Saturday 5 December 2015

ON THE $2BILLION ARMS PURCHASE FUNDS

Constitutionality should be a priority concern for all true lovers of democracy. But we have a problem. Nigeria has official corruption entrenched in its Constitution and convention of governance called Security Vote. A carryover from the inglorious military era when the Military Head of State sent his minions to states as Governors and were given a stipend to administer their "barracks", the Security Votes were given to the Governors to expend as they wished and ensure nothing unwholesome happened under their purview to ruffle their Commander-in-Chief in Dodan Barracks, Obalende, Lagos, and after the failed Orkar Coup of April, 1992, Aso Rock Villa, Abuja.

When we returned to Civilian Administration (and Democratic Governance?) in May, 1999, we continued the time-worn tradition with our civil President and Governors gleefully acting as the new Lords of the Manor.

The "Security Votes" run into hundreds of billions of Naira per annum at the Federal Government level or tens of billions of Naira at the states level depending on how rich or poor the state is. Actually, the prefered currency is the U.S. Dollars. And it is disbursed in cash. Successive Governors of the Central Bank of Nigeria have dutifully ensured that the President and the Governors always get their Dollar Fix whenever and wherever they want it.

The Security Votes are not subject to budgetary appropriation by the National Assembly and the States' Houses of Assembly. Physical records are not kept and expenditures are strictly at the discretion of the President and the Governors or whoever they entrust with the disbursement of the funds. Very often that trusted aid is the National Security Adviser at the Federal Government level and the Chiefs of Staff at the states level. The Local Government Chairmen have since devised a way to keep their own Security Votes without the knowledge of their State Governors. In essence, the Security Vote is the President's and Governors' "Pocket Money".

I was on Radio Continental's Kubanji Direct on Thursday, 3rd December, 2015, and our topic of discussion was Col. Sambo Dasuki and the alleged $2.1Billion Arms Purchase Scandal. Throughout the programme, my emphasis was that Justice and the Rule of Law must not be sacrificed in our zeal to fight corruption. Dasuki is innocent till found guilty. We must stop the media lynching of people accused of corruption. The cases should be thoroughly investigated and diligently prosecuted. And let the guilty be duly punished.

Clearly much went wrong in our security services. The NSA's Office has no business buying arms and ammunition. But that is how it has been done since 1966.

I am looking forward to an exposè on how the Security Votes of the Governor of Lagos State has been utilised since 1999 to date. I would also like to know how former Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State used his Security Votes between 1st January, 2012, and 29th May, 2015.

Bottomline: Time has come for us to stop this official corruption we call Security Votes.

God bless Nigeria.

NIGERIA DI FURE!

Thursday 3 December 2015

STATE POLICE VIA THE BACK DOOR?

STATE POLICE VIA THE BACK DOOR?
I applaud Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode for donating new crime-fighting equipment to the Lagos State Police Command, including helicopters, armoured personnel carriers, motor vehicles, trucks etc. He has done very well. Other State Governors should emulate him.
But have you noticed that the vehicles do not bear the usual blue, yellow and green colours of the Nigeria Police Force? The cars are white with red and blue stripes. They even have a new logo and not the Nigeria Police Force insignia.
Is the Lagos State Government starting its State Police through the backdoor? It is unconstitutional and illegal for the Lagos State Government to unilaterally change the colours and logo of the Lagos State Command of the Nigeria Police Force. It is worrisome that this affront happened in the presence of the Inspector General of Police and a Federal Minister who launched the vehicles as a representative of President Muhammadu Buhari.
This is a dangerous precedent and the Lagos State Government should be called to order. All the vehicles should be repainted and bear the logo of the Nigeria Police Force.



WHY? WHY, PRESIDENT BUHARI?

Why is there a Conspiracy of Silence among Nigeria's social critics, human rights activists, "progressives" and the media?

Why is there a Conspiracy of Silence among Nigeria's social critics, human rights activists, "progressives" and the media?

Why is the media silent while Nigerians are suffering fuel scarcity, regular power outages and increased terrorist attacks?

Why is the media silent while Nigerians are suffering fuel scarcity, regular power outages and increased terrorist attacks?

President Muhammadu Buhari is Nigeria's President. Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has had his day. He will not be held responsible for government and governance of Nigeria today.

Why is President Buhari so slow?

Why is President Buhari carrying on as if he has forty year tenure and not four years?

Why is there no sense of urgency?

Why? Why, President Buhari?

President Buhari must awake, arise and been to govern. He should stop foreign trips for a season and allow the Minister of Foreign Affairs to represent him at the international fora he is due to speak. He needs to sit down and work.

President Buhari must work very hard so as to fulfil his numerous Presidential Campaign Promises, including:

1. Payment of N5,000 Monthly Unemployment Allowance to our 25million Vulnerable Youths;

2. One Meal Each School Day to all our Primary School Pupils nationwide;

3. Defeat of Boko Haram before the end of December, 2015;

4. Stabilisation of the international market for crude oil. And I am not being cynical on this one. President Buhari has the moral authority as an elder Head of State and his standing as Nigeria's President to host a meeting of all Crude Oil Producing Countries (including the United States of America, Russia, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom and the OPEC countries), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and China, the major Crude Oil Consuming country, and impress on all of them the danger to the world economy if the price of Crude Oil continues to slide. He can actually stabilise the international market for the commodity;

5. Zero-Tolerance for corruption. President Buhari should refrain from perpetually talking about how corrupt Nigerians are and what he plans to do to bring corrupt public officials to book. He should just do it. He should prove that he actually belongs to everyone and that he belongs to no one. He should demonstrate in no unmistakable terms that no Nigerian, including former military rulers and retired military officers, who revel in obscene wealth which they cannot account office w they acquired same, is a sacred cow. The President should use his good office to pressure the National Assembly and ensure passage into law of the "Forfeiture Of Assets Which Cannot Be Accounted For Act" and the "Protection Of Anti-Corruption and Anti-Money Launderers Whistle-Blowers Act"; and, ultimately

6. Make the value of the Naira to the U.S. Dollar 1:1. Again, I am not being cynical here. If President Buhari really works hard, combats corruption without fear or favour, he could eventually be the President who actually achieves a Foreign Exchange Rate of One Naira to One U.S. Dollar ($1:N1) by 29th May, 2019.

God bless President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR.

God bless Nigeria.

NIGERIA DI FURE!!