No proof Buhari government is cutting cost –Dele Momodu

The Publisher of Ovation magazine, Dele Momodu, speaks about President Muhammadu Buhari’s government and other issues in this interview with’NONYE BEN-NWANKWO and GBENRO ADEOYE

What is your view on the state of the country?

The state of the country now is a bit volatile. Don’t forget that a very strong political party was voted out of power last year, so naturally, the tension is still there. But my attitude to it is that the tension can be tackled by the government. There is nothing happening in Nigeria that has not happened elsewhere. In fact, we have had worse situations. In South Africa, Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years and when he came out of prison, he could have prolonged the disunity and the tension but he was smart enough to know that the only thing that could bring about progress in a nation is an atmosphere of peace. So that is what I recommend but unfortunately, some people in Nigeria feel that the tension should continue and that we should fight to the finish. But I believe that I am a good student of history and my attitude is that every Nigerian, whether in the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress, the National Conscience Party, the Labour Party or whichever, must join hands with President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue Nigeria and he too must join hands with them.

Do you also feel that this government is slow and that nothing is really happening in spite of its promise of change?

I won’t use the word slow. I’d say we could do better. I’m not on the hot seat; I’m not the President of Nigeria, so there are things he would know that I don’t know. He would have access to more information than the ordinary man on the street. But I believe that Nigerians are very agitated at the moment. I’m seeing a lot of complaints on social media and all kinds of caricatures. You would think the government has been in power for four years. In less than one year, people are already abusing us. ‘You guys are idiots; you brought Buhari on us’, ‘Shame on all of you’. I don’t know if all of these are getting to the government but this is the feedback that we are getting. If you have been reading my articles in a national newspaper every Saturday, you must have seen that I’ve been reflecting that mood. What I know about government and power is that people (who are close to him) hardly tell the leader the truth. They tell him what they think he wants to hear; they tell him everything is under control. “Oh! Don’t mind the disgruntled elements.” In government, everybody is always disgruntled. This time last year, former President Goodluck Jonathan’s boys were busy abusing us thoroughly. There was nothing they didn’t say. But we knew we had to carry on with our mission, based on principle. I’m not a member of the APC or the PDP, but people don’t know. I was just a volunteer. Our generation, I believe, is different. These days, nobody thinks that anyone can do anything based on principles. They think it must be based on political affiliations, religious fraternity and so on. I’m just a Nigerian who wants Nigeria to be good. I’m already 55 years going on 56 and I’m just worried. When the Wole Soyinkas were describing their generation as a wasted generation, I was so sure that mine would not be wasted. But at this rate, if care is not taken, we have virtually joined that generation. No electricity, no water, bad roads, nothing. If you listened to Fela Anikulapo Kuti’s songs in the 70s and the early 80s, you can still replay the songs today and they will be relevant. The same old story! It is troubling for some of us, which is why I said we must join hands with Buhari because if he fails, we are in trouble. The President should also reach out to everybody; it does not matter whether you are a Christian or a Muslim or animist, whatever you are, we are all Nigerians at the end of the day.

Are you saying you could have done any better if you had been elected when you contested Presidency?

Me? Well, it is a matter of conjecture. The Yoruba have a saying: ‘Enu dun ro efo’ (It is easy and convenient to cook vegetable soup by mouth), so you never know until you get there. But if you asked me, naturally, the answer would be, ‘Yes, I would perform’. This is because there are basic lessons I’ve learnt, especially from the lives of some people like Chief Obafemi Awolowo- a life of service. What was the secret? He was able to assemble the best brains around, listen to them and act on whatever quality advice they gave him. Any leader who wants to succeed must do that. Your team must be able to reach you, have access to you, respect you but not be afraid of you to the extent that they cannot talk, take risks, take decisions.

Are you saying that Buhari’s ministers are afraid of him to that extent?

I wrote an article about that recently that Sir (Buhari), you need to free your ministers from this cage. What I see presently is a regime where ministers are afraid, maybe because they have not been able to get over Buhari’s first coming. But this is a democracy, so things must change. We cannot have a dictator. One of the ministers actually called me because I compared this cabinet to that of former President Goodluck Jonathan. In his time, say what you will, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was talking and reassuring the nation. You’d see her on Aljazeera, CNN,defending Nigeria, their policy and so on. But that is not the case here. What we have now is a preponderance of media operatives for the government. Garba Shehu says his; Femi Adesina says his; and then you hear from the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed. There have been a cacophony of information but this information has not been able to coagulate to reassure Nigerians, who are rightly anxious, that things are okay. I wrote an article titled, ‘Buhari and the burden of expectation’. To whom much is given, much is expected. People saw Buhari as a magician, either rightly or wrongly. So they expect so much from him. So those who are getting angry and asking ‘why are people saying he should do this or that, he has just started? People expected what I call Talismanic results. So they expected him to perform miracles. I told him that Nigerians expect you to perform the miracle of Jesus Christ raising Lazarus from the dead because Nigeria was virtually comatose. So my mind has been oscillating between, ‘Are we fast enough?’ or ‘Are we too slow?’ I just believe that we should jazz up some things quickly and urgently because we don’t have the luxury of time. By May, a year would have been gone. We will enter the second year by May 29 and by the third year; politicians are already jostling for the next elections. So there will be no attention paid to governance again. Now, some people are already talking about 2019. In fact, part of the battle right now is about 2019 when we have not even passed the first budget. So the executive and the legislature must bury whatever differences they have and come together for the sake of Nigeria. The judiciary must assist but what I see now is a fight between the executive and the legislature. People are abusing the judiciary of being corrupt and if we bastardise all our institutions, there will be nothing left at the end of the day.

So are you one of those pleading for more time for this government?

I always tell people that leadership is not about politics but about managing people and resources. A leader must be ready to adjust accordingly. If you are not making enough money from oil, so what do you do? Agriculture is not an overnight thing but you can set things in motion. We should begin the process of making sure we move from a mono-economy to a diversified one. Two, Chief Moshood Abiola used to tell us that when you want to cut your coat, you look at the available material. If it can give you a three-piece suit, fine. But if it can’t, reduce it to a two-piece suit, and you don’t make it too wide. Right now, I’ve not seen any sign of austerity in Nigeria.  If you asked for my honest opinion, I think that Buhari should reflect austerity measure in Nigeria, especially in government. The bulk of our resources are going towards funding the politicians. I read last week that government officials should no longer fly first class. That is minor; anybody can fly anything. I fly a lot and I know how to get the best bargains. But you know in government, it is not like that. There would be an agent somewhere who is related to someone in government and he is the one writing tickets and he is writing the most expensive ones. So these are things that the government does not realise.

Do you think that the President should have pruned the size of the Presidential Air Fleet?

I think we have too many presidential jets right now; that is my opinion. I believe that we have too many and even Buhari himself had criticised that before he became the President. So I don’t know what they are waiting for. I think we are spending too much money flying round. Each time they fly, they tell me they have reduced the entourage but I don’t think so. I was in New York on my own but stayed in the same hotel with them last year July during the United Nations General Assembly and I could still see that a lot of the people were just roaming and roving around with nothing to do. I don’t see why the President should travel every time with a full entourage, especially for a country like ours. You may say that Tanzania is a small country but a broke country is also a poor country. We are very wealthy in terms of our resources and assets, but right now, we lack cash flow. So we have to show that we are serious. If my company is not making money, I can’t go and be spending money on expensive lifestyles. It’s about how you manage yourself and I don’t see that yet. We have returned to the days when people think government is about enjoyment.

Pruning the presidential air fleet was one of APC’s campaigns, so do you think all the other promises the party made were a mere gimmick to attain power?

I don’t know. There is a book I like to quote. It was written by a Brazilian author called Paulo Freire. It is titled, ‘Pedagogy of the oppressed’. There are two things I picked from the book. One is that the oppressed man respects and fears only one person- his oppressor. The second one, which is relevant to what I’m talking about, is that the oppressed man is waiting for an opportunity to become an oppressor. The only dream he has in his life is: I just want to be great. I want to get to power. But when he gets to power, the reality is different. President Buhari, I believe, is a man of modest means, humble, easy going, and I don’t think he is overtly crazy about money or primitive accumulation of wealth. I once described him as a man who is like Jesus Christ, but without disciples. If your followers don’t share in your philosophy, then everything will spiral out of control, which is what I think is happening in Nigeria.

Some people have attributed your open letter to President Buhari as a sign that you are still sulking for not being made a minister. Is that what it is about?

I know the number of people who were begging me to do everything possible to become a minister. And I told them: the only reason you want me to become a minister is so that I can go and steal on your behalf. You are not saying it because you think I’m qualified or because you love me. They told me it’s their own opportunity; that I worked for these people. And it got to a stage that even my wife said people did not allow her sleep; they would call her in the UK and say ‘Madam, talk to your husband, he is too arrogant and foolish. How can he work for Buhari so much and not get anything?’ If I was going there for service, nobody would worry me. So the mindset of an average Nigerian is still that government is the easiest way to make money. And with that kind of mindset, what can Buhari alone do?

Were you not disappointed that your name was not on the list of Buhari’s ministers?

No, I wasn’t disappointed. I actually wrote an article before the list came out on why I believed my name would not be there. People were circulating some names. But to start with, I’m not a member of their party. Anybody who wants to be a minister, an ambassador, the first prerequisite usually is to be a member of the political party. It is even almost a constitutional thing. Till today, I have never left my party, the NCP. So if I was desperate for an appointment, I would have left my party. Nobody would drive me away if I want to join the APC. As a matter of fact, my good friend, Rotimi Amaechi (Minister of Transportation), has asked me many times why I have not joined the APC. I said no, I’m not interested. I don’t know how people do it when they jump from party to party like frogs. Maybe it is because I come from a background of intellectualism. I was supposed to be a lecturer but I couldn’t get a job in the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University) when I finished my Master’s degree in 1988. That was what brought me to Lagos. So I was already 28 years old by the time I arrived in Lagos in 1988. That ‘village boy’ mentality has not left me till today- ignore all the glamour. I am just who I am. I am happy contributing my quota to the development of my country. I’ve appointed myself as a global ambassador. I’ve been negotiating with rebels in Sierra Leone as far back as 2001. I would go there to visit our soldiers. You see, I read a lot and I’ve watched the lifestyles of the rich and famous elsewhere and I see how they contribute to their societies. You don’t have to be in government to contribute positively. Princess Diana used to go to Angola to campaign against land mines. You see Prince Harry going to Afghanistan to fight alongside British soldiers. Would you see the child of a Nigerian President or king ready to do all those things? That is me. But people don’t believe it because what they see is that he is the publisher of Ovation, he hobnobs with the rich and famous. Yet, I write my columns every Saturday and I’m able to tell President Buhari what nobody would tell him. I was able to write and tell Jonathan what nobody would tell him. When the late Umaru Yar’Adua cabal was holding Nigeria to ransom, I went on the street and I was not a member of the PDP and I never sat with Jonathan one on one. He is probably the only President in recent times that I never took pictures with. I’m just who I am. I’m more of a scholar. My dream is to return to the university and teach the young ones. All the experience that we have gathered should not be wasted.

Speaking of your open letter to the President, it is widely believed that it is when you are unable to get anything from the government in power that you start bad-mouthing it.

Was I a friend of Jonathan in power? I just told you that I went on the streets to fight for his right when he was being oppressed by the cabal. Did I go to them? If I was a friend of everyone in power, won’t I be a member of a big political party? People just talk. Fortunately for me, I learnt from MKO Abiola. When I came to Lagos in 1988, Abiola was probably the most hated Nigerian. Even when I was going to work inConcord Newspapers, it was because I couldn’t get a job in The Guardian. I had wanted The Guardian. When a friend suggested Concord to me, I was reluctant to go there. I told him people said that Abiola was an Islamic fundamentalist; they said he was a millionaire fanatic. But I got to Concord and everything was different. We had a bush canteen inConcord where we could drink beer. Would you drink beer or smoke in an Islamic empire? People were smoking. So I have learnt from the lives of great people that people must talk about them. What matters is for you to be true to your beliefs, philosophy and principles. Go and check if there was any government that I didn’t know and I was bold enough to tell them the truth. The secret is that I don’t abuse people. When I write, I critique and I proffer solutions. Go and read my articles. When I met with President Buhari, I had a copy of my forthcoming book, which contained some of the articles I wrote in the last five years on Jonathan. I said ‘Sir, I appointed myself Special Adviser to the President and these are some of the things I wrote about him, but he didn’t listen’. I said I hope you won’t mind, I’m going to be playing the same role. I’ve not gone back to Buhari. When I went to see him, I was invited. Thereafter, I have never gone near the place. I’ve not met Lai Mohammed since he became the Information Minister, you would not believe it. And this is a man who has been my friend for over 20 years. I’ve not been to Amaechi’s office. We may have been together when he is in Lagos and in the same hotel or at a function. I don’t run around. Journalists are treated like poor specie in Nigeria; I respect myself. I’m older than most of the political actors on the stage today. And where I come from, we value seniority. If you don’t respect yourself, nobody is going to respect you. So when people talk and say you are defending this and that, I say I defend principle.

Were you paid by the former Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Maduekwe, to launder her image with the interview you recently had with her?

That is why some people will rather leave this life of activism because whether you do it or don’t it, people must abuse you. What did I do wrong with Diezani? This is a woman that every reasonable journalist in the world would love to interview. People interviewed Osama Bin Laden. If it was in Nigeria, people would say they paid you to promote terrorism. They would change the word reportage to promotion. That is what they do anytime because Dele is not supposed to be a poor person, he is a flamboyant man, so everything he does must be for financial considerations. What insult! I’m older than Diezani. Look, I’m the only one who knows how I gain access to people. When I contacted someone that I would like to speak to Diezani, the person told her and she said, ‘Ha, no no no, Dele is our enemy.’ That was the first thing she said and the person told me. I said I was nobody’s enemy; whatever she says is what I would reproduce. A journalist must be able to give his word. People are abusing me for interviewing Diezani; what crime have I committed? Did I write in the interview that Diezani did not steal money? Where did I write it? Did I write that Diezani was the best minister in Nigeria? What did I write? Just questions and answers! Is it true that you have cancer? I took pictures with my phone and they accused me of doctoring pictures.

People said you went out of your way to try to launder her image for money.

Oh! Are you also trying to launder my image now by talking to me? No! What are you doing here? If I interview James Ibori now, people will say that I’m trying to launder his image. Is Ibori not a human being? Does he not have a right to express himself? In fact, all the things we fought against under dictatorship are what we are preaching now. It is called censorship. People have gone on exile or to prison for censorship. I was a victim. That is why I go against censorship. If somebody kills my mother today and I have an opportunity to interview him, I will ask: why did you kill my mother? But Nigerians will say you are a bastard, how can you sit and talk with the person who killed your mother? They don’t understand that it is a job. That is the nature of the job.  There is no journalist who can be successful if he doesn’t have access to his subjects.

But we heard that you are being sponsored to write some of the things you write and that your open letter to Buhari was particularly sponsored by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Is that the case?

I haven’t heard that in recent time. Before, I used to hear that. When he was taken to the Code of Conduct Tribunal and I wrote in his support, some people who were his political enemies abused the hell out of me. But Tinubu is my big brother. We were comrades in exile. We have come a long way together. I fight against oppression. So did Jonathan pay me to go and demonstrate for him in Abuja? So Tinubu paid me to write that he was being victimised? Jonathan paid me to write that the cabal did not want to hand over power to him when it was obvious that the then President was not well. Some people called me a bastard for supporting Amaechi at the Senate, even to my face. I did not mind them, I carried on with my campaign. Some people are attacking me now for supporting Saraki. Why? Because I said we must resist the impunity of a man suddenly becoming a villain only when government is fighting him. And it happens every time, right from Obasanjo’s time. If a governor was not in support of Obasanjo, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission would go and pick him. I resisted it at that time. I wrote an open letter to Nuhu Ribadu that it was impunity and that it was not good to set fire on an entire village to catch a few rats. His guys came back at me seriously. I almost sued This Day Newspaper because it was used to libel me for speaking the truth. But at the end of the day, Ribadu himself became a victim of impunity and he had to flee the country. So if they are fighting Tinubu, I don’t talk. They are fighting Saraki, I don’t talk. The day they come for me too, there will be nobody to talk.

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The Nigeria I Handed Over to Buhari was the Largest Economy in Africa- Jonathan, the Hero of Democracy

IMMEDIATE-PAST President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has stated that when he was elected into office, Nigeria was the second largest economy in Africa but by the time he was leaving, he handed over a Nigeria with the largest economy in Africa.

Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's immediate past president.

Jonathan stated this yesterday while speaking to Friends of Africa coalition at the Mayor’s office in Newark, New Jersey, on topics bordering on strengthening democracy and elections.

The Former Nigerian President also noted that in 2009 the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but he handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.

Jonathan also spoke about the 2015 general elections, the economy of Nigeria before and during his administration and the recent elections in Benin Republic.

According to Dr. Jonathan:

“Even in the 2015 general elections in my country, Nigeria, there was potential for major crisis if I was not a President duly elected by the will of the people.”

“The campaigns leading to the elections almost polarized the country into Christian v Muslims and North v South divide. Most World leaders were worried that our elections will result into major crisis. Some pundits even from here in the United States said that those elections would spell the end of Nigeria and that we would cease to exist as a nation because of the polls.”

“That is where the leadership question comes into play. As a leader that was duly elected by the people, I considered the people’s interest first. How do I manage my people to avoid killings and destruction of properties? With the interest of the people propelling all the decisions I took, we were able to sail through.”

“Indeed, we sail through because I refused to interfere with the independence of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, having appointed a man I had never met in my life to run it. My philosophy was simple. For elections to be credible, I as a leader, must value the process more than the product of the process. And the citizens must have confidence in the electoral body.”

“This rule of the law of process ensured that Nigeria’s peace, prosperity and progress was not derailed by the conduct and results of the 2015 elections and I am proud to say that while I took over a Nigeria that was the second largest economy in Africa with a GDP of $270.5 billion in 2009, I handed over a Nigeria that had grown to become the largest economy in Africa and the 24th largest economy in the World with a GDP of $574 billion.”

“I inherited a Nigeria in which the trains were not working, and handed over a Nigeria in which citizens can safely travel by trains again. I inherited a Nigeria that was a net importer of cement, and handed over a Nigeria that is a net exporter of cement. In 2009 the richest Nigerian was the 5th richest man in Africa, but I handed over a Nigeria that produced the richest man in Africa.”

“These are but a few of the parameters that illustrate some of the economic transformations we engineered during my term in office. This was made possible by the fact that there was a stable political leadership in Nigeria that did not have to pander to any other constituency except the electorate who brought me to power. And these actions have a contagious effect.”

“Perhaps because of what we achieved in Nigeria, our next door neighbor, Benin Republic, last month replicated what President Mathieu Kerekou did in 1991, that is to organize and conduct free and fair elections that led to the victory of opposition candidate Patrice Talon.”

“Once again, I must commend my friend, the incumbent and outgoing President of Benin Republic, President Thomas Boni Yayi, for his statesmanlike conduct during and after the elections.”

April 23, 2016.

THREE QUALITIES OF GREAT LEADERS

THREE QUALITIES OF GREAT LEADERS 

There are three qualities possessed by great people. I discovered one myself while two were conveyed to me by my father. These qualities are:

*Speaking
*Writing
*Dancing

SPEAKING:
Speaking is an act of the head through the mouth. The reason while there are a few good speakers is because there is a talent of speaking and there are talented people for it. Every great leader is required to have the quality of good speech. Through this ability good followers are maintained. Examples of leaders who could make impact through speaking include: Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Obafemi Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Michael Okpara, Adaka Boro, Tafawa Balewa the golden voice etc
A leader may be loaded with good intentions, but if he lacks the ability to convey these intentions to his people through the language power, he will be misunderstood and the visions dead. If any leader wishes to move forward, the power of speaking is necessary.

-Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks....

WRITING:
Writing is a demonstration of the inner conviction through the use of the pen. The writer might not really be in the position of leadership at the moment, yet he is equipped with suggestions on how the leadership positions are run. In most cases, if he suddenly finds himself in a position of authority, his first actions are mainly based on his writings. Writing is not ordinary. Writers convey internal messages through writings. Consider this, all well-known world leaders are writers. Their writings are based on how best they wish the world is arranged. A writer is a generator of ideas. The generation of ideas is beyond the ordinary. That is why real writers don't lack ideas to convey. His ideas may not work in accordance with your expectations but any idea conveyed is for somebody. When a nation is led by a man that has no ideas to convey in writing, the nation fumbles.

-Out of the abundance of the heart the hand writes....

DANCING:
I discovered this quality myself. I realized that every work of music has a suitable dance style for it. In Nigeria today, we have different names given to different dance styles and people easily identify each style whenever it's displayed. Probably, the reason I display so much respect for dancing might be because I am not gifted in the area. However, I have realized that dancing is also a physical  demonstration of what happens inside of the dancers. For dancing to be interesting, the body rhythm must be moving in agreement with the music or drumbeat. That is an art. When people shake their bodies and millions of people emulate them all over the world, that is greatness.

Note, dancing can be ambiguous. Anything one does to entertain or influence the people can figuratively be termed dancing. Hence, every leader may not necessarily be involved in physical dancing but every dancer is a leader.

-Out of the abundance of the heart, the body moves....

In conclusion, these are three attributes identified in leaders. Try as much as you can to identify more.

Two Meetings with Two Local Government Bosses, Two Different Results

The Chairman said to us:

"Don't market me.... I don't care about people's perception about me. I don't need to be marketed."

I remember leading a courtesy visit to one Local government Chairman in my days as an undergraduate. This Chairman, drew his seat very close to us in order to hear us properly. When it was time for our presentation, without mincing words, we told him our mind.

However, the Chairman also told us his mind. He doesn't care about what the people take him for. We returned.

What his story later became:

*After his term as Chairman, nobody has ever heard about him in the political arena.

*As a Local government chairman, he was not able to construct the road that leads to his home where his magnificent building still stands.

*As a Chairman, a refuse bin beside his compound was never evacuated.

*Today, nobody talks about him. He was of no value to his people and nobody wishes to be like him.

Funny enough, a few weeks after leaving the office, I returned to same office for a meeting with a new Local Government chairman. We really understood each other in the course of the meeting. This Chairman was later made a commissioner in the State.

The difference is clear.
My people talk say if a man take his hand bury himself, if his hand no comot, his leg go comot.

#servethepeople

FAYOSE WRITES CHINA IN DEFENCE OF NIGERIA

Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has written the Chinese government, seeking the stoppage of the $2 billion loan being sought by the Federal Government, saying that “the government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget.”
In the letter dated April 12, 2016, with reference number EK/GOV/28/10, addressed to President Xi Jinping of China and delivered by Chief of Staff to the governor, Barrister Dipo Anisulowo in Abuja on Thursday, through the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Gu Xiaojie, Governor Fayose said some of the projects for which the loan was being sought were not captured in the controversial 2016 budget, which has been sent to the President by the National Assembly for his assent. Anisulowo, who was accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon Segun Adewumi, Chairman House Committee on Information, Gboyega Aribisogan, Chairman House Committee on Health, Dr Samuel Omotosho and Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, said Governor Fayose, who is in China will also deliver a copy of the letter directly to the Chinese President. The letter read; “I write as one of the major stakeholders in the project Nigeria, and a governor of one of the federating units making up Nigeria, to draw your attention to report that the Federal Government of Nigeria is on the verge of obtaining a $2 billion loan from the Export-Import Bank of China. “This $2 billion loan is part of the N1.84 trillion the Federal Government of Nigeria has proposed to borrow to finance the 2016 budget, which is yet to be signed by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, owing to unending controversies between the Executive and Legislative arms of government. “According to reports, Nigeria desires to raise about $5 billion abroad to cover part of its 2016 budget deficit. This is projected to hit N3 trillion ($15 billion) due to heavy infrastructure spending at a time when the slump in global oil prices has slashed the country’s export revenues. “While conceding that all nations, especially developing ones need support to be able to grow because no nation is an island, I am constrained to inform you that if the future of Nigeria must be protected, the country does not need any loan at this time. “The government of China should be mindful of the fact that Nigerians, irrespective of their political and religious affiliations are totally opposed to increment of the country’s debt burden, which is already being serviced with 25 per cent of the Federal Government annual budget. “It will interest the government of China to know that some of the projects for which the loan is being sought are not captured in the controversial 2016 budget, which has been sent to the President by the National Assembly for his assent. For instance, the Lagos–Calabar Rail project was not included in the budget proposal the President presented to the National Assembly and it was not included in the Appropriation Bill passed by the National Assembly. “Most importantly, Nigeria is presently servicing debt with about 25 per cent of its annual budget and what will happen to the economy in 2017, when the country will begin to service the additional debt to be incurred this year is better imagined than experienced. “The Chinese government must also be aware that some western nations approached by the Federal Government for loan diplomatically and cleverly declined. “This must have been informed by the suspicion in the present government’s capacity to salvage the nation’s economy, as well as the sincerity in the fight against corruption. More so that Nigeria’s Foreign Reserve, which is the only guarantee for foreign loan has declined to a very uncomfortable level. “For instance, the UK Telegraph Newspaper reported today that hundreds of millions of pounds of British foreign aid given to Nigeria to help combat Boko Haram terrorists is instead being used to fund a witch-hunt against opposition politicians. “Therefore, like the foreign aid that is reportedly being mismanaged, whatever loan that is granted to the Federal Government of Nigeria by the Chinese Government may be mismanaged too. “In my opinion, Nigeria needs the collaboration of the Government of China in the area of technology transfer, rather than granting loan that will be mismanaged under the guise of building infrastructure. “It is also important for the Government of China to note that the Federal Government of Nigeria claimed to have recovered and still recovering trillions of Naira allegedly looted from the treasury. For instance, over $200 billion is expected to be recovered from Dubai, the United Arab Emirate while N3 trillion was said to have been saved from the Treasury Single Account (TSA). “The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has also said that it will generate not less than N4.5 trillion this year. What then is the rationale behind the $2 billion loan from China? “As a result of the government’s bad economic policies, the middle class has been eliminated, power supply is at its lowest ebb, petrol is not available and by the time fresh loans begin to pile up, 95 per cent of Nigerians will definitely be pauperised. “Particularly, by the autocratic nature of our president, the Federal Government is not prepared to listen to wise counsel, hence the desperation to take unwarranted loans even if the future of Nigeria and its people will be mortgaged. “It will also interest Your Excellency that our president’s visit to china will be his 28th trip outside Nigeria since he assumed office 10 months ago and this unnecessary foreign trip is estimated to have cause the country $50 million. “I therefore appeal to Your Excellency to assist Nigeria and its people in the area of technology transfer so as to limit importation of goods and services, rather than granting the country unnecessary loan. “In conclusion, I wish to state that this letter and information became necessary for posterity sake and to put it on record that when the future of Nigeria and its people was going to be mortgaged through loan from the People’s Republic of China, I stood up to be counted in defence of our country.”

THE NIGERIA -CHINA CURRENCY DEAL: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

THE NIGERIA -CHINA CURRENCY DEAL: THE GOOD AND THE BAD

One good thing about economics is that no answer to any economic problem can be generally accepted. When economists fail to have divergent views about a policy or the process of its implementation, the policy must be the one thrown down from heaven.

It's not a very bad idea to go to China. The West had disappointed us in several ways. The West, through the assistance of today's ruling party abandoned Nigeria in the face of sectional terrorism. How can we explain the arms embargo when our innocent brothers are killed and our sisters turned into sex slaves in the Sambisa forest? America is mean. Any leader in Nigeria that decides to move Eastward, may be right.

Among other things, the journey to China and the currency deal would reduce the effects of dollar on the Nigerian imports. Definitely, the prices of commodities will systematically fall. This will surely favour the informal sector. While you jubilate, there is one question that should be answered here. Does Nigeria wish to have China as the only trading partner?

However, while we perceive the deal as a movement from dollar bondage, we also know that it is a new movement to Yuan bondage. China is the biggest threat to our GDP. Definitely, the deal will not encourage our manufacturing sector. What then is the cause of our jubilation?

In conclusion, the Nigerian government should pay attention to the policies that encourage the rise in value of the American dollar in terms of the Nigerian naira. Unless this is done, any other measure taken with China and yuan is simply temporary.

Senators Fear Gender Equality Bill Will Turn Women To Prostitutes, Lesbians –Senator Abaribe

Senators Fear Gender Equality Bill Will Turn Women To Prostitutes, Lesbians –Senator Abaribe

The senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Eyinnaya Abaribe, has said the Senate rejected the Gender Equal Opportunities Bill because some lawmakers feared the legislation could give women unfettered freedom to engage in immoral activities.

Mr. Abaribe said many senators expressed deep concerns over the blanket freedom the bill would give women because many of them would ignore their immediate responsibilities and turn to prostitutes and homosexuals, urging the proponents of the bill to find a way of replacing some of its languages.

Mr. Abaribe spoke during a forum on political rights of women in Nigeria organised by the Civil Resource Development and Documentation Centre (CIRDDOC) on Wednesday in Abuja.

“The bill was defeated at the second reading when its details were highlighted to the senators,” Mr. Abaribe said. “Some lawmakers started expressing deep worries about some parts of the bill that they think could give women too much freedom and lead them to prostitution, lesbianism and other social vices.”

Mr. Abaribe called on all those championing the bill to make efforts at modifying some aspects of it in order to make it acceptable to all lawmakers for passage.

“The reason why we’re here is that we think that we should be able to restrategise, we should be able to look at the bill again and see those contentious areas we may need to modify. We should be able to find those critical constituencies within the senate that we must have to address.

“We should be able to look at the narrative of the bill and how it is being presented to the public and change that narrative and make it a positive narrative.

“For example, the bill is not a north versus south bill. The bill is not a Christian versus Muslim bill. The bill is not a male versus female bill. The bill simply seeks to extend to every Nigerian all the rights that are they should enjoy. And if women by virtue of our culture, by virtue of our historic antecedents are being behind, then we need to also drag them into the economy by giving them every right that they can use to be productive members of the society and that is all that we’re trying to do.

“It has been rejected but we’re talking to the senators who are supporting the bill to know how we could move forward. It’s not easy to say the bill can pass tomorrow, but we will continue to plead with other members for their support on this bill.

Mr. Abaribe, who is a member of the Senate Constitutional Review Committee, also said the bill may need to be incorporated into the Constitution as part of the ongoing constitutional amendment process in the National Assembly.

“Since we’re doing constitutional review, I will advise that we find a way of putting this bill directly into the Constitution because if we just make it as part of electoral law, it could be challenged at the courts and get struck down.”

The bill, which has continued to stoke widespread emotions amongst women, was introduced by Senator Biodun Olujimi and it aimed to achieve, among other purposes, equal access to education, strengthening of the laws on violence against Women, ending abduction of girls, sustenance and promotion of entrepreneurship opportunities, gender mainstreaming and gender equality, as well as female participation in governance.

:Premium Times