Senate To Partner Executive On War Against AMCON Obligors

Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Uba Sani, has promised that the National Assembly will partner with the executive arm of government to ensure that Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria recovers debts from defaulting obligors.

Sani made this promise at the 2019 retreat for members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions in Kaduna. 

In a statement released by AMCON, the lawmaker said that recovering the debt owed the corporation had become a major burden, promising that the National Assembly would consider all options including reactivating the Failed Bank Act, and invite the pioneer management of AMCON under the leadership of Mustapha Chike-Obi for questioning.

Describing AMCON as a “strategic national institution,” Sani said the Senate was happy that the agency had done well.

He, however, stressed that recovering the huge debt owed the corporation must be done soon.

He added, “Gvernment under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is now waging a sustained battle against wreckers of the economy. 

"It is determined to bring defaulters to book by strengthening the legal framework that set up AMCON and giving it all the support it needs to succeed in its daunting task.

“Aside from the Senate, AMCON needs the support of all government agencies and indeed all Nigerians to succeed."

Meanwhile, Managing Director/CEO, AMCON, Ahmed Kuru, revealed  that the over N1trn the agency had recovered so far accounted for 61 per cent of the Eligible Bank Assets purchase price of N1.7trn. 

This, he said went down history book as an outstanding achievement when compared to the recovery performances of other asset management agencies around the world.

I still earn N5m monthly as ex-England player – Fashanu

A former England striker of Nigerian descent, John Fashanu has revealed that he still receives N5m monthly as pension from the English Football Association. The former Wimbledon striker who made this known on Tuesday in Abuja was explaining why it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince players with Nigerian roots to dump their adopted countries.

A former England striker of Nigerian descent, John Fashanu has revealed that he still receives N5m monthly as pension from the English Football Association. The former Wimbledon striker who made this known on Tuesday in Abuja was explaining why it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince players with Nigerian roots to dump their adopted countries.

Saying Nigeria must put in place attractive welfare packages for all former players of the national team, Fashanu expressed support for players like Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori who have decided to play for England and not Nigeria, their country of origin.

“Tammy knows why he hasn’t played for the Super Eagles and it’s because there is more financial benefits playing for England, there is more glory and less wahala. “Why do we ask the boy to play for Nigeria and torture him? We need to step up. Tammy is a massive miss for Nigeria. Nobody went to London to talk to him and explain to him the benefits of playing for his motherland.

“And when you hear what happened to Kanu Nwankwo, Jay Jay Okocha, did anybody come out to defend him over his tax bills, did anybody come out to defend Kanu when he had issues with his hotel,” he asked.

BREAKING: Appeal Court reaffirms Tambuwal’s election

The Court of Appeal, Sokoto Division, on Friday, reaffirmed the election of the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, as duly elected in the governorship election held in the state.

In the appeal overseen by four judges, the lead Judge, Justice Husseini Mukhtar, said the appellate court upheld the judgement of the tribunal which had earlier dismissed the petition filed against the governor by the All Progressives Congress and its governorship candidate, Hon Ahmed Aliyu.

The court noted that both appeal and cross-appeal are lacking in merit and thereby dismissed them at no cost. The court also took time in resolving all issues brought before it in favour of the respondents.

Three other judges on the panel, however, agreed with the lead verdict delivered by Justice Husseini Mukhtar.

Aliyu and the APC had on 16th October 2019, filed the appeal before the Court, challenging the judgement of the tribunal that dismissed Aliyu’s petition.

The petition had challenged the declaration of the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Governor Tambuwal,  as the winner of the general and supplementary polls conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission, on 9th and 23rd of March, 2019, respectively.

FG approves establishment of fire service school for south east zone in Abia

Ibrahim Liman, the Conptroller General of the Federal Fire Service, has revealed that the Federal government has approved the establishment of Fire Service South- East Training School in Umuahia and requested land for building the school as well as temporary accommodation for immediate take off of the program.

Liman explained that the school would offer training for the professional development of firefighters in the five States in the South-East zone.

The Controller General who made this known when he led delegations from the Federal Fire Service on a Courtesy visit to Governor Okezie Ikpeazu at Government house, Umuahia, harped on the need for the Federal Fire Service to partner with the Abia State Government to minimize the threat of uncontrollable fire to lives and property.

He added that the need to sustain this effort cannot be over- emphasized in view of the state of fire outbreaks and other related threats to the States in recent past.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Interior Barr. Georgnia Ehuria applauded the government’s decision to set up skill training centre.

She said, “The establishment of the Fire Service Training School Umuahia is part of the next level agenda of the Federal government to realize safety of lives especially in the major markets in the country including Aba”.

DAILY POST reports that the Abia State government handed over land allocation papers covering about 10 hectares of land to the Federal Fire Service for the building of Training Centre for fire fighters in the South-East.

The Nigerian system is a joke, criminals have hijacked the country – 2Baba

The singer who described the Nigerian system as a joke, added that the country has been hijacked by criminals.

2Face however expressed hope that the younger generation might steer the country towards a positive path.

He tweeted “Naija system is a total joke. Criminals have hijacked naija. Men and women that have dedicated their time 2 make sure that naija will carry last.. No shame. No dignity. No honor. I pray the young men that have entered the system will do their best to influence positive change.”

Music Artists Coalition & Songwriters of North America Urge Appeals Court to Uphold Copyright Royalty Rate Hike

The Music Artists Coalition (MAC) and the Songwriters of North America (SONA) have filed a joint amicus brief urging the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold the Copyright Royalty Board's (CRB) royalty rate increase for copyright owners, the organizations announced Tuesday (Nov. 19). The brief urges the court to uphold the 2018 decision by the copyright royalty judges (CRJs) to award publishers and songwriters a 44% rate increase by 2022.    

“For over a century, songwriters have been subject to a compulsory license, now embodied in section 115 of the Copyright Act, that determines the price to be paid for reproduction and distribution of the musical works they create,” the brief states. “There is no comparable example of a profession where the government sets the price for one’s labors.... After carefully weighing all of the evidence, the CRJs determined that songwriters should be paid more, and increased the rate for interactive streaming under section 115. Songwriters deserved that raise. Indeed, for some, the added income will be a critical factor in their ability to continue in their careers as professional songwriters.”  

In a press release announcing the amicus brief, the organizations note that the 110-year-old compulsory license has a “depressive effect” on songwriter income and hasn’t kept pace with the actual value of musical works.

“If I were trying to make it as a songwriter today dependent on digital royalties, I wouldn’t be able to sustain a livelihood the way I once did from the income of physical sales,” said SONA co-founder and board member Shelly Peiken. “Without sharing in master royalties, merchandising or touring revenue, most songwriters now have to consider holding down a second job. I sincerely hope the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals reaffirms the CRJs’ decision and takes the industry in the direction it desperately needs to go. Songwriters are counting on it.”

Added MAC board member Shane McAnally, “I struggled for over a decade to make my living as a songwriter. I know how hard it is. Writers don’t sell tickets or T-shirts. They rely on publishing royalties for their income. Developing songwriters today have an especially difficult time since we can no longer rely on traditional record sales. Thank you to the CRJs for giving songwriters the raise they deserve. I hope the Court of Appeals will affirm this balanced and fair rate increase for songwriters.”

In August, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Play and Pandora filed an appeal of the CRJs’ decision, asking the appeals court to examine whether the CRB made legal errors in adopting the new rate structure, which they claim was not proposed or justified by explanation or evidence. They argued that this lack of transparency took away the rights of the digital service providers (DSPs) to refute the logic that led to CRB judges’ determination. Among other things, the DSPs (with the exception of Spotify) further alleged that the CRB’s decision to retroactively apply the rates to January 1, 2018 was invalid.

BON Awards: Kano State gov’t reiterates supports for Kannywood, inaugurates committee

As one of the measures being put in place by the Kano State government in its efforts at supporting the growth of the Nigerian movie industry in the north, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has inaugurated a committee to cater for Kannywood.

The committee has also been given the mandate to ensure the successful hosting of the industry’s most consistent award, Best of Nollywood awards, scheduled to take on December 14, by the state.

According to Executive Secretary Kano State Censorship Board, Alhaji Isma’il Na’Abba Afakallah, the present administration in Kano State would continue to provide supports and training opportunities to the stakeholders in an effort to enhance efficiency and productivity in the film Industry.

“The newly inaugurated committee, aside from organising the hosting of BON Awards, will also see to the graduation ceremony of film practitioners who received training on cinematography and other related fields facilitated by Nigerian Film Institute and Media Studies Jos, in collaboration with State Censorship Board and sponsored by the state government,” he said.

Alhaji Afakallah also emphasized that Governor Ganduje has accorded priority attention to provide enabling atmosphere for the growth and development of Kannywood industry.

He then called upon the practitioners to avail themselves with the opportunities provided by Kano State Government to improve their competences and creativity.

Members of the committee include Shehu Hassan Kano as chairman, Ali Nuhu, Alasan Kwalle, Sa’idu Gwanja and Mudassir Kassim.

Others include Jamilu Ahmad Yakasai, Nura Hussain,Halisa Muhammad, Hadiza Muhammad, Sadiq Hussaini and Sani Sule Katsina.

In his acceptance speech, the chairman of the committee assured that the committee members would work hard to achieve the desired goals and objectives of setting it up.

Reps urge CBN to review its monetary policy rate

The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Central Bank of Nigeria to review its Monetary Policy Rates (MPR) by putting into consideration the cost of doing business by banks.

Monetary policy rate controls interest rates and money supply and targets inflation.

At 13.5 per cent , Nigeria’s policy rate, which is at par with Malawi, is the sixth highest in Africa. It is lower than only Zimbabwe’s rate of 35 per cent, Sierra Leone’s 16.5 per cent, Ghana’s 16 per cent, Angola’s 15.5 per cent and Sudan’s 15.4 per cent.

Concerned about this, the House noted that there is a need to control the interest rates of banks lending particularly to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), manufacturers and Industrialists.

Fatoba Olusola (APC–Ado Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency), in his motion titled “Need to Investigate Banks’ Lending Practices, Protect Borrowers from Exploitative Interest Rates and Promote Economic Development”, led this debate.

He said high lending rates impede economic growth as they make access to bank loans difficult, and when it is made to be high by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), commercial banks would make theirs higher.

“When lending is at a high interest rate, profits in the manufacturing process are eroded which makes it difficult or unattractive for manufacturers to continue in business,” he said.

“High interest rates cannot both contain inflation and stimulate economic growth at the same time, while in reality citizens, Small and Medium Enterprises, manufacturers and investors are bearing the brunt of the “cut throat” lending rates where the banks and their directors remain the major beneficiaries of the high lending rates,” he noted.

“When interest rates are high, investors and banks are often willing to invest in government securities which pay high returns, a phenomenon known as crowding out, as high interest rates on government securities draw investments away from other areas of the economy.”

The House, therefore, urged the National Economic Council to consider how to reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria in a manner that the common man will feel the impact.

It also mandated its Committee on Banking and Currency to interface between commercial banks to ascertain the justification for the big gap between the MPR and the lending rates.

The House Committees on Banking and Currency, Finance, and Industry were also tasked to organise a round-table session with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Banks, the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria, Industrialists and industry experts to find solutions.

Rep wants donor agencies to publish what they fund

Foreign donor agencies providing aid and financial assistance to Nigeria for the execution of various development projects should publish details of such funding, the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Mike Etaba, has said.

Mr Etaba (PDP), who represents Obubra-Etung Federal Constituency in Cross River State, made the call on a delegation of the UK-based non-governmental organisation, ‘Publish-What-You-Fund (PWYF)” visited him in his office in Abuja.

The PWYF is similar to the Publish-What-You-Pay (PWYP), a civil society group leading the advocacy for companies working in the extractive industries in resource-rich countries to disclose what they pay to their host governments in terms of royalties and taxes for the exploitation of those resources.

The lawmaker said the call has become an imperative as the impact of the various assistance programmes from international donor agencies like the United States Agency for International Development and the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development is hardly felt at the grassroots level where majority of Nigerian masses reside.

“I chair the Legislative Budget and Research Committee of the House of Representatives. Part of our functions as a Committee includes looking at the activities of the donor agencies. We are supposed to coordinate the donor agencies to ensure where they put their resources and funds will flow to the intended project,” he said.

“We feel strongly that the impact of the aid from international donor agencies is not being felt by Nigerians. The questions we have always asked are: ‘How do you track what the donor agencies are giving and how do you ensure the assistance is getting to the intended places?

“How do the activities of the donor agencies impact on the masses? Those are the issues that bother Nigerians, and that is why our committee is willing to work with donor agencies and organisations to improve things in the right direction,” he added.

He called on development partners to support the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO) Establishment Bill currently before the National Assembly seeking to sanitize the operations of the donor agencies.

The Bill, he said, when passed into law will bring transparency to the budgeting system in Nigeria by strengthening the lawmakers to analyse the national budget prior to its presentation and debate on the floor of the National Assembly.

He said he expects the donor agencies to step in and lobby for the speedy passage of the bill into law for Nigerians to have a smooth and transparent budgeting process.

Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of ‘Publish-What-You-Fund’, Gary Forster, said his organisation envisages a world where aid and development information is transparent, available and used for effective decision making, public accountability and lasting change for all citizens.

“Publish What You Fund is a global campaign for aid transparency. Traditionally, we have monitored the transparency of international donors from a global level. We produce reports every two years and put them in the Aid Transparency Index, which monitors how much information donors are sharing,” Mr Forster said.

He said the last version of the Index monitors 45 agencies, including the USAID, DFID and other multilateral development banks, such as the African Development Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The agencies monitored included some foundations, such as the Melinda and Bill Gates Foundation.

He said the delegation was in Nigeria to understand how the donor agencies funding information is used or how the government wants to use it or what more they need to assist their work.

Mr Forster was accompanied to the meeting by Alex Tilley, the Research Manager at the Publish What You Fund group.

DHQ decorates five brigadier generals, others

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gabriel Olonisakin, on Wednesday, decorated five newly promoted brigadier generals, two Navy commodores and one commander serving in Defence Headquarters.

News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the decorated officers were among the recently promoted officers by the various services of the armed forces of Nigeria.

Among the decorated generals is the Acting Director of Defence Information, Onyema Nwachukwu, a brigadier-general.

Others are Yakubu Sakaba, Audi Mbafung, Ochoge Attah and Magaji Inuwa, all brigadier generals as well as Innocent Ngatuwa, Chukwuma Anakwe both navy commodore and Bolanle Sunday, a navy commander.

While congratulating the newly decorated officers, Mr Olonisakin, represented by the Chief Defence Administration, Apochi Suleiman, a rear admiral, urged the new generals to justify their promotion by deploying their expertise.

He said the current security challenges in the country required strategic thinking, urging them to undertake their new assignments with vigour.

Mr Olonisakin challenged the newly promoted officers to bring to the table new ideas towards addressing the nation’s security challenges.

He said, “it is expected that with this new rank, you are going to add more vigour to the operational activities currently going on around the country.

“We expect that your thinking, your approaches will change from what it used to be to that of strategic thinking. Any of you in the generals’ rank today can command the armed forces of Nigeria,” he said.

Senate issues 7-day ultimatum to CBN, FIRS, others

The senate on Wednesday issued 7-day ultimatum to the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Federal Inland Revenue Service, and others defaulting to submit their statements of income and expenditure accounts spanning from 2017- 2019 to do so or face dire consequences.

Other agencies are the Federal Airport Authority, Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Niger Delta Development Commission, Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, Federal Airport Authority and National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.

Also defaulting are, Nigeria Football Federation, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, National Space Research and Development Agency, Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and Industrial Training Fund.

The senate also urged the defaulting agencies to submit their lingering responses on issues raised about the belated statement of accounts as contained in their earlier exchanged correspondences.

Those invited also include, Presidential Amnesty Program, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Petroleum Equalization Fund Management Board, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Nigeria Railway Corporation and Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency.

The Senate also invited the Federal Road Safety Corps, Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Nigeria Insurance Trust Fund and National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

This development followed the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the Senate’s press briefing in National Assembly wherein it disclosed that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the federal government, have not disclosed their accounts for years, as stipulated by law.

Senator Matthew Urhoghide, Chairman of the committee, told Journalist that the PAC had issued correspondences to the affected agencies to submit a statement of accounts, to enable the committee carry out “special oversight functions”.

The committee said it has the backing of sections 85, 88 and 89 of the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria and Order 97(5) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 as amended.

Despite several notices for agencies to submit their statement of accounts, the committee said many of the MDAs have refused to comply.

“In the light of this, all the defaulting agencies are by this notice, given the last opportunity to make submissions before their invitation to the scheduled public hearing”, Senator Urhoghide said.

Olajumoke Adenowo hosts Governor Fayemi, Dame Abimbola Fashola to book-signing for her premier novel “Beyond my Dreams”

Award-winning Architect, Olajumoke Adenowo’s first work of fiction, ‘Beyond my Dreams,’ was celebrated on November 3rd, 2019 at AD Consulting Limited Oniru, Lekki amidst an intimate book reading session, book-signing and themed cocktail.

Her firm, AD Consulting, Nigeria’s Most Internationally celebrated Architectural Firm is in its 25th year and its CSR platform, Awesome Treasures Foundation; a philanthropic platform recognized by the UN and affiliated with the Edmond de Rothschild Family Philanthropist platform also turned 20 years old. In commemoration of these landmarks, Olajumoke Adenowo has written a novel on leadership, nationhood, and relationships which was unveiled to great acclaim and outstanding reviews at the Foundation’s 5th UK Summit at QEII Conference Centre in Westminster London, on October 5th, 2019.

Hosting Leaders in society, Executives, Friends, and Book lovers, the evening was spent discussing the themes of love, patriotism, and leadership. Arc Adenowo held the fireside chat with Dr. Fayemi on leadership, governance and the nexus of the foregoing with family and relationships. The book reading and signing was graced by dignitaries such as Her Excellency Omolewa Ahmed, Her Excellency Dame Abimbola Fashola, Her Excellency Princess Sarah Sosan, Olutola Omotola, Femi Arosanyin, Adeola Azeez, Funke Felix Adejumo, Bertrand Souck, Oscar Mdluli, Tola Odeyemi and many other leaders.

The riveting work of prose, by the renowned architect, Olajumoke Adenowo speaks to this time, and has been cheered by many as being entertaining, poignant and instrumental in building mindsets, and raising change agents globally. All proceeds from the sales of “Beyond my Dreams” go to initiatives by Awesome Treasures Foundation. Beyond my Dreams is available @rovingheights and leading bookshops, and will be available on Amazon by the end of November 2019.

UPU PG: Barovbe Opts For Taiga

As the election of the foremost Urhobo social cultural organisation, Urhobo
Progress Union, draws near, the Ahwotu of Urhoboland and Proprietor of
Westminster College, Lagos, Chief Johnson Barovbe, has thrown his weight
behind the incumbent President General, Olorogun Moses Taiga.

In a press statement, Chief Barovbe said Olorogun Taiga remains the best
candidate for the position of the President General of UPU. “I supported him
during the first election that brought him to power and I am supporting him
again. Olorogun Taiga has performed to my expectation. He has fulfilled most of
his electoral promises. Under his leadership, the Urhobo Cultural Centre
Uvwiamughe, which used to be an eye-sore, is now a beautiful edifice. The micro-
finance bank and the Mukoro Mowoe University projects, which he promised, are
on-going. More progress will be made during his second term,” Chief Barovbe
added.

He also commended Olorogun Taiga for resolving the intractable disunity among
Urhobos in the UK. “For a long time, the UPU UK had two factions, but Taiga has
been able to unite them. Taiga has also brought respectability to the office of the
UPU President General. Did you hear that any politician brought money and
bought the UPU over during the last election,” Chief Barovbe asked.

He advised those who are interested in UPU positions to buy the nomination
forms and contest instead of engaging in campaigns of calumny. “The elections
will hold on the first week of December and is open to all Urhobos. You cannot
tell anybody not to put himself up for re-election when the constitution allows it,”
Barovbe said.

Tottenham appoint Mourinho as new head coach

Jose Mourinho is set for a fresh spell in the English Premier League following the confirmation by Tottenham that the Portuguese will be their head coach until the end of the 2023 season.

The former Manchester United and Chelsea boss replaces Mauricio Pochettino, who was sacked on Tuesday.

Reacting to his latest appointment, Mourinho said he was delighted at the new opportunity to handle another London club in Spurs.

Mourinho said: “I am excited to be joining a club with such a great heritage and such passionate supporters. The quality in both the squad and the academy excites me. Working with these players is what has attracted me.”

His first game will be at the London Stadium on Saturday as Tottenham travel to take on West Ham in the Premier League.

Chairman Daniel Levy said he was “reluctant” to sack Pochettino, whose Spurs side lost to Liverpool in last season’s Champions League final, but explained the decision had to be made in the “club’s best interests”.

Mourinho won three Premier League titles with Chelsea, and is one of only three managers to have won the UEFA Champions League twice with two clubs, FC Porto in 2004 and Inter Milan in 2010.

“In Jose we have one of the most successful managers in football,” Levy said on Wednesday.

“He has a wealth of experience, can inspire teams and is a great tactician. He has won honours at every club he has coached. We believe he will bring energy and belief to the dressing room.”

Mourinho, who lives in London, inherits Tottenham with the club 14th in the Premier League and having won just five matches all season.

It is understood that the flamboyant Portuguese turned down job offers in China, Spain and Portugal since leaving United.

Way out of expensive legislative houses

It is now 20 years that we bolted out of military rule to adopt democracy.

Amid calls for the scrapping of the Senate led by the Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi and the reduction of the 109 senators to one senator per state mooted by Senator Rochas Okorocha of Imo state, Nigerians seem to agree that our democracy isn’t working as it should be. And the root of all these is the high cost of running the government. Some people believe that unless the cost of governance is drastically reduced our dream of a prosperous nation will be a mirage.

Moreover, it is sad to note that Nigeria has been borrowing to finance her budget for many years now. And much of this money goes to financing a recurrent expenditure, 71 percent of which goes to debt servicing and related services. Sadly, the acrimony about the National Assembly being a drain on our resources is born out of ignorance of the role of the legislature in a pluralist democracy.

When we opted for the Presidential form of government, we had to imitate the American system in mind. There is nothing wrong with that. Certain things we were oblivious of are that Nigeria is a conglomeration of 180 ethnic groups, the interest of which must be guarded. This was done amicably by the British who bequeathed to us a Federal system of government like that of the United States. What the politicians didn’t notice was that the military had bastardized our federation through the creation of unequal and unviable states. Thus, making the states the federating units was untenable.

Unfortunately, the politicians didn’t notice out of their unconscionable greed for power. The way out of the rubble is to make geopolitical zones the federating units. Each zone is a viable entity. Part of the errors can be seen with the North western zone having 21 senators while the South eastern zone has only 15 senators. The four remaining zones have 18 senators each.

As the federating unit, each zone should have an equal number of senators, say 21 senators each. The advantage of large numbers is that they cannot easily be bought. In the USA, the state is the federating unit which is why each state has an equal number of senators, two each. California whose economy is larger than that of Nigeria has two senators while sparsely inhabited Alaska, almost the size of Lagos state of Nigeria, has two senators. Where the federal system is best pronounced is in the electoral system.

The American President is actually elected through the electoral college whereby the candidate who wins the majority of the electoral votes wins the Presidency. The electoral college is composed of the total number of senators, representing equality of states and the members of the House of Representatives which is based on population. About five Presidents have won the Presidency through the electoral college without winning the popular majority. That is federalism at work. The formulators of the Nigerian Constitution since 1979 are too ignorant to take cognizance of the federal character of Nigeria.

The first measure the President can do to reduce the cost of governance in Nigeria is to issue an Order in Council: also known as Executive Order, turning membership of the National Assembly to part-time. However, he should make the principal officers of either house full time. That means the senate president and his deputy, the senate leader, the minority leader, the majority whips and the minority whips constitute the principal officers of the senate and are to be paid full time.

For the House of Representatives, the principal officers should be the Speaker and his deputy; the majority leader, the minority leader, the majority whips and the minority whips. Only the principal officers should be paid in full. Other members of the National Assembly should be paid part-time. The second leg of the austerity measures should be the annulment of constituency projects. Nowhere in the world do legislators have constituency projects executed and paid for by the government. President Olusegun Obasanjo introduced the novel constituency project as a bribe to legislators for his third term ambition. The legislature has no business doing the work of the executive.

Also, the government has no business building houses for legislators to buy. All government-owned landed property anywhere should be on leasehold. Politicians and civil servants are using government money to build houses in order to corruptly enrich themselves. The government cannot build houses for every Nigerian so they should not embark on it. And Abuja land cannot go round to every Nigerian so government properties can only be for let or lease. 

In order to check fraud and election rigging, we should adopt the electoral college system of the United States. Like in the USA, he who wins the majority of votes in a zone carries the entire electoral vote of that zone. With 360 House members and 21 senators per zone; we will have 486 members Parliament. He who gets 246 electoral votes becomes the President. In the event of a tie, the presiding president of the senate would have two votes. In the United States, equality of states is superior to the largeness of population; it should be so in Nigeria too. But for ignorance and malfeasance, most of these problems could be rectified by Presidential orders.

Arthur Eze Presents, Fayemi Chairs The Sun MD’s Book Launch

Business mogul and Chairman of Atlas Oronto Petroleum, Prince Arthur Eze and Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, will serve as chief presenter and chairman of the occasion respectively at the formal public presentation of The Powers That Be (Thoughts and Reflections on People, Power & Politics), a book written by Onuoha Ukeh, MD/Editor-in-Chief, The Sun Publishing Limited, in Abuja.

The book launch holding next Monday, November 25, 2019, at Niger/Plateau Hall, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, will also have Bayelsa State Governor, Hon. Seriake Dickson, delivering the keynote address.

According to a statement by the organising committee of the book presentation, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, is chief host of the event, while those expected in attendance are movers and shakers in the society, including governors, National Assembly members, ministers, government officials, members of the diplomatic community, politicians, captains of industry, boardroom gurus, business persons and others.

Divided into sections and chapters, The Powers That Be (Thoughts And Reflections on People, Power & Politics), offers insightful analysis of developments in the public sphere in Nigeria and across the world.

While reflecting on the people, power and politics that define the country and elsewhere, the author expresses his opinions on critical issues, from the fringe of the Sahara to the Atlantic coastline.

The book has such chapters, such as: Theatre of the Absurd, People who can’t be ignored, Economic Equilibrium, The Obasanjo Years, From Yar’Adua to Jonathan, Unforgettable Experiences and The 2015 Election. Others are, APC and the Buhari Government; The 2019 Election, Security Challenges, The Igbo and Biafra and Hitting the Bull’s Eye.

Speaking on the book, the author, Ukeh, said it was his views on socio-political and economic development.

“The book is simply the story of Nigeria and the world written over the years as they happened. It is the view of a critical journalists/columnist who is both disappointed and satisfied with the conducts of people in government and corridors of power.”

Senate decries sale of medical reports by public hospitals

She urged the Senate to recognize the “dire importance of the medical report as a document which is accorded great weight and importance in the ordinary course of our day to day business, including courts of law.”

She noted that medical reports contain individual’s personal medical records and details which are used to ascertain a “person’s medical condition, obtain health benefits, certify one’s mental state, investigate addictions, diagnose treatments, and most importantly, ascertain and form medical opinions.”

She lamented that the integrity of medical reports issued by hospitals in the country are being compromised and “eroded by the realization that it may not contain the true and accurate medical details of the person named in the report.”

She said that the Senate is aware that the Code of Ethics of the medical profession abhors the illegal issuance of medical certificates and records to patients without conducting all the relevant tests.

She urged her colleagues to be further aware that even though guidelines exist in the medical profession which proscribe these conducts, there is no “effective implementation of these regulations.”

She said that the Red Chamber should be desirous in curbing what appears to be a trend of commercialization of medical reports in some public hospitals where ‘authentic’ medical reports “are obtained for a fee, and without undergoing any tests whatsoever.”

Senators in their contributions supported the motion.

The two prayers of the motion were approved by Senators when they were put to voice vote by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.