Saturday, 26 November 2011
Monday, 21 November 2011
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Corruption Is Good Business
On the way to Ibadan from Lagos, just after crossing the first of the concrete bridges on that most horrible and dangerous of roads called Lagos/Ibadan Expressway (more like expressway to hell) on the Lagos/Ogun States border, on the right you will see the business empire of one Otunba Ghadaffi (SAN), and the sign saying “SHIT BUSINESS IS GOOD BUSINESS”, referring to the commendable fact that he has departed from being a lawyer and made a fortune in dealing with what most of us are repugnant of – waste and environmental management. The man supplies mobile toilets to venues, clears drains and soak-away. In short, his business is clearing, removing and disposing shit, mostly human faeces, and he’s doing very fine, thank you.
Anytime I see Otunba Gaddafi’s (he must be a big guy, because in Nigeria, we always refer to big and imposing guys and women as “Ghadaffi – God rest Moammar el-Ghadaffi’s soul) signage, I always have a wry grin on my face and relate it to the issue of corruption in Nigeria. Please, I am not in any way impugning that corruption was responsible for Otunba Ghadaffi’s success. In fact, with his line of business, we are certain he made his money from dirt and turned it into riches through dint of hard work, and he deserves accolades, respect and awards.
Corruption is good business to the participants and those who profit from it. I am not talking about official government corruption, but also private and public sector, and even the petty corruption we encounter in our everyday life, which to me, has ensured that corruption will never be eradicated or even managed to acceptable levels in Nigeria.
It has permeated into our social, religious and cultural fabric. It is everywhere, and some people, who think they are clever than the rest of us, are doing fine by it.
Corruption — is a good thing when it’s “official”
With several government officials and politicians trying to convince us at every opportunity that official corruption, while still growing, is no longer a hindrance, the rest of us should apparently understand that according to our government line, corruption is now good for the economy. Furthermore, the government - civil servants and their political masters – are trying to convince us that it is corruption that is keeping the country economically; and that if not for corruption, this country would have collapsed.
A report just released by Transparency International claimed that Nigerian Federal civil servants took N450 billion in bribes, kickbacks, gratifications, etc in 2011 so far. Good business to some; and bad business to the people they are supposed to serve, isn’t it?
Risible and ludicrous as this may sound, there seems to be an element of realism in these assertions. Of course, corruption by any name is an evil. Small or big, petty or massive; it is evil, even its origin and definitions; religious, sociology, psychology, philosophy, etc.
What these ruling elite are admitting to, is that while corruption is good for their illegal business, they are privately wishing it could be managed to an acceptable level. In reality, the competition amongst the thieving elite in trying to outdo each other is beginning to be terrifying and very alarming even for them, so they are getting spooked. I have proffered this Corruption Management solution some time ago, because really, there is no society that is not corrupt; the “good” societies, e.g. Western countries, only manage their corruption well, and do not allow it to debar or interfere with their human progress and development.
When ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo promised a reduction in the growth and practice of official corruption, and then established the ICPC and the EFCC, he was subtly admitting that the Nigerian Police, who should be the ones dealing with corruption in public sector, cannot do it. He failed (This is another story to be told one day, but we all know why he failed – he himself could not resist being corrupt). In fairness to Obasanjo, corruption bourgeoned into Nigeria’s major “growth industry” under Babangida’s administration, and continued on to his successors – Abacha, Abdulsalam, Obasanjo, Umaru Yar ‘Adua and now Goodluck Jonathan. There is no end in sight. In fact, it is now of such enormous proportion such States Chief Executives (or Execu-thieves) stole money in double digit billions. Soon, it will be triple digit billion (a former Governor of Rivers State was rumoured to have stolen in this figure, yet he obtained an injunction that he cannot be investigated or prosecuted. That was 4 years ago, and nobody has challenged this curious court order)
Taking the reins just over five months ago, President Goodluck Jonathan, with ministers and state government executives vowing steadfast support, promised that fighting government corruption would be a top priority. Mr Jonathan is failing, too. And we are not even talking about corruption in the private sector.
So what are we to think about corruption in Nigeria? Everybody knows that it was a cancer, a killer of the Nigerian private and business sector, but nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. In fairness to some people charged to fight corruption, like ICPC and EFCC, they are trying their best against apparently insurmountable odds – believe me, in Nigeria, fighting corruption is no easy task, especially if you are not supported 100% by the government itself, or there are elements in government and politics who are bent on being corrupt, or even the members of the public who are frustrating the efforts of the sincere corruption-fighters. Corruption fights back using hundred times more power and resources than you have. And then some of those charged to fight it (including staff of the agencies mandated to fight it) have neither the commitment, the nerve, the resources nor the desire to do so. Or maybe they were there in the first place as decorations just to give the impression that the government is doing something. That has been like that even since the days preceding democracy in Nigeria.
Corruption is responsible for our country‘s current state, including our terrible image. We don‘t have electricity power and security simply because of corruption. Our entire infrastructures are moribund because of corruption. When you fight corruption, it fights back. Our government now seems to openly love corruption. It may well be that the official government line is that corruption is good for Nigeria and is helping fuel the Nigerian economy! I think it is from the evidence I have personally witnessed.
Don’t get me wrong, bribery and corruption at all levels is up, and as payoffs and kickbacks are a cash economy not reported as taxable income, one would expect the government to be concerned about the growth of corruption. But are the various governments – federal, state and local – concerned? No, because that is where the money is.
Once upon a time in America, a man named Willie Sutton was asked why he robbed banks. He replied: “`Cos that’s where the money is”. It was an uncomplicated philosophy which served him well until he was caught and marched off to prison. Today, Mr Sutton would not have risked incarceration. Today, were Mr Sutton to be a Nigerian, he would have had the choice of being a Nigerian politician, a Nigerian civil servant or a Nigerian banker or contractor. Better still, he could have been a Nigerian Policeman, although he would have been severely limited as to making loads of money, but at least he could be in official authorised uniform and waylay people on the highway and collect money from them without facing any charges of armed robbery.
Of course, as one who operated outside the law, Mr Sutton might have experienced problems in working with this brotherhood of political and civil uprightness and patriotism. But the vast mountains of easy Naira and foreign currency on offer would surely have stifled his reservations.
This is the exact philosophy of our leaders: politicians, legislators, civil servants and everybody who wants to be in government – federal, state, local - in Nigeria. “The GOVERNMENT IS WHERE THE MONEY IS. It is where there is easy, unaccountable, easily-stolen money is. So I better get myself in there to steal mine”. It is free for all.
There is almost nothing you can engage the civil service and the government for that you will not pay a kickback. Like one retired senior civil servant told me, all palms must be greased before they pay you your contract money, or before you even get the contract. An average bribe of almost a million Naira is a lot of money for someone. In US dollars that is $6250.00 or £4000.00. As non-taxable income you can be assured that none of that money makes its way into the treasury. So much for funding social responsibilities like pensions for the elderly and medical care for the young, or building roads and funding schools and universities.
Today there is no drumbeat of calls to rid the country of official corruption, at least not from the government. It seems that corruption and bribes are a good thing. So the next time you hear someone complaining about it, tell those individuals to sit down and shut up.
Mr Good luck Jonathan and EFCC’s Mrs Waziri are doing okay it would seem. Isn’t that enough?
"Corruption is the enemy of good business and of sustainable development"
Speech by Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American, at Transparency International (UK) Annual General Meeting (20 November 2007)
"As a long-term investor, we have a strong interest in defeating corruption. It increases political instability and makes the process of doing business less predictable. Moreover, corruption erodes trust and, in our business, having a government that people trust to protect their interests is of crucial importance on issues such as permitting, tax and the enforcement of environmental standards", said Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American, in her address at Transparency International UK's Annual General Meeting.
So Is Corruption Good for Business?
Believe it or not, corruption can help entrepreneurs in some situations. Some research points out that bribe can grease the gears of bureaucracy in highly regulated economies and make it possible for entrepreneurs to achieve their goal of starting a business. But make no mistake: in general, corruption is a deterrent to potential entrepreneurs, and countries should strive for less regulation rather than more corruption.
In sub-Saharan Africa, South Asia and other regions with widespread corruption and difficult business climates, the entrepreneurial spirit is often stifled, and when it is not, entrepreneurial energy is channelled into informal sectors outside formal legal and financial systems. Unregistered firms may thrive: in some countries the informal sector makes up around 40 percent or more of economies. But such businesses don’t contribute much to the public welfare as they don’t pay taxes and sometimes pose a danger to the public. Informal businesses themselves rarely if ever are capable of reaching their growth potential because of impediments of an informal economy: “higher capital and transportation costs, more storage problems, greater difficulty hiring quality staff and less ability to enforce contracts”.
Countries that want to tap entrepreneurial energy start with relaxing their regulatory regimes. This reduces the potential for corruption. For example, according to the World Bank’s Doing Business 2011 report, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Hungary have made significant progress in deregulating their economies, thereby improving conditions for starting a business. This promotes much stronger economic growth than the opposite strategy – increasing regulation and counting on entrepreneurs to make the system work by greasing the wheel.
So is corruption good for business, and is just a nasty taste but necessary evil? You tell me. What I know is corruption is killing Nigerians by the thousands, if not millions
Is some corruption not so bad? Why do some countries grow even with corrupt governments? Is a strong corrupt ruler not as bad a weak corrupt ruler?
Lord have mercy on us!
Monday, 7 November 2011
Of Nigerian Democracy, Governance And Profligacy
I have spent a total of nine months in Nigeria since my relocation experiment started and everyday I wake up to see what those ruling us have done and are still doing to Nigeria, I become despondent, desperate and disillusioned. I sometimes want to give up and when I reflect, despite my long-held belief that Nigeria will change for the better, in the face of all the evidence I see and hear and feel and experience everyday, I privately think, “No, Nigeria will not change, at least not in my lifetime”.
For someone like me, a man who is convinced that all we need is a “Few Good Men and Women” to change Nigeria, I see all these hopes evaporating away on a daily basis.
It is a fact that while some Nigerians are doing better, most Nigerians are not faring well at all. The society as a whole is doing far worse, and whose fault is it?
The Yorubas have a saying (and I am sure other tribes have too) that “we should do things the way they should be done, so that the result will be what we want or expect”. What kind of nation do we have if, after all we have been through, and all we know, and all we have, we still refuse to do what is right for ourselves, or rather, our so-called leaders refuse to do what is right? How far more can we expect to carry on without doing the right things before we implode? These are questions that must be answered now.
There is more urgency now in doing the right things because the world economy is getting worse, but our leaders are either ignorant of this fact, or ignorant of the consequences, or they just don’t care what happens to us and the future they will leave behind. Actually, I do not expect an ex-convict or ex-policeman or ex-soldier-turned State Governor, Senator or other law-makers to be able to grasp the complexities of world economy and political issues to be able to determine what is good for their people. Even their so-called erudite advisers (read hangers-on, sycophants and spongers) are just there for the money, so what can they teach their “ogas”? Especially now that we do not have the money anymore to get things done, because we have wasted the money and the opportunities.
Compatriots, we are in very deep shit (pardon my language) in this country. We keep on shouting, threatening, begging these evil people ruling us, and they never listen to us.
I am very sure that Nigeria runs about the most expensive, profligate and wasteful democracy in the world. Look at it this way:
• The presidency and state governors appoint a despicable number of aides, mostly useless and as we know, they are just saying “thank you” to these aides, whose contribution to the well-being of this country is at best, spurious and undefined. One state governor, I heard, had almost 700 special assistants, special advisers, etc
• Governors are awarded almost 80 million Naira a month in what is called Security Votes, which they don’t have to account for. Beside this largesse, they still loot the treasury, demand and receive massive bribes, neglect the people and waste our money.
• Our lawmakers, federal, state and local governments practically laugh all the way to the banks without any iota of work or service to show for what they are paid to do, and what they steal. Their service to the nation is hardly commensurate to the huge sums they allocate to themselves as salaries, allowance and perks; yet you still see them rushing about for government contracts. They want to have it all.
• Election time is drawing near, and most elected (or should I say, selected), officials have abandoned their employment and duty of governance and are spending public funds on getting themselves re-elected (or re-selected, as it may be)
• State Governors seeking second terms have bought hundreds of vehicles to campaign for re-election (I am really having problems with this election or selection, but please where you read election in this article, think selection) and hardly attend to the functions of governance. I don’t have to tell you that funds for re-election campaigns do not come from their personal pockets; it is state money, yours and mine.
• Those governors not seeking a second term because the Constitution, fortunately for us, does not allow for a third term, are now busy tying up loose ends, destroying evidence of corruption, murder, etc and still looting the treasury.
(These are money that should have gone into providing healthcare, good urban roads, schools and the attendance education of our future generation, potable water, electricity, railways, clean environment, etc.)
• The Presidency recently bought 3 presidential jets in addition to the ones already on the fleet. Each president or ruler of Nigeria always buys jets when they are in power. I don’t know how much these cost, but I can bet it will go a long way to do some overdue repairs on certain motor-ways in the country.
• The Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, despite its very bright, promising and brilliant start when he took over from the late Yar ‘Adua, has become distracted and disoriented because of his ambition to contest for election next year. He has abandoned all his promises and is concentrating all his energies into staying in power.
(Huh, huh, I am not saying he doesn’t have the right, but look at it this way: he has never contested any election on his own in his life, yet he rose from being a Deputy Governor to being President of Nigeria. Now at the pinnacle of any man’s political career without lifting a finger, he now wants to “test” himself with an election when he’s already at the top. What he’s saying is that God has not done enough for him! I personally don’t think he should run; he should be the referee in a credible, free and fair election, that we hope will produce the right person to lead us and change Nigeria, then we will carve Jonathan’s name in stone)
• Then the 50th Birthday celebrations came and went, federal, states and local governments spent billions to celebrate, and they told us that the next 50 years will be better. Hardly one month into the next 50 years, there is no sign that things will change.
• As if these are not enough, former Nigerian Presidents, Heads of State, Heads of Federal Legislative Houses and Chief Justices of the Federation, whose exact successes as public servants of this potentially great but moribund country is very suspect, lacklustre, undefined and unproductive, have been awarded scandalous pensions which even takes care of their wives, children and some other relatives, even when the record of the individual’s performance does not justify such privileges.
I recently drove my 80 year old mother to the Secretariat in Ibadan because the Government wanted to “screen” the pensioners. She was on her feet for almost 8 hours in the hot sun, because the seats provided did not go around and just a small tent was provided. This “screening” exercise has been going on for the past 20 years without end. Some pensioners have died without being able to collect their pensions, yet, the pensions and entitlements to these people, who truly worked for Nigeria, are being withheld by dubious leaders and useless and corrupt civil servants. Ghost pensioners abound, some civil servants collecting the pensions of the dead. My uncle died 5 years ago, without collecting his pension, but we discovered that his name was still on the list and somebody had been collecting his pension.
But we are going to pay Gowon, Shagari, Obasanjo, Babangida, Buhari, Abdulsalaam, and even Shonekan and their families, awesome pensions for life. And what about the families of Tafawa-Balewa, Aguiyi-Ironsi, Abacha and Umar Yar ‘Adua? Are they going to get their late fathers’ pensions too? I am not even talking of the Chief Justices and the others who they say are entitled to this pension.
As the respected Reuben Abari wrote in his piece, “Scandalous pension benefits for former leaders”, The Guardian, Friday, 05 November 2010 “We run an economy that services the privileges of the already over-privileged, an economy that promotes waste and inefficiency with little consideration for the poor and the aggrieved. In a season where the world economies are making austere plans; with the UK shaving off expenses and benefits and the USA saying loudly to the President through the mid-term election verdict that the economy cannot wait much longer for the economic prosperity promised; this action can be nothing more than insensitive”.
Insensitive? No Dr Abati that is the mildest word to express our anger. It is a show of utter disregard for the people who put this set of people into power. It is a show of absolute power of life and death over 150 million people. It is a statement that “We own you; we own Nigeria; Nigeria is ours to do what we like with”. It is a statement of blatant inconsideration for the plight of 150 million Nigerians. It is profligacy at its best, or worst. It shows you that we are being ruled by thoughtless, brainless morons who couldn’t care less if 150 million Nigerians die.
The impact of most of these people have always been negative, otherwise if they are successful, Nigeria will not find itself in such big problems as we have today. They did not even try to change things. They did very little to impact on our lives. They pretended they want to serve, yet they serve only themselves and some other selfish sectional, tribal or religious interests. And they have never, ever been accountable to their people. In fact they shun accountability. They have never ever been responsible for their people.
Every day in the newspapers, it is one corruption scandal or the other, yet, nobody is ever held to account. What this tells us is that some people are above the law in Nigeria and can do whatever they like with impunity and immunity. What it tells us is that all the law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC which were especially created to fight corruption are nothing but toothless tooth dogs at best, or as camouflage by the government itself at worst. Even recent pronouncement by Government officials on the list of corrupt politicians that the EFCC was seeking to bar from contesting elections tells us how insincere the fight against corruption is, from the perspective of the government itself.
Look at the waste of all these monies and resources, wasted opportunities; wasted individual and collective brilliance; wasted generations.
How many of our governors embark on aggressive revenue drive to supplement shortfalls from their allocation? None! They all wait on the monthly allocation, and even when that comes, profligacy, corruption and mismanagement begins. Half of the money disappears into private bank accounts, leaving capital projects devoid of funding, hence the roads are bad, the schools are poor, healthcare is poor, etc, and Nigerians are dying unnecessarily.
One of the problems with our democracy is that people (s)elected into public office do not regard themselves as servants of the public who elected them and is paying their salaries. They regard governance as a right for them to do as they like with public money; with our lives. They regard the governed as their servants and slaves, and their states and boundaries as fiefdoms. The reason might be because we do not have a truly representative democracy where credible, free and fair elections are conducted. Most of these vagabonds in power (VIP) lied, rigged, murdered, raped and looted their way into positions of power; so what should we expect of a brigand and rogue to deliver when he/she becomes someone with authority?
Read the newly published Wale Adedayo’s book “Micro-seconds Away From Death” and you will understand how base, evil and depraved our so-called democratic rulers have descended. And for what? Money, power and recognition.
Look at the way they carry themselves in public. They are “gods”. They are untouchables. They are the privileged. They have power of life and death and they constantly exercise it and remind us of their immortality. They forget, or perhaps, chose to ignore the fact that power, and indeed, life itself is transient. And in so doing, they forget there is a Greater Supreme Being than them. It is as if their tenure in power will never end.
In a way, I can’t blame them; it is an African thing, an African disease. Centuries of feudalism will be very difficult to replace with true western-style democracy. But we should still try. We must let them know we are living in the 21st Century and not in the Dark Ages, and we have examples we can emulate properly. We do not have to re-invent the wheel.
We can also jettison what will not work in Western-style democracy and our own African culture and tradition and ways of life and amalgamate the ones that can work to make our societies better. In order words, let’s fashion out what mode of government is best for us.
Are we going to survive? Your guess is as good as mine. Election 2011 will come and go, and Nigeria will remain. If we fail with that election, we will moan and shout, but the eternal optimists that we are, we shall be looking forward to a better election in 2015.
If we succeed with this election and we get the right person (but with Babangida, Atiku, Gusau, Saraki and others of their ilk vying to become President, forget that optimism) then perhaps Nigeria would have come of democratic age. And perhaps there is a chance that the future of our children would be secured.
Finally, let me borrow the words of Gbola Bowale X (one of my Facebook friends) “We have a CHOICE in OUR GENERATION to either continue dealing with the SYMPTOMS of our multifarious and entrenched challenges or we can make a VERY BOLD attempt at dealing with the ROOT CAUSES of OUR COMMON CHALLENGES! Until and unless we do what is NEEDFUL and not what is CONVENIENT; my folks, the wahala (problem) will continue to stare us in the face koro koro (forcefully) and we can continue to "blow" girama! (Grammar!).”
Let the truth be said always.
For someone like me, a man who is convinced that all we need is a “Few Good Men and Women” to change Nigeria, I see all these hopes evaporating away on a daily basis.
It is a fact that while some Nigerians are doing better, most Nigerians are not faring well at all. The society as a whole is doing far worse, and whose fault is it?
The Yorubas have a saying (and I am sure other tribes have too) that “we should do things the way they should be done, so that the result will be what we want or expect”. What kind of nation do we have if, after all we have been through, and all we know, and all we have, we still refuse to do what is right for ourselves, or rather, our so-called leaders refuse to do what is right? How far more can we expect to carry on without doing the right things before we implode? These are questions that must be answered now.
There is more urgency now in doing the right things because the world economy is getting worse, but our leaders are either ignorant of this fact, or ignorant of the consequences, or they just don’t care what happens to us and the future they will leave behind. Actually, I do not expect an ex-convict or ex-policeman or ex-soldier-turned State Governor, Senator or other law-makers to be able to grasp the complexities of world economy and political issues to be able to determine what is good for their people. Even their so-called erudite advisers (read hangers-on, sycophants and spongers) are just there for the money, so what can they teach their “ogas”? Especially now that we do not have the money anymore to get things done, because we have wasted the money and the opportunities.
Compatriots, we are in very deep shit (pardon my language) in this country. We keep on shouting, threatening, begging these evil people ruling us, and they never listen to us.
I am very sure that Nigeria runs about the most expensive, profligate and wasteful democracy in the world. Look at it this way:
• The presidency and state governors appoint a despicable number of aides, mostly useless and as we know, they are just saying “thank you” to these aides, whose contribution to the well-being of this country is at best, spurious and undefined. One state governor, I heard, had almost 700 special assistants, special advisers, etc
• Governors are awarded almost 80 million Naira a month in what is called Security Votes, which they don’t have to account for. Beside this largesse, they still loot the treasury, demand and receive massive bribes, neglect the people and waste our money.
• Our lawmakers, federal, state and local governments practically laugh all the way to the banks without any iota of work or service to show for what they are paid to do, and what they steal. Their service to the nation is hardly commensurate to the huge sums they allocate to themselves as salaries, allowance and perks; yet you still see them rushing about for government contracts. They want to have it all.
• Election time is drawing near, and most elected (or should I say, selected), officials have abandoned their employment and duty of governance and are spending public funds on getting themselves re-elected (or re-selected, as it may be)
• State Governors seeking second terms have bought hundreds of vehicles to campaign for re-election (I am really having problems with this election or selection, but please where you read election in this article, think selection) and hardly attend to the functions of governance. I don’t have to tell you that funds for re-election campaigns do not come from their personal pockets; it is state money, yours and mine.
• Those governors not seeking a second term because the Constitution, fortunately for us, does not allow for a third term, are now busy tying up loose ends, destroying evidence of corruption, murder, etc and still looting the treasury.
(These are money that should have gone into providing healthcare, good urban roads, schools and the attendance education of our future generation, potable water, electricity, railways, clean environment, etc.)
• The Presidency recently bought 3 presidential jets in addition to the ones already on the fleet. Each president or ruler of Nigeria always buys jets when they are in power. I don’t know how much these cost, but I can bet it will go a long way to do some overdue repairs on certain motor-ways in the country.
• The Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan, despite its very bright, promising and brilliant start when he took over from the late Yar ‘Adua, has become distracted and disoriented because of his ambition to contest for election next year. He has abandoned all his promises and is concentrating all his energies into staying in power.
(Huh, huh, I am not saying he doesn’t have the right, but look at it this way: he has never contested any election on his own in his life, yet he rose from being a Deputy Governor to being President of Nigeria. Now at the pinnacle of any man’s political career without lifting a finger, he now wants to “test” himself with an election when he’s already at the top. What he’s saying is that God has not done enough for him! I personally don’t think he should run; he should be the referee in a credible, free and fair election, that we hope will produce the right person to lead us and change Nigeria, then we will carve Jonathan’s name in stone)
• Then the 50th Birthday celebrations came and went, federal, states and local governments spent billions to celebrate, and they told us that the next 50 years will be better. Hardly one month into the next 50 years, there is no sign that things will change.
• As if these are not enough, former Nigerian Presidents, Heads of State, Heads of Federal Legislative Houses and Chief Justices of the Federation, whose exact successes as public servants of this potentially great but moribund country is very suspect, lacklustre, undefined and unproductive, have been awarded scandalous pensions which even takes care of their wives, children and some other relatives, even when the record of the individual’s performance does not justify such privileges.
I recently drove my 80 year old mother to the Secretariat in Ibadan because the Government wanted to “screen” the pensioners. She was on her feet for almost 8 hours in the hot sun, because the seats provided did not go around and just a small tent was provided. This “screening” exercise has been going on for the past 20 years without end. Some pensioners have died without being able to collect their pensions, yet, the pensions and entitlements to these people, who truly worked for Nigeria, are being withheld by dubious leaders and useless and corrupt civil servants. Ghost pensioners abound, some civil servants collecting the pensions of the dead. My uncle died 5 years ago, without collecting his pension, but we discovered that his name was still on the list and somebody had been collecting his pension.
But we are going to pay Gowon, Shagari, Obasanjo, Babangida, Buhari, Abdulsalaam, and even Shonekan and their families, awesome pensions for life. And what about the families of Tafawa-Balewa, Aguiyi-Ironsi, Abacha and Umar Yar ‘Adua? Are they going to get their late fathers’ pensions too? I am not even talking of the Chief Justices and the others who they say are entitled to this pension.
As the respected Reuben Abari wrote in his piece, “Scandalous pension benefits for former leaders”, The Guardian, Friday, 05 November 2010 “We run an economy that services the privileges of the already over-privileged, an economy that promotes waste and inefficiency with little consideration for the poor and the aggrieved. In a season where the world economies are making austere plans; with the UK shaving off expenses and benefits and the USA saying loudly to the President through the mid-term election verdict that the economy cannot wait much longer for the economic prosperity promised; this action can be nothing more than insensitive”.
Insensitive? No Dr Abati that is the mildest word to express our anger. It is a show of utter disregard for the people who put this set of people into power. It is a show of absolute power of life and death over 150 million people. It is a statement that “We own you; we own Nigeria; Nigeria is ours to do what we like with”. It is a statement of blatant inconsideration for the plight of 150 million Nigerians. It is profligacy at its best, or worst. It shows you that we are being ruled by thoughtless, brainless morons who couldn’t care less if 150 million Nigerians die.
The impact of most of these people have always been negative, otherwise if they are successful, Nigeria will not find itself in such big problems as we have today. They did not even try to change things. They did very little to impact on our lives. They pretended they want to serve, yet they serve only themselves and some other selfish sectional, tribal or religious interests. And they have never, ever been accountable to their people. In fact they shun accountability. They have never ever been responsible for their people.
Every day in the newspapers, it is one corruption scandal or the other, yet, nobody is ever held to account. What this tells us is that some people are above the law in Nigeria and can do whatever they like with impunity and immunity. What it tells us is that all the law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC and ICPC which were especially created to fight corruption are nothing but toothless tooth dogs at best, or as camouflage by the government itself at worst. Even recent pronouncement by Government officials on the list of corrupt politicians that the EFCC was seeking to bar from contesting elections tells us how insincere the fight against corruption is, from the perspective of the government itself.
Look at the waste of all these monies and resources, wasted opportunities; wasted individual and collective brilliance; wasted generations.
How many of our governors embark on aggressive revenue drive to supplement shortfalls from their allocation? None! They all wait on the monthly allocation, and even when that comes, profligacy, corruption and mismanagement begins. Half of the money disappears into private bank accounts, leaving capital projects devoid of funding, hence the roads are bad, the schools are poor, healthcare is poor, etc, and Nigerians are dying unnecessarily.
One of the problems with our democracy is that people (s)elected into public office do not regard themselves as servants of the public who elected them and is paying their salaries. They regard governance as a right for them to do as they like with public money; with our lives. They regard the governed as their servants and slaves, and their states and boundaries as fiefdoms. The reason might be because we do not have a truly representative democracy where credible, free and fair elections are conducted. Most of these vagabonds in power (VIP) lied, rigged, murdered, raped and looted their way into positions of power; so what should we expect of a brigand and rogue to deliver when he/she becomes someone with authority?
Read the newly published Wale Adedayo’s book “Micro-seconds Away From Death” and you will understand how base, evil and depraved our so-called democratic rulers have descended. And for what? Money, power and recognition.
Look at the way they carry themselves in public. They are “gods”. They are untouchables. They are the privileged. They have power of life and death and they constantly exercise it and remind us of their immortality. They forget, or perhaps, chose to ignore the fact that power, and indeed, life itself is transient. And in so doing, they forget there is a Greater Supreme Being than them. It is as if their tenure in power will never end.
In a way, I can’t blame them; it is an African thing, an African disease. Centuries of feudalism will be very difficult to replace with true western-style democracy. But we should still try. We must let them know we are living in the 21st Century and not in the Dark Ages, and we have examples we can emulate properly. We do not have to re-invent the wheel.
We can also jettison what will not work in Western-style democracy and our own African culture and tradition and ways of life and amalgamate the ones that can work to make our societies better. In order words, let’s fashion out what mode of government is best for us.
Are we going to survive? Your guess is as good as mine. Election 2011 will come and go, and Nigeria will remain. If we fail with that election, we will moan and shout, but the eternal optimists that we are, we shall be looking forward to a better election in 2015.
If we succeed with this election and we get the right person (but with Babangida, Atiku, Gusau, Saraki and others of their ilk vying to become President, forget that optimism) then perhaps Nigeria would have come of democratic age. And perhaps there is a chance that the future of our children would be secured.
Finally, let me borrow the words of Gbola Bowale X (one of my Facebook friends) “We have a CHOICE in OUR GENERATION to either continue dealing with the SYMPTOMS of our multifarious and entrenched challenges or we can make a VERY BOLD attempt at dealing with the ROOT CAUSES of OUR COMMON CHALLENGES! Until and unless we do what is NEEDFUL and not what is CONVENIENT; my folks, the wahala (problem) will continue to stare us in the face koro koro (forcefully) and we can continue to "blow" girama! (Grammar!).”
Let the truth be said always.
The Problems and Challenges of Insecurity in Nigeria
Presented to ACN UK General Meeting, 10th September 2011-09-02 London, UK .
Ladies and gentlemen, it is perhaps imperative in this presentation to come to certain terms with what we are going to talk about.
One is that insecurity, especially internal insecurity is not a problem that is unique to Nigeria. The US, the UK and many other countries, face the challenges of insecurity within their borders on a daily basis. The difference between them and our country, Nigeria is how they manage the threats; how knowledgeable and prepared they are; how they deploy resources against the threats; how effective they are; how patriotic and united these people are against threats of insecurity.
Secondly, and I will be particular about Nigeria, is the fact that our Constitution, 1999 or whatever Constitution we operate under, specifically states in Chapter 12, Section 14, (FUNDAMENTAL OBJECTIVES AND DIRECTIVE PRINCIPLES OF STATE POLICY) that:
(13) It shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government, and of all authorities and persons, exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers, to conform to, observe and apply the provisions of this Chapter of this Constitution.
(14) (1) The Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be a State based on the principles of democracy and social justice.
(2) It is hereby, accordingly, declared that:
(a) Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this Constitution derives all its powers and authority;
(b) The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government: and
(c) The participation by the people in their government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this Constitution.
From this, we see that it is expressly stated in our Constitution that the Government(s) is ultimately responsible for the security of lives, property, etc of the people of Nigeria.
Internal security, or IS, is the act of keeping peace within the borders of a sovereign state or other self-governing territories. This is done generally by upholding the national law and defending against internal security threats. Responsibility for internal security may range from police to paramilitary forces, and in exceptional circumstances, the military itself. (Wikipedia)
Threats to Internal security (Wikipedia)
Threats to the general peace may range from low-level civil disorder, large scale violence, or even an armed insurgency. Threats to internal security may be directed at either the state's citizens, or the organs and infrastructure of the state itself, and may range from petty crime, serious organised crime, political or industrial unrest, or even domestic terrorism. Foreign powers may also act as a threat to internal security, by either committing or sponsoring terrorism or rebellion, without actually declaring war.
Forces and Agencies (Wikipedia)
Governmental responsibility for internal security will generally rest with an interior ministry, as opposed to a defence ministry. Depending on the state, a state's internal security will be maintained by either the ordinary police or law enforcement agencies or more militarised police forces (known as Gendarmerie). Other specialised internal security agencies may exist to augment these main forces, such as border guards, special police units, or aspects of the state's List of intelligence agencies. In some states, internal security may be the primary responsibility of a secret police force.
The level of authorised force used by agencies and forces responsible for maintaining internal security might range from unarmed police to fully armed paramilitary organisations, or employ some level of less-lethal weaponry in between. For violent situations, internal security forces may contain some element of military type equipment such as non-military armoured vehicles.
But enough of definitions and insinuations. What we are talking about is not merely petty crimes, armed robberies, etc, but terrorism and bombings, armed insurgency, e.g. the Niger Delta problem, which seemed to have died down a bit of recent, after all the hullabaloo of Amnesty, Jos ethnic/religious killings, Boko Haram massacres and bombings in Abuja, Maiduguri and other northern cities, etc.
What every Nigerian should be doing is asking and demanding answers on what has been done so far since October 1st, 2010 Independence Day Twin Bombing in Abuja FCT. Not to mention numerous bombings in Maiduguri, Bauchi and Adamawa.
Mind you, these are not the first instances of such insecurity. Insecurity has been with us probably since we became a Republic, only we decided to turn blind eyes to it.
When the CIA report of 2005 predicted the collapse of Nigeria in about 15 years time, patriots and critics alike reacted differently to the report. For me, as much as I wanted to dismiss it, something kept niggling my mind that this might be a true prophetic scrutiny of the state of Nigeria. Not because the CIA is dependable in its security analysis, after all, they didn't get it right to prevent 9/11 2001 from happening, but events in Nigeria seemed to suggest that while other countries in the sub-region were developing, Nigeria was retrogressing despite its claim to democracy. People expected the then Government of Obasanjo to take this warning as a chance for Nigeria to look inwards, engage with the report, and work on those predictive indices that could lead to the predicted failure. But, inopportunely, the Obasanjo government dismissed the report in its totality. In a way, the dismissal is not entirely a surprise, since our leaders, over the years, are prone to such habits of shielding the truth from their people, not caring as long as it does not happen in their time; are actually very ignorant of what is going on around them, and are obstinate and tyrannical in their nature.
The current general state of insecurity in Nigeria has now lent weight to the report. It must be recalled that while the report was released at the advent of the so-called Niger Delta crisis, since then several acts of bombings and killings by the extremist Islamic sect, Boko Haram, the carnage between ethnic Birom and the Hausa/Fulani in Jos, and the political violence that followed immediately after the 2011 Elections results, mostly in the northern part of the country, have further cemented the insecure state of the country.
Starting with the usual religious/ethnic oriented conflicts, to the Jos ethnic/religious/political conflict of 2008, regrettably, the northern states have shown that security of persons and properties is still far from being realizable. However, the current crisis which started in Bauchi and has engulfed other states in the north has elements of theocratic opinionated ambitions in it. While the fundamentalist group - Boko Haram's - demand for the jettisoning of a western behavioural pattern and the imposition of strict Sharia law can be described as absurd to say the least, we should equally view it with all the seriousness it deserves.
What the current trend of violence is imprinting on the psyche of Nigerians is that the government security apparatus is incapable of guaranteeing the safety and security of its people. This would, therefore, impact on the general human security of the people as the situation promotes fear, while at the same time limiting the peoples' ability to develop economically. At the same time, the state's capacity to attract investors becomes limited as a result of the insecurity. For instance, states like Enugu and Bauchi that have huge tourism potential would be losing out on this front
On different terrorist attacks, listen to what leaders with political will had to say:
On 9/11: "This is an act of war against the United States. We'll hunt down the terrorists. They can run but they can't' hide..." - George Bush
London Bombing: "We'll track down the terrorists and bring them to justice" - Tony Blair
UN House Bombing: "Terrorism is a global phenomenon. May be it is Nigeria's turn." - Goodluck Jonathan
On 9/11: "This is an act of war against the United States. We'll hunt down the terrorists. They can run but they can't' hide..." - George Bush
London Bombing: "We'll track down the terrorists and bring them to justice" - Tony Blair
UN House Bombing: "Terrorism is a global phenomenon. May be it is Nigeria's turn." - Goodluck Jonathan
So what our supreme leader is saying is that, “why not, it’s our turn to start getting blown up”. How much more should we expect? That shows you the depth of intelligence and care of our leaders.
Security was a driving issue in the last Presidential campaign following bomb blast by Niger Delta militants and attacks of police by members of the extremist Islamic group, Boko Haram in the northern part of the country. President Jonathan campaigned very hard to convince Nigerians that his government was meeting those security challenges. But the rioting, mostly in the North, that followed immediately after his election raised questions, which are still unanswered, about security preparedness. At least 800 people were said to have been killed in these Muslim-Christian electoral violence.
“As president, it is my solemn duty to defend the constitution of this country. That includes the obligation to protect the lives and properties of every Nigerian wherever they choose to live,” he said
Challenges & Proposed Solutions:
Mr. President should acknowledge the failure of the security agencies hence there should be a complete overhaul of the Security Agencies in the county to pre-empt these security breaches. In particular, the failure of the intelligence services to contain the recurring security breaches. The spate of bombings has once more brought to limelight the need for a Sovereign National Conference. Until these structural distortions and anomalies are addressed, the monster of insecurity will loom large and Nigeria will once more be listed as a terrorist nation. Mr. President has to act decisively to execute his Office, and this can be achieved by implementing the anti-terrorism law and punish culprits of such heinous crimes capable of causing instability in the nation. This will vitiate the implementation of Mr. President's transformational agenda. The long-term effect is that the on-going terrorism will discourage potential investors in Nigeria.
At the speed Nigeria is deteriorating, there is a strong desire for a SOVEREIGN NATIONAL CONFERENCE so that all ethnic nationalities can make their stand known this amalgamated country. The way forward is for us to keep laying emphasis on the need for the evolution of six regions. The federation should stay but let every region grow at its own pace. The Western region has clearly set the pace going by the result of the last election. All the Western states voted massively for the Action Congress party (ACN), a party that is not sufficiently different in programmes from the Action Party of Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Each region should have their own police Force. MOPOL and Interpol could be transformed into the only Federal Police crack elite team. The rest members of the police force should be dismembered and directed to return to their regions. It is the duty of the regions to now retrain, equip and pay them.
Second, the judiciary is not helping matters at all. The institution is heavily compounding our problems. It has got to really sit up. Cases of corruption are not meant to be compromised at all, let alone adjourning them endlessly. The judiciary ought to have, at this stage in our development, evolved time scales for cases. There ought to have been a time to determine a case; time to close that case; and time to deliver judgement and pass sentences. In Nigeria, cases that bother on corruption and insecurity have most often been compromised thus the law is no longer acting as a deterrent. What is happening in Jos is too gory to narrate. The endless killing going on in that city has made the demand for regional govt more pertinent. The country cannot just continue to toe the line of extinction. Most Nigerians do not value human lives. They debase them. Most have become conditioned to act of carnages, brigandage, looting, massacre, butchery and bestiality.
Thirdly, the Federal govt should always be decisive on issues that bother on insecurity. We have never had strong leaders. From Shagari to Yar ‘Adua and now to Jonathan, what we have heard were leaders handpicked and imposed on the people. We have over the years been denied leaders that would bring us out of the woods. First were Awo in 1979 and, controversially, Abiola in 1993. We have never had it so bad. OBJ was an imposition by the Northern oligarchy. Corruption was commonplace under OBJ. Now under Jonathan, what we have is intertwined corruption and insecurity.
Second, the judiciary is not helping matters at all. The institution is heavily compounding our problems. It has got to really sit up. Cases of corruption are not meant to be compromised at all, let alone adjourning them endlessly. The judiciary ought to have, at this stage in our development, evolved time scales for cases. There ought to have been a time to determine a case; time to close that case; and time to deliver judgement and pass sentences. In Nigeria, cases that bother on corruption and insecurity have most often been compromised thus the law is no longer acting as a deterrent. What is happening in Jos is too gory to narrate. The endless killing going on in that city has made the demand for regional govt more pertinent. The country cannot just continue to toe the line of extinction. Most Nigerians do not value human lives. They debase them. Most have become conditioned to act of carnages, brigandage, looting, massacre, butchery and bestiality.
Thirdly, the Federal govt should always be decisive on issues that bother on insecurity. We have never had strong leaders. From Shagari to Yar ‘Adua and now to Jonathan, what we have heard were leaders handpicked and imposed on the people. We have over the years been denied leaders that would bring us out of the woods. First were Awo in 1979 and, controversially, Abiola in 1993. We have never had it so bad. OBJ was an imposition by the Northern oligarchy. Corruption was commonplace under OBJ. Now under Jonathan, what we have is intertwined corruption and insecurity.
Ethnic and the foregoing problems and criminal activities individually and collectively create insecurity and breach of the peace that are likely to or indeed affect legitimate social and economic activities in the country. These problems also have the very damaging consequence of giving the signal to the rest of the international community that Nigeria is not a safe and secure place and as such not suitable for economic investment and activities. This is particularly important in view of the efforts being made to create the desired atmosphere to attract foreign investment.
Beyond the effects of security concerns on the economic fortunes of the country, the nature of the security challenges facing the country also have implications for the country's political system. As mentioned earlier, social cohesion among various groups and interests is important in the process of national political development. Therefore, the constituent parts of the country must be and indeed feel that they are being carried along in the process of national governance. Experience has shown that widespread discontent and loss of confidence in the system have ways of affecting national political stability. Invariably continuing escalation of violence and crises across the country will impinge on the survival of our democracy.
Accordingly, there is the challenge to rethink and improve on policy and institutional means of dealing with security concerns arising in the country. At the political level, the federal, state and local governments should evolve programmes of cultural and political education and orientation that seek to enthrone the fundamentals of democracy so that the political contestants as well as the generality of the citizens imbibe principles and practices essential for sustainable democracy. Such programmes must also address specific tendencies that create security breach and concerns in the country.
In addition, a process of legislative and constitutional review should be initiated to assess the country's constitution and amend or expunge as necessary areas that have been found to give rise to conflicts and security problems. The process should also introduce new provisions and legislations that will ensure better and more effective interplay of interests among all groups and stakeholders in Nigeria. Such exercise should also embrace ways of making the country's democratic space more open, free, fair and tolerant as exists in other democracies around the world. Among specific lingering political issues that should be addressed are: the laws relating to political parties and their activities; the establishment, funding and activities of the electoral body; local and state government relationship; allocation of national resources and revenue; citizenship rights; devolution of security powers to states and local governments. In addition, the legislative and constitutional review should also embody security sector reforms that will make the security agencies and institutions more effective in combating crimes and other threats to national security and make them accountable to the democratic political system and structures. These democratic structures include the states and local governments. I believe that we need to give a more concrete understanding to the definition of governors as the chief security officers of the state.
Conclusions:
In all, what we need is a good government, no more no less. And a good government is possible in as much as people who are put in positions of authority are allowed and are committed to discharge their duties without fear or favour; are determined to serve with zeal and patriotism; are not ready to sell out to international capital and are ready to stand by the truth and die for it. In all, there is no mono cultural theory that is a cure-all to the diverse nature of insecurity in Nigeria but I believed and stand by the theory that Nigeria should evolve into six regions, each region having its Premier or Governor, each region has a right to retain its states or to abolish- the choice is theirs in the region to make; each region should be in charge of its Education, Security, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Transport and Energy policies. The Central Government should be in charge of the Army, Central Bank, Customs, Prisons and Immigration services, MOPOL and Interpol, ALL WORKING at the same time IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. The objections to this Soveriegn National Conference are coming significantly from the core north unbeknownst to the people from that region that the fallout from that conference would sufficiently be in their favour. Pessimism is a social disease but in a society of rights, it is right!
In all, what we need is a good government, no more no less. And a good government is possible in as much as people who are put in positions of authority are allowed and are committed to discharge their duties without fear or favour; are determined to serve with zeal and patriotism; are not ready to sell out to international capital and are ready to stand by the truth and die for it. In all, there is no mono cultural theory that is a cure-all to the diverse nature of insecurity in Nigeria but I believed and stand by the theory that Nigeria should evolve into six regions, each region having its Premier or Governor, each region has a right to retain its states or to abolish- the choice is theirs in the region to make; each region should be in charge of its Education, Security, Health, Agriculture, Housing, Transport and Energy policies. The Central Government should be in charge of the Army, Central Bank, Customs, Prisons and Immigration services, MOPOL and Interpol, ALL WORKING at the same time IN THE INTEREST OF THE COUNTRY. The objections to this Soveriegn National Conference are coming significantly from the core north unbeknownst to the people from that region that the fallout from that conference would sufficiently be in their favour. Pessimism is a social disease but in a society of rights, it is right!
To end this presentation, allow me to quote former Head of State, Abdulsalaam Abubakar from his guest lecture at NIPSS, Kuru, on November 26, 2004, “Democracy is a sought-after value. It is not a perfect system of governance, even theoretically. But as Aristotle argued, it is the least evil of all possible governments. The strength of democracy is drawn from the fact that it is supposed to be the product of the will of the majority of the people. Government is held in trust for the people. The citizens feel a sense of ownership of the state for they can identify with it as vital stakeholders whose will gave existence and legitimacy to the state and the government. As shareholders of the common-wealth, the citizens will not only avoid such behaviours that hurt and sabotage the system, but join forces to resist any such attack on the collective interest. That in-fact is the real basis for the development of grand tactic, the mobilisation of the entire national asset for the protection of the nation, which I believe can work best in a democracy”.
He should know; he ran this country for more than 9 months and he has to his credit of being the creator of the present democratic dispensation.
I do hope my presentation has been useful.
Thank you for listening.
He was the Codewit Author of the Month for March 2009 and has several awards for his articles.
He is also the Founder and Global Coordinator of CHAMPIONS FOR NIGERIA, (www.championsfornigeria.org) an organisation devoted to celebrating genuine progress, excellence, commitment, selfless and unalloyed service to Nigeria and Nigerians.
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Appendix 1:
Here is a list of Abuja terrorist attacks under this administration since October 2010:
· there was bombing on Independence Day in Abuja October 1st 2010
· there was bombing at army barrack in Abuja December of 2010
· there was bombing at police headquarter Abuja June 2011
· there was bombing at UN headquarter Abuja August 2011
Appendix 2:
2011 Budget Appropriation For National Defence and Security:
The NSA, Police and Defence Ministry will spend a combined 865 BILLION NAIRA - more than 2 billion naira a day, weekends included!"
· The Defence Ministry gets 348 Billion Naira
· The Police gets 309 Billion Naira
· The National Security Adviser (NSA) will spend 208 Billion Naira (Recurrent - N51 billion, Capital N59 billion, and another N98 billion for the Amnesty Programme).
This does not include the 36 states’ so-called Security votes. Even State Assembly members and local government councillors now have Security Votes. Clearly their security is more important than ours!
865 billion Naira!!! How many equipment bought or how many training done??
Appendix 3:
These are the people in charge of protecting Nigeria and Abuja
1. Dr. Bello H. Mohammed- FEDERAL MINISTER OF DEFENSE
"On 27 July, the Minister for Defence, Dr. Haliru Mohammed Bello, declared that the Boko Haram insurgency in Borno State will soon be over".
2. Erelu Olusola Obada- MINISTER OF STATE, DEFENSE - (Studied Law but no Military or Law Enforcement Experience)
Education: She studied Advertising Administration at the Watford College of Technology in England. She later read a degree in Law at the University of Buckingham in England, graduating top of her class in 1985.
3. Hafiz Ringim - INSPECTOR GENERAL OF POLICE.
A holder of an Advanced Diploma in Public Administration, IGP Ringim joined the Nigeria Police Force as a Cadet Inspector on 1st March, 1977 and had his first stint of active police work in Kano, from 1978 to 1979, from where he was posted to the foremost investigative arm of the Force, the Force Criminal Investigation Department (FCID), Alagbon Close, Ikoyi Lagos. From the FCID, he was deployed to head the Criminal Intelligence Bureau (CIB) in Plateau State, with the rank of a Deputy Superintendent of Police. Acting IGP Hafiz Ringim’s hobbies are farming and jogging.
4. General Owoye Andrew Azazi - NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER.
CFR FSS MSS DSS GSS psc(+) fwc (retired) is the National Security Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan of Nigeria and a former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) of Nigeria. The Former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo made this appointment. General Azazi also served as the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) between 2006 and 2007. He replaced General Martin Luther Agwai. Before his appointment as COAS, he was General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division, Kaduna.
Education: General Azazi holds a MSc in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan, and has completed the Staff Intelligence and Security Course, School of Service Intelligence, Ashford, Kent, UK and Combined Strategic Intelligence Training Programme, Defence Intelligence College, Washington DC, United States. He is a graduate of the Command and Staff College Nigeria, and the National War College, Nigeria where he won the President and Commander-in-Chief's merit award for best all round performance.
5. Northeast Zone Security Committee For Boko Haram.
ABUJA, August 02, (THEWILL) – The Federal government has inaugurated the Presidential Committee on Security Challenges in the North-East Zone of the Country saying, "The central purpose of setting up this Committee is to create a forum whereby every person who has suggestions on a way forward will without restriction reach out to the Committee with ease".
The committee was set up following complaints by Borno elders on the excesses of soldiers and continued threat of radical Islamic sect Boko Haram, which has claimed responsibility for the series of bomb attacks in the north.
The Boko Haram Security Committee Members Are:
1. Ambassador Usman Gaji Galtimari (Chairman);
2. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume;
3. Mr. Joe Kyari Gadzama (SAN);
4. Colonel Musa Shehu (rtd);
5. Senator Bala Mohammed (Minister, FCT);
6. Dr. Bello H. Mohammed (Minister of Defence);
7. Barrister Emeka Wogu (Minister, Labour and Productivity) and
8. Abdullahi B. Shehu.
Most of these people are politicians with no tactical or intelligence experience.
The 8-member committee was given till August 16, 2011 to submit its report. Today is 10th September 2011, and ….**NO REPORT FOUND ANYWHERE OR REPORTED.
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