25022021 - Way out of Nigeria’s security problems

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16 — Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 ISTORY is made,” the ‘HWorld Trade Organisation exulted on February 15 after its 164 members finally appointed Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as its next Director-General. History is, indeed, made because, when she assumes office on March 1, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala will be the first female and first African Director General in the 73-year history of the WTO and its predecessor, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, GATT, established in 1947. Since her appointment, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has received congratulatory messages from across the world. I, too, congratulate her on her remarkable achievement. But congratulations are also in order for Dr. Yonov Frederick Agah, an outstanding Deputy Director- General of the WTO since 2013, whose tenure will end next week. This column pays tribute to these two great Nigerians and Africans! First, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala. Last November, the erratic Trump administration blocked consensus on appointing her for the WTO job. Thankfully, democracy intervened. Trump was voted out of power and Joe Biden became president. Elections have consequences: President Biden promptly endorsed Okonjo-Iweala for the WTO job after persuading her Trump-backed South Korean opponent, Yoo Myung-Hee, to withdraw her candidacy. In her acceptance speech, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala said: “Without the recent swift action by the Biden- Harris Administration to join the consensus of the membership on my candidacy, we would not be here today”, adding: “I am grateful to the US for the prompt action and strong expression of support.” She’s right: by lifting WTO: Kudos to Okonjo-Iweala and Agah for making Africa proud Trump’s block, Biden helped her make history! But she also, rightly, said: “Special thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari and all my Nigerian compatriots for their support and prayers.” Of course, apart from nominating her for the job, the Buhari government had little influence on her selection. Yet, the Nigerian element played a big role in her victory. Without it, she wouldn’t have won. So, what’s the Nigerian element and how did it account for Okonjo-Iweala’s victory? First, let’s bust a myth. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala didn’t get the Director General job mainly because of her former role as managing director of the World Bank. Indeed, that worked against her with the Trump administration. Recently, Robert Lighthizer, former President Trump’s trade chief, told the Financial Times that Dr. Okonjo- Iweala wasn’t qualified for the WTO top job because she “has no experience in trade at all”, adding: “We need a person who actually knows trade, not somebody from the World Bank who does development.” But WTO members knew that Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was not a trade guru. Yet, they wanted her for the Director General job. Why? Well, the three things that everyone said about her were her negotiation skills, reformist mindset and anti-corruption zeal. These experiences were linked to her spell as finance minister in Nigeria, first, under President Olusegun Obasanjo, when she negotiated Nigeria’s debt relief The irony of President Buhari’s nomination of Agah and Okonjo- Iweala as DG of the WTO is that he doesn’t share their economic views; but Dr. Okonjo- Iweala and Dr. Agah have done Nigeria and Africa proud and deserve our best wishes and undertook far-reaching economic reforms, and second, under President Goodluck Jonathan, when she was believed to fight corruption. Of course, her World Bank job got her noticed in Nigeria in the first place; made President Obasanjo to invite her to be his finance minister, and President Jonathan to appoint her as his finance minister and coordinating minister of the economy. And her achievements as minister gave her a global profile. She captured these experiences and achievements in two fascinating books – Reforming the Unreformable and Fighting Corruption is Dangerous – that have been read by influential people globally. So, truth is, the Nigerian factor contributed significantly to her victory in the WTO’s DG race. But there’s also the American factor. By becoming a US citizen in 2019, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala strategically removed a potential obstacle to her being appointed as head of a world economic body. In 2012, she lost out in the race for the World Bank presidency when President Obama appointed a Korean-American, Jim Yong Kim. But, recently, when a group of influential Americans wrote to President Biden urging him to endorse Okonjo-Iweala’s candidacy, they didn’t refer to her as a Nigerian. Instead, they said: “Her selection as the first American and woman of colour to serve as the WTO’s directorgeneral will send a clear message of inclusion to the rest of the world.” Dual-nationality, of course, has its benefits! So, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is Director General of the WTO, what next? Well, she wants to reform the WTO and will certainly inject fresh energy and momentum into the organisation. But unless she can manage the tense and febrile relationship between China and the US, she would struggle to make real progress. What’s more, Africa’s, nay Nigeria’s, entrenched opposition to sensible reforms at the WTO could also limit the scope Send Opinions & Letters to: opinions1234@yahoo.com of what she can achieve. Which, finally, brings us to Dr. Agah. He was President Buhari’s first choice for the Director General job but later dopped for Dr. Okonjo-Iweala. Harsh, but it was a wise decision, given that Agah doesn’t have a fraction of Okonjo-Iweala’s global profile. Yet, he has been a linchpin of the WTO for nearly 15 years and has chaired all the main WTO bodies. In 2011, Dr. Agah served as chair of the WTO’s General Council, responsible for organising the WTO’s eighth Ministerial Conference. The conference was widely predicted to fail, but Agah snatched victory from the jaw of defeat, and ensured its success. He was rewarded two years later when DG Roberto Azevêdo appointed him as one of his four Deputy Directors-General, with responsibility for development, training and technical cooperation, knowledge and information management, among others. Dr. Agah is a strong advocate of economic liberalisation. Recently, he stressed the importance of open and predictable markets to foster economic recovery. Sadly, this idea is utterly at odds with the Buhari government’s entrenched protectionism. The irony of President Buhari’s nomination of Agah and Okonjo-Iweala as Director General of the WTO is that he doesn’t share their economic views. But Dr. Okonjo-Iweala and Dr. Agah have done Nigeria and Africa proud and deserve our best wishes. Indeed, if underperforming service chiefs could be nominated as non-career ambassadors, Dr. Agah certainly deserves a topranking diplomatic appointment! Dealing with gender-based violence By OMOLARA OTUYEMI ACCORDING to the United Nations, UN, Gender Based Violence, GBV, interchangeably used with Violence Against Women or at times domestic violence, is any act of violence that results in or is likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women/young girls, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty whether occurring in private (domestic) or public life. GBV is a global phenomenon and not limited to Nigeria. It occurs in various cultures and affects people irrespective of their economic status. The primary targets of gender based violence are women and adolescent girls. They also suffer exacerbated consequences as compared with what men endure. As a result of gender discrimination and their lower socioeconomic status, women have fewer options and less resources at their disposal to avoid or escape abusive situations and to seek justice. GBV can be physical, sexual or psychological. It can also be in the form of neglect and abandonment and economic disempowerment. It includes, but is not limited to, such acts as slapping, kicking, stabbing, shooting, hitting, pouring of acid or any other corrosive substance on victims and, of course, murder. Other forms are harmful traditional practices and female genital mutilation. Perhaps, the most common form of GBV is rape. Rape is having sex with a woman without her consent. Today, the rape epidemic in our society reflects the extent to which women’s human rights are flagrantly being threatened. Our laws and collective attitudes toward this weapon of domination and repression call to question not only our sense of justice but our level of civilisation. Like a scourge, the regular cases of reported rape in the country’s media and confirmed statistics from some states are threatening to smother the essence of the society. Each day, the media are awash with weird stories with varying degrees of what can be described as ludicrous: from child defilement to the rape of old women. Nobody, not even an infant, is safe from the rampage of these randy felons on the prowl. Domestic violence is so entrenched in our society that even the victims condone such violations of their rights Domestic violence is also a common aspect of GBV. These days, it is not unusual for husbands to turn their spouses to punching bags and oftentimes vent their anger and frustrations on the latter. They label their wives as witches whenever they experience downturn in their economic status or lose their jobs. Consequently, the wives suffer for the situations they did not create in the first place. In most cases, some charlatans pretending to be prophets or spiritualists are the major culprits. Similarly, if a woman earns more than the man, there may be conflicts in the home leading to domestic violence because the man may be feeling inferior and may believe the only way to assert his authority in the home is by becoming violent. In Lagos State, statistics have shown that 30 per cent of females from age 15-49 have become victims of gender- based violence, either sexually, physically and emotionally, but most prevalently sexual violence. 2020, in particular, ushered in a spike in GBV. This, probably, is due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant effects on peoples’ sources of livelihood. For instance, at the peak of the pandemic, before the lockdown, reported cases of domestic violence in the state were relatively low compared to when the lock down was implemented. In the first half of 2020, the Lagos Police Command recorded 32 cases of sexualbased violence in the state. It was also reported that one in every four girls before attaining the legal age of sexual consent have been a victim of sexual violence. And this has continued to rise amidst the pandemic. In view of the evil it portends and dangers associated with it, the administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo- Olu has demonstrated sufficient resolve to frontally confront the social vice in the state. In the forefront of the war against GBV is the wife of the State Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, who has declared zero tolerance to all forms of gender-based violence. Currently, diverse methods geared towards eradicating the monstrous crime of GBV in the state are being deployed by Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, with the support of relevant government agencies. With the active role of the Ministries of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, WAPA, Youth and Social Development, Justice, Education, Health and Information and Strategy, Lagos State Judiciary, the State Police Command as well as the Lagos State House of Assembly, government is battling GBV through a multi-dimensional approach. This includes legislation, public enlightenment campaigns and proper implementation of existing laws against GBV, among others. Many GBV usually lack the courage to seek legal redress on the violation of their rights due to lack of positive response from the society as the problem is often dismissed as a private one even by law enforcement agents and the fear of being exposed to more intense forms of abuse. Domestic violence is so entrenched in our society that even the victims condone such violations of their rights as some perceive it as a sign of love and the socioreligious belief that a broken marriage or relationship is a mark of failure in life. And also because many women and girls depend on the financial resources of their husband, father or families, they are forced to put up with domination for fear of the withdrawal of this financial support. Therefore, in Lagos State, for instance, the government and its partners have continued to sensitise and educate women to draw a line between true love and abuse. Similarly, several empowerment programmes aimed at creating credible sources of livelihood for the women are being constantly organised by the government. The issue of gender-based violence is a social malady that requires holistic approach and solution from all stakeholders. The civil society groups, traditional and religious bodies, women rights groups, law enforcement agencies, all tiers of government and families must all work together with a view to stemming the tide of this dreadful societal ill. •Otuyemi is of the Features Unit, Ministry of Information and Strategy, Alausa, Ikeja.
Vanguard, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2021 — 17 The governor as a quisling THE idea of democracy is straightforward. “Democracy is government of the people for the people and by the people,” said Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, a definition that borrows heavily from its meaning in Greek – “rule by the (simple) people.” Lincoln simply amplified the essence of the concept, and his definition presupposes that in a democracy, the interest of the people is preeminent. It superintends over every other interest, including the interests of government officials. But the idea in an ideal democratic setting is for the interest of the people to resonate with the leaders since the ultimate goal is the promotion of the common good. For this to happen, there must be a constitution, which, among other things, guarantees basic personal and political rights, fair and free elections, and independent courts of law. In a democracy, the inalienable right of the people to choose, in a free and fair election, those that will allocate their collective values, is sacrosanct and inviolable because the fidelity of a leader to the common good is predicated on the fact that he owes his office to the sovereign will of the people expressed through the ballot box. But when leaders in a so-called democracy access power not by the sovereign will of the people but through the back door, they are alienated from the people they claim to lead. Their allegiance is to those powerful external forces who brought them to power. Such leaders inevitably become quislings - traitors to the common good. That is the wretched fate of Imo State today. When Imolites went to the polls on March 9, 2019 to elect a governor, they voted massively for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Emeka Ihedioha; not Hope Uzodimma, the man now sitting pretty in Douglas House. The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, dutifully returned Ihedioha winner and on May 29, 2019, he took the oath of office. But the sovereign will of the people was whimsically upended on January 14, 2020 when the Supreme Court illogically declared Uzodimma, the man who came a distant fourth, winner of the election in which the same Supreme Court had ruled barely two weeks earlier that he was not even a candidate. While throwing out the petition of the governorship candidate of the Action Alliance, AA, Uche Nwosu, on December 20, 2019, the apex court ruled that he was not qualified to vie for the election because he doubled as both the candidate of the APC and AA. In a lead judgement read by Justice Amina Augie, the apex court held that by virtue of double candidature, Nwosu, ab-intio, was not qualified to vie for the office. In an April 29, 2020 article titled: “Hope Uzodimma’s 100 days of hopelessness”, I predicted that the consequences of the Supreme Court’s shenanigan will be dire for the state. “What the country’s apex court did by imposing Hope Uzodimma on a people who rejected him at the polls is to create a hopeless situation for the state. The consequences are better imagined.” You need to get this background to appreciate what is happening in Imo. Today, the state is in a sorry situation. There is little or no governance. Most workers are not paid their salaries as and when due. Those who are lucky to get paid at all take a cut without any explanation. Beyond all that, Imo is in a state of war, literally and metaphorically. In the last 13 months since the Supreme Court torpedoed the electoral will of the people and imposed Uzodimma on them as governor, the stories have been horrifying, more so in the last two weeks. On the invitation of Uzodimma, military fighter jets took to the skies on Thursday, February 18 reminiscent of the civil war years and rained bombs on towns and villages, killing and maiming innocent, law-abiding citizens in the name of hunting for operatives of the Eastern Security Network, ESN, the so-called military wing of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, led by Nnamdi Kanu. Suddenly, 51 years after the fratricidal war, Alaigbo has once again become a theatre of war, with videos showing old men, women and Alaigbo has once again become a theatre of war, with videos showing old men, women and children running out of their homes, some of them half-naked and terribly frightened as military jets hovered above children running out of their homes, some of them half-naked and terribly frightened as military jets hovered above because Uzodimma wanted to please those who made him governor. The only crime the IPOB activists committed was their audacity to resist bandits occupying the forests in the South East and committing unspeakable atrocities. Yet, no one is waging war against the bandits. Last week, Uzodimma boasted that “our government decided to invite military to flush out IPOB and their so-called ESN,” insisting that his administration will not hearken to the pleas of those calling for the withdrawal of the soldiers. He has made all manner of allegations against Igbo youths, accusing them of murdering “four Moslems doing their business in Orlu,” and killing “several policemen and innocent citizens in the area”, without any shred of evidence. Of course, he has been hailed by those who gave him the power he did not merit. Yet, the same people hailing him as an action governor for decimating his own people are negotiating for not only unconditional amnesty for the bandits up North but insisting they be paid compensation. Bandits wreaking havoc across the country, we are told by the northern elite, are not criminals. They are militants - and even freedom fighters - who have the right to carry AK- 47 rifles, not to protect themselves but to kill Nigerians, if need be, because the herdsmen are aggrieved. Despite the carnage in the North, none of the governors hailing Uzodimma as a patriot has called for the military to flush out the bandits from their states even when they know where they are in the forests. Instead, they are negotiating and paying them millions of naira as ransom. This week, Uzodimma went to Aso Rock to brief President Muhammadu Buhari on how well the military operation in Orlu was going. “I came here (Presidential Villa), pleaded with Mr. President for his support and he sent additional support by sending in police and the military also came in. And that is where we are. It was on my invitation that the military came. And I did that because I know the situation was beyond the local arrangement, we needed help. And the help was given to us,” he told journalists after a close-door meeting with Buhari. That is what quislings do - they collaborate with an enemy occupying force. Uzodimma could invite the military to decimate his own people because he does not owe any allegiance to them. He owes allegiance to those who made him governor. He knows his power base. It is not Imo State. If he became governor without the people’s vote, why should he care a hoot about them? Political observers While the battle is still raging in Orlu, a new theatre erupted in Owerri between Uzodimma and one of his co-conspirators, Senator Rochas Okorocha, former governor of the state. Discerning political observers know it is a war foretold - natural consequence of a shenanigan taken too far. In his dissenting judgement when Ihedioha asked the Supreme Court to set aside its January 14, 2020 ruling, Justice Centus Nweze - who was not part of the original sevenmember panel that nullified Ihedioha’s election - said most profoundly: “The decision of the Supreme Court in the instant matter will continue to haunt our (Nigeria’s) electoral jurisprudence for a long time to come.” He is right. But it is not only the electoral jurisprudence the judgement is haunting. It is haunting Imo State terribly. It is also bound to haunt those who orchestrated the injustice. That is called nemesis, which explains the deadly tango between Uzodimma, Okorocha and Ifeanyi Araraume. Okorocha’s humiliation over the weekend in a state he thought he had conquered is a well-deserved comeuppance. Same for Araraume who was denied the APC senatorial ticket in Okigwe. That is what happens when bootleggers sit back to share the spoils of their political philandering. Interestingly, Okorocha’s son-inlaw, Nwosu, has gone back to the Supreme Court to request a declaration that Uzodimma was not the APC candidate in the 2019 election. He is also praying the apex court to declare Ihedioha winner and mandate the INEC to once again issue him with the certificate of returns. I wish the Supreme Court justices will appreciate the fact that Imo, a constituent part of Nigeria, will not know peace as long as Uzodimma continues to usurp a position he does not merit. And Nigeria will be worse for it. :Vanguard News By Ozioruva Aliu BENIN CITY—THE Private Depot of Oil and Gas Marketers Association of Nigeria, PDOGMAN, has in collaboration with the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, inaugurated a security surveillance team in Benin City, Edo state to check incidences of pipeline vandalism across oil installation and oil pipeline routes. The Assistant Commander, Edo State Command of the NSCDC, Emmanuel Ojile who represented the Edo State Commander of NSCDC, assured that the command has what it takes to protect all federal government's critical assets and infrastructure in Edo State and the country in general, adding that it has Divisional Officers in all the eighteen local government areas of the state that can be called upon in case of any emergency. He said: "We have a core mandate to protect all federal government assets and infrastructure across the country. We are happy to be part of this success story that the Edo State branch of PDOGMAN is being inaugurated today. We have the capability to NANNM endorses JIK to promote hygiene practice in Nigeria By Gabriel Olawale L AGOS—NATIONAL Association of Nigeria Nurses and Midwives, NANNM has announced a strategic endorsement with leading household disinfectant brand, JIK to promote hygiene practices in Nigeria. The partnership is in line with JIK’s long-term vision to realise a world where families are safe from illnesscausing germs and viruses. It will also enable Reckitt Benckiser (RB Nigeria), through its brand JIK, to further encourage good hygiene practices in communities and the public through several far-reaching bouquet of programmes. In his remarks, General Secretary :@vanguardnews Private depot operators, NSCDC partner to tackle pipeline vandalism interface and protect, even at the state headquarters, we are available for you to work with", he assured. Earlier in his opening remarks, the National Secretary of PDOGMAN, Mr. Fred Ufuah said the inauguration of the joint security surveillance team was made possible because of the MoU the body entered with NSCDC which spelt out all the legal requirements of the operation which he said is for three years in the first instance. According to Ufuah, "we signed an MoU, a legal document with them to collaborate in the security activity. The legal document was signed in July last year and it has three years tenure which is subject to renewal based on the performance of the officers in the job. Before the signing of the MoU, our officers went through lectures and training from the NSCDC command". While reminding the team members that the Benin NNPC petroleum products Depot became moribund because of pipeline vandalism, Ufuah urged them to hand over to the officials of NSCDC anyone caught vandalising petroleum pipelines or any other oil installation. Delta Speaker, Oborevwori was never invited by EFCC —CPS By Festus Ahon ASABA—CHIEF Press Secretary, CPS to the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Mr Dennis Otu, Tuesday, said the Speaker, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori was never invited by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission, EFCC over the purchase of cars for members of the House. Otu in a statement made available to newsmen in Asaba, described media reports that the Speaker and the Clerk of the House, Mrs Lyna Ocholor were arrested and detained by the EFCC as incorrect and malicious. Noting that the report was the handwork of mischief-makers who were out to tarnish the good image of the Speaker, he explained that VAT and Tax were deducted at source by the office of Accountant General of the State from the value of the cars. ASUU offers scholarship to 30 most deserving UNIZIK students By Vincent Ujumadu AWKA—THE Nnamdi Azikiwe University branch of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday awarded scholarships to 30 students of the institution as part of measures to reduce the burden on their parents who were finding it difficult to finance their education at this period of economic hardship in the country. The students received N50,000 each for the 2019/2020 academic session, with the Unizik ASUU chairman, Comrade Stephen Ufoaroh explaining that the Explaining that the Clerk who was invited by the EFCC to bring documentary evidence of the cars transaction based on a petition, he said the Clerk returned same day after presenting documents requested by the Commission. Otu held that the cars were purchased in accordance with the procurement law, adding that the Petitioners decided to resort to blackmail having failed in their devilish act. While calling on the public to disregard the said media report in its entirety, he reiterated that neither the Speaker nor the Clerk of the House was detained by the EFCC. Insisting that the Speaker has never been involved in shoddy businesses, he said the Speaker is on the same page with the members and very transparent in the running of the House. beneficiaries were those who deserved it most. Ufoaroh said the gesture was to support the students to complete their academic pursuit, adding that ASUU members tasked themselves to raise the money despite the fact that all academic staff of Unizik were owed salaries between four and twelve months. He said: "Despite the prevailing problems, ASUU-Unizik, still saw the need to help in alleviating the suffering of our students, who have also borne the pains of the ruling class insensitivity to the suffering masses of this country.‘‘ of NANNM, Comrade Thomas Shettima, said the association was proud to identify with JIK. “Reckitt Benckiser’s products are well-tested and the efficacy of their products – especially JIK, is not in doubt; the reason for our endorsement. We are confident that this will further promote the acceptance of the brand.” With the Memorandum of Understanding signing, the association has granted RB the exclusive right to use its official logo on all its JIK products and brand materials. Every RB’s advertising material for JIK products and brands on all media platforms will likewise carry the association’s official endorsement and logo. C M Y K
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