Nigeria, A Precarious Economy

I watched Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, our Central Bank Governor, on Saharareporters TV last week, wading through the many questions on Islamic Banking and my respect for the man soared even further.

I had watched his defence of the same issue in the House of Reps chambers, and at that particular moment when he mentioned that the second highest shareholder in the proposed non-interest (Islamic) bank was Igbo, the whole House was aghast. The jaws of most Representatives dropped! That is what comes from preparing well for a defence, knowing ones onions and being articulate.

Sanusi was one of my inspirations in putting my book, CRUSHED! together. I had approached him at one of those open forums, to write a foreword for the book, but I just let the idea slide because the poor man has too much on his plate already. The book is also a monster of sorts; controversial and bold in many ways. The few people who have read it have been shocked to speechlessness. Some were afraid for me, but therein lies my strategy. I chose to heed Soyinka's advise back in the day, that 'the man (has) died in him, who keeps quiet in the face of tyranny and injustice'. So, I am still physically living (as I type this at least), in spite of the many revelations in the book. I will have to seek him out and present a copy to him though. Some sections in the book are dedicated to his work. Imagine, I read part of the book again last week - and I burst into tears at some point! I was overwhelmed with emotions. Really, I've done Nigeria and the black race a great favour in that book. More than my fair share...

But my concern today is about the precariousness of the Nigerian economy, and by extension, the entire country, in spite of Sanusi's best efforts. I am concerned that the sheer banality of this economy may yet rubbish the legacy of a truly great and hard-working man. Sanusi did hint in the saharareporters interview that he didn't need five whole years to make his impact on the economy. My heart sank, for I knew the man must be really tired of the Nigerian madness. Why drill a CBN governor over every other issue, every other day? Why allege ethnic and religious bias over bank licensing? In the sharareporters interview, the CBN Governor was clear about his focus on inflation and productivity. Still, this economy hangs on a very thin thread.

As we all know, this is a mono-product economy. What we economists know as 'Dutch Disease', whereby a country neglects its other assets because of the presence of extractive resources - like crude oil - is holding Nigeria in a vice-grip. It is amazing that the best analysis of the Nigerian economy today, still centres around the proceeds of crude oil. If we are wise, we should stop analyzing and reporting GDP growth, inflation targets and what have you, that are totally skewed by the sales of crude oil. Today, Nigeria's Bonny Light Sweet Crude sells at around $118 per barrel, and we are lucky to be producing at an all-time-high of 2.6million barrels per day. We should really sterilize the effects of crude oil from our reporting of GDP and Foreign Direct Investments. To make matters worse, bilateral and multilateral trade agreements also deceitfully report progress and achievements based on Crude Oil sales. USA's AGOA (Africa Growth Opportunities Act), lists Nigeria as one of the countries whose exports are being 'encouraged' by the USA. But 98% of the export to the USA from Nigeria is crude oil.

Now the bad news. If the study of statistics is anything to go by, the crude oil prices that Nigeria is enjoying today at $118, is going to crash someday soon. This is not about voodoo. And it has nothing to do with religion. Crude oil is a product of science; it is nothing spiritual. From the 1880's through to 1973, the price of crude oil never exceeded $30 per barrel. The first spike in 1973 as a result of the Yom Kippur war between Israel and the Arab world, sent prices soaring to around $90, followed by a gradual crash in prices, to about $30 in the mid-80s. This was what put Nigeria, as well as other commodity-based African countries in economic depression, thereby exposing us to the bad advice of IMF, World Bank and their cohorts. This crash, which we never provided for or expected, is what turned many African countries - chiefly Nigeria - into beggar nations, laden with huge debts which had to be cancelled circa 2006. Between 1987/8 to 2002, the price of crude oil hovered between $30 and $35.

The current high plateau of crude oil prices on which we are riding, which started with the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, compounded by its spending in Afghanistan, among others, is therefore not sustainable to the future. More importantly, a high crude oil price is not in the interest of the superpowers. China's rise added for the demand for more crude, hence the pressure on price. But China too is working to reduce the cost of purchasing crude oil from countries like Nigeria. It is instructive to note that General Sani Abacha, much vilified and demonized by the Western countries and their local collaborators, ran this Nigerian economy on crude oil prices of between $9 and $11 per barrel! I am not a prophet of doom, but crude oil prices will, someday in the near future, come back to the $10-$30 level. In statistics, this is called the Random Walk phenomenon, and it is a scientific reality, because of the many intervening forces in the market, who exert their interests in different directions. Producing countries are only one of such forces and cannot keep crude oil prices at the peak levels that they are now, for much longer. So, what has gone wrong with Nigeria since Abacha? Yes, you heard me right, since Abacha?

How come Nigeria sells crude oil at $118 today and our foreign reserves are dwindling almost unstoppably? Why is the federal government financing every state and local government with the proceeds of crude oil but there is nothing to show for it on ground. Why do some states collect as much as N20billion from the federal government every month and their people are still crassly poor? What happens if the price of crude oil crashes tomorrow? The debate for minimum wage is on. But even at the present wage structure, ALL governments in Nigeria will start to owe salaries FROM THE FIRST MONTH, WHEN the price of crude oil crashes.

So in spite of Malam Sanusi's best efforts, I daresay this is a bad time in history for one to work for government in Nigeria. Reputations are at stake. Yet the needed unity and strategy, that could save this country from disintegration and even the black man from extinction, are nowhere near in sight. Since Abacha, we have totally lost our innocence in this country. We have become greedier. Our big men have totally confiscated the commonwealth, building mansions and stashing even more money abroad than Abacha could ever dream of. They have elevated deceit to the level of virtue and take pleasure in inflaming deadly rivalry amongst the people they lead, in order to keep the confusion going. It cannot go on for much longer. Certainly.

Pictures of Somalian Devastation: Hunger, War and Drought

"Somalia is suffering its worst drought and famine in 60 years. Getting aid to the country has been difficult because al-Qaida-linked militants control much of the country’s most desperate areas.The U.N.’s food arm said that famine is likely to spread across all regions of Somalia’s south in the next four to six weeks. Famine conditions are likely to persist until December, the Food and Agriculture Organization said.Across Somalia, 3.7 million people are in crisis, the U.N. says, out of a population of 7.5 million. The U.N. says 3.2 million are in need of immediate, lifesaving assistance."   -  Denver Post

credit:  (Tyler Hicks/The New York Times)

Africa Should Come to the Aid of Somalis - Applying the AU's Principle of Non-Indifference

The Horn of Africa is hit by one of the worst droughts in more than 60 years. While there are more than 12 million people affected by the drought in the whole region, Somalia is the epicentre of what is described as the region's worst humanitarian crisis.

Almost 3.7 million Somalis, nearly half of Somalia's population, are in desperate need of emergency humanitarian assistance. While the drought has affected much of the country, famine has been declared in two regions of southern Somalia: southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle.

Since a few weeks ago, various institutions and news outlets have on a daily basis been reporting the heart-breaking experiences of many Somalis. Many have fled their homes to refugee camps in neighbouring countries. While some make it to the overcrowded refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, often walking long distances for days and sometimes weeks, many others perish along the way from hunger and thirst. Even after making it to the refugee camps, there are those who succumbed before receiving the life-saving assistance. The devastation caused by the crisis is graphically highlighted by images of inhumanely malnourished children and very weak and often grieving women shaken by the drought and loss of their children and other family members.

nytimes

Unfortunately, the crisis is expanding. The UN has revised its pronouncement on the severity of the crisis stating that all of South Somalia is slipping into famine. The level of the tragedy is almost overwhelming. Given the prevailing economic crisis in the world, the timing of the crisis cannot be any worse than it is. As UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon recently emphasised, there is a danger that humanity cannot meet all the needs. According to the UN, while the total amount of money needed for the emergency is about $1.6 billion, so far only half of this has been raised. Without raising the additional money and mobilising all the support that can be made available, the lives of many who can be saved will needlessly be lost.

With the lives of millions of people in danger and a huge gap in the available resources to respond to it, the impending catastrophe in Somalia cannot be averted without the mobilisation of all people all over the world. This means not only those who traditionally provide for humanitarian assistance but also all other members of the international community.

By any account this is one of the worst humanitarian tragedies unfolding on African soil. And, there is no other part of the world that needs to mobilise first than Africa. When the extent of the drought was declared, Africa was the least prepared and the least mobilized. It took several weeks before the African Union (AU) issued a press statement and started to try and mobilise assistance from within Africa.

The need for mobilising people and countries in Africa arise not just from the particular context of the crisis unfolding in Somalia. It also arises from the principles that African countries have subscribed to since the transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the AU.

When the AU was founded, it was premised on the principle of non-indifference. This principle promises to people in Africa that the AU will not standby and watch when people in Africa face a disaster. Unlike its predecessor the OAU, African ownership and leadership and intra-African solidarity are also amongst the major operational principles of the AU.

It is important to note that the principle of non-indifference is reflected in the normative framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA). Notwithstanding its focus on peace and security matters, the Protocol on the Peace and Security Council provides under Article 6 that one of the functions of the PSC relates to 'humanitarian action and disaster management.' Article 7 further provides that in conjunction with the Chairperson of the Commission, the PSC shall 'support and facilitate humanitarian action not only in situations of armed conflict but also major natural disasters. The AU is also running its major peace support operation, the AU Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). This makes its responsibility all the more onerous as an actor already on the ground, despite its limited mandate.

In the light of these commitments, for the AU and people on the continent, inaction in the face of such devastating tragedy would be both irresponsible and inexcusable. Indeed, there is not any other moment of need for Africa to show its solidarity with Somalis and apply these norms of non-indifference than this one.

Although the AU was slow in responding to the crisis for a whole range of understandable factors, it has since initiated a process for mobilising resources towards averting the catastrophe facing Somalia. On 12 July 2011, the AU issued a press statement for the first time on the subject. In that statement, the AU Commission Chairperson called on all AU member states to contribute in whatever way they can to the alleviation of the suffering of the affected populations. He also called on African humanitarian NGOs to contribute to the ongoing efforts. More concretely, the statement revealed that the chairperson of the Commission has directed AMISOM to continue doing everything in its powers to provide security for humanitarian personnel in Mogadishu, in order to facilitate access to those in need of food and other relief items. In an effort to provide leadership and mobilise assistance from within Africa, the Chairperson requested the AU High Representative for Somalia, former President of Ghana Jerry John Rawlings, to pursue and intensify his efforts aimed at sensitising African countries and mobilizing both financial and in kind support.

Since then, the matter has remained on the agenda of the highest decision-making bodies of the AU. At its 285th meeting held on 13 July 2011, the PSC was briefed by the Commissioner for Peace and Security and deliberated on the drought situation in Somalia and its humanitarian consequences. Consistent with and affirming the principles referred to above, the PSC, in a press statement after the meeting, stressed the need for African governments and peoples to fully mobilise themselves in support of, and solidarity with, the Somali people, in their critical hour of need. On the occasion of his visit to the country on July 29, the deputy chairperson reiterated the call for support from fellow Africans. In a show of the AU's resolve to make a meaningful contribution, he said that the AU has already contributed $500 000 to the relief effort. More significantly, the deputy chairperson announced the AU Commission is planning to hold a pledging conference on 9th August in Addis Ababa as part of its commitment to supporting those affected by the drought. This meeting has now been postponed for 'at least two weeks'.

It is encumbent on all African countries and peoples as part of their pledge of not being indifferent to the plight of fellow Africans to show their solidarity to the people of Somalia at this very desperate time of need. For this, the upcoming donors conference is a very opportune occasion. The AU in the meantime needs to develop an institutionalised mechanism that enables various actors on the continent to make their contributions. This may take the form of a high level ad hoc committee that will together with the AU high Representative for Somalia undertake missions to as many African countries as possible to raise financial and other assistance for Somalia.

Solomon A. Dersso is senior researcher, in the Peace and Security Council Report Programme in the ISS Addis Ababa Office.

Nnamdi Asomugha, an American born Nigerian,  became the latest star cornerback to join the Eagles, signing a $60 million, five-year deal on Friday. His latest interview.

Asomugha was born in July 6, 1981  at Lafayette, Louisiana and raised in Los Angeles, California. He attended Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California and Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance, California before transferring to and graduating from Narbonne High School in Harbor City, California, playing high school basketball and football. Asomugha is of Nigerian descent. His both parents are Nigerians.

On working with President Bill Clinton and his connection to Nigeria: “I’m Nigerian-American, both parents are Nigerian. There’s a lot of work that the Asomugha foundation does back in Nigeria and helping out with orphans, widows, and people in need back there. That’s always going to be a big connection for us and is always going to be something that we do. Working with President Clinton has been great because he’s a guy that’s always connected there as well. It’s something that I’ll continue to do, and he’s a big football fan, so everyone is excited right now.”

On the motivation provided by being on a winning team, and the frustrations caused by being on a losing team: “Obviously it’s frustrating to not win.  The number one goal when you come into this league is to win the championship.  You hear every team say it every year, you know, “We want to win the Super Bowl, that’s our goal”.  It’s the only reason you play.  So when you’re not winning and not making it to the playoffs that can be frustrating.  Obviously, I’ve seen what the Eagles have done in the past, the winning tradition that they have, and it excites me.  It excites everyone here.  Obviously now were looking into the future to see what we can do with this team, but they’re winners.”

Nnamdi with former President Clinton

On what makes him believe this team can win a championship, even though the Eagles have never won one: “It’s a talented team.  I’ve been on talented teams before.  I think from top to bottom in the organization its first class, with the head coach, president, GM, owner, all the way down to the players.  It has a championship feel to it.  Obviously you still have to go out on the field and you have to perform.  All we can do is go out and work and expect to bring back victories.”

On what drew him to the Eagles: “Like I said, there was so much from top to bottom that they had, and they were aggressive.  When a team wants you, you can feel it.  When you feel that match, I don’t think you can shy away from that.”

On quarterbacks throwing away from him and if that will continue with another talented corner opposite him: “I’ve played with good corners in Oakland, and I was taught by great corners in Oakland, so I understand how it is sometimes to not be thrown at.  There are times when you are thrown at and you always have to be on your toes.  There’s no telling how it’s going to be here, but I just want to be able to come out and be able to make plays and do that a lot more than I’ve done.  I’ve had many opportunities.  I’ve had seasons where I’ve made eight interceptions, and done this, that, and the other.  But, you know, you want to be able to do that and help your team out as much as possible.  I feel that those things can happen here.”

On the draw of playing with QB Michael Vick: “It’s a big draw, because you know that he’s a great player and talented player.  I spoke to him at the Pro Bowl and he did a mini-recruiting pitch there.  That was good to feel.  Obviously [WR] DeSean [Jackson] has been texting and calling throughout the off-season.  Having Vick here, and the rest of the talent that’s here, I think that’s the big draw.  Obviously no single player can control the team.  When you get a group of talented guys like that and guys that are ready to win, it’s impressive.”

On his charity work and if he plans on continuing it in Philadelphia: “I always said that no matter where I was I would continue the work in the community, and everything outside of that.  You can’t play football forever, and I do believe that while you’re playing you have to use that platform in some sort of way.  If it’s helping out in the community, then that’s fine.  If its other things, that’s great.  For me it was community and it has always been.  I definitely plan on keeping that up here with the organization here in Philadelphia.  To be quite honest, the Eagles have been one of the most active, community-driven organizations in all of football.  I think it’s a great match in that area.”

On having never been to the playoffs: “It was depressing.  Like I told you before, there’s one main reason why you’re playing.  You want to win.  Obviously, it would be a little depressing.  I wouldn’t watch when the playoffs would come around.  Maybe I would see some highlights.  If I had to go on television and speak about the playoffs, than I would watch a couple things, some highlights here and there.  It’s depressing as a player.  So you always want to put yourself in position to win games, and that’s what I’m doing now.”

On how long he has been considering the Eagles and whether they were his first choice: “When I spoke to the owner and the president here, I told them, quite honestly, once March came around and we started thinking that there might be a chance that I’m not going to be back in Oakland, we never knew what could happen or if there was going to be a process of trying to re-sign me or anything like that.  When we said there was a possibility that I won’t come back, then obviously my team and myself, we had to start looking at other teams.  To a man, and woman, everybody that was on my team, they knew that the number one team was the Eagles from March when we were looking at teams.  There were a handful of teams at that point.  When the Eagles became a possibility, we knew it was a match.”

On whether the scheme and terminology is different from Oakland: “I just got here, so I have no idea.  From what I’ve seen them do in the past I would say yes it’s different.  I don’t think there are any teams that play man-to-man the entire game, so I would say yes, it’s going to be different from what I’ve been in.  It’s a new coordinator now, so I don’t know if it’s going to be similar to the past.  I just got here, but I’ll look in the playbook and try to get into it as much as possible and then see.”

On whether a three cornerback situation is workable: “It’s very workable.  It’s the best situation.  Obviously teams are passing a lot more.  [Jokingly] There are rules, I don’t want to say ‘catered to the offense’ because I don’t want to get fined or anything, but there are rules that are interesting and allows the offense to be more explosive.  So you want to have as many defensive players, defensive playmakers, and defensive backs as you can.  If that’s the case it’s very workable and it could mean some very impressive things on our end.”

On his thoughts and excitement about the influx of talent on the Eagles: “Obviously it’s very exciting.  I was on the plane coming here when I was hearing about [DT] Cullen Jenkins, and what was happening with that.  We might not be done yet.  I think there’s more that could even be coming.  It’s exciting.  Any time you can get this many players that can go out and put their best on the field and bring back victories it’s exciting.  Obviously we still have to go out there and play.  Everything looks great right now, but we still have to gel, we still have to come together and work, and bring those victories.”

On whether the Eagles defense will be able to be effective with a lot of new players coming in: “Absolutely. I think the number one thing that I can take away from the guys coming in is that obviously this was already a smart team and a talented team as I’ve said probably about 20 times. The number one thing I can take away from the new guys coming in is that everyone has that football knowledge and instinct type of thing to them. It’s not just great, talented athletes. They’re guys that can think and can move the game mentally. I think that anytime you bring that into any organization, you can pick up and you can gel a lot easier. If it was on talent alone, there might be some questions but we brought in some smart guys.”

On working with President Bill Clinton and his connection to Nigeria: “I’m Nigerian-American, both parents are Nigerian. There’s a lot of work that the Asomugha foundation does back in Nigeria and helping out with orphans, widows, and people in need back there. That’s always going to be a big connection for us and is always going to be something that we do. Working with President Clinton has been great because he’s a guy that’s always connected there as well. It’s something that I’ll continue to do, and he’s a big football fan, so everyone is excited right now.”

On whether he could have gotten more money if he signed elsewhere: “There was money out there. There was a market out there with numbers that the media assumed I wanted. It’s funny, you know, you don’t pay as much attention to it because everything happened so fast, but you heard the apocryphal stories about the things that I’m expecting as far as numbers. It was out there. The thing I wanted most of all was to be in the right situation. My team and myself, we felt like this was it regardless of money, regardless of location, and regardless of the supposed things I want to do after football. Regardless of all that, we had to make a clear decision as to what was best for us.”

On whether other moves the Eagles made concerned him: “To be quite honest, I wasn’t concerned it wouldn’t happen because the Eagles never really seemed to be in it. Even for me, you guys were surprised, but even for me. In the offseason, you’re dealing with specific teams and the funny thing about it is you don’t have time to take visits because it’s not a true four month or so free agency. Anybody who knows me knows that I like to take my time with decisions. I’m on the phone and it’s like, ‘Yes or no, what do you want to do, we need to know,’ and I’m like, ‘Give me five minutes,’ ‘We don’t have five minutes, you have to make a decision.’ Everything came really quickly and then when the Eagles expressed interest and became so aggressive and said, ‘We have a chance, we want this, let’s do it.’ It didn’t have to go much further than there.”

On what the Eagles have over other contenders who wanted him: “It was hard to explain because there were so many factors that go into it. If I had never been thinking about the Eagles and started thinking about it when the Eagles came into play, then I don’t know what would have happened. I did it the way I like to do it and making decisions early, so that decision was made in March. Once we made that decision and we put all the pieces together, marked off the boxes, and saw what was the best fit, when that comes around full circle you just have to go with it. That’s what happened.”

On whether it took a leap of faith to come to the Eagles: “Not a risk factor, but in everything there is a leap of faith that you take. It’s not necessarily that there is a risk like ‘that’s terrible’ or anything like that, but there’s a leap of faith and you have to do it. In whatever team I would have joined, that would’ve happened because you don’t know what’s going to happen. You can’t sit up and proclaim that you’re going to win it all, you have to be focused and you don’t know what’s going to happen. Obviously there was that chance that you’re taking, and they’re doing the same thing with me taking that chance. When you find the best fit both ways, you have to make it happen and that’s what we did.”

On changing his number: “It’s not the biggest deal. Obviously I’ve had #21 my entire professional career, which has been great. [Cornerback Joselio] Hanson has been here and he’s had it. I’m not going to come in here and try and take over everything. He’s been here, so it was point blank: ‘Does it mean something to you?’ and he said, ‘Yeah, it does.’ That’s all I needed to hear. We don’t have to go into money, let me buy it from you, start to go back and forth. Let’s move on, it’s the jersey number. Before all of that, you’re the football player. I’m still going to go out there and play my best regardless.”

On whether he knew CB Asante Samuel or CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie before he came here: “Not really. I know Asante a little bit from Pro Bowls, and we talk while we’re up there. I’ve admired his game since forever. Anyone who knows me, I’ve always said that if there is a playmaker at the cornerback position, it’s him. He really knows how to go after the ball and I’ve always admired him. Coming here was very exciting in that regard, knowing he was here. With [Rodgers-Cromartie], you’ve always watched him from afar. I’ve never really spoken to him, but obviously I know that he’s a talented young player. It’s a great situation to be in.”

On the difference in demeanor between himself and Samuel: “There’s this thing about styles, but to be honest, I’m a football player. I play within my scheme and try to do the best for the coaches that are teaching me. If they tell me that they want me to do this, I’m going to go out there and do it, and I’m going to put my best foot forward. There’s no one way of doing anything. Before being a so-called shutdown corner or cover corner, you’re a football player. I played safety in college, I had to learn the cornerback position and I’ve come a long way. I struggled my first two years in the league. I don’t necessarily put it into having a style, I put it into being a football player and doing what I’m supposed to do. It’ll mesh. I’ll make it mesh.”

On Michael Vick’s pitch at the Pro Bowl: “It was the same thing that a lot of other guys say quick, ‘It’d be great to have you. We’d be taking another step.’ That sort of thing. I saw him today and his first words were that we made it happen. And it was right, we did.”

On any comments for his fans in Oakland: “What gets lost in this is how difficult it is to leave an organization and a place that you’ve been for so long. I’m from California, obviously from Los Angeles. I spent a little less than half of my life in the Bay area. I went to [University of California] Berkeley, so that’s steps away from Oakland. It’s a difficult thing to do. The excitement is where I am now and I’m with the Philadelphia Eagles, let’s go win a championship and put our best foot forward, and I understand that. But it was difficult leaving there. Obviously there are people that are missed that I’ve been calling and texting people. It’s the nature of the business. I’m not moving to Mozambique. I’m playing for a new team and this is what I’m a part of and we’re going to go out and try our hardest. Obviously some people will be missed but we have to move on.”

Philadelphia eagles News

Gov. Peter Obi should set up technical Committee to re-make diminishing Onitsha

Onitsha the most important commercial center in eastern Nigeria is in shambles and needs immediate attention. Governor Peter Obi and his administration must now listen to a voice of reason and logic without being defensive. This is not time to verbalize any constructive advice as an opposition and as a voice of acrimony to the administration. After all a descending voice and constructive criticism cannot be easily discarded but must be weighed for its worth. The influential sociological–commercial integrity of Onitsha that is fast diminishing must be revived with re-construction, refurbishment and environmental facelift.

The famous Upper Iweka Road in Onitsha has been branded, "Anambra crime headquarters," in a write-up published in Daily Sun and The Nigeria http://thenigeria.com/index.php. In the article the writer, Aloysius Attah gave a mind-bending description on how robbers, kidnappers, lawlessness, and pure evil ‘reigns’ in a back drop of filthy and refuse overflowing environment.

Onitsha is too important to Ndiigbo and Nigeria to be left to go down in the dustbin of decay and rottenness that characterized a failed urban township in the 21st century. Onitsha has given a lot to Anambra state including the birthplace of the first Nigerian President Rt. Honorable Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, Louis Mbanefo and many others. Onitsha gave us Main Market, the largest open trading center in West Africa. But today’s Main market is unkempt – a health hazard without indoor plumbing and running water. How can this be possible when the Governor Obi did promise that he will make the development of Onitsha the hallmark of his administration?

Governor Peter Obi should set up a committee of technocrats and technical advisers on Onitsha because it is quickly becoming a lost town - dirty and unkempt, mesmerized with refuse, debris, pot holes, and penetrating darkness at night. It is essential that the state of Onitsha must be improved not just for sake of reviving the commercial integrity of Onitsha but also for health benefits that comes with clean ambience and healthy environment.

The proposed technical committee must consist of experts, technicians, traders and stakeholders. They will be given assignment to come up with solutions, remedies and methodology to improve and reconstruct Onitsha. This is not time to prattle about Governor Obi’s Anambra State Integrated Development Services (ANDIS) for it has become self-evident that it is not working for Onitsha. To technically and scientifically measure the correlation between ANDIS and its presence in Onitsha, the result will almost end up in zero percentiles.

Therefore let not waste our time to debate whether the administration blue print ANDIS for development is working for Onitsha. For inspite of noise making about ANDIS, its presence in Onitsha remains a mirage. Onitsha is still the dirtiest major township in eastern Nigeria without running water, traffic lights, refuse recycling center to mention but few.

Onitsha has deteriorated to its nadir level that Onitsha of 1970s and early 1980s were much better and appealing than Peter Obi’s Onitsha of 2011. It sounds incredible but it is the bitter truth. That past decades of 70s and 80s was Onitsha that had running tap water managed by Water Works and gutters/ditches were not clogged with solid waste and debris. The generated refuse and trash were safely hauled from residential homes to landfills at stipulated intervals in the yesteryears of those decades.

Many of Onitsha residents which are mostly traders and business men may be politically powerless and may find the system cumbersome and time consuming to be leverage for development. That does not mean that they are not observant and recognized quite well that the health and wellbeing of their town is nothing to write home about.

The political actors and elected politicians in the state took Onitsha residents lack of political involvement as their acquiescence to the status quo. But if the truth  be told the people have been disengaged from the polity because it is not working for them rather they go about doing their trading nonchalantly without attracting necessary attention to themselves and their families.

What does Onitsha really needs?

Onitsha needs environmental facelift and to be launched into 21st century with modern amenities and infrastructures including:

1. Running tap water to replace ubiquitous water boreholes

2. Waste water treatment plant to process sanitary wastes into manures

3. Modern landfill to contain discarded materials, refuse and solid waste

4. Recycling centre where refuse are separated for further use in production and those materials that cannot be recycled transported to Landfil

5. The reconstruction of Main Market to assume the trading center of 21st century

6. The re-dredging of Otumoye/NwangeneCreek to lessen the effects of flooding disaster at Fegge, Oboko and surrounding sub-municipalities. The continuous inspection of the storm water ditches to discourage mosquitoes inhabitation and subsequently malaria.

7. The rebuilding of electric infrastructure and provision of electricity at a limited capacity. It is quite understandable that the state government does not have the prime control of electric energy generation and distribution. The responsibility lies with federal government but that does not imply that the state government or Anambra state for that matter cannot contribute to the improvement of the process. Anambra state can start by acquiring solar panels to provide street lights.

It was a good move on behalf of Anambra state on the visit the Governor Peter Obi paid to the Minister of Power Professor Nnaji. It must not be just a courtesy visit for photo opportunity but a visit that the governor should equipped with a detailed proposal on improving electricity deliverance that he should present to the minister.

The time has come to do justice to Onitsha and its residents by transforming it to a place worthy of its historical significance and it’s continue importance as the commercial nerve center of Anambra state.

Emeka Chiakwelu is the Principal Policy Strategist at Afripol Organization. Africa Political and Economic Strategic Center (Afripol) is foremost a public policy center whose fundamental objective is to broaden the parameters of public policy debates in Africa. To advocate, promote and encourage free enterprise, democracy, sustainable green environment, human rights, conflict resolutions, transparency and probity in Africa. www.afripol.org

Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin, president, Campaign for Democracy (CD) and founder Women Arise (WA), is one of the leading human rights activists in the country. In this interview with SEYI GESINDE, she challenges the current national leaders on the need to find lasting solution to issues threatening national security and speaks on other germaine issues. Excerpts:

 WHat is your view on Islamic banking and its supposed threat to national security?

People should have the freedom to engage in any form of transaction, even up to the point of business transaction with religious undertone. The state should not give the impression that it is giving undue advantage to any faith against another. There should be equal opportunity and level playing field for all to operate. The religious leaders should not heat up the polity because people of different faith organisations do business and share profits. So, they should not use religion to divide the people.

 But Christian leaders have complained about the country’s leadership and its tendencies to Islamise Nigeria. Do you see any indices pointing towards this direction?

If care is not taken, it can happen because of the way the present leadership is conducting affairs. Some people in this country are becoming so powerful that they just want to bring about anything at all costs. They want to bring in whatever pleases them and this is becoming increasingly dangerous.

If you look at it critically, you will observe that the kind of debate that goes on now as regards Sharia, Boko Haram and Islamic banking are issues that tend towards Islam as a religion. One would expect that in a secular nation, caution should be taken on issue of religion and all changes must be carried out with some level of citizen education and consultation with all stakeholders

 What about the controversy the single term proposal for the presidency is currently generating?

The single term presidency should not be the priority of a government that is not yet 60 days in office, if not that there is a hidden agenda. It can heat up the polity and create unnecessary diversion.

 Dr. Joe Okei-Odumakin

The minimum wage and governor's refusal to pay is another matter heating up the polity. What should be the way forward, bearing in mind that the bill approving the new pay has already been signed into law?

The governors are just being callous and inhuman; there are no two ways to it. The way forward is for the governors to pay the minimum wage. I strongly believe that the states can pay the minimum wage to workers, but they are just being stubborn unnecessarily. How do we believe that they cannot pay, when on a daily basis we read and hear of millions of naira they spend on mundane things; when we see the huge amount of money elected officials receive for doing nothing, whereas the workers who make the states tick live in abject poverty?

 It is no longer news that governors loot the treasury and steal the people's money. Immediately after the tenure of governors, you hear of several billions of naira they have siphoned from the states' treasury, whereas workers are being owed salaries, pensions and gratuities are not paid, and the workers continue to be at the receiving end of the whole misappropriation.

The fact that the bill approving the minimum wage has been signed into law has made it compulsory for the governors to pay. So, what they should do is to strategise; cut down on all the unnecessary expenses, and improve on internal revenue drive. I believe that instead of heating up the polity with issue of minimum wage payment that could lead to strike and paralyse economic activities; they should just assure workers that they will pay.

 Nigerians have on several occasions complained about the bogus pay of National Assembly members to the detriment of other players in the public sector. Do they really deserve this preferential treatment?

This is one issue that will continue to draw public attention and might boomerang very soon, if it is not checked. This is one sad case of people earning very fat allowance for doing nothing extraordinary. The bogus pay and the affluence of the law makers at the National Assembly have become an issue of concern. The issue is beginning to have recalcitrant effect on so many other issues - for instance, the minimum wage debate, the issue of social development, provision of infrastructure and so on.

 The complaints of Nigerians over this pay are very genuine if one looks at the huge amount of money that accrues to these people on monthly basis. It is so high that one wonders how that came about and how it was approved for them. It is worrisome because we see that while so many Nigerians, more than 70 per cent, live below $1 per day , National Assembly members continue to live a life of affluence.

Other players in the public sector see the bogus pay of the National Assembly as a slap on their faces and so, they clamour for equal pay or treatment. At this stage, one could do nothing else, but to ask for the downward review of the National Assembly members’ pay.

 The Boko Haram insurgence and series of bombing attacks that followed it is creating a lot of security challenge in the country. Where do you thing this can lead Nigeria to?

The Boko Haram insurgence portrays great danger for Nigeria. It is a very ugly development and it only shows to us that our security is very porous, loose and very unprotective. It has showed to us that there is the presence of terrorists in the country and that is a very dangerous development.

If care is not taken, the insurgence could cause religious clashes or even war. I am aware that a group just emerged now in Kaduna called the Akwota or something. The group was said to be combat ready; that for any attack of Boko Haram on Christians, they will retaliate. This development could escalate and cause attacks and counter attacks. This is why it is very essential for government to face the security challenge head long. It is important that security agencies should be alive to their responsibilities so as to curb the bombings and killings that are being perpetrated by Boko Haram.

It is certain that some Nigerians are behind the activities of the religious sect and the Federal Government must be ready to unveil these people and ensure that they are brought to book.

 The Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) earlier issued a threat that any attempt for Boko Haram to spread its crisis to the South-West would be resisted with a counter attacks, should this just be waved aside as an empty threat?

Well, I do not think any threat should be waved aside or be seen as empty threat. The OPC, I believe, was set up for a particular purpose and if it thinks that Boko Haram is over-stepping its bounds by any incursion into the South-West and issued statements of that nature, it should be taken seriously.

 Therefore, the security agencies should be at alert to ensure that such a thing does not happen. Security must be intensified to ensure that Boko Haram does not get into the South-West and to also ensure that the activities of the group is monitored.

 Some Nigerians have complained about what they called President Goodluck Jonathan's lukewarm attitude to issues threatening national security. How do you see this?

Well, whether it is a matter of attitude or not, it is a different thing, but what is obvious is that the president has been very lukewarm on the issue of national security. He has been very slow to take proactive actions on the matter and this allowed the issue to linger on, causing more havocs.

 The fall in the living standard of Nigerians is pushing a lot of people to the streets. Is this not a pointer to the fact that Nigeria is joining the league of failed states?

There is no gainsaying this; it is so obvious; it is staring us in the face and we do not need to deceive ourselves on this all-important matter. The living standard has so fallen that we are beginning to see the symptoms of a failed state in all that we do.

 Poverty is obvious everywhere, people are hungry, homeless and devastated. The streets are full of children and youths who have no hope for the future. People wear long faces at bus stops and street corners. We see aggression everywhere and value and respect have disappeared. Crime rate is so high — armed robbery, kidnapping, oil pipe vandalism are the order of the day. People can no longer afford three-square meal per day; basic commodities are very expensive, even staple foods have become unaffordable. All these are signs of a failed state.

 The current leaders have to face this reality and stop fooling themselves, believing that all is well. All is not well and the state is heading towards collapse.

 Former President Olusegun Obasanjo recently made a public comment, referring to his successors as failures. Would you commend him for being that blunt?

They are all birds of a feather that flock together. They are '10 and 10 pence;' no difference.

 Obasanjo himself failed woefully. The process that brought his successors to power were full of irregularities and corruption. How will they succeed?

Obasanjo never wanted his successors to succeed and he engineered it to be so. That is why he has continued to boast that his tenure was better than what obtained after him. He programmed it so by rigging the 2007 elections for the late Umaru Yar'Adua and his cohorts, and that is why they were unable to get anything done. Same is happening now because they are all the same bunch of politicians who are bent on ruining Nigeria.

 Obasanjo deserves no commendation for such comment, in fact, he should be held responsible for our predicaments from 1999 to date. He and his allies have turned Nigeria to a ping pong game, killing the economy and making social amenities prostrate.

 What should be the role of former leaders of the country in view of the current national crises?

Former Nigeria leaders need to be more concerned about the survival of Nigeria now, if they are truly statesmen. This is the time to develop a sustainable intervention to save Nigeria from the hands of greedy politicians who are never satisfied. One would not expect unpatriotic statements from them irrespective of their personal ambition. They need to bury their own interest in the collective and seek actions that will move Nigeria to the league of developed nations. They need to sacrifice their time and energy towards the 'upliftment' of this country.

 How far with the civil society's renewed call for the convening of the national conference?

Now, the civil society groups are organising again to start advocating for national conference with renewed strength and power to ensure that the national conference is convened. The national conference, if allowed to happen, is the only sure means or gate to resolving so many of the challenges confronting Nigeria today.

 It is the only weapon capable of defining the continued existence of Nigeria as a nation state. It is the only instrument that can reverse the situation now from that of a failed state to a working state. And that is why it is going to be proposed again and massive campaign and support will be launched for it. It is certain that if a people's constitution emerges from the conference, then, our living together and the structure of governance will be addressed.

 What do you see to Professor Wole Soyinka's recent call on President Jonathan to unravel the mystery surrounding former President Yar’Adua’s death with the FoI Bill?

Yes, this is needed for us to shape things. The situation where government officials and elected officials behave the way they like and go scot-free should be stopped. At least, if people get punished, then, it will curb others who might want to travel the same road some other time.

 The entire situation surrounding the sickness and eventual death must be unravelled. Nigerians need to know all that transpired and that is why the FoI Act shall be evoked to get all information surrounding the death of the former president.

Nigerian Tribune