Luqman Ogunjimi, who was assisted by the Secretary-General, Dr. Anthony Ude, during a press conference in Ibadan yesterday. The resident doctors had embarked on the strike on May 1, 2015.
The leadership of ARD in UCH also directed all resident doctors at the teaching hospital to resume duty immediately, adding that negotiation would continue with the hospital management towards resolving the bone of contention.
The association, according to Ogunjimi, suspended the strike as a result of intervention by former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo; the Medical, Dental Council Association of Nigeria (MDCAN); the Central Council of Ibadan Indigenes (CCII); elders in the field of Medicine and Dentistry; and other well-meaning Nigerians.
Ogunjimi, who held that the directive was effective from 8 a.m Sunday, explained that the decision was reached in the “interest of our patients.” He noted further that UCH management, under the leadership of the Chief Medical Director, Prof Temitope Alonge, could pay the skipping allowance (from the N940 million fund) from the personnel subvention of the teaching hospital.
“Our stand as a congress is that this N940 million can be used to pay skipping, since payment of salary from personnel subvention can never be misappropriation, more importantly now that the permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, has expressly reiterated the directive for skipping,” he stated.
Ogunjimi also appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the strike in UCH and various teaching hospitals across the country with a view to ensuring that similar actions are prevented in the future.
He particularly urged Buhari “to investigate the deliberate delay in the promotion of members of staff in the hospital by hospital management despite regular and up-to-date submission of confidential reports of resident doctors by various clinical departments, among others.”

16:11 Share:
President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs that part of the money his administration would recover from those who have stolen the nation’s wealth would be used to fund the ministry.
He gave the assurance when ‎the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ezekiel Oyemomi, led officials of the ministry to brief ‎the President on its activities and challenges at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary said of the ministry: “We cut across 70 per cent of the population dealing with the issues of women, children, the vulnerable, people with disabilities, the distressed, distressed families and the lot.
“He (the President) gave his word that once government can recover some funds, he will make sure that such funds are introduced into boosting the budget of the ministry so that we can be well-funded, especially on areas of empowerment, empowering all the stake holder groups.”
Oyemomi said one of the challenges being faced by the ministry was that some establishments that are supposed to be under his ministry had been absorbed somewhere else.
He said the President had promised to look into the matter and bring such establishments back under the ministry.
“He didn’t give a definite response but our document that have been presented certainly would be reviewed so that the right thing can be done,” he added.
News

Buhari to fund ministry with recovered stolen fund

Posted by Unknown  |  No comments

President Muhammadu Buhari has assured the officials of the Ministry of Women Affairs that part of the money his administration would recover from those who have stolen the nation’s wealth would be used to fund the ministry.
He gave the assurance when ‎the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Ezekiel Oyemomi, led officials of the ministry to brief ‎the President on its activities and challenges at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Permanent Secretary said of the ministry: “We cut across 70 per cent of the population dealing with the issues of women, children, the vulnerable, people with disabilities, the distressed, distressed families and the lot.
“He (the President) gave his word that once government can recover some funds, he will make sure that such funds are introduced into boosting the budget of the ministry so that we can be well-funded, especially on areas of empowerment, empowering all the stake holder groups.”
Oyemomi said one of the challenges being faced by the ministry was that some establishments that are supposed to be under his ministry had been absorbed somewhere else.
He said the President had promised to look into the matter and bring such establishments back under the ministry.
“He didn’t give a definite response but our document that have been presented certainly would be reviewed so that the right thing can be done,” he added.

16:07 Share:
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