Nigeria Content Online

A
broad resettlement scheme to provide schools, housing and major
facilities for the native communities of Abuja, requires over N100
billion, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Bala Mohammed,
said yesterday.

The minister said,
on Thursday, that several efforts at resettling the indigenous
populations of the federal capital, who have been displaced for years,
have failed due to lack of funds and enabling legislations that could
help the administration raise cash independently. He spoke at a House
of Representatives hearing on a new bill that will, if passed, help
strengthen the capacity of the FCTA to source funds from new property
taxes and levies. Mr. Mohammed said such proceeds, if made possible
through the bill presently considered by the House committee on FCT,
will be ploughed into completing a vast resettlement process for the
indigenous people displaced from the federal capital territory, which
has only gulped N25 bn since the inception of the FCTA.

Revenue possibilities

“Given the
opportunity we would now establish the required legal instruments so
that we can be collecting taxes and levies and we will be able to be
self reliant, but we don’t have the legal instrument,” he said. “FCT
can generate N500 billion yearly if given the opportunity and the
required legal instrument to collect levies such as tenement rate,
ground rate and advertisement rate among others. This amount may look
enormous but we can generate it if given the opportunity like other
states in the country.” The FCT administration requested for N15
billion for the major projects for the native dwellers in 2009, the
minister said, but received only N4 billion in last year’s budget. The
administration requires extra N15 billion this year to conclude some of
the ongoing resettlement projects begun by the previous administrations
in Abuja, he added.

In the past weeks, the indigenous populations and other Nigerians,
who have endured housing rents that grow at startling rates, have faced
more complex accommodation conditions after authorities restarted
destroying alleged illegal structures at some suburbs. At Lugbe area,
which is close to the city airport, a recent demolishing of homes
resulted in the deaths of five persons and the displacement of over
200,000 people over controversial residential location presently
contested in court. The FCT administration announced after the
incident, it will forge ahead with the demolitions but is only held
back by the legal action. Mr. Mohammed, who is a former senator, told
lawmakers he sympathises with the difficulties residents, particularly
the indigenous communities, face in Abuja.

The National Bureau
of Statistics (NBS) released its first ever crime and corruption survey
last Thursday in Abuja. The report’s statistics about bribery and its
effects on Nigerian businesses reflected the experiences of many
entrepreneurs in the country.

For instance, it
revealed that 71 per cent of the over 2,200 businesses questioned said
corruption was a major obstacle to their operations, second only to
crime and political instability. Not surprisingly, the police and
customs, as well as utility companies such as the Power Holding Company
of Nigeria (PHCN) were rated as the country’s most corrupt
institutions. Surprisingly, the nation’s courts were rated as one of
the least.

Not many of the
businesses turned to the justice system to resolve their disputes –
only 20 per cent – but of those who did, 84 per cent were satisfied
with their experience. The businesses were split, however, over their
access to information within the legal system. Thirty-eight per cent
felt they were adequately informed, while 27 per cent said they were
not.

It should be noted
that most businesses did not use the legal system at all. Five per cent
said their avoidance was deliberate, as the courts were just too
lengthy and expensive.

Not all good news

Nigerian
entrepreneurs, like their counterparts outside the industry, did not
trust their public institutions. Though anti-corruption body, the EFCC,
was the most highly rated agency among businesses, it only garnered 51
per cent of their votes. The media fared no better, with 43 per cent.
Scores went down even further when the respondents were asked to rate
the honesty of institutions.

The EFCC, still the highest, got 38 per cent of the vote, while the media nabbed 25 per cent.

While the popular
belief is that corruption helps to ‘grease the wheels’ and move
bureaucratic systems along, the report said that the prevalence of
corruption in the country’s public institutions was actually hindering
development.

For one thing,
bribes were often paid for no specific reason and without any
particular effect. Many businesses reported that they paid bribes as a
matter of course, and often, more than once to the same individuals and
institutions.

Bribes also
disproportionately fell on small-scale enterprises which reported
paying more frequently, though in smaller amounts, than their larger
counterparts.

Organizers warned
that the actual numbers might be much higher, as many businesses would
not even say whether they had been asked for bribes or not. Few
businesses reported these incidents to law enforcement, as many felt no
action would be taken.

As Goodluck
Jonathan’s administration steps up its anti-crime campaign, it would be
gratified to know that few businesses saw bribery in a positive light.
Most agreed that the country would be better run with its elimination.

Hopes of more to come

The report was
conducted in 2007 with funding from the European Union and the United
Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and operated in conjunction
with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). It was
released in December last year after donor organisations reviewed the
data.

Organisers hope to stage another survey to update the report’s information. However, E. G. Thomas, assistant chief statistician at the NBS, said they had to wait for funds.

“This is the first survey on crime and it will be used as baseline
data.” Mr Thomas said. “We know that since the survey, there have been
a lot of changes in government and the structure of things. But we have
no way of knowing whether there has been any improvement or not. Except
we conduct a survey, we cannot know authoritatively.”

The National Union
of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) said yesterday that it is
committed to make good its threat to disrupt normal petroleum products
supply to the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, from next Monday,
if government fails to accede to its demands.

National president
of the union, Atetse Igwe, who spoke with NEXT in a telephone chat from
Abuja, listed its demands to include improved operational environment,
particularly the repair of the nation’s roads, and the provision of
standard condition of service by multinational oil companies for
majority of its members.

He said NUPENG has
resolved to stop lifting and distributing petroleum products from July
12th, when its 21 days ultimatum contained in its petitions to the
relevant arms of government, including the Ministry of Petroleum
Resources, Labour, the Presidency, and the National Assembly, lapses.

“We have never
hidden our demands to government for the repair of the nation’s roads
networks, which are not only bad, but are more of death traps to our
members.

“We have lost
several of our members and other innocent Nigerians through avoidable
accidents on these roads. If government refuses to meet our demands, we
will have no alternative than to stop fuel supply to Abuja.

“Everybody knows we
deal with a highly volatile product, which, if not properly handled,
will result in serious crisis. We have made our position known
severally to government on the need to maintain these roads. But, it
appears our appeals have fallen on deaf ears,” he said.

Citing the Aba-Port
Harcourt Express Road and the East-West Road as examples, Mr. Igwe
noted that a trip through these routes would present a glimpse of the
ugly experience members of the Union face in transporting petroleum
products to all parts of the country.

“These roads, like
most others across the country, are completely impassable. Yet, we are
expected to lift products from the Port Harcourt Refinery for
distribution in Abuja and other parts of the country,” he lamented.

According to the
union leader, NUPENG has already threatened to withdraw its services to
protest the illegal practice by the multinational companies operating
in the nation’s oil industry, particularly Shell Petroleum Development
Company (SPDC) and Nigeria LNG Limited, which have refused to give
conditions of service to those categories of workers they call ad hoc,
contract or casual workers, despite signing several memoranda of
understanding (MOUs) since 1999.

“Most of these
workers have been with these companies for more than 15 years, without
any condition of service covered by government insurance scheme that
would entitle them for some benefits at the end of service, or in case
of accident or sack. Yet, they are the ones that work to sustain the
country’s economy.

“We are saying, the
practice where our members work for over 15 years and the oil companies
would wake up one day and sack them without any benefit, apart from
their last pay, should stop. We have complained against these issues
for a long time, without any positive action. It appears officials of
the Federal Ministry of Labour are collaborating with these
multinational companies to deny our members their rights,” he said.

Strategic Abuja

On why the union
chose to disrupt fuel supply to Abuja in particular, Mr. Igwe noted:
“We choose Abuja because those who have the power to do something to
resolve our grievances live there. It appears they are busy having fun
at the expense of the rest of Nigerians.

“Every other day
the National Assembly keep fighting over how to increase their salaries
and improve their welfare, without thinking about the deplorable
conditions other Nigerians are facing, in terms of lack of basic
infrastructures like roads, electricity, and other services.”

He decried the
situation where the Nigerian Content Act, recently approved for
implementation in the industry, does not have a single provision that
takes care of the interest of Nigerian workers, in terms of their
conditions of service.

“It appears government is insensitive to the fact that there is no
other oil producing country in Africa that this type of practice is
allowed to continue,” he pointed out.

The National
Assembly yesterday suspended the planned submission of state assembly
resolutions on the constitution amendment, after more than 10 states
failed to transmit the vital document needed to complete the amendment.

An elaborate event
to submit the document, organised Thursday at the House of
Representatives and attended by the senate president, David Mark; the
House speaker, Dimeji Bankole and the two deputies, Ike Ekweremadu and
Usman Nafada, was cancelled after lawmakers said only 22 states have
turned-in their reviews.

Istafinus Gbana,
the Chairman of the conference of state speakers and the speaker,
Taraba State House of Assembly, who was billed to present the documents
to Mr. Mark, said the states were duly informed of the date and will
now have one week to complete their work. “I deeply regret this, that
today, we are not in a position to transmit the resolutions of the 36
states,” Mr. Gbana said Thursday, confirming earlier doubts on the
preparedness of the state legislatures who have recently had days of
contentious hearings on the amendments proposals.

The development has
further widened the uncertainties that have clouded the final passage
of the 2010 amendments, which is expected to be central to the 2011
general elections.*

Sympathy with frustration

Deputy Senate
president and the Senate chairman of the amendment adhoc committee, Mr.
Ekweremadu said he had held consultations for days with the state
speakers and the chairman of the conference of speakers, before
announcing the date for the final submission of the documents and that,
during each discussion, he received assurances that the resolutions of
the states would be ready by Thursday morning, which was scheduled for
the transmission at the House of Representatives.

The Thursday event
had already progressed for a while before officials of the conference
of speakers arrived to announce the failure to collate more than 22
states.

Mr. Ekweremadu said
he “sympathised with the frustration” the defaulting states have forced
on the conference of speakers, and hoped the submission will finally
hold at a later date.

The states yet to
submit their resolutions (even though Mr. Gbana would not give their
names) are now to complete every procedure and turn in the document
within one week, for final transmission, he said.

The constitution requires 24 states to support the amendments to
become law. Mr. Gbana said the group of speakers will proceed with the
submission whether or not states still default.

The
House of Representatives yesterday condemned at the high volume of
importation and production of the sub-standard iron-bars and other
building materials in the country. Consequently, it passed a resolution
urging the government to set in motion the process of reviewing the
legal and regulatory framework for the control and management of steel
importation and production in the country and report back within two
weeks.

It also asked the
executive arm to set up an inter-ministerial committee to accelerate
the development of the iron and steel sector while the Standard
Organisation of Nigeria (SON) and other relevant organization are to
take up their responsibilities seriously. The decisions were sequel to
a motion brought by Mayor Eze (PDP, Imo), who noted that the iron-bars
and rods constitute the most important element in all construction
works in the country. Mr Eze said he was aware that Nigeria is
abundantly blessed with the steel deposits which could serve as a
veritable tool for technological growth and national development. He,
however, expressed worry about the volume of importation and production
of sub-standard iron materials in the country.

The lawmaker also
regretted the consequences occasioned by the use of the items, saying
it has resulted in incessant collapse of buildings and bridges across
the country leading to the loss of lives and properties. Mr Eze,
however, appreciated the efforts made by the SON, Nigeria Society of
Engineers (NSE), and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in
Nigeria (COREN) to stop the usage of the sub-standard building
materials in the country. The chairman of the House Committee on Steel,
Aminu Shagari, said the use of the substandard building materials in
the country has become worrisome. He, then, proposed an amendment that
an inter-ministerial committee should be set up to develop the steel
sector. Friday Itulah (PDP, Edo) also brought amendment asking the
House to urge relevant organization to wake up to their
responsibilities. Other amendments proposed were, however, defeated.

Honouring Babangida

Also on Thursday,
the House read for the second time a bill seeking to rename the
National Centre for Women Development, Abuja after the late First Lady,
Maryam Babangida, who died last December. The bill, sponsored by Fatima
Raji Rasaki (PDP, Ekiti) is titled, “A Bill for an Act to Amend the
National Centre for Women Development (Establishment) Act, Cap. N15,
Laws of the Federation, 2004 to Enhance the Functions of the Centre and
Rename the Centre after Dr Maryam Babangida, and Other Matters
Incidental, 2010.” Mrs Rasaki, while leading the debate on the bill,
said Mrs Babangida touched the lives of Nigeria women in the country
through her pet project, Better Life for Rural Women, adding that it
would not be too much to name the centre after her.

Abike Dabiri (AC, Lagos) said while working as a journalist, she
reported the activities of the late First Lady for almost four years,
stressing that she (Maryam) successfully executed her pet project.
Others who spoke in support of the bill include Juliet Akano (PDP,
Imo), Peace Nnaji (PDP, Enugu), Sada Patricia Etteh, Chuka Ike-Nwuwa,
and Soli Jibia (PDP, Katsina), some of who praised Mrs Babangida.
Messrs Nwuwa and Maduabum, however, called on women to focus more on
the home front in order to have stability in the family, an argument
which Mrs Etteh faulted. The former speaker said men and women ought to
take care of the home together.

Nigeria has emerged
as the 14th most failed state in the world. With this ranking, it is
one of the 37 countries placed on red alert amongst the 177 countries
considered for the 2010 annual Failed States Index which is conducted
by Foreign Policy Magazine.

It is the night
failed state in Africa, with countries like Somalia, Chad, Sudan,
Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic,
Guinea, Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya ahead of Nigeria in a sequential order.
According to the study, common indicators for determination include a
state whose central government is so weak or ineffective that it has
little practical control over much of its territory, non-provision of
public services, widespread corruption and criminality; refugees and
involuntary movement of populations and sharp economic decline.

Criteria for the ratings

The report uses 12
factors to determine the rating for each nation. These include security
threats, economic implosion, human rights violations and refugee flows.

Nigeria declined a
step from its 2009 position while its index rate fell from 99.8 to
100.2, having only Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Haiti ranked higher
than it.

However, the rating
agency has some cheering news about Liberia and Sierra Leone, two
countries that have in the past being embroiled in civil wars. It said
in a statement: “Sierra Leone and Liberia, no longer rank among the top
20 failing states, and Colombia has become a stunning success story,
while the overall story of the Failed States Index is one of wearying
constancy, and 2010 is proving to be no different: Crises in Guatemala,
Honduras, Iran, and Nigeria – among others – threaten to push those
unstable countries to the breaking point.”

Amongst all the
considering factors, the Nigerian government’s de-legitimatisation of
states, factionalised elites, security apparatus and public services in
governance were all rated to have suffered huge decline. The agency
also rated the level of leadership as poor, military as moderate,
police as weak, judiciary as weak and the civil service also week.

Flawed state

The Fund for Peace
which is also a partner agency in the rating described Nigeria to have
had flawed democratic elections and that the late Umaru Yar’Adua “has
done little to curb the widespread corruption that exists in the
Nigerian government, has been unable to unify the competing religious
and ethnic groups in the country, and has not invigorated the economy.

“The Nigerian police force is highly corrupt, poorly trained, and
has been accused of committing widespread human rights abuses with near
impunity. They have been unable to prevent violent riots in many major
cities, the most serious of which resulted in over 400 deaths in
November 2008. The police have been accused of shooting over 90 of the
victims. The judiciary is poorly trained and underpaid, making it
susceptible to corruption. Civil servants are poorly paid and
consistently fail to perform their duties. Positions are often
appointed based on ethnic, religious, or political backgrounds instead
of merit, and corruption is widespread.”

The
chairman of the National Population Commission (NPC), Samui’la Danko
Makama, yesterday lambasted Nigerians for deliberately refusing to
register the births and deaths of their children.

He regretted that
only 35 percent, out of every five million children born, are
registered. He said that the situation is very unfortunate as other
countries in the world are keeping records of both births and deaths of
their people.

Mr. Makama spoke at a press conference in Abuja commemorating this year’s World Population Day.

According to him,
good demographic data is critical for planning and designing policies
based on future population projections, and for monitoring the
effectiveness of service delivery.

The chairman hoped
that the commission’s focus on the 2010 round of the population and
housing census would produce reliable data. He observed that properly
collecting, analysing, and disseminating data would drive good
decision-making.

Mr. Makama said for
such an undertaking, like the 2010 census to be accurate and reliable,
it must be based on scientific and verifiable collection of demographic
data that would capture not only the size of the population, but also
their composition, characteristics, and future trends.

The
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC)
yesterday opposed the proposed exclusion of armed forces personnel from
the National Pensions Commission, saying it could undermine the scheme,
which came into effect in 2007.

At a public hearing
on the bill, jointly conducted by the House of Representatives
Committees on Pensions and Public Service Matters, Peter Adeyemi, who
represented the NLC, said, “Whatever the arguments for the exemption,
we in the congress are of the opinion that the National Assembly should
be extremely cautious in considering this proposal, in order not to
return pension to its 2004 era. We should therefore either individually
and collectively desist from taking any decision that will throw the
pension into chaos,” he said.

Mr. Adeyemi,
suggested that rather than allowing the military to exit from the
scheme, government should rather opt for making full contributions for
the military as against the current payment of some percentage for
them. He, however, called for the strengthening of some areas of the
Act to enhance the effectiveness of the scheme.

In his submission,
the President of the Trade Union Congress, Peter Esele, said removing
the military from the scheme could have a ripple effect with other
sectors demanding exclusion.

Mr Esele argued
that the agitation by members of the armed forces could only undermine
the continued workability of the scheme which was introduced to correct
anomalies that allegedly characterised the previous scheme
superintended by the Military Pensions Board (MPB).

The chairman of the
Pension Fund Administrators of Nigeria, Funsho Doherty, said the
proposed amendment to exclude the armed forces would portend danger for
the administration of pension in the country. He said the move cannot
address the problems confronting pension administration in the country.

Earlier, the
chairman of the House Committee on Defence, who sponsored the bill,
said there is nowhere in the world where members of the armed forces
contribute to their pension, saying the system does not conform with
contemporary realities.

Inconsistencies in payments

The chairman,
Military Pension Board, Bitrus Kwaji, a Brigadie-General, supported the
bill, saying the exclusion of the military from the scheme is borne out
of some challenges confronting the contributory pension scheme under
PENCOM.

According to him, ”
The challenges of the contributory pension scheme as faced by military
retirees have now added impetus to the call for reverting to the old
pension system of pay as you go.”

Mr. Kwaji said the
inconsistencies in payments made by the various Pension Fund
Administrators (PFAs) to officers of same ranks and years of service is
a serious challenge to the scheme. He added MPB was repositioned to
effectively cater for its personnel and has complied with the e-payment
policy of government and timely payment of monthly pension to retired
officers.

Also speaking at
the hearing, Muhammad Ahmad, the Director-General National Pensions
Commission, said that before the commencement of the scheme in 2007
there was wide consultation with stakeholders but that the issues
raised would be addressed.

He advised against
policy reversal as it was counter-productive to the development of the
nation. The bill, titled “Pension Reform (Amendment) Bill 2010” scaled
second reading on May 25 this year.

Nigerians should
strive to put the nation first rather than their sectional interest,
President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday when he received former
Minister of Information and Ijaw leader, Edwin Clark, who visited the
State House with associates.

Mr Jonathan used
the occasion to extol the values of nationalism and cohesion that Mr
Clark has promoted over the years, and described the him as a
de-tribalized man who has friends and contacts in all parts of the
country. A former Inspector General of Police, M.D Yusuf thanked Mr
Jonathan for the reception, noting that while Mr Clark’s comments could
sometimes be hard pills to swallow, they do not detract from his sense
of devotion to national integration. A former PDP chairman, Solomon
Lar, also described Mr Clark as a bridge-builder who believes in one
Nigeria and puts the nation first in all he does. He commended Mr
Jonathan for his tradition of hosting elder-statesmen who have
contributed to nation-building, saying the gesture should be emulated
by future leaders.

More eulogies

Former chairman of
the Board of Trustees of Peoples’ Democratic Party, Tony Anenih, also
extolled the virtues of Mr Clark, whom he described as a man of his
words. He also called on Nigerians to always speak against oppression
and stand for the truth at all times; something he said Mr Clark has
always done. A former Minister of Finance, Nenadi Usman, described Mr
Clark as one of the fathers of the nation who abhors injustice and who
always speaks up no matter whose ox is gored.

Mr Clark thanked the president for receiving him and his associates
in spite of his tight schedule, noting that Mr Jonathan’s assumption of
office is the handiwork of God and the Nigerian people. Others who were
present include Vice President Mohammed Namadi Sambo; Delta State
Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godsday
Orubebe; former Chief of General Staff, Mike Akhigbe; former Deputy
Speaker, House of Reps, Chibudom Nwuche; and Mr Yusuf. Others include
former Bayelsa State Governor, Diepreye Alamieyeseigha; Chukwuemeka
Ezeife, Frederick Faseun, Doyin Okupe, Ledum Mitee, and John Fashanu.

The senate has decried the high population of illiterate drivers manning several wheels and causing havoc across the country.

The condemnation
follows on a motion by Idris Umar (PDP, Gombe State) and supported by
nine other senators on the tanker fire tragedy in Gombe metropolis that
claimed the lives of over 15 persons last weekend.

“We have too many
illiterate drivers in this country,” the senate president, David Mark,
complained. He blamed most of the incidences of road accidents in the
country on the inability of most drivers to interprete road signs.

Thirteen people
were reportedly burnt to death and eight others were critically
injured, following a fire outbreak as a result of an accident by a
petrol tanker in the Gombe metropolis on Friday last week.

About forty houses
and properties estimated at over N1 billion were razed in the fire,
which started directly in front of the Specialist Hospital, Gombe,
after a tanker carrying diesel toppled.

The driver was said
to have travelled from Lagos with the diesel and was less than 20
minutes away from his destination when he lost control of the vehicle.

“What has happened
in Gombe has thrown up the failure in the system, which we have been
talking about in the senate,” Ayogu Eze (PDP, Enugu State) said.
“Something has gone wrong with our driving culture in Nigeria.”

He recommended that in addition to driving skills, drivers should also pass psychiatric test before they are given licences.

“Our basic
infrastructure – including roads – are in shambles and everybody is
stressed up and this stress reflects on our driving,” Mr. Eze argued.

The deputy senate
president, Ike Ekweremadu, however, blamed the incessant accidents on
poor planning of urban centres in most cities.

Give them fuel

Following the
motion, the senate had its traditional one minute silence for the
victims of the accident, and urged the federal government to supply
adequate fuel to depots across the country.

According to the
senate, building a fuel pipeline down to all the state capitals would
help to checkmate avoidable accident on the highways involving tankers
carrying fuel.

The senators also
suggested the federal government use rails to transport fuel to various
states, rather than the current method where tankers haul petroleum
products for long distances on bad raods.

Records show that
several petroleum product tanker accidents had occurred within the
Gombe metropolis in the past, but none has been as grievious and
monumental as this last accident.

The lawmakers also
decried the emergency response staged by the fire service, National
Emergency Management Agency, and the Federal Road Safety Commission.

“Our emergency response is poor, if it even exists at all,” the senate president said.