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Iyiola Omisore, chairman of the Senate committee on
appropriation, and a governorship aspirant in Osun State, spoke with MICHAEL
BAMIGBOLA in Osogbo. Excerpts:

His impeachment by the
State House of Assembly as deputy governor of Osun State.

I have forgotten everything that happened between Bisi Akande
and I. I am a Yoruba man from Ile-Ife, which is the source of all Yoruba, and
as a Yoruba man, I have to respect elders. Believe me, in all sincerity and
honesty, I owe no grudge against Chief Bisi Akande. God has only used him to
elevate me in life.

He thought he was persecuting me, but God was using him to
prepare higher ground for me. I may not be where I am now if not for Akande’s
victimization. God, who knows the end of a thing from the beginning, allowed
Akande to do all that he did for me to ensure my lifting in life. Recently, we
met at the airport and I greeted him. I will continue to greet him whenever I
meet him. The rest is now history.

The implosion of Alliance
for Democracy, under which he became deputy governor of Osun State in 1999.

I am sure you are aware that we had crisis in AD in 2001. AD
crisis actually started in year 2000, immediately after the election. When Bola
Ige was appointed minister by the PDP-led government and Afenifere disagreed
with him. That gave birth to Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE), which culminated
in crisis in all the south western states. So, at that point in time, there
were factions in AD and that is why there is no strong personality in AD any
more in the South West.

The issue of leaving AD or not did not even arise this time
around because AD, as far as I am concerned, died in 2003, and whoever wants to
contribute his quota to the country politically must find his level. I joined
the PDP because I believe in the ideology of the party and I know I can
contribute to national development through the party.

The impression in certain
quarters that Osun State is lagging behind its mates in the south west.

I don’t agree with you. I don’t know where you get your
information. Going by the UNDP reports, Osun State has the largest critical
manpower in this country, and when you have human capital development, you have
everything. Osun State is the most urbanised state in this country, as you
know. The state is also blessed with a governor who knows the ways to develop
the state. By the time we came in, there were lot of crises and Oyinlola has
made the state stable in the last seven years. When you look at the state,
there is peace and this brings about development.

His work at the Senate to
ensure that meaningful budgets are passed at the appropriate time.

This is my third year as chairman, Senate committee on
appropriation, and I think we have always been working to ensure that budgets
are passed as at when due. None of my members is corrupt; neither am I corrupt.
There is nothing like corruption in the Senate. Mr. Akinyele is still alive,
maybe you heard about his name before. He was director of budget in 1983 during
the Shagari era, and I talked with him on budget matters. The 1980 budget was
signed in August 1980.

Luckily for us, this year’s budget is the fastest in the history
of this country because there is agreement between the Senate and House of
Representatives. There is a lot of work that budget involves. Many people don’t
really understand this. The interest of the 36 states, including Abuja, should
be balanced. Everybody wants everything and the money is not like the Ocean, it
is not limitless. The problems of this country are enormous and I am just
looking at some people the way they condemn government on what the government
is doing.

His ambition to govern
Osun State next year.

It’s good to have a plan, but I don’t contest at a wrong time.
There was no primary election I participated in that I lost. I won all my
primaries in the last 15 years. I believe this is God’s time and there is no
need to be doubtful. All what we should be praying for is that that God should
choose the best person for us.

I believe in God that I
will get the ticket of the party. In addition, I believe I am the choice of the
people of Osun State and the best person for the assignment. I have the
experience and the wherewithal to rule the state. Even when I was in detention,
my people voted for me and I won the senatorial election with wide margin. That
goes to tell you how much the people want me.

The reported insinuation
that the Ooni of Ife is not in support of his ambition

Kabiyesi is not a politician, and we should not drag him into
politics. The truth is that there are political differences amongst the people
of Ile-Ife. But that does not mean that the palace is part of the crisis. There
are about six people contesting the post under PDP from Ile-Ife, and it is
normal that everybody will have his or her preferred aspirant. The Palace of
Ooni belongs to Ife people and Ooni is our king, and we should preserve and
respect him as well. I want to tell you there is nothing of such and I want to
keep calm and remain focused.

Efforts of the Senate to
ensure early passage of Electoral Reforms bill

We at the National Assembly are not sleeping on the passage of
the Electoral Reforms bill. We are going to look at the submissions of Mr.
President, and define it with what we have on the ground. I must, however, say
that none of the members of the Electoral Reforms Committee has ever contested
election before. So, they are all paper recommendations. There is need to sit
down and look at it critically.

The crowded field of
governorship aspirants

It has become all comers race. In those days, before you can
come out to contest to become governor or Senator, you have to weigh yourself
first. Some people are supposed to contest for councillor and they are now
contesting for the governorship position. In politics, you have precedence.
What we have today is posters war. Everybody pastes posters everywhere because
they want to negotiate for positions and we have gone beyond that, for God’s
sake. There are more credible people, more experienced people who are within
the party that are not coming out to contest for the governorship position
because it is not their time.

Some of those who are contesting for governor today have not
worked in their life before. Governor is their first employment. I was asking
those people in AC in Ekiti State whether Fayemi has ever worked with anybody
in his life. I know he has not worked in his life. He wanted to go and serve in
Government House. These are the critical issues we need to look at and put
sentiments apart. We are not in Anambra State. How can we have 47 aspirants in
a state? There is no reason for anybody to be afraid of me. It’s because they
have nothing to offer. They want to bargain and bargain cheap at the end of the
day.

The letter written by the Attorney General of Lagos State, Supo
Sasore, advising all ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in the state
not to appear today before the 7-man ad hoc committee investigating financial
allegations made against the executive government of Lagos State met the fury
of the lawmakers yesterday.

This has prompted the House to summon Mr. Sasore to appear
before it today.

The probe committee is expecting the MDAs to present requested
documents relevant to its assignment today but the attorney general, in his
letter that was read at the plenary session of the House yesterday, advised the
MDAs “that they are under a legal duty not to acquiesce in actions that may
undermine the process of the Court of Appeal.”

The continued sitting of the probe panel amounts to contempt of
the court to the fact that there is an appeal suit and a pending motion for
injunction on the investigation saga, as explained in the letter, which was
written on the advice of Bamidele Aturu, a lawyer, to the attorney general.

Mr. Aturu in a letter written to the attorney general on May 6
asked the attorney general “to use your good offices to prevail upon the
defendant (House of Assembly), if need be, by using your constitutional power,
to ensure that [the defendant] does not do anything to frustrate the appeal and
motion for injunction pending before the Court of Appeal.”

Mr. Sasore, based on Mr. Aturu’s advice, asked the probe
committee to “await the outcome of the appeal case and the motion for
injunction before the court of appeal.”

Background

A Lagos High Court presided by Justice Abiru had on March 16, in
the case Richard Akinola vs Lagos House of Assembly, dissolved a 5-man
committee set up by the House to investigate allegations levelled against the
executive government by The True Face of Lagos group because the House did not
follow due process.

In its next sitting after the judgment, the House dissolved the
committee but upon another allegation made by the same group, another 7-man
committee was constituted.

An appeal was however filed by Mr. Akionla, even though he won
at the High Court and a yet-to-be-granted injunction to stop the new committee
was sought.

Bone of contention

As explained in his letter, Mr. Aturu, who is Mr. Akionla’s
lawyer, said they have gone to the Appeal Court because the High Court refused
to construe the provision of section 128(a) and 128(b) of the 1999 constitution
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as requested.

“In other words, the court did not agree with us that the power
of the defendant to conduct investigation under section 128 must be predicated
on the existence of a pending bill to make a new law or correct defects in
existing law relating to the subject matter of investigation,” he said.

Rising to oppose Mr. Aturu’s claim, Sanai Agunbiade (Ikorodu
constituency), who is a member of the probe committee, said the claim is only
true for Section 128(a). He said Section 128(b) empowers the House to also hold
investigation in order to expose corruption.

Mr. Agunbiade also said that the ministry of works and
infrastructure had already obliged the probe panel the requested documents.

“I don’t think there is anything in law or common sense that
will stop the House from investigating allegations of corruption,” said Adeyemi
Ikuforiji, the Speaker of the House.

“The attorney general, who I have a lot of respect for as a complete
gentleman, got it all wrong. He should be brought to this House [Tuesday] to
explain what we don’t already know.”

The refusal of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to return
unspent funds to the federation account since 2005, as demanded by law, has
cost the federal government substantial loss in revenue, the Independent
Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) has charged.

Media consultant to the ICPC, Folu Olamiti, said on Monday that
an initial investigation conducted by the ICPC on the agency revealed that it
has not been remitting its annual unspent balances to the federal government
sub-treasury since 2005.

“The commission had discovered that so far it (NCS) owed the
government of Nigeria more than N600 million,” he said.

While confirming that the commission has so far recovered
600million of this money, the ICPC spokesman explained it was “yet to conclude
investigations into the revenue profile of the government agency.”

The ICPC commenced investigations into the activities of the
Nigeria Customs based on a petition by the Central Bank of Nigeria that some
government ministries, departments and agencies (MDA’s) were not returning
their unspent monies to government coffers.

The ICPC was carrying out a ‘system review’ of the agencies
involved when the alleged graft in the customs service was exposed.

Comply or be prosecuted

Mr. Olamiti, while explaining the reason why no one is being
prosecuted for this default, stated that “System review is for you to comply.
If you do not comply by returning all unspent monies by the end of the year,
then we will prosecute.”

Efforts to get the reaction of the NCS was unsuccessful as its
spokesman, Wale Adeniyi, did not answer respond to calls and text messages sent
to his mobile phone.

The investigations and recovery by the ICPC is coming on the
heels of the expected debate by the House of Representatives on the
recommendations of its committee on customs, which investigated the activities
of the agency.

The committee’s report, which was submitted to the house two
weeks ago, indicted several public and private institutions which have refused
to remit money due to the customs and asked the Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission to help the agency recover the money.

Some of the public agencies owing the customs, according to the
House committee, are the Nigeria National Petroleum Commission (NNPC), 45
billion naira; the Nigeria Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC); and
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The private firms owing the NCS include oil companies like Shell Petroleum
Development Company, and Elf Petroleum and Total Upstream. Others include
Dangote Industries Limited and Julius Berger.

Any member of the executive committee of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) who is involved in any form of financial misappropriation will
be handed over to anti corruption agencies, the FCT minister, Bala Muhammed,
said on Monday while swearing in the eight newly appointed members of the
committee yesterday in Abuja.

Seven of the appointees are to serve as secretaries of the mandate
secretariats while the last person is to serve as coordinator of the Abuja
municipal management council.

“Misappropriation, misapplication or outright embezzlement of
public funds or show of unnecessary personal interest will not be tolerated or
will not be taken lightly as I will not hesitate to hand over offenders to the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt
Practices and other Related Agencies,” Mr. Muhammed said.

The minister, who was a senator before being his appointment,
dissolved the former committee two weeks ago upon assumption of office. He
challenged the new appointees to work extra hours, saying “we don’t have the
luxury of time. So, we don’t have time for loitering or gossiping or rumour.
What we want is to see concrete and measurable results.”

The minister also cautioned the committee members, saying “I
must warn here that anybody who constitutes himself or herself into a road
block by standing between us and the successful realization of the set objectives
will be shown the way out or dealt with in accordance with the law.”

Amen Alkali, a member of the executive committee, who spoke on
behalf of all of them cautioned those who had been congratulating them on their
appointments.

“I thought they should be praying for us,” he said. “This is
because a heavy responsibility has been bestowed on us. Expectations are high.
Demands are enormous. I hope and I pray that by the time we leave the offices,
people will come around and congratulate us.”

Work with the minister

The executive committee is expected to work with the minister to
achieve the federal government’s goal for the FCT.

Last week, the Senate approved a budget of N362.3billion for the
FCT for the 2010 fiscal year. Mr. Muhammed and his executive committee members
are responsible for managing this sum.

Members of the committee are Olusegun Awolowo, Secretary, Area
Councils Secretariat; Hamza Buwai, Secretary, Agriculture and Rural Development
Secretariat; Hussaini Pai, Secretary, Education Secretariat; Blessing Onuh,
Secretary, Social Development.

Others are Ivoke Achara, Secretary, Transportation; Precious
Gbeneol, Secretary, Health and Human Services; Amen Alkali, Secretary, Legal
Services; and Fatima Shettima, Coordinator, Abuja Municipal Management Council.

Former ministers of the FCT, after Nasir El-Rufai, have been
criticized for not doing much to improve the state of Abuja and maintaining its
master plan.

The immediate past minister, Adamu Aliero, a noted member of the
so-called ‘Yar’Adua cabal,’ who was already lobbying to become vice president
until the death of former president, Umaru Yar’Adua was heavily criticized by
many, including both arms of the National Assembly, for erecting road bumps/
speed breakers on roads to the discomfort of Abuja road users.

Mr. Muhammed’s administration has already commenced the removal and
redesigning of the road bumps/ speed breakers.

Last
week the imperial emperor of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe, hosted
his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinajad. It is not surprising that
the two presidents are friends. They are perhaps brought together by
necessity and the need to search for friends. The world is created in
such a way that no human being is entirely detestable as not to have a
friend.

This, to my mind,
is the case with Mugabe and Ahmadinajad. These are two men whose
mention of their names stirs different emotions in people. Mugabe to
some is a hero and a saviour, same for his Iranian counterpart. To
others the two are odious fellows who deserve to burn in the hottest
part of hell. There is no way they would not evoke such diverse
reactions. The two of them see themselves as the underdogs who are
being demonised by the West because of their ‘‘principled’’ stance.

Both said this much
in their speeches during the visit. Mugabe fired the first shot when he
told the world that his country is in support of Iran over its plan to
build a nuclear power plant. This has not gone down well with the West,
especially America which views this as entrusting a cat with a piece of
meat for safekeeping! Mugabe who has been something like an outlaw in
the West described the stance of Iran as a ‘‘just cause’’ and is in
full support of its plan. He believes that the two countries and their
leaders have been “unjustly vilified and punished by Western
countries”. It is therefore his idea that the two countries should band
together to fight the West.

On his part
Ahmadinajad is accusing the West of trying ‘‘to seize the markets of
the countries [Iran and Zimbabwe] and destroy their economies. The only
sin… we have committed is the cancelling of the concessions that the
West had in our country. The United Nations’ organ of the Security
Council is being used to serve the powerful countries to put pressure
on the smaller countries like Iran and Zimbabwe.” We have heard this
before and will continue to hear such arguments because those who see
themselves as tin gods in power will always cling to any straw or
sentiment to justify their stance. Mugabe and Ahamdinajad can continue
till thy kingdom come to pontificate about the intention and plan of
the West to ‘‘muzzle’’ their voices because of their so called
opposition to the subjugation of their countries by the West. However,
ordinary Iranians and Zimbabweans know who is muzzling them and
trampling on their humanity. The poor Zimbabwean farmer or worker who
cannot get food to eat or get paid knows that the cause of his plight
is not so much the action of the so called West but the
stiff-neckedness of the local tin gods like Mugabe.

Is it the West that
is responsible for his being in power for three decades and presiding
over an economy that has long cascaded from the zenith of the hill to
its rock bottom? Please, choirmaster sing me another song. Or as the
inimitable Fela Anikulapo-Kuti would sing ‘teacher don’t teach me
nonsense.’ The two band together just to rub the nose of the West in
the mud but who cares? They are living a deceitful life. We cannot be
conned.

One would have
thought that a two-term executive governor and an elected (?)
representative of the people at the National Assembly would care about
the people he represents. One would have also thought that someone who
is a father to many children of different ages and generations would
care about other people’s children. Moreover, no one would have
imagined that a member of the highest law-making body in the land would
have so much disregard for the laws of the land and by implication, the
people he swore to protect through respect for the Constitution.

It is now becoming
clearer why a man like Yerima would neither mobilise for, nor support
the adoption of the Child Rights Act in some parts of the country. It
is simply to catch the girls young, even if they are still in their
diapers, like all paedophiles do! Never mind the no argument of Yerima
that marrying a thirteen year-old is not against his religion. For me,
the use of religion to support an action like Yerima’s is not a new
excuse, and it is becoming nauseating.

It is not uncommon
to find people resorting selectively to religion and culture when and
where it concerns the rights of girls and women because of their desire
for exploitation and domination. Though I am not a Muslim, in the
course of working to protect women’s rights, I have had the opportunity
to examine women’s lives across the Muslim world and I must say that
Nigeria is almost in a world of its own. I am also blessed with a
spouse who is not only a Muslim, but also a knowledgeable one who does
not get tired of seeking knowledge and sharing with me.

The example of
Ayesha (SAW), the wife of the Prophet (SAW) has been used very often to
support early marriage, as if it was true that the Prophet had any
relationship with her at the age she was betrothed to him. There have
even been research reports that reveal that her age was debatable, as
it could not be ascertained that Ayesha was thirteen! People like
Yerima also conveniently evade mentioning the circumstance of the
betrothal, as if the Prophet (SAW) went out of his way to look for
Ayesha.

It is worth
mentioning that Yerima and his like do not cite the active
participation of Ayesha in decision-making and governance to the extent
of leading the army of the faithful in war, as a good example by the
beloved wife of the Prophet that is worthy of emulation.

What better
illustration of a just religion that provides opportunity for women
take active part in decision-making and politics in order to exercise
their God-given rights to being human. Can Yerima tell us how many
women he elevated to the highest position possible in Zamfara when he
was governor?

Marry older women

The Prophet’s
exemplary life is worth emulating; but should we emulate only those
aspects that are convenient for us? I wonder though why men are not
marrying older women to fulfil their desires of emulating the Prophet.
In any case, is it not also part of the Islamic jurisprudence that
Muslims can also use ijtihad (independent,contextual reasoning), which
has led Egypt and a number of Muslim majority countries to fix the
minimum age of marriage at eighteen? I am sure the Islamic world has
not accused such countries of violating the shari’ah.

With men like Yerima preying on little girls, and other men at the
National Assembly protecting one of their own, it is still a long,
windy road to travel for women and girls!

“Can
you imagine how much it will cost to feed that dog, when some people
have nothing to eat?” “This man had better not take that dog near Akwa
Ibom, or it will end up in the soup pot!” I have endured such daily
comments while walking my Labrador bitch. Other Nigerians, especially
children are surprisingly kinder, inquiring politely how the animal
came to look so healthy, and if they could get one to own. All fine,
provided they are prepared to invest time, love and patience taking
care of a dog.

There is a hard
edge to these jokes and spiteful remarks over the impressive anatomical
traits of my canine friend. Defensive answers that the dog is fed on a
diet of eba, okro soup and stockfish, and therefore low budget, have
not satisfied the hecklers. Of course I scavenge weekly at the butchers
for tripe and scrap-meat.

In any case the beast is not maintained on government funds. Its welfare is nobody’s business. End of discussion?

Nevertheless, some
issues could be thrown up for a sensible debate. Must animals be kept
only for economic reasons, as security guards or for meat in livestock
agriculture?

Is a healthy pet
some form of visible provocation for the masses? Resource ecologists
posit that poverty constrains humans to compete directly with animals
for scarce, renewable natural resources on which both groups subsist.

The result is then a state of mutual disrespect and enmity, the perfect postulate for hunter-gatherer societies.

But I sometimes
marvel at how the same Nigerians moaning over a dog’s excellent
condition easily glorify compatriots who possess sprawling mansions in
Abuja and Dubai, beachside condominiums in Florida, jet aircrafts or
gas-guzzling jeeps. It does not bother us even when these objects of
adulation are serving police or customs officers, or pastors.

I have had the
displeasure of visiting most zoological gardens in Nigeria, and
honestly, a BBC documentary on their status is long overdue! The
cruelty in these establishments makes one wonder if the universe was
created for man alone! Nigerian zoos are incapable of keeping insects,
and should be prevented from incarcerating lions, leopards and primates
under abhorrent and criminal conditions.

At the zoo in
Maiduguri, one chimpanzee suffering from hernia had to lift its own
bloated scrotum with both hands whenever it walked. The intelligent
primate’s misery was compounded by children hurling rocks and sand at
it in amusement, while a warden looked on without concern. He too
appeared unwell! The enclosures for the lion and a leopard were empty.
I was told they had died of hunger. No money had been approved for
their meals, even though the zoo charged gate fees.

Lion reduced to bones

A once popular lion
at the Nekede zoo, near Owerri was all bones! In view of the putrescent
conditions the big cat was covered with flies, but still breathing.

Here was the “Lion
king” suffering such an indignity! Another chimpanzee at the University
of Ilorin spent its life in a small metal cage the size of a suitcase!
A bateleur eagle that naturally soars at great heights hadn’t a better
accommodation at the same zoo.

The way out for Nigeria is to raise funds from the private sector for the upkeep of zoos.

Concurrently and ultimately, natural and biodiversity-rich habitats
must be preserved and given heritage status. Why copy the rich world in
creating expensive zoological gardens anyway?

I
heard many years ago about the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment,
where normal university students were selected randomly for an
experiment, where they took on the roles of either prison guards or
prisoners, grew to be so brutal that the trial had to be prematurely
ended.

Discussing the
results amongst friends, we marvelled at how circumstance could bring
out qualities in ourselves that we were unaware of.

Philip Zimbardo,
the Stanford professor who carried out the experiment in 1971, names
this ‘transformation of human character’ the ‘Lucifer Effect’, named
after God’s favourite angel, Lucifer,.

Many of us would be
un-surprised to learn that ‘The Lucifer Effect’ is strikingly similar
to ‘The Nigerian Factor’. You know what I mean? It is a phrase that
surfaces when planning for a project or an enterprise in Nigeria is
being discussed in a mixed group that includes expatriates, repatriates
(Nigerians returning home from residency abroad), or ‘virgins’ – those
people we call JJCs (Johnny Just Comes), new entrants to politics,
business, industry, education, or to any sector that you can name.

At some point
towards the end of the planning process, the phrase ‘the Nigerian
Factor’ is introduced and the debate commences. Then comes the
challenge: “Are you saying that something tried and tested in the
world, in both developed and developing countries alike, cannot work
here?!”

Firstly, there is no real consensus about the influences that make up the Nigerian Factor.

I think what we can
agree on is that, while Nigeria is a country that shares elements of
its climate and topography with other countries in the world, and that
while Nigerians share the humanity and beliefs of other citizens of the
world, the combination of geographical environments, peoples and
cultures, have created something both familiar and unique that needs to
be ‘factored’ into our interactions with each other and with outsiders.

We have what
linguists call ‘false friends’. These are words that have the same
spelling in different languages but have dissimilar meanings. For
example, both English and French have the word ‘sensible,’ but while it
means reasonable in English, in French it denotes that you are
sensitive.

Trap of false friends

Visitors to
Nigeria, and Nigerians visiting another region of the country, often
fall foul of ‘false friends’. Because we speak a variation of English;
because Western clothes and mannerisms are common here, because we
share the major religious beliefs, many visitors believe that they can
interact with us as they would another Westerner. Big mistake.

Because we are very
hospitable; others believe that Nigerians accept strangers easily.
Wrong conclusion. Just ask couples who wish to marry someone from a
different religion or another ethnic group, not to mention a foreigner.

Most importantly,
the belief that because, traditionally, we are used to deferred
gratification – to investing money and time in livestock, seeds, and
goods, and seeking the best markets in which to sell them in order to
make a good return – that Nigerians are prepared to wait for the
business deal or the contract to be completed before getting their
return in terms of profit or national gain…THAT is the heart of the
matter.

Perhaps it was true
once upon a time that we were prepared to wait now for future gain.
Now, gratification must be today, NOT later.

The system that we
live and work within that has been evolving for the past 40 years,
almost guarantees that no matter how good or well-meaning you are, the
longer you stay in the public and political system, the more brutish
and greedy you will become. If you don’t ‘play ball,’ your life and
your family are threatened, your business is blacklisted or, if they
like you, you would be powerfully encouraged to leave.

To have any hope of
escaping ‘The Lucifer Effect,’ we have to ditch a system that turns
good people bad, and establish a system that will keep even bad people
relatively honest. Lobby whomever you know for electoral reform.
Support banking reform. Scrutinise and protect your rights as our
constitution goes through review and change. And write to your
legislators regularly and repeatedly. Make the Nigerian Factor work for
you rather than against you.