Prof. Attahiru Jega, former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has said while many might argue with those who described Nigeria as a failed state, no person would dispute that the country is fast failing.
The politician, who is also a former Vice Chancellor of Bayero University, Kano said this on Wednesday in a lecture he delivered at the Owolabi Afuye Memorial Lecture organised by the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch as one of the events to mark its 2021 Law Week.
Jega lamented that the spate of insecurity in the country is a source of worry and would support the claim the the country is falling apart.
Specifically, on insecurity, a combination of militancy, insurgency, banditry, farmer-herder conflicts, kidnapping for ransom, and ethno-religious or communal conflicts, with evident lack of competence and capacity to address these challenges, has unleashed generalised individual and collective apprehension, palpable insecurity and fatalistic resignation,” Jega said.
Many citizens have been killed, maimed, raped, displaced, and properties stolen, confiscated and/or destroyed. Hundreds of thousands of citizens have been staying in Internally Displaced Persons camps for long, with the future of children compromised by malnutrition, diseases, and prolonged abandonment of schooling.
In some areas of the country, notably North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, famine is imminent, as insurgents and/or bandits have obstructed farming and agrarian food production and destabilised the rural economy, with outright killing of whoever ventures out to their farms, or imposition heavy taxation on those allowed to farm.
“Indeed, things have been so bad for so long that, some scholars are beginning to perceive Nigeria now, perhaps exaggeratedly, as a ‘failed state.’”
Few days after it was reported that Muhammadu Buhari may reject the Electoral Amendment Bill over the removal of indirect primaries from the document, the president has returned it to the National Assembly.
A senator who spoke with us, revealed that the Bill was returned to the Senate and the House of Representatives in a letter addressed to the two principal officers.
The source said the president cited high cost of conducting direct primaries by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which according to him, hovers around N500 billion.
He said the president met with INEC chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmoud, who briefed him on the dangers the law would pose to the conduct of elections in the coming months.
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, are expected to read the content of the president’s letter next week, when the two chambers reconvene.
Speaking on the dangers the law would pose, Uzodimma claimed the proposed amendment does not tally with the provisions of the 1999 constitution, insisting that parties’ supremacy and rights to opt for direct or indirect primaries must not be tampered with.
He said laws that cannot be implemented should not be passed, arguing that it was insensitive to do so.
For over two weeks, governors elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been mounting pressure on President Buhari not to sign the Electoral Amendment Bill into law until contentious areas are resolved.
Many of the governors, who are at loggerheads with senators and members of the House of Representatives from their various states, had insisted that the National Assembly must yank off indirect primaries from the Electoral Act.
Two weeks ago, APC governors, represented by the caretaker committee chairman of the party and Governor of Yobe State, Mala Buni, met with President Buhari. Others present during at the meeting were Governors Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa states respectively.
Though the governors did not speak on the ongoing controversy trailing the removal of indirect primaries from the Electoral Act by members of the National Assembly, sources in the APC told our Reporter that the issue featured prominently during the meeting.
The source said the three APC governors, who represented their colleagues, urged the president to return the Amendment Bill to the National Assembly to reflect some of the concerns raised by stakeholders.
The source said National Assembly leaders, who until now refused to listen to concerns raised by governors may lose out in the ongoing power play.
It said many APC lawmakers were already aggrieved that governors have hijacked the structures of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
It said lawmakers believe that direct primaries would raise their chances of returning to the Assembly in 2023 if allowed to scale through.
Similarly, President of the Senate, Lawan two weeks ago, met with President Buhari on the same Electoral Amendment Bill. While briefing newsmen, he frowned at politicians lobbying the president not to sign the Bill into law.
Unlike Lawan who kept mum on the issue of indirect primaries yanked off from the Bill, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, last week, during a visit to the president explained why the exclusion of indirect primaries was good for the country’s democracy.
A source said the Speaker, who is the arrowhead behind the removal of indirect primaries from the 2010 Electoral Amendment Act, is also under fire from his South West leaders for taking a decision without due consultations.
President Buhari has called for the support of all Nigerians as his government confronts the various faces of evil plaguing the land.
He was reacting to the latest massacre of travelling villagers in Sokoto.
“It shows that the evil this administration is confronting is one that requires the support and involvement of all Nigerians”, said spokesman Femi Adesina.
The presidency put the death toll in the attack at 23. The charred remains have been given mass burial.
Buhari expressed sadness over the gruesome attack on the innocent travellers.
As he had done in the past, Buhari said the nation’s security agencies have been instructed to put an end to the attacks.
“I am very distressed at the manner of death visited on these hapless citizens who were undertaking a legitimate journey to another part of the country.
“I extend deep condolences to the families of the victims as I assure that the security agencies will continue to give their all to bring to an end the operations of these despicable people.”
Parents of pupils of Dowen College, Lekki, Lagos State on Wednesday stormed the school to protest the death of 12-year-old Sylvester Oromoni.
They insisted that justice must prevail over the death of Oromoni, who reportedly died from injuries he sustained after being beaten by his senior colleagues.
Although the school has been sealed by the Lagos State Government, the management had pledged its commitment to unraveling the mystery surrounding the death of the late student.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State Police Command on Tuesday said it had arrested three students in connection to Sylvester’s death.
The protesters, mostly women dressed in black, besiged the school gate, carrying placards and obituary posters of Sylvester.
Some others chanted “All we are saying, give us justice for Sylvester”, “What do we want, Justice for Sylvester”
One of the parents who addressed reporters, said: “It is so painful that we gather here as mothers today to mourn a star.
We deeply commiserate with the family of Oromoni. We want to implore the commissioner of Police to use his good office to ensure that justice is served.
CP Hakeem Odumosu should fish out the culprits and make their names public.
“Regardless of whoever is involved, the state authorities must fish out the killers who cut short the life of Oromoni.
“It is sad that despite paying such huge fee as school fees, it is quite painful that a school like this can’t provide safety for its pupils.
This is a wake up call to mothers to build confidence in their children, and pay attention to them. At this point, we want an open investigation. We’ve submitted to various ministries and government authorities.”
The United Kingdom Parliament will, on Wednesday, debate a petition submitted to it which called for sanctions against the Nigerian Government and its officials over cases of human rights abuse during the #EndSARS movement.
Members of the Parliament will hold a debate on Magintsky sanctions and human rights abuses today (Wednesday) at the Westminster Hall.
The debate which will start at 2:30 pm (1.30 pm Nigerian time) will be led by parliamentarian Chris Bryant.
In October 2020, a petition was filed which condemned the illegal activities of the now disbanded unit of the Nigeria Police force, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) which led to a protest and consequent shooting of peaceful protesters by members of Nigeria’s security force.
The petitioners argued that deploying sanctions against the government would serve as a deterrent to anyone involved in human rights abuses.
It reads, “Implement sanctions against the Nigerian Government and officials
The Government should explore using the new sanctions regime that allows individuals and entities that violate human rights around the world to be targeted, to impose sanctions on members of the Nigerian government and police force involved in any human rights abuses by the Nigerian police.
”There have been deeply concerning reports of a Nigerian police force unit (SARS) engaging in illegal activities and human rights abuses, and there have also been reports of police firing at protestors calling for SARS to be disbanded.
“Deploying sanctions would provide accountability for and be a deterrent to anyone involved in violations of human rights.”
All petitions run for six months and by the time the petition closed, it had gathered 221,258 signatures and the United Kingdom government responded on November 11, 2020.
Responding in a statement issued by the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, the government said it is concerned by violence during the protests and was waiting on the outcome of Nigerian investigations into reports of police brutality.
The response stated, “The UK Government is deeply concerned by violence during recent protests in Nigeria, which tragically claimed lives. Our thoughts are with the families of all those affected.
“The Foreign Secretary issued a statement on 21 October calling for an end to the violence and for the Nigerian Government to urgently investigate reports of brutality by its security forces and hold those responsible to account.
“The Minister for Africa tweeted on 16 October, noting that the Nigerian people’s democratic and peaceful calls for reforms, and again on 21 October, encouraging the Nigerian authorities to restore peace and address concerns over brutality towards civilians.
“He reiterated these messages when he spoke to Foreign Minister (Geoffrey) Onyeama on 23 October. The British High Commissioner in Abuja has also raised the protests with representatives of the Nigerian Government and will continue to do so.
“We welcome President Buhari’s decision to disband the Federal Special Anti-Robbery Squad (FSARS) and the establishment of judicial panels of inquiry to investigate alleged incidents of brutality by the security services.
“They must investigate all incidents, including in Lagos, fully. The Minister for Africa tweeted on 29 October stressing the importance of the police and military’s cooperation with the panels. He raised this, and the need for the panels to urgently start investigations, when he spoke to the Governor of Lagos on 11 November.
“The UK Government will continue to work with the Nigerian Government and international and civil society partners to support justice, accountability and a more responsive policing model in Nigeria.
“We will continue to push for the Nigerian security services to uphold human rights and the rule of law, investigate all incidents of brutality, illegal detentions and use of excessive force, and hold those responsible to account.
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“On 6 July, the Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018.
“In a statement to Parliament, the Foreign Secretary set out in full the scope of the UK’s new Global Human Rights sanctions regime. He announced the first tranche of designations, as well as the Government’s approach to future designations.
“This sanctions regime will give the UK a powerful new tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses.
“The sanctions regime is not intended to target individual countries. It will allow for sanctions to be imposed on individuals and entities involved in serious human rights violations or abuses around the world.
“We will continue to consider potential designations under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
“The UK Government will keep all evidence and potential listings under close review.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has replied to President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter seeking an explanation from it on some areas in the Electoral Act amendment bill transmitted to him by the National Assembly.
Newsmen report that President Buhari, who received the bill on November 19, has until December 19 to sign it or withhold his assent and communicate to the National Assembly his feelings and comments about the bill.
If after 30 days the president refuses to sign the bill and the National Assembly is not in support of the president’s amendments or reservation, the Senate and the House of Representatives can recall the bill and pass it.
In a letter dated November 29, 2021, signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, the president requested INEC chairman and the office of the Vice President, Attorney-General of the Federation, the Minister of Finance and the Inspector General of Police to provide considered views on the bill by Friday, December 3, 2021.
Officials of the commission, who cannot want his name mentioned for obvious reasons told newsmen that the INEC chairman has sent his reply to the president via the appropriate channel.
It was reliably gathered that the commission in its reply enjoined the president to toe the line of constitutionality, especially that the views of the federal lawmakers seem to have represented the opinions of the majority of opinions of Nigerians.
The commission also highlighted landmark proposals in the bill that would improve the quality of elections and deepen democracy in the country.
INEC also said in its response that accelerated assent to the bill by Mr President will facilitate the preparation of major elections like the FCT municipal area council election, Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2023 general elections.
The commission, in the response, also listed the gains of the electronic transmission of results, early submission of list of nominated candidates and the power of INEC to review election results declared under duress or in contravention of electoral laws and guidelines as some of the vital areas in the proposed amendments.
Meantime, the National Assembly has been called upon to be prepared to veto Buhari should he decline assent to the Electoral Act amendment bill.
The call was made on Monday in Kano by the Organization for Community Civic Engagement (OCCEN) in conjunction with the Kano Civil Society Forum.
Addressing journalists, the Executive Director of OCCEN, AbdulRazak Alkali said, “the National Assembly has done a wonderful job and this is the first time that the legislature, the CSOs and the generalities of Nigerians are on the same page.”
He said the president’s referral of the bill to the INEC may turn out to be a delay tactic which will eventually lead to the use of the 2010 Electoral Act in the conduct of the election, despite its deficiencies.
He continued, “Sadly, this issue is taking a similar approach to how the president behaved pre-2019 elections which made INEC use the 2010 Electoral Act despite all deficiencies in the law.”
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He said the president needs to do away with the selfish interests of some Nigerian politicians and focus on what is in the best interest of Nigeria and its citizens.
He said it is very clear to all peace-loving Nigerians that the conduct of party elections through direct primaries in Nigeria remains the most transparent mode of nominating candidates.
Meanwhile, INEC has said that the number of fresh registrants in the ongoing nationwide Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) has hit 4,539,102.
This is contained in the CVR weekly update, quarter 2, week 9, as of December 6, 2021.
Newsmen report that INEC’s online registration portal was launched on June 28 and was followed with the applicants’ physical registration on July 26 this year after the formal launch by INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Imo State governor, Hope Uzodimma, on Tuesday told President Muhammadu Buhari how the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State was won and lost.
The election was won by the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Professor Chukwuma
Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Uzodimma said he updated the president on security and socio-economic developments in Imo State.
He said, in response to his presentations, President Buhari pledged to do more to ensure adequate security of life and property of all citizens in the state and across the country, ahead of the yuletide season.
According to him, steps are being taken to address security challenges in the South-East region of the country.
He said: “Prominent among the issues we discussed is the increasing insecurity in the South-East.
“Despite the activities of bandits and unknown gunmen in the area, you recall that the correctional facility in Owerri, Imo State capital was broken and over 1800 inmates were released.
“Since that time they have been on rampage committing all sorts of crime like kidnapping and armed robbery among others.
“There is need for us to really clean up the state because this period of Christmas is so important to our people and we want to ensure that those coming home for Christmas will have a condusive atmosphere to enjoy and celebrate the season.”
Uzodimma also revealed that he sought for presidential intervention for more funding and personnel, to help the state government address the prevailing security challenges.
“I asked for support with additional manpower and also some kind of funding to support the security situation in Imo State and the President graciously approved,” he said.
On the recently concluded gubernatorial election in Anambra, where he served as the Chairman of the campaign council of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Uzodimma said he explained to the President how they tried their best to win but did not get the desired result.
“On Anambra election, it has come and gone and other things may be post-election activities.
“I was able to explain to the President how we tried to win the election; we campaigned vigorously and we also converted a lot of people to APC but the election was greeted by voter apathy because of the high level of insecurity in Anambra.
“Other decisions and positions would be taken by the leadership of the party. I have done my part as the Chairman of the campaign council,” Uzodimma added.
According to him, the national leadership of the party and its candidate, Andy Ubah, are to decide whether or not the declaration of Prof. Charles Soludo as the winner of the election will be challenged in court.
He also dismissed the assertion that the governing APC may not be voted back to power in 2023 due to the prevailing economic and security situations in the country.
According to Uzodimma, many people are joining the party as Nigerians are happy that President Buhari is performing well.
“The mood of the country is that the president is doing very well.
“The mood of the country is that APC given the peculiarly of the times when insecurity has taken over the globe, where Covid-19 has ravaged every place in the world from one variant to another variant, yet we are able to come out from recession.”
The Budget Office of the Federation has said restructuring Nigeria into six regions is pivotal to reducing the high cost of governance.
It noted that the number of ministers also needs to be pruned and the number of political office holders and their aides reduced, lamenting that the huge recurrent expenditure had constrained the provision of good roads, steady power supply, health care services, quality education and quality shelter etc.
This, it said, had contributed to observable underperformance of the economy, slow growth and current infrastructural challenges.
These recommendations were contained in a report by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission at its Third National Summit on diminishing corruption in the public sector, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja on Tuesday.
The event, with the theme, ‘Corruption and cost of governance: New imperatives for fiscal transparency’, was attended by the President, Muhammadu Buhari the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Mohammed; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed and the Chairman of ICPC, Prof Bolaji Owasanoye (SAN), among others.
The ICPC report referenced the Budget Office as blaming the high cost of governance on bloated cabinet size, high cost of elections, corrupt budget practices, multiplicity of Ministries Departments and Agencies and high number of political office holders and their aides.
It said a direct result of the expensive governance structure was that less than 30 per cent of Federal Government’s resources were available to fund the much needed capital projects.
However, the Budget Office, according to the document, recommended that government should “prioritise completion of ongoing projects, restructure Nigeria into six regions and reduce the number of ministers, and build a more efficient civil service and conduct periodic staff audit.”
It added that “MDAs should consider government fiscal position in reviewing salaries, adopt a cost- effective electoral system and limit the number of aides of political office holders.”
While highlighting the drivers of the high cost of governance, the document quoted the Budget Office as saying that Nigeria has a large cabinet with 27 ministers, 16 ministers of state and 27 ministries, adding that MDAs raise their personnel cost by engaging in indiscriminate recruitment without clearance from the Budget Office.
Nigeria has about 934 MDAs with duplicated functions and 541 public corporations and enterprises.
It noted further that high cost of elections and resultant litigation contribute to the high cost of governance in Nigeria and that the current structure/size of the federal bureaucracy was clearly unsustainable for the size of the economy. “The high number of political office holders and their aides also adds to the high cost of governance,” it added.
The Budget Office lamented that personnel cost for the past three years gulped N9.7tn, adding that cost of governance had generally been on the rise and personnel costs represent significant proportion of the spending.
According to the report, MDAs’ recurrent spending rose from N3.61tn in 2015 to N5.26tn in 2018 and N7.91tn in 2020. This excludes the costs of government-owned enterprises and transfers to the National Assembly and the National Judicial Council.
To boost Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), in Anambra State, a lawmaker in the state, Hon. Nonso Smart Okafor has called for an automation of the entire process of revenue administration.
Hon. Nonso Smart Okafor made the recommendation while Chairing the 2022 budget bilateral discussions between officials from the Anambra State Internal Revenue Service (AIRS) and members of Anambra State House of Assembly Committee on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
During the budget bilateral discussions, the lawmaker noted that revenue lords are building hotels, houses and buying other personal properties with the state internally generated revenues to the detriment of the state.
Hon. Smart, who is the Vice-Chairman of the Committee said that revenue scavengers are everywhere across Anambra state, molesting and extorting money from citizens on grounds of being authorized by the government.
According to him, the age-long practice, has continued to make the state to lose 60% of its revenue to private pockets, which could have gone into the building of critical infrastructure.
“Our markets have been saturated with all manner of tickets, transporters are passing through hell paying for tickets, micro-businesses in the state are collapsing due to multiple taxations”
“Due to lack of regulation, on our roads especially in a place like Onitsha, we have as many tickets touts as we have commercial bus drivers. This has raised transport costs across the city, he said.
The lawmaker who represents Nnewi North Constituency, said that the corrupt practices if not addressed will continue to hinder the progress of the state, noting that Anambra states have no business being behind Imo and Enugu on Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) in the southeast.
The former youth leader emphasized that since taxation has always been the most reliable and sustainable source of government revenue in the globe, there is a need to harness that of Anambra by embracing digital payments to reduce the level of leakages.
He called on the agency to block all loopholes of revenue leakages by adopting an automated revenue platform. He said that the entire process of revenue administration especially in generation and assessment needs to be automated to boost the state internally generated revenue and enhance payment convenience for citizens.
