Payment of wage award to workers by state governments will bring big relief to a cross section of Nigerians, the President said yesterday.

He challenged the governors to toe this path in collaboration with the Federal Government as part of efforts to alleviate the economic reform pains.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu spoke yesterday in Minna, the Niger Sate capital, where he inaugurated Governor Umaru Bago’s massive agricultural programme.

He also laid a foundation for a terminal building at the airport, which was renamed after him.

The President spoke before governors Hyacinth Alia (Benue), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Usman Ododo (Kogi), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) and Chair, Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (Kwara), who were guests of Bago.

Following the withdrawal of petrol subsidy, the Federal Government initiated the payment of N35,000 monthly wage award to its workers for six months. This has been paid for five months.

Some states have been paying wage award ranging between N10,000 and N25,000, but majority of states are not paying.

This is in spite of the huge increase in the inflows to states from the federation account following the termination of petrol subsidy.

Whereas, the amount shared to the tiers of government averaged between N650 billion and N850 billion before the withdrawal of petrol subsidy, the average now is N1.1trillion.

Yesterday, the President said: “Let all the states start paying the wage awards.

“Whatever they are taking now plus the wage award would relieve the public.

“I am appealing to you states, start paying the wage award, let everyone start paying it. It will bring relief to the people.”

The President also spoke on some of his cardinal programmes, such as the student loan, which will be inaugurated on Thursday.

He said: “The student loan programme will commence.

“There will be unemployment benefits for our graduates.

“The social security programme for the elderly and vulnerable will commence.

“We are fine-tuning all these areas. We will relieve people of hunger.”

On the plans to address violent attacks and cattle rustling, Tinubu said: “Give me two to three weeks.

“You will be part of the inauguration of the livestock change in Nigeria.

“I know what it means as an economic sabotage for roaming cows to eat up the crops and vegetation of our lands.

“It can be painful but when we re-orientate the herders and make provision for cattle rearing, you will see the difference.

“The governors should provide the lands and as the President, I am committed to giving you a comprehensive programme that will solve this problem.”

He praised  Governor Bago for ensuring agricultural revolution for food security.

The President promised that the Federal Government would support him.

He added: “We have seen the level of commitment here from the state level.

“We have seen leadership and the success story of any leader is the ability to do what they ought to do at the time they ought to do it.

“You are doing the job, you are walking the talk and it is necessary for me to support you.

“Whatever support you need, you will get. We appreciate your efforts in the infrastructure development of the state.

“I guarantee you of federal support. We flag off the hope, you deliver the hope and you reassure Nigerians.”

The President stated that his administration was not concerned about making excuses or blaming past governments but was determined to reengineer the country by staying on the right path.

Bago said his administration was prepared to seize every opportunity to achieve growth and engender prosperity for the people of the state and Nigeria.

He pointed out that when he assumed office as governor, he met a comatose infrastructure which his government is working hard to correct.

He added that the 3,000 hectares of land is for the special agro-processing free zone out of which 1,000 hectares have been dedicated for greenhouses, 1,000 for dairy and meat processing, and 1,000 for agro-processing storage, aggregation, and other value chain development components.

Bago said: “To further buttress the lead role Niger State is playing in agriculture and contributing to the overall food security of Nigeria, we shall explore over three million of the 8.3 million hectares of arable land, large water bodies with a multitude of tributaries, 23 grazing reserves, and 94 forest reserves.

“Therefore, Niger State stands as a beacon of hope and promise in the realm of agriculture and our springboard to harvest our potentials in the Green Economy and associated gains.”

The governor assured President Tinubu that Niger State would serve as a champion for his food security agenda.

“Niger State intends to be the largest sub-national food exporter in Nigeria.

“To achieve this objective, we are determined to attract investments, private sector equity, and loans totalling N500 billion annually over the next seven years,” he told the President.

Sanwo-Olu stressed the importance of the nation feeding itself.

He said the partnership and agreement between Lagos, Niger, Benue, Kogi, Kwara and Osun states would go a long way to enhance food security in the country.

Sanwo-Olu added that Lagos was building the largest food warehouse where agricultural produce from the partner states would be stored. 

[TheNation]

The All Progressive Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and some other political parties on Monday, called for a thorough probe into the allegation made by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Population, Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), that N3.7tn was padded in the 2024 budget.

While the parties called for a probe into the allegation, some northern senators disowned the claims made by Ningi, saying the Bauchi State senator did not speak for them

The Bauchi senator, however, maintained his position on Monday that o N3.7tn could not be accounted for in the 2024 budget.

This came as Senator Jimoh Ibrahim called for the arrest of Ningi, on the grounds that the lawmaker was attempting to breach the peace at the National Assembly, among other concerns.

He, however, stated that he was misquoted, stressing that he never mentioned that President Bola Tinubu was running two budgets.

He further stated that he spoke in the interview as a lawmaker and not on behalf of the Northern Senators’ Forum.

Ningi had in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation (Hausa Service) on Saturday, alleged that the budget passed by the National Assembly for the 2024 fiscal year was N25tn, while the one being implemented by the Presidency was N28.7tn.

In the interview, he was quoted to have said, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu and the one was implemented by the Presidency.

“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one being operated by the Federal Government is N28.7tn

“Apparently, we discovered N3tn was inserted into the budgets for projects without locations. This is the highest budget padding that happened in Nigerian history under Senator Akpabio’s watch.”

The Bauchi senator was further quoted to have said, “We resolved as the peoples’ representatives to see President Tinubu on this issue, with facts and figures, to ask him if he is aware of this embarrassment or not, then from there we will take action.

“Let Nigerians be patient with us. This is a national issue; it affects all Nigerians irrespective of party, tribe or religion.”

The Senate through its spokesperson, Yemi Adaramodu (APC, Ekiti South) had in a chat with our correspondent refuted the claim on Saturday night, stating that there was no padding whatsoever in the budget.

But during a press conference on Monday, Ningi told journalists that he never said that the President was running two budgets, rather there was N3.7tn in the 2024 budget yet to be accounted for.

No two budgets

He said, “At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing two budgets. There was no time; at no time did I say Bola Tinubu was biased against the North. The Hausa version is there. At no time did I say Bola Ahmed Tinubu is implementing a N25tn budget.

“I said we have established beyond reasonable doubt that about N25tn so far has a nexus in the budget. That means that there is money, there is a project and then there is location. But we have yet to ascertain N3.7tn of that budget. We have established the N3tn of that budget; we have not established its location and the place.”

The Bauchi Central senator insisted that the powers to appropriate reside with the National Assembly and not the President, so it would be ignorant of him to say that the President was running a separate budget.

Ningi said, “What the President proposed to the Senate are proposals. What the Senate passes is appropriation. There is no way I will talk about N25tn and N28tn. The President has no powers for appropriation.

“It is even a misnomer for the executive to tell the National Assembly members, we are bringing a budget and don’t touch it; it is a misnomer.

“The constitution is clear on who has the power for appropriation. I couldn’t have said what they had suggested. There is no way a President will implement a budget that is not passed by the National assembly.”

He explained further, “But I said going forward, the budget evaluation is ongoing. And I said lastly, the intention of the northern senators as regards budgetary allocation was to meet the Senate President with our findings and subsequently meet President Bola Ahmed Tinubu with our findings.

“So if one is questioning our desire to relate with Bola Tinubu, how will I say that the findings of the Northern Senators Forum will go to the senate president and then to the President and Commander-in-Chief?”

Ningi consistently mentioned N3tn at the press conference, when asked to clarify the money with no projects. He said, “N28.7tn was passed as the 2024 budget, N25tn was allocated for, so the money without allocation is N3.7tn.”

Responding to reports that there were plans to suspend him, he noted that he was ready to bear the brunt of his statement even if the punishment that came with it was to get him suspended.

“I am not afraid of suspension by the Senate. I stand by what I said: N3.7tn is not traced to any project in the 2024 budget. I spoke for myself and not on behalf of the Northern Senator Forum. I never said the federal government is operating with two budgets. I only said N25tn was traced to projects and N3.7tn was not traced to any project,” he said.

Parties demand investigation 

But the LP, APC, PDP, New Nigeria People’s Party, and Peoples Redemption Party demanded an investigation into the alleged padding of the 2024 budget

The PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, stated in an exclusive interview with The PUNCH on Monday that the allegation required attention.

“I would like to receive detailed information to be able to respond appropriately. Having said that, if it’s true, any such issues require attention and should be addressed at the necessary level,” he stated.

On his part, NNPP National Publicity Secretary, Yakubu Shendam, urged President Tinubu to investigate what was happening.

He said, “Mr President should be able to sit down properly because this is his government for which he was given a mandate to lead. If he really wants to stamp out corruption, he should be able to look inside, meaning the people he’s operating with, to find out what is happening about this. Because at the end of the day, it is his government that will be blamed.’’

The PRP Acting National Publicity Secretary, Muhammed Ishaq, stated that if true, it represented gross misconduct and a blatant disregard for the principles of transparency, accountability, and fiscal responsibility that the nation deserves, especially during these trying times.

On his part, the Chief Spokesman of the Labour Party Campaign Organisation, Yunusa Tanko, told The PUNCH that such an allegation was too weighty to be swept under the rug.

He said, “We support the probe. They have to give us an account of exactly how much is the budget and what the over N3trn is for. There should be a line-by-line examination of the budget as well as further confirmation of the figures as already given by each of the relevant ministries, agencies, and departments.

“It is at that particular point in time we will know and ascertain whether the budget was padded or not. That way, we will also have a clearer understanding of what that particular N3tn is for and who will come out to make the claim. Once that is done, we will know who to hold responsible. But as it is now, both the Federal Government and National Assembly have to come clean as regards the issue of the padded budget.”

The Deputy National Organising Secretary of the APC, Nze Chidi Duru, however, doubted that such a humongous amount could be inserted in such a budget without the knowledge of the two chambers, whose processes were known to be rigorous.

Duru nevertheless demanded that a thorough investigation be carried out to verify the authenticity of the allegation.

The former lawmaker also expressed conviction that if Ningi was found to be gaslighting or raising an unfounded claim, he was certain that necessary sanctions would be meted out on him.

“We are not in the Senate and there is no way one will know the internal workings of the 10th National Assembly. But we know once a budget is passed, there are ways by which it will be harmonised. One will find it strange, to say the least, that such an addition outside of what has been agreed intra-chambers in a bid to have a harmonised budget, can be unilaterally inflated by one person or chamber. It will be one of the eight wonders of the world for them to consider that.

“But assuming without conceding that it was unimaginably possible, that calls for the highest level of investigation. However, I think it is too difficult to believe such a thing can happen in a chamber that is regulated and follows due process in passing the budget.’’

Senators disown Ningi

Senators under the Northern Senators Forum dismissed the claims made by Ningi.

In a statement signed by a cross-section of lawmakers across different Northern zones, they said they were a part of the passing of the budget and would not discredit their collective effort.

The lawmakers said, “We, the undersigned, on behalf of the Senators from the 19 Northern States and the FCT, under the aegis of Northern Senators Forum, hereby state that Senator Ahmed Abdul Ningi of the Peoples Democratic Party, Bauchi Central Senatorial District, who also happens to be the Chairman of our forum, was on his own in the claims he made on the BBC Hausa Service on the 2024 budget.

“As such, the view he expressed was his personal opinion, sentiment and unfortunately skewed, incorrect and misleading.

“There was never a time where we held a meeting and mandated Senator Ningi to address the press on the said matter.”

They added, “The budget was presented to the National Assembly during a joint session of the two chambers – Senate and House of Representatives – by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on November 29, 2023, in line with the requirement of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Both chambers of the National Assembly diligently and meticulously debated, processed, and passed the proposal of the President. And satisfied with it, the President assented to it.

“It is clear that Mr President presented a budget of N27.5tn to the National Assembly and the assembly passed a budget of N28.7tn based on the need to make increases or decreases in the appropriations of the various MDAs, which is in tandem with the legislative powers of the National Assembly in order to address critical projects and services across various sectors.

“Therefore, the statement made by Senator Ningi that the 2024 budget presented to the National Assembly by Mr President was the sum of N25tn was not correct and that should not be taken as the position of the Northern Senators Forum.”

The Northern Senators stressed further, “To the best of our knowledge there was no budget padding, whatsoever that was done to the 2024 budget. The assertion by Senator Ningi that certain things were done to the bill is his personal opinion. It is not the view of the generality of us, the Northern Senators.’’

Some of the senators who signed the statement include Senator Jibrin Isah (APC, Kogi East), Diket Plang (APC, Plateau Central), Senator Saliu Mustapha (APC, Kwara Central) Senator Lawal Adamu Usman (APC, Kaduna Central), Senator Abdulaziz Yar’ Adua (APC, Katsina Central), Senator Aminu Abass (PDP, Adamawa Central) Senator Ibrahim Bomai (APC, Yobe South).

Reps minority

Meanwhile, the minority caucus of the House of Representatives has constituted a study group to investigate claims by Senator Abdul Ningi that the 2024 budget was inflated with as much as N3.7tn with no projects tied to the huge amount.

Speaking with one of our correspondents on Monday, Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda described Ningi’s allegations as a “very issue.”

He said, “We have commissioned a study to ascertain the veracity of the claim before we take a position on the same. It is a serious issue if confirmed to be true.”

The position of the minority caucus is in line with calls by some civil society organisations who have called for a probe into the allegations made by the Bauchi federal lawmaker.

Also, some opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives called for an investigation into the allegation made by Ningi.

Speaking with The PUNCH, a member of the PDP representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Osun State, Mr Oluwole Oke, urged Nigerians to be patient, noting that having already passed a motion for the review of the 2024 budget, the House would unravel the truth or otherwise of Ningi’s claims.

He said, “The 2024 budget as passed by the National Assembly is itself, a work in progress in view of the current realities but do not forget that the House in plenary last week, passed a motion to review the 2024 budget.

“This review will reveal whether the allegations reportedly made by Senator Ningi are true or not. However, the budget we passed on the floor of the House is not N25trn but N28.7trn.”

Similarly, the Deputy Chairman, the House Committee on Justice and member representing Ezeagu/Udi Federal Constituency, Enugu State, Sunday Umeha, stated that opposition members of the House would support a probe into Ningi’s allegations if a case of budget padding was established.

Umeha, a member of the Labour Party said, “So far, my investigation of the 2024 budget has not revealed the allegations made by Senator Ningi, but if it is established that indeed there was a case of budget padding, we will definitely call for a probe. I don’t think it is right to speak on speculation because, at the moment, it is an allegation that has not been proven.”

Asked about his position on the matter, a PDP chieftain and Chairman, Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, simply said, “Only the Minority Leader can speak on behalf of the caucus.”

In a related development, the lawmaker representing Ondo South, Jimoh Ibrahim (APC), has said he will prosecute his colleague for misinforming the public and lying against the Senate.

He said, “What Ningi said is very embarrassing. We are the 10th Senate and will not just fold our hands. The Senate approved only one appropriation for 2024. We never approved two. The presidency of Nigeria cannot operate with two budgets.

“Senator Ningi made this false information and it’s unacceptable. It is causing uncomfortable pains to our integrity; integrity of children and family as people read it all over the world and are raising questions.”

He noted that he had personally taken it upon himself to request the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to as a matter of urgency charge Ningi for criminal misinformation and conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.

He said, “If the Senate will not move to do that in the next seven days, I will write a letter, and I have started doing that to the IGP to investigate the circumstances leading to approval of two appropriations and if the IGP will not do it, I will ask for the order of mandamus to compel a public officer to do that.”

“Senator Ningi must be charged to court. The charges must be preferred by the criminal justice department for the governments and after thorough investigation.’’

[Punch]

The Presidency has fingered some sub-regional forces for the escalating incidents of kidnapping of students and other security glitches in Nigeria.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, alleged that some sub-regional forces were “actively conspiring” against the stability of the country during an interview on TVC news late Sunday.

He, however, assured that the Federal Government is “responding” to the conspiracy of these sub-regional forces.

Recall that last Thursday, bandits abducted no fewer than 287 pupils/students from a primary and secondary school at Kuriga, a community in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Days later, bandits also abducted some Tsangaya students at Gidan Bakuso in Gada LGA of Sokoto State. Tsangaya is a school that combines Islamic and Western education.

Speaking on the spate of kidnappings in the country, Ngelale said President Bola Tinubu is working hard to secure all parts of the country, noting that the US government had promised to provide assistance for the release of the abducted Kaduna school children.

The Presidency spoke as the Pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, urged President Tinubu to go after sponsors of terror.

Also, experts against financial crimes drawn from Anglophone member states of the Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS, and the Intergovernmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, GIABA, yesterday, called for concerted efforts against terrorism financing and money laundering.

Meanwhile, on a day bandits demanded N40trillion ransom for 16 abducted Kaduna residents, one of the kidnapped students in Kuriga, Mustapha Abubakar, who escaped, narrated his ordeal in the hands of their captors, saying he stealthily hid in a shrub like a snake and escaped, while they were being moved by the bandits.

Sub-regional forces conspiring against Nigeria’s stability

Speaking on the conspiracy against Nigeria, Ngelale said: “Across the North, we understand that some of the sub-regional geographical forces are actively conspiring against the stability of the Nigerian nation. We are responding to it. We are doing it in a way that is concerted with our neighbours.

“It is worth noting that the United States government has also pledged its assistance to ensure that there is a full return of all school children, who were kidnapped recently in Kaduna.

“We will continue to intensify our collaboration not only within the region but internationally to make sure that some of the regional actors that are conspiring against our nation are brought to justice and ultimately silenced for the future of our country.”

Go after sponsors of terror, Afenifere tells Tinubu

Reacting to the recent kidnapping of school children in Kaduna and Sokoto states, Afenifere, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary and Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo and Prince Justice Faloye, asked the President not to leave room for excuses.

Lamenting the rising wave of insecurity, Afenifere said: “The recrudescence of this human tragedy is as clear to the Afenifere as the daylight is distinct from the eventide.

“Since democracy took off, this pattern remains constant, ever present; create chaos, destabilize the government, embarrass the President, finally, and disgrace the President out of office.

‘’No president since 1999 has escaped this scourge, coming with the political Sharia against Obasanjo, the Niger Delta violent political agitation of Obasanjo and Yar’Adua and cleverly solved by the duo; the Boko Haram religion-later-turned-political instrument to embarrass a sitting Southern Christian president as it was with Jonathan, who was told to convert to Islam, followed by the kidnapping extraordinaire of the Chibok girls’ type, the final straw that shocked Jonathan out of office.

“The Abikus, coming once a regime and for repeated times from as far back as the Zango-Kataf crisis, come with land-grabbing, human displacement and subjugation of a people over another, often planned, aided, lauded and prompted by those self-styled as owners of Nigeria.

“They were terrorists; Buhari curiously preferred to call them bandits. Their acts as aggressors, killing farmers, destroying their produce, and stealing indigenous peoples’ lands, clearly marked them as terrorists. “Buhari’s government would rather term these acts as farmers/herders clashes. The most disturbing expository, elucidatory, explicative reality about the whole saga is that these terrorists are known to the government.

“Mr President, you have to be brutally reminded of these recrudescences in history, a disease constant, an Abiku, real, clear and present.

“On Christmas Eve in 2023, there was a massacre on the Plateau. Chief Ayo Adebanjo, leader of Afenifere, led other leaders that make up the four zones from the South-West, South-East, South-South and the Middle-Belt on a condolence visit to the governor and the Gbom Gwom Jos and to the entire people on the Plateau. About 300 humans were slaughtered like rams.

“A hero makes history, is not afraid, and does not turn a blind eye. Mr President, arrest these perpetrators now, no excuses, Mr President…

“It is down to you, Mr President if you would rather go the way of your predecessors, by looking the other way and letting innocent blood flow, be disgraced and set for an early exit or find the strength, the will and the courage to face the sponsors of terror, with the resolve to eradicating this Abiku scourge from ever again taking root anywhere in our land.

“Through your policies, fiscal and monetary, the local currency has suffered the worst trajectory of devaluation of 35% in just your very first nine months in office, the very first massive devastation in the history of this country.

‘’The naira plunged to its lowest point on record in official trading as a shortage of US dollars persisted, despite promises by the government to boost supply.

“Go after the sponsors of terror. Restructure this country. Expedite action towards creation of state police. Return the country to a parliamentary system of government. Bring back Regionalism. And watch our countrymen and our hopeless children begin to live again in dignity, right before your very eyes.”

ECOWAS experts move against terror financing, money laundering

Speaking at the opening of a two-day Training of Trainers, ToT, on Countering the Financing of Terrorism, CFT, for Anglophone GIABA member states at the National Institute for Security Studies, NISS, in Abuja, Director-General of GIABA, Edwin W. Harris Jr., said money laundering and the financing of terrorism continue to adversely impact the socio-economic development, peace, and security of member states and beyond.

He said in the last decade, the ECOWAS community had experienced an increasing level of terrorism, radicalisation, and violent extremism at an alarming rate.

“The GIABA Community shares this global concern regarding the current situation in the Central Sahel area and North-Eastern Nigeria and will continue to provide the necessary support to mitigate the money laundering and terrorist risks identified in line with the ECOWAS Priority Agenda,” he said

According to him, GIABA’s typology reports revealed the rapid evolution in the sources, methods, and techniques of terrorist financing, taking advantage of loopholes in legislation (such as the incompleteness of the terrorist financing criminalization regime), and the opportunities offered by digital finance and the power of cybernetic tools.

He said: “Even though the banking sector in most of our countries have taken steps to implement the UN sanctions lists (UNSC Resolution 1267) in terms of targeted financial sanctions linked to TF, there is still a vast majority of the private sector (particularly the DNFBP sector, Electronic Money Issuers, microfinances, Money and Value Transfer Services, insurance companies etc) that are struggling to align themselves.

“As for national sanctions lists, they remain severely handicapped by lack of operationality of national designation mechanisms under UNSC Resolution 1373.

“GIABA’s approach to supporting countries in their fight against the financing of terrorism is to bring their prevention and enforcement systems in line with international standards, particularly those of the Financial Action Task Force, FATF.

“In practice, this means providing countries with appropriate legal and institutional frameworks and building their capacity to implement these frameworks effectively. Most recently, in November 2023, GIABA organized a regional stakeholders’ workshop for operational agencies to engage them on the outcomes of our various typology reports for future adaptations and their responses to emerging threats.

“Counterterrorism can no longer be the exclusive domain of the military services. GIABA and FATF’s studies have rightly revealed that terrorists are increasingly using legitimate commercial enterprises to raise funds, as well as non-profit organizations, the abusive exploitation of extractive and mining resources, donations, crowdfunding, and above all, the proceeds of criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom, extortion, illicit drug trafficking, illicit trade in small arms and light weapons, trafficking in arts and antics, etc. Terrorists also manage to move these collected funds through front companies, money or value couriers, using payment methods such as prepaid cards, mobile banking, or virtual assets.”
Terrorist financing networks must be disrupted – DSS

Also speaking, Director General, Department of State Services, DSS, Yusuf Magaji Bichi, who was represented by the Director of Training and Staff Development, Mrs Bolatito Sure-Olufe, said while military and intelligence efforts had achieved notable successes in disrupting terrorist operations, terrorist financing networks must be disrupted.

According to the D-G, depriving these groups of the funds that fuel their activities is crucial to undermining their capabilities and ultimately defeating them.

“Terrorist organizations rely heavily on a steady flow of funds to sustain their operations, including recruitment, training, procurement of weapons and explosives, and execution of attacks.

“By targeting their financial lifelines, we can strike at the very heart of these groups, limiting their reach and hampering their ability to carry out acts of violence.

“Moreover, the financial trail left by terrorist financing activities provides invaluable intelligence that can help uncover the structure, connections, and intentions of these networks, enabling more targeted and effective interventions.

“By strengthening our ability to follow the money trail, we can deprive these groups of the resources they need to carry out their heinous acts, ultimately contributing to a more secure and peaceful world for all.”

Why we need urgent actions – Nuhu

On his part, Nigeria’s Ambassador to ECOWAS, Amb. MS Nuhu, noted that the challenges posed by terrorism in the Sahel region, as well as the movement of terrorist groups towards coastal areas, underscore the urgency of actions.

He said in light of these challenges, ECOWAS in 2018, initiated the development of a regional framework for counter-terrorism.

“It is crucial to highlight that component six of the ECOWAS Regional Action Plan is dedicated to countering the financing of terrorism within the region.

‘’This underscores the critical importance of addressing the issue of terrorist financing, which serves as a significant enabler for terrorist activities.

Need for national, regional collaboration

Director/CEO of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, who is also the National Correspondent of GIABA, Hafsat Bakari, said blocking the channels, routes and techniques used to move these funds within ECOWAS nations and across their borders required cooperation not just at a national level but also at a regional level.

According to her, this can only be achieved through a proper understanding and application of the role of the military, intelligence services, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors and the judiciary in this collective endeavour.

She said one of the strategic objectives of the National Counter-Terrorism Financing Strategy is enhancing the capabilities of Nigeria’s front-line military, intelligence, law enforcement, and prosecutorial authorities.

I hid in a shrub like a snake to escape from abductors – Kuriga student

Abubakar was among nearly 280 school children kidnapped at Kuriga but he and 27 others were able to return to their respective families.

The kidnapped children, both male and female, were between the ages of five and 18.

Speaking in an interview with the BBC Hausa monitored in Kaduna, yesterday, Mustapha Abubakar explained that the bandits moved the children like a herd of cows.

He said: “We trekked in the bush, sometimes we crawled. We were so thirsty, that some of the girls were becoming weak and falling due to tiredness. The bandits were lifting them and putting some of them on motorcycles.

“We later reached a big river where we drank water and continued trekking. There was a plane that hovered above us. That was when the bandits ordered us to remove one of our clothes and lie down.

“Even the bandits were exhausted. They had no food and were eating leaves and wild fruits. They gave us nothing to eat.

“While we were moving, I noticed a shrub, which was brown like my trousers. I hid inside and crawled like a snake. I was there until it was completely silent before I came out and headed to the bush.

“I later met an old man, who was having difficulty walking, I asked him about the pathway to the main road or any nearby place so that I could get water to drink.

“I had a marathon race, I was exhausted but I pushed on as evening time was approaching. I later arrived at Gayan, a community near us and that was how I eventually escaped.”

Bandits ‘demand’ N40trn as ransom for 16 abducted Kaduna residents
Meanwhile, bandits, in an unprecedented move, have reportedly demanded N40 trillion as ransom to release 16 residents abducted from Gonin Gora area of Kaduna.

Speaking with TheCable, yesterday, John Yusuf, a community leader, said the bandits contacted family members of the victims and also demanded 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles.
This is the first time bandits would make such a huge demand since abduction for ransom started in Nigeria.

After the attack, residents of the area, on February 29, blocked the Kaduna-Abuja highway for several hours to protest against the killing and abduction.

Yusuf said the bandits attacked the community twice within a week. “The bandits have contacted us. They are demanding N40 trillion, 11 Hilux vans and 150 motorcycles for the release of 16 people they are holding captive.

“Where are we going to get this kind of money? Even if we sell the entire community, we cannot raise N40 trillion. Even Nigeria as a country has never made a budget of N40 trillion.

“The abductions happened twice within a four-day interval. During the first attack, three people were kidnapped, while in the second attack, 13 people were abducted, bringing the total number of people being held captive to 16,” he said disclosing that the communities in Birnin Gwari were surrounded by bushes serving as hideouts for the bandits.”

While noting that the establishment of a military base would tackle the criminal operations in the area, he said: “We are pleading with the government to come to our aid by establishing a military base behind our community where the bandits take advantage of the bushes to invade our community.

“From our community down to Birnin Gwari, which is over 150 kilometres, is a stretch of bush. We also have another stretch of bushes from Gonin Gora down to Niger State. “

Vanguard News Nigeria

Against the run of play, Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago of Niger State ruffled feathers with his speech at the 2023 annual Leadership Newspaper Conference and Awards held in Abuja last week. This speech was an instant hit online and trended at different times on both Instagram and X (Twitter). Governor Bago’s arguments in his speech can be summarised in three ways: First, as a nation, Nigeria cannot achieve economic freedom and eradicate poverty without being productive, especially in agriculture, where we have a comparative advantage.

Second, it is indefensible for a nation with an estimated arable land of 40 million hectares and a reasonable youth population to accept grain donation in whatever guise from war-torn Ukraine; and third, because of natural and human endowment, Nigeria can feed the people and export the excess to other countries. There is nothing Governor Bago said that we do not already know, but as a nation, we have egotistically refused to accept these truths or act on them. These arguments are significant because they were made by a serving Nigerian governor, a member of the powerful club that has enjoyed the monthly sharing arrangement called the Federation Account Allocation Committee( FAAC).

Governor Bago ended his speech by throwing a challenge against the federal government’s promise to deploy and distribute 42,000MT of grains from the strategic reserve, that the Niger State Government will deliver and distribute 100,000MT of grain by June 2025. Make no mistake about it, Governor Bago was not just exercising his bragging right; he was marketing his strategic plan to rescue Niger state from the sharing mentality, economic doldrums, poverty, unemployment, and criminality. A quick review of what the Niger state government is doing to accomplish the vision of food sufficiency might give us a better perspective. Niger state, over the next year, plans to cultivate one million hectares of farmland, inclusive of a 50,000 hectares fully irrigated food production hub. Over 500 large-capacity tractors, 1000 pieces of irrigation and agricultural equipment, 2000 power tillers for smallholder farmers, 2000 petrol water pumps, 3000 solar pumps, and 5000 tube wells to support dry season farming have been delivered. Besides, the government has acquired about 100,000 bags of fertilisers, plus herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides have also been obtained. Governor Bago’s commitment to this agricultural revolution in Niger state is self-evident and realistic.

Governor Bago’s challenge in his speech and what he is doing in Niger state is founded on solid historical precedence and economic reasoning. Before we discovered crude oil in commercial quantity and started depending on it as a mono-product, which made us lazy in thinking, diminished the value of hard work, and elevated monthly sharing of FAAC to a religion of sorts, sub-national governments (regional governments) relied solely on agriculture to develop the regions. Some of the iconic infrastructure projects were executed with money realised from groundnut, cocoa and palm oil trade. The choice of agriculture as an engine of economic growth was because of its multiplier effect. It has an excellent capacity to create employment and wealth. Those reasons are still valid today. The neglect of agriculture and the food production supply chain led Nigeria into many of the economic malaise we are suffering today – from food insecurity, unemployment, criminality and poverty to a shortage of foreign exchange. Some countries that were our contemporaries developed their food production and supply, which became the mainstay of their economy.

Governor Bago’s speech represents a significant shift in thinking in recent times, giving some hope. Some state governments have started working towards creating a clear vision of increased productivity, providing an enabling environment for such productivity, and building on this productivity to improve their internal revenue generation. These governors are using food security in Nigeria as fuel to engage in food production in a way that has not been done in Nigeria for a long time. They understand that the question of food security in Nigeria starts with food production, then food processing, food distribution and food commercialisation, both locally and abroad. But first and foremost, ramping up food production is the first step in tackling the food insecurity conundrum. It is a matter of how much food Nigeria produces. It is determined by what individual states bring to the table. In that regard, the message of self-reliance from the Niger governor is on point. Production of food for local consumption and export is vital for Nigeria’s economy because it solves two significant problems that have recently thrown Nigeria’s economy into a wild spine – food inflation and scarcity of foreign exchange.

Increasing our production capacity and, by extension, enhancing our internally generated revenue is imperative. States waiting to go to Abuja to pick up peanuts monthly is not sustainable. States, by the design of the 1999 constitution, ought to be growth centres – actively participating in creating the institutional framework, structures, and environment to make this possible. However, only a few states have taken advantage of this vantage position to lift their people out of poverty. Most states function as salary payment centres. This must change if any meaningful development strides will take place in Nigeria.

The era of states becoming a leech on the centre, milking the Nigerian state dry, is over. Every state must look inward and decide the best path to economic progress. Each state must have the mentality that if the tap of crude oil is switched off today, how will it become sustainable? This calls for chief executive officers of the states (governors) to wear their thinking caps now, holistically review their productive comparative advantages, develop an audacious strategic plan, and execute such to achieve a clear vision for the state. Anything less than this is not acceptable to Nigerians.

The idea that consistent productivity at the sub-national level is one critical ingredient among many ingredients that will get us out of the economic mess we found ourselves in is more germane today than ever. The significance of this statement is that state governments are responsible for figuring out the best strategy to make their states viable and contribute to wealth creation and employment generation. Each state must tap into their comparative and competitive advantage to contribute to the national food basket.

A strategy for economic viability will require dealing with internal security issues coupled with medium- and long-term planning. The most crucial short-term action critical to agricultural production presently is to provide security and a safe environment for such economic activities to occur. The states must make farming safe and allow farmers to return to their farms without fear of attacks from bandits or terrorists. Insecurity is a great headwind against agricultural productivity.

Agro-industrialisation is crucial in massive food production and increases local revenue and foreign exchange generation. We are embracing new agro-technology and jettisoning old agricultural practices that have provided suboptimal productivity over the years. This is also a time to bring real entrepreneurs into the food production and processing value chain. State governments should leverage various public-private partnership investments available to bring in seasoned investors and ‘agropreneurs’ to work together to put in place modern mechanised agricultural facilities for the mass production and processing of food. Recently, I had a long discussion with the governments of Edo, Jigawa, Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom State who are leading in this new PPP arrangement and are collaborating heavily with the private sector (both local and foreign) to produce food for all and revenue to the state and our economy. I could feel a new mindset away from the “sharing mentality”.

Still on agro-industrialisation, agricultural exports accounted for about 90% of Nigeria’s foreign exchange earnings in 1960. In quarter one of 2023, three products alone, Cocoa seed, sesame, and cashew seed, even without maximising our potential, gave the country N297 billion. In 2022, Malaysia’s gross domestic product from palm oil export was estimated to be 36 billion Malaysian ringgit (approximately $8 billion).

Governor Bago has thrown an open challenge to the federal government and his fellow state governors. There is a need for constructive engagement and healthy competition around subnational food productivity. Most importantly, the food imperative allows some states to improve their domestic revenue situation. Agricultural productivity has become an economic lifeline for the states, especially in the north. Kofi Annan argued that “Food security is not only a moral issue but also a strategic one: without food, people have only three options – they riot, they emigrate, or they die. None of these are acceptable options”.

The fight against poverty, unemployment, hunger and malnutrition is one of the most significant challenges of our time, and it’s a challenge that can be won in Nigeria. Nigeria can work towards achieving food security by applying the essential spirit of Bago’s challenge. Quality and affordable food is the fundamental to Nigeria’s development. We must take care of the basics before travelling to the moon. Nigeria’s development hinges on this!

In 1975 Brigadier General Murtala Mohammed GCFR (November 8, 1938 – February 13, 1976), who was at that time a brigadier, approached Chief Frederick Rotimi Alade Williams SAN (December 16, 1920 – March 26 2005) to be the chairman of the 50-man Constitutional Drafting Committee. Chief Williams told Brigadier Murtala Mohammed that he would accept the job on two conditions, among which is that Professor Benjamin Obi Nwabueze (December 22, 1931- October 29, 2023) from Atani in Anambra state must be a member of the committee. Chief Williams told me this story himself when I covered proceedings of the committee which were usually held in his residence in Ilupeju, Lagos. I asked why he insisted on his friend, Professor Nwabueze to be a member of the committee; his reply was “Who else but Ben?”.

Eventually, Professor Ben Nwabueze was appointed a member of the 50-man committee. The committee was inaugurated on October 18, 1975, at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, then headed by Professor Bolaji Akinyemi (82), from Ilesha, Osun state, who later became the Nigerian Foreign Affairs Minister under General Ibrahim Babangida GCFR.

The committee was inaugurated before Brigadier General Murtala Mohammed was assassinated on February 13, 1976. The Secretary of the committee was Alhaji Gidado Idris, who was then the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture in Kaduna state. He later became secretary to the Constituent Assembly and later Secretary to the Government of the Federation under General Sani Abacha GCFR (September 20, 1943 – June 8, 1998).

At the Constitution Drafting Committee, Alhaji Gidado Idris was assisted by Mr R.C. O. Nwokedi, Senior Assistant Secretary, Cabinet Office, Lagos, Mrs O.O. Onajide, then Head of News and Current Affairs Mid-West Television, Mr A. Obilade, Lecturer in Law, University of Lagos and Dr O.A. Obozuwa, former Lecturer in Law, Lagos State University and a Commissioner, Public Service Commission, Bendel State.
Other supporting staff of the committee by then were Mr E. Omofuma, Mr O. Ogunade, Mr J.O. Oyefeso, Mrs A. T. Kole, Mrs M.M. Wuraola, Mr J.E. Ikebude, Mr R.O. Akpabio, Mrs J.O. Adeyemi-Wilson, Mrs V.O. Odunuga, Mrs M.M. Albert, Mrs P.C. Adiele, Mr A. O. Iyiola, Mr E.O. Ajiboye, Mrs J.T. Okechukwu, Mr E.I. Ojogwu, Miss A.E. Anwana, Mr J. A. Adesanwo, Mr Ben Enahoro, Mr N. Orekan and Mr P. Nwajei.

After the inauguration of the committee, Professor Nwabueze was made a member of the Legal Drafting subcommittee headed by Chief Rotimi Williams. Other members of the subcommittee at that time were Chief Richard Osuolale Abimbola Akinjide SAN(4 November 1930- 21 April 2020), who later became the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation in 1979, Alhaji Olufemi Lateef Okunnu(90), former Minister of Works, Dr Tajudeen Olawale Ayinla Idris(June 6, 1940- August 30, 2018), who later became Commissioner for Education under Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande and Chief James Ajibola Idowu Ige, SAN(September 13, 1930 – December 23, 2001) who was elected the governor of Oyo state, 1979-1983 and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, 2000-2001.

The rest members of the committee were Justice Muhammadu Buba Ardo(1930- October 5, 1991) from Fufore, Yola in Adamawa state, former Chief Justice of North Eastern state (175-1976), Justice of the Supreme Court(1978-1979), Mr. S.M. Liberty, Attorney General of Borno state and Mr. Kanmi Ishola Osobu from Ilesha in Osun state.

Mr Osobu was educated at the famous Ilesha Grammar School before proceeding to the University of London. Before he died in 1995, he had a flourishing bar practice in Lagos of which many lawyers including Wole Obayomi, currently a partner and Head of Tax, Regulatory and Peoples’ Service (TRPS) Practice of KPMG and Mr. Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika SAN, passed through. Till he died in Ibadan, myself, Toye Akiyode, Yinka Guedon, Gboyega Amoboye (The Governor), Femi Ogunleye (now the Towulade of Akinale in Ogun state), Labake Adebiyi alias Everything Labakus, Jimi Aderinokun, Dapo Aderinola, Tunde Fagbenle and other journalists were associated with him. Egbon Kanmi Ishola Osobu alias PEOPLE’S LAWYER, a human rights activist was also closely associated with Fela Anikulapo-Kuti
The last member of the subcommittee was Alhaji Abdulganiyu Folorunsho Abdulrazak (November 13, 1927 – July 25, 2020) from Ilorin. He was the first lawyer from northern Nigeria and the father to the present governor of Kwara state, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.

Professor Nwabueze married in December 1961, Rose Achike, with three sons and three daughters. He had his education at the London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London, England, 1956-1961, lecturer, later senior lecturer, University of Lagos, 1962-1965, senior lecturer, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, 1965-1967, acting dean, University of Nigeria, Usukka,1967-1970, Professor, School of Law, University of Zambia, 1970-1976, also dean, School of Law, 1971-1976, joined United Bank for Africa, Lagos and awarded Nigerian National Merit Award in 1980.

In January 1993, under the Transitional Council, then headed by Chief Ernest Adegunle Oladeinde Shonekan GCFR (9 May 1936 – 11 January 2022), he was Secretary (Minister) of Education and Youth Development). In October 2013, Professor Nwabueze was appointed to the National Conference Advisory Committee but withdrew on health grounds. He was replaced by Mr. Solomon Asemota, the Chairman of the Governing Council of the Christian Social Movement of Nigeria as well as Coordinator of the Ethnic Nationalities Movement (ENM).

Atani, his hometown, is the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government in Anambra state. Atani is also the hometown of my favourite musician, Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe(March 17, 1936- May 11, 2007).
In 2004, I was in Atani when my friend, Chief Chris Nwabueze Ngige (71) from Alor in Idemili South Local Government of Anambra state, was the Governor of Anambra state. A very quiet town.

Professor Ben Nwabueze was later made the chairman of the sub-committee on National Objectives and Public Accountability of the Constitution Drafting Committee. Other members of the committee were Kanmi Ishola Osobu and Professor Emmanuel Uwamagbuhunmwun Emovon (February 24, 1929 – February 20, 2020) from Benin City, former Vice Chancellor of the University of Jos, who later became the Minister of Science and Technology under General Ibrahim Babangida GCFR. The rest members were Dr A.Y. Aliyu, lecturer of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Chief Paul Wanteregh Unongo (September 26, 1937, to November 29, 2022) from Jato Aka in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue state, who later became Minister of Power and Steel under President Shehu Shagari GCFR and Alhaji Ibrahim Imam (1916 – April 1980) a Kanuri politician from Borno, who was the secretary of the Northern People’s Congress and later became a patron of the Borno Youth Movement. He was elected into the Northern House of Assembly in 1961, representing a Tiv district. Before his election in 1961, he had represented his district of Yerwa in 1951 after supporting a strike of Native Administration workers.

It was in this subcommittee that Professor Nwabueze served his country best. His footprints are all over in the 1979 constitution. Professor Nwabueze’s subcommittee’s main objectives were

1. To consider and make recommendations on the desirability of embodying National Objectives and Directive Principles in the Nigerian Constitution
2. To suggest what such principles and objectives should be
3. To consider and make recommendations regarding constitutional arrangements to ensure observance of and conformity to such principles and objectives including the procedure to amend this part of the Constitution and
4. To examine and make recommendations on institutional and other arrangements to prevent corruption and abuse of power on the part of all persons holding public offices or exercising power (be it executive, legislative or judicial).

The committee recommended that the Federal Republic of Nigeria be one, indivisible and indissoluble, sovereign state based on the principles of democracy and social justice and accordingly,

• Sovereignty belongs to the people from whom the government, through this constitution derives all its powers and authorities;
• The welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government;
• The government shall be responsible and accountable to the people;
• Participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this constitution;
• The press, radio, television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in this constitution and to ensure and facilitate the responsibility and accountability of the Government to the people;
• The state shall not adopt any religion as the state religion but the freedom of every individual to preach, to teach and to practice the religion of his choice shall be respected and protected.

It was Professor Nwabueze’s subcommittee that recommended the fifteen codes which a public officer must adhere to. If those codes had been enforced, I am sure this country would have been a better place. The codes were “a leader shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his responsibilities as a leader, or which enables him to explore others; without prejudice to the generality of the foregoing paragraph, a leader shall not;

• Hold more than one public office
• Engage in any private, trade or profession
• Receive any remuneration, gain or profit other than the emolument payable to him in respect of the specified office held by him.
• A leader shall not, after he retires from public service and while receiving a pension from public funds, accept a remunerative position as chairman, director or employee of a public company or receive any other remuneration from public funds in addition to his pension.

Notwithstanding anything in paragraphs 3 and 4, a leader shall entitled to earn, in addition to his emoluments as a leader—

(a) interest on money deposited in a bank, building society or other financial institutions;

(b) dividends or other profits from stocks or shares held by him in any registered company;

(c) interest on Government stock;

(d) gains or advantage derived through personal labour on land owned or occupied by him.

No person shall own or occupy more than one plot of State land throughout the country. Any person who at the coming into force of this Code owns or occupies more than one plot of State land shall sell the excess over one plot to the State. The price—(a) as regards the ground shall be at a rate at which allocations of State land in the area in which the plot is located are made by the Government at the time of sale; (b) as regards any building erected on the plot, shall be such as may be agreed or determined by the court in default of agreement.
A leader shall not ask for nor accept any property or benefit of any kind for himself or any other person on account of anything done, to be done or omitted to be done by him in the discharge of his duties, nor accept gifts of whatever nature other than from relatives and personal friends.
A leader who holds a position as President or Vice-President of the Republic, minister, permanent secretary or head of any public corporation, university, or other parastatal organization shall not accept. (a) a loan except from a bank, building society or other financial institution; (b) any benefit of whatever nature from any company, contractor, business or their nominee or agent.
No person shall offer to leader any property, gift or benefit of any kind as an inducement or bribe for the granting of any favour or the discharge in his favour of the leader’s duties; a leader shall not do or direct to be done in abusive of his office, any arbitrary act prejudicial to the rights of any other person; a leader shall not put to his personal advantage or to the advantage of any other person materially or otherwise any information acquired by him during his term of office as a leader; a leader shall not be a member of, belong to, or take part in the organization or management of the Ogboni or owegbe societies or any other secret society of a similar nature.

Every leader shall, (a) within three months after the coming into force of the code or after taking office, as the case may be, (b) at the end of each year (c) at the end of his term of office, submit to the Code of Conduct Bureau of the Government which employs him, a written declaration of all property or assets owned by, or liabilities owed to, him, his spouse or unmarried children under the age of twenty-one; any false information in such declarations shall be deemed to be breached of this code; any property or asset acquired by a leader after the initial declaration required by paragraph 13 (1) (a) above and which is not fairly attributable to income, gift, or loan approved in this Code shall be deemed to have been acquired in breach of this Code unless the contrary is proved.

An allegation that a leader has committed a breach of or has not complied with the provisions of this Code shall be made to the Code of Conduct Bureau, which shall, unless the person concerned makes a written admission of such breach or non-compliance, cause the matter to be heard and determined by the tribunal referred to in Article of the Constitution.

A leader who does any act prohibited by his Code through a nominee, trustee, or other agent shall be deemed ipso facto to have committed a breach of this Code”. By being the Chairman of the subcommittee, Professor Nwabueze automatically became a member of the Constituent Assembly. Other chairmen of subcommittees that became automatic members of the Constituent Assembly were Alhaji A.G.F. Abdul-Rasaq (sub-committee on the executive and the legislature, Alhaji Nuhu Bamali (sub-committee on the judicial system), Dr. Pius Okigbo (sub-committee on economy, finance and division of powers), Alhaji Aminu Kano (sub-committee on citizenship, citizenship rights, fundamental rights, political parties and electoral laws, Dr. Obi Wali (sub-committee on the public service including the Armed Forces and the Police) and Chief F.R.A. Williams (Legal Drafting sub-committee).

On November 1, 1977, Professor Nwabueze was appointed the chairman of the business of the Constituent Assembly. Other members of the business committee were Alhaji Abdul Razak, Dr Pius Okigbo, Chief Olu Awotesu, Dr K.O. Mbadiwe, Chief Samuel O. Mbakwe, Mr D.G. Vembeh, Chief Frank N. Inok, Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, Alhaji Shehu Malami, Dr, Iya Abubakar, Dr. Mudiaga Odje and Dr. F.O. Nwator.

From October 6, 1977, when the then Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, inaugurated the Constituent Assembly, till the assembly adjourned sine die in March 1978, Professor Nwabueze sat next to Chief Rotimi Williams. The two were inseparable. Despite his later years’ pronouncements on political issues, Professor Nwabueze should be judged on the preamble of the report of the sub-committee on National Objectives and Public Accountability of the Constitutional Drafting Committee which he co-authored in 1975. That preamble was his legacy. The preamble defined Professor Nwabueze.

In the preamble, he wrote “Government in Nigeria, as indeed in other developing countries, has tended to be preoccupied with power and its material perquisites. Given the country’s conditions of under-development, power offers the opportunity of a lifetime to rise above the general poverty and squalor that pervades the entire society. It provides a rare opportunity to acquire wealth and prestige, and to be able to distribute benefits in the form of jobs, contracts, scholarships, gifts of money and so on to one’s relatives, and political allies. Such is the preoccupation with power and its material benefits that political ideologies as to how society can be organized and ruled to the best advantage of all hardly enter into the calculation.

Perhaps the Constitution is in part to blame for this. The Constitution in Commonwealth Africa speaks only in terms of power and of rights, but never of duties. The latter are taken for granted. The Constitution assumes that those who wield the power of the state will be conscious of, and responsive to, its obligations and responsibilities. And so it says nothing of the duties of the government towards its subjects. Our experiences have shown this to be a wrong approach to constitution-making. As a charter of government and the fundamental law of the land, the Constitution should make it clear that powers are bestowed upon the organs and institutions of government, not for the personal aggrandizement of those who wield them from time to time, but for the welfare and advancement of the society as a whole. It should therefore cast on the State definite duties towards its subjects

A constitution should indeed do more. It should proclaim the principle on which the state is organised and spell out the ideals and objectives of the social order. Every constitution is set and operates in the context of certain organising ideas but these are often left unexpressed. Again this approach to constitution-making is outdated. A constitution should not be simply a code of justiciable rules and regulations; it is a charter of government, a government involves relations and concepts that are not amenable to the test of justiciability.

The objectives may be immediate, specific policy goals or long-term ideals. The former are not likely to excite controversy; they are the things Nigerians expect their government to secure for them—food, clothing, water, medical facilities, education, etc. Spelling them out in the constitution provides a yardstick for judging the performance of any government. It invests them with the quality of a constitutional directive to the organs of the state to inform and guide their actions by reference to the declared principles. It would also serve as a reminder to government functionaries that their position is one of trust involving powers as well as duties.

The latter implies ideology. Ideology arouses a certain mysticism and suspicion among us. Yet every new nation has a special need for a nationally accepted ideology. For unless the goals and the fundamental attitudes and values that should inform the behaviour of its members and institutions are clearly stated and accepted, a new nation is likely to find itself rudderless, with no sense of purpose and direction. By defining the goals of society and prescribing the institutional forms and procedures for pursuing them, ideology seeks to direct and concert the efforts of actions of the people towards the achievement of those goals. In this way, it seeks to unite the society into one nation bound together by common attitudes and values, common institutions and procedures, and above all an acceptance of common social objectives and destiny.

The need for an ideology in Nigeria is all the greater because of the heterogeneity of the society, the increasing gap between the rich and the poor, and the growing cleavage between the social groupings, all of which combine to confuse the nation and bedevil the concerted march to orderly progress. Only an explicit ideology which sets the parameters of government and informs its policies and actions can generate a spirit of cooperation, peace and unity.

If the national ideology is enshrined in the constitution, then this may make it appear less of a political slogan, investing it with the quality of a constitutional, albeit non-justiciable norm, and thereby making it easier for political leaders, and even judges, to establish and show the desired identification with it.
It may be argued that the aspirations, goals and values of a society are not unchanging for all times; they may not even be a true reflection of current values but only what the present generation of leaders believe them to be or think they should be; to enshrine them in the constitution would therefore be an imposition, and would create a false and unwarranted image of popular acceptance. These sentiments might equally serve as an argument for not having a constitution at all.

Whilst unquestionably values are relative to time and place, every society should attempt to formulate the values that are relevant to its time and place; their embodiment in the constitution does not entitle them to any more immutability than the frame of government instituted in the constitution. The important thing is that the values and objectives declared should be the fundamental ones widely shared in the community, and not the sectional objectives and goals of particular social and economic policies of a ruling party.

It cannot be disputed that the ideology that is most relevant to our society today and one that is accepted by most Nigerians is that of socialism operating within the framework of participatory democracy and the ideals of liberty, equality and justice. It is the only effective answer to the conditions of under-development, inequality and exploitation that exist in the country. The long-term objectives of socialism in Nigeria should be to place in the hands of the State and people the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution”.

Professor Obiefuna Benjamin Nwabueze served his country the best way he could.

Ariel Henry, Haiti’s prime minister, has resigned following weeks of escalating violence in the country.

Mohamed Ali, Guyana’s president and the current chair of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said Henry tendered his resignation after CARICOM leaders held an emergency summit in Jamaica on the crisis in Haiti.

In a video address late Monday, the 74-year-old politician said his government would leave power after the establishment of a transitional council.

“We will be a caretaker government until they name a prime minister and a new cabinet,” Henry said in a video address.

“I want to thank the Haitian people for the opportunity I had been granted. I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible.”

Henry spoke from Puerto Rico where he has been stranded after his plane was denied permission to land in his country.

The embattled prime minister was in Kenya seeking support for a United Nations (UN)-backed Kenyan-led security force for Haiti, as part of efforts to “restore security”.

While he was away last week, the violence worsened.

The rebel group invaded two of Haiti’s main prisons in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, freeing over 4,000 inmates.

The gangs also attacked the National Palace, set part of the interior ministry on fire with petrol bombs, and carried out sustained attacks on the international airport.

Jimmy “Barbecue” Cherizier, the country’s most notorious gang leader, said the violence would not stop until the prime minister resigns.

Haiti has not had an election since 2016.

I travelled between the Island and the Mainland in Lagos taking the Third Mainland Bridge. The 11.8 km Bridge had been shut down for repairs since Tuesday, January 9 according to an announcement by the Federal Ministry of Works. We were told that the Bridge would be open for mainland inbound island travels between 12 am to 12 noon, while those travelling from the island to the mainland should go through Eko Bridge, and only use the Third Mainland Bridge from 12 noon. I was very skeptical. 

On many occasions in the last eight years, the same Bridge had been shut down for rehabilitation at various occasions, either to fix the ramps or some engineering defects. Lagosians paid the price in terms of time lost to traffic hold ups on the alternative routes, and the hardship of commuting in a city where the island seems to be the centre of gravity. Despite the various delays of the past, the Bridge remained largely a poor stretch of road. The potholes never seemed to disappear. There was even a time this same Bridge was vibrating and you could feel it. The rails had been removed in parts. The managers of the road provided street lights at a point, but those lights didn’t function for up to a month. Based on past experience, I was convinced that the Tinubu administration and the team at the Federal Ministry of Works were back to their old game. But this time around, I was mistaken. My skepticism is misplaced. 

Having confirmed that it was now possible to take the same route from 12 noon to the Mainland, the other day, I shrugged off the stress of more than a month and headed towards the Mainland. I saw busy workers on the Mainland-bound side of the Bridge, but in a short while we were diverted to the other side which had been completed to some degree. I became excited. The other side of the Bridge had been thoroughly resurfaced, not the patch-patch work that we used to see oh, a complete make-over, and as we drove towards the Mainland, there was no vibration. No potholes. Even the lanes were properly marked with fresh, clean paint – black and white, and I saw painters giving the entire stretch of the Bridge a decent face lift. I didn’t know when I told the driver: “Wonders! In this same country? You mean this is possible?”

We had a very smooth ride all the way to Oworonshoki, where again there was another diversion towards Oshodi. But I had seen enough to justify my excitement. I noticed though that the lights had not been fixed – I hope they would get to that, and that all the broken rails will be restored. We may raise questions about cost later, and the Federal Ministry of Works must be prepared for that, but with what I saw, I believe that when that Bridge is fully rehabilitated, the people of Lagos would have every cause to thank the Tinubu administration for a job well done. Speaking for myself, I do not mind even if that Bridge is shut down for another two months until the make-over is properly done. This time around, the government seems to be doing a good job. You may not understand but those who know the way things are in this country will get the message: travelling on a good road in Nigeria is so unusual it calls for excitement, if not celebration.

Commissioned in 1980 by the Shehu Shagari administration and completed for public use by President Ibrahim Babangida in 1990, the Third Mainland Bridge is the longest bridge linking the Mainland to Lagos Island. The two others are Eko and Carter Bridges. Since 2012, the Bridge has been having issues; it is either it vibrates, or there are visible cracks on it, so wide the water below could be seen, it would in due course become a preferred spot for those seeking to commit suicide, which is why I think the side rails need to be raised so high that it should be impossible for anyone to jump into the Lagoon below by climbing over the barricades. In 2020, the Bridge was even closed for repairs for six months, and again in 2021. But for the first time, I see much improvement. 

I am tempted to think that this difference can be traced to the fact that the current Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, former Governor of Ebonyi State is a civil engineer. This is precisely what we mean when we say that President Tinubu and governments at all levels must learn to put round pegs in round holes.  If you appoint an accountant to supervise a construction project, he is not likely to know what it entails to build a road. He would be looking at figures and fail to see the road. Senator David Umahi, as a former CEO of an Engineering Company knows all the details about construction from design to finish. No contractor or official would go to him and give him a fake Bill of Quantities or try any trick – the same tricks that he himself must have applied as a young Engineer. We have seen the evidence in what he is doing with the make-over of the Third Mainland Bridge. President Tinubu should give him other assignments: give him more roads to fix – the Ibadan-Ife-road for example, and the road to Benin. Based on what I saw, I am inclined to say that Senator Umahi is doing well.

He has the potential to become one of the promising Ministers in Tinubu’s cabinet, but he must stay away from making political statements. The other day, he put his mouth into the labour crisis and accused labour leaders of being unpatriotic. I think he should concentrate on his PWD, wheel-barrow assignment and avoid moralizing about subjects he does not understand. He will get some response from the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) when the deadline that the body gave the Federal Government expires, this week, by the way, tomorrow, March 13.

Senator Abdul Ahmed Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) is a ranking member of Nigeria’s National Assembly. He has been a member of that Assembly since the return to democratic rule in 1999, first as a member of the House of Representatives - elected in 1999, re-elected in 2003 and re-elected again in 2007.  In 2011, he continued his legislative career as a Senator of the Federal Republic representing Bauchi Central. He was re-elected in that capacity in 2015, 2019, and 2023. In the course of what is an obviously rich and fulfilling time in the National Assembly, Ningi has served as either Chairman or member of many committees including the Niger Delta Committee, Solid Minerals, Teachers Education, and NAFDAC Committee of the House. Between 1999 and 2002, he was Chairman of the Nigeria Football Association. He would later become House Majority Leader, 2003 – 2007, and Chairman of the ad hoc committee on the Niger Delta crisis, the committee on Jos crisis, and the Constitutional Review Committee. In 2011, he won election into the Senate and emerged as the Deputy Majority Leader, the Senate was then dominated by the PDP. He has been in the Senate since then. 

Thus, as far as experience goes, Ningi is one of the most experienced and most durable lawmakers in Nigeria today. His continual re-election shows that he is well appreciated by the people of Ningi, his constituency and Bauchi Central in general. As a person, he is a friendly, avuncular fellow with friends across the landscape and a charming sunny disposition. He is what you can call a very nice guy. But over the weekend, it would appear that Senator Ningi put a stain, perhaps inadvertently, on his otherwise sterling legislative credentials, when he alleged in his position as the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum (NSF) that (i) President Bola Tinubu is implementing a version of the 2024 Budget that is different from what was passed by the National Assembly, and (ii) that budgetary allocations for projects and social infrastructure were skewed against the North in favour of the South. Was Ningi speaking for himself, or for Northern Senators as a group? Ningi alleges that the Budget that was passed in December 2023 was padded with N3 trillion, a budget of N25 trillion that suddenly became N28 trillion, and that out of the total, the Senate President inserted projects worth N4 trillion into the Budget, with “huge damage” done to the North. It will be recalled that President Tinubu presented a budget estimate of N27 trillion to the National Assembly on November 28, 2023.  The National Assembly eventually passed a Budget of N28.7 trillion, effective January 1, 2024. 

Four Senators have since dismissed Ningi’s claims as baseless and unfounded - Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), Titus Zam (APC, Benue North West), Kaka Shehu (APC, Borno Central) and Senator Ibrahim Jimoh (APC, Ondo South) who insist that Ningi is misinforming the public. The Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Yemi Adaramodu has also issued a statement to the effect that there was no budget padding, no varied execution, and the budget is a public document. Further, there are indications that when the Senate meets today, Tuesday, March 12, Senator Abdul Ningi would be called upon by his colleagues to defend his allegations, failing which he may be suspended under Order 67(4) of the Rules. Indeed, it is necessary to ask Senator Ningi to prove his own claims and provide relevant evidence, before his own colleagues. He is said to have back-tracked with an explanation that he was misquoted. He has to prove how that happened. It is a trite principle, and this needs not be explained to lawmakers that he who alleges must prove. Besides, the allegations are so weighty and capable of throwing the country into chaos and strife, that the Nigerian people need to know. 

In one broad stroke, the statements attributed to Senator Ningi call the integrity of the National Assembly, the Senate, and the Tinubu administration into question. The Budget is a creation of law, that is why it is called the “Appropriation Act”. If the National Assembly made two different laws detailing the fiscal map for the year, one of which is unknown to the people, that would not only be illegal, it would be criminal. Where did the N25 trillion Budget come from and how did it become N28 trillion? Where was it discussed? Who signed it into law?   And what are the details of the implementation of that secret Budget? Senator Ningi owes us a duty to unveil that which is unknown. He says the Budget was padded. How? It is the duty of lawmakers to receive the Budget and go through it line by line, item by item, before approving it. What is called budget padding is actually a way of saying that both the Appropriation Committee and the entire Senate are made up of idiots. It amounts to self-indictment. And where was Senator Ningi when the Budget was being padded as he claims? Was he asleep or awake at the time? And why he is just speaking up now? 

He says “huge damage” has been done to the North in the Budget. He must be made to prove how. This kind of statement is potentially divisive and capable of causing chaos. It is even careless in the extreme for Senator Ningi, an opposition politician, to play such a divide and rule card. Even when politicians disagree with the government of the day, they must be careful not to burn down the country. This is the key lesson here.  Experience may not necessarily mean maturity. There was once a Senator in Nigeria who went about preaching the importance of commonsense. Opposition politicians must learn to play the politics of commonsense. The general elections ended in 2023. We are now in the season of governance, when we must all put Nigeria first. Politicians must be careful what they say. Ningi may want to discredit the Tinubu administration but he must do so, based on empirical facts and not in a manner that puts the same country that has been so generous to him, at risk. We are told that tension has gripped the Senate: the very reason why Ningi’s claims must be investigated and he must be made to prove his allegations in the open court of the Senate. His allegations cannot be covered by privilege, and must not be swept under the carpet. 

Other members of the Northern Senators Forum, a body that we assume includes other members from both the ruling party and the opposition also have a duty to tell us what exactly transpired. Is Ningi speaking for them or is he just on his own? One by one, every member of that body must tell us where he or she stands! For them, it must be a matter of honour. Senator Ningi granted an interview to BBC Hausa and he spoke in Hausa. After a fashion, he may come forward to say that what he actually said was lost in translation or that he was quoted out of context by journalists. One of the crass games that Nigerian politicians play, even in the face of overwhelming evidence, when they are caught out, is to blame the media.  Ningi’s statements in BBC Hausa must be played on the open floor of the Senate. Language experts, and other speakers of the language must be asked to review it. Nigeria is too important to be derailed on the basis of partisanship or rumours. If it is then established that Senator Ningi spoke out of mischief, every Senator not being entitled to immunity under our laws, the appropriate punishment for the Senator should not be under the Senate Rules – Order 67(4). When Senator Ovie Omo-Agege was suspended for 90 days under that same rule, he went to court, and he won. Just in case Senator Ningi is found to be fibbing, and unable to prove his grave allegations, he an Abdul, and an Ahmed, lying in the Holy Month, should be punished under the laws of the Sharia which apply in his home state of Bauchi, and whatever punishment the Court deems fit, should be applied publicly and televised! Even if he insists that he was misquoted, that too should be investigated. I don’t want to imagine what indictment or punishment may come the Senator’s way under the Sharia, for he is all things considered, ordinarily, a nice guy. But this is a matter that concerns us all.

Laetare Sunday, along with its elder brother, Gaudate Sunday, serves as an interjection to the Lent and Advent seasons, urging relaxation and rejoicing as Easter or Christmas draws near. Today marks Laetare Sunday.

This Sunday, the fourth of Lent in the liturgical calendar, signifies the midpoint of Lent and is often observed with a lighter tone compared to the other Sundays. "Laetare," meaning "rejoice" in Latin, highlights the Church's hopeful anticipation of Easter, encouraging believers to reflect on their Lenten journey with optimism.

Fr. Maximus expressed his desire not to turn his sermon into lecturing but ended up mixing both to the admiration of the congregation. As Fr. elaborated on today's significance, memories of the song "Regina Ceali Laetare" flooded back. He explained that Sundays are not counted during Lenten observation. It is a day children eat rice and make merry. On the significance of Sundays, he referred to “Sunday is our Weekly Easter,” a pastoral letter by the late Bishop of Awka, before he became an Archbishop.

During his sermon, he elucidated that most Church and papal documents derive their names from their first words, citing examples like "Gaudete" and "Laetare." He explained that "Gaudete" takes its name from the entrance antiphon for the Mass of that day, while "Laetare" stems from the opening words of today's liturgy, "Laetare Jerusalem – Rejoice, Jerusalem."

Indeed, Fr. was, as always, right. A rough check shows that most papal documents and encyclicals, such as “Laudato Si,” “Humane Vitae,” “Ut Unum Sint,” “Rerum Novarum,” “Divini Redemptoris,” “Mater et Magistra,” among others, followed the tradition. Papal Bulls, such as “Unam Sanctam,” “Ineffabilis Deus,” “Inter Caetera,” “Exsurge Domine,” “Cum Occasione,” among many, follow the same pattern. Decretals, such as “Quod Cuique Sit,” “Perpauca,” “Cum Tam Divino,” “Decet Romanum Pontificem,” followed the same pattern. However, some papal documents, some of which Father alluded to, such as the “Constitutiones Apostolicae,” “Motu Proprio,” “Regulae Cancellariae Apostolicae,” “Rescriptum Apostolicum,” and “Bulla Apostolica,” do not always follow the same pattern as they are named to reflect the topics they address.

While exploring today's readings, especially the story of the graven serpent, Fr. Maximus referenced figures like Einstein, Euclid, and Napoleon Bonaparte to convey his message. As an admirer of Napoleon, I recall visiting his tomb on the banks of the Seine during a trip to France. Napoleon, though short in stature for a General, believed that command lay in the eyes. Legend has it that during the signing of the Concordat of 1801 between Pope Pius VII and Napoleon, Cardinal Caprara, the Papal Legate wore "an immense pair of spectacles" to soften the glare of Napoleon's eyes. He expressed part of his strategy as a general in a mathematical formula: "The strength of an army, like the amount of momentum in mechanics, is estimated by the mass times the velocity. A swift march enhances the morale of an army and increases its power for victory."

Through Napoleon's defeat and the peculiar odyssey that characterizes philology, the saying "to meet one’s Waterloo" has become part of English. It was in the Belgian city of Waterloo that he was captured that eventually ended his life while in exile at St. Helena . At St. Helena, he lamented that the bedbug, which makes no distinction of human ranks, bit him unrestrainedly.

What is clear from Fr. Maximus's sermon and lecture today is the rich history of the Catholic Church and the importance of preparation. Let this be a guide to our priests. The congregation must leave with one lesson from sermons, whether moral, historical, or otherwise. It enhances the spirit and expands our knowledge.

As some Nigerians are calling for revolution, what was Napoleon's attitude towards that? He held ambivalent views on revolutions. On one hand, he recognized their potential to unleash the violent passions of the masses, stating that "collective crimes incriminate no one," and acknowledging that "never a revolution without terror." He acknowledged that revolutions could bring about regeneration in public customs. However, he ultimately concluded in 1816 that "revolution is one of the greatest evils by which mankind can be visited." He described it as a scourge that embitters the lives of those involved, and he believed that any advantages gained from revolution could not outweigh the misery it caused.

But among nations like Nigeria that had exhausted all reasons, what becomes their fallback position when all else appears to have failed?