16102021 - Southeast Gov INEC top official in trouble over $4m bribe

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14—SATURDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 16, 2021 Zoning not Nigeria’s problem but finding competent leadership —Gov Ortom Says PDP ‘ll ensure emergence of consensus candidates for all positions By Peter Duru, Makurdi Governor Ortom in this interview argues that zoning is driven by the marginalisation of the people and the level of poverty in the society. He also believes that zoning or rotation of of political offices was not the problem of the country or at the party level but how to find credible persons. He also speaks of his future political career at the end of his second term in 2023. Governor Ortom in this interview speaks on the possible implosion in the PDP over the zoning of offices, why zoning is not the problem of Nigeria, why he has not made up his mind to run for Senate in 2023, the recent protest by pensioners in Benue state and others. Excerpt: There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP members are polarized over the zoning of offices, how true is this? We are not polarized, the distribution of the positions in the North and the South is ongoing. We are discussing and by the grace of God we are going to resolve all issues because our intention is to ensure that we have consensus candidates for all the positions that have been zoned to us in the North and even in the South. That is what we are doing and we are working round the clock, so far so good. You have done your bit in the zoning committee of your party where you served as Deputy Chairman, but one of the leading members of your party said zoning was not the problem of Nigeria.... (Cuts in)...I want to ask you, do you believe that zoning is the problem of Nigeria? I have always said that zoning is good but it is driven by the marginalization of the people as well as the level of poverty among the people. So some people tend to believe that if you zone a position to their place they may have the opportunity of getting their own share of the cake. But beyond that, if you look at America from where we borrowed the presidential system of government, you will recall that they don’t zone. George Bush was President of America, at a point, two of his sons were governors; and one of his sons became the President of the country. So it doesn’t matter, you look for the best and that is what we are getting to. 20 years after this current experience, some of us are also looking at where we will look for credibility with the objective of trying to get somebody who will lead us at the party level and even at the presidential level. I believe that this is the thinking of all Nigerians arising from the recent challenge that we have from the North and South. Governors in the South and governors in the North are giving their divergent views about what should happen next. If you listen very well to what Nigerians are saying you will understand me. Nigerians are saying that zoning is not the problem of Nigeria that what we should look for is the best, somebody who can deliver. From former President Goodluck Jonathan we zoned to the North and President Buhari is there, tell me, are you getting dividends of democracy? Has the country been secured? Have we been able to improve on the economy of this country? Have we been able to improve the education sector or the infrastructure of this country? That is the problem, so you just find zoning and do micro zoning and go to look for a person who doesn’t have much to add value to the development of the country. But I think that nobody is against what my committee did, we all accepted it and we are working towards it and by the grace of God, PDP is good to go, because we are confident and we know that the entire country is waiting for the PDP to provide leadership. Yes we made some mistakes in the past until 2015. But now PDP has apologized and we are willing to move forward from there and by the grace of God we shall come out victorious. Some Benue youths on the platform of Zone ‘B’ Youth Movement for Ortom 2023 have been going round the Benue North West District mobilizing the people with the intent to convince you to run for Senate in 2023. What do you make of this initiative? Recall that in 2017 I said I was not going to contest election, but when I went back for weeks of prayers, God said I should go ahead and contest. And I came back and told the media. I also contested and won. So on this matter I am still consulting with God and the people. So on the issue of running for senate in 2023, I have not decided. There is no crime at all in what they are doing, I appreciate the youths for agitating that I should contest for Senate. I am yet to make that decision and at the appropriate time I will let you know. I don’t want to be distracted, I still have more than one year to go and my intention is to take advantage of the opportunity I have and end very strong. Then I can talk about the future. The future is not in my hands and it is not in the hands of anyone. The future belongs to God. So I am committed and concerned with how I can do more to provide dividends of democracy for the people. The school of nursing students in Makurdi days back staged a protest over tuition issues and pensioners also did... (Cuts in)...you will recall that school of Fear reigns, Anambra politicians flee •Now campaign outside state By Vincent Ujumadu THE failure of South East governors to tackle the problem of insecurity in the zone is seriously affecting preparations for the November 6 governorship election in Anambra State with the result that most of the governorship candidates are currently campaigning outside the zone ahead of the election. It is no longer a hidden issue that the five governors in the zone hardly implement any decision concerning their states successfully, even at a time other zones are forging ahead in both security and economic programmes. This is a major departure from the period when Mr. Peter Obi was the chairman of the South East Governors Forum when the governors were united in tackling problems confronting the zone. Although Obi belonged to APGA, he operated smoothly with the other four governors who were all elected on the platform of PDP. But now, the situation is totally different as the current governors of the zone hardly agree on any issue. Even the secretariat of the South East Governors Forum which was very effective has virtually become moribund, with workers owed several months of salaries. Governor Willie Obiano of Anambra State who did not even attend the last meeting of the South East governors in Enugu even accused some of his colleagues of sponsoring the insecurity in his state ahead of the governorship election. It would appear that the inability of the governors to work harmoniously is traceable to their personal desires to get the attention of the government at the center, rather than collectively work for the good of the South East. A case in point is the issue of the anti open grazing bill which is yet to be implemented in the zone because some of the states were yet to pass it into law. For instance, if the Ebubeagu security outfit launched by the South East governors last year had taken off successfully, the current security issues about the unknown gunmen in all the states would have reduced drastically. With gunmen holding sway in the zone and killing people at random, fears are •Ortom being entertained such that party supporters no longer gather in various venues to listen to their governorship candidates explain their programmes to the eligible voters. As it stands party supporters and eligible voters are still hoping that security operatives would make the situation conducive for the voters to come out to vote for their preferred candidates for the Anambra election on November 6. Following security breaches in some parts of the state, some of the candidates have taken their campaigns outside the state. For instance, the candidate of Young Progressives Party, YPP, Senator Ifeanyi Ubah has taken his campaign to the popular Alaba International Market in Lagos State, which has a large population of Igbo, particularly Anambra indigenes. Before he moved to Lagos, Ubah was organizing road shows which stood as his unique method of campaign, but that has stopped because of insecurity. Similarly, Mr. Val Ozzigbo, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had to organize a major rally in Asaba, Delta considered to be safer than most cities in Anambra State. He had earlier suspended Nursing is my baby. When I came in, for four years they were stripped of their accreditation, we got the issues resolved and since then it has been well. It is a very strange thing to hear that they protested. I have already queried my Commissioner for Health to explain to me and by Monday I should be able to say something. I want to know what the issues are, what the challenges are and where we can come in because the School of Nursing is very dear to the state and I am surprised to hear of their protest, instead of passing through the normal channel to air their grievances so that we can address them. Nobody brought their issue to my attention, I only heard of their protest. It is really unfortunate, but let me hear from the Health Commissioner who is presently not available because of other official engagements. And as soon as I have that I should be able to come out with a statement. On the issue of pension, I must say that I am really taken aback. But I think there is political undertone in that matter. When I came in 2015 I inherited over N70billion arrears of pensions, gratuity and salaries. We have been able to reduce that to less than N35billion as at today. I am proud to tell you that my administration has been able to put in place a process that will bring a permanent solution to this problem. The issue of pension or gratuity is a national problem. Even at the federal level they still have their challenge, other states also have their challenges. But I have succeeded in domesticating the National Pension Commission’s PenCOM law. Already we have invested more than N1.5billion in the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, account. It is there and once we are able to reach the N3billion threshold, we will be able to borrow money and clear the arrears; and subsequently all those who are retiring will not face the challenge of waiting for government to pay, they will go to PenCOM and as soon as you are retiring you can have your gratuity and pension. So these are the efforts we have put in place as a government. The officials of pensioners in Benue state commended me and appreciated what we have done. But we know we had arrears or backlog which should be cleared. As I talk to you, every month N700million is provided for pensioners in the last six months based on the agreement that we reached with the pensioners’ union. N400million goes to the state level though it is not enough to cover the entire pensioners at once but at least it is said that half a loaf is better than none. And at the Local Government level we release N300million making N700million. And for the past six months we’ve been doing this. So I am really taken aback when I heard what happened after we explained and we agreed that this is what we should be doing monthly. And mind you, at the local government level, the pensioners are part of the local government allocation account meeting. The pensioners are there, National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, and even NUT are there. So it is not like somebody is taking any money somewhere and not paying them or shortchanging them. Continues on www.vanguardngr.com his tour of the local government areas due to the activities of the unknown gunmen. The candidate of All Progressive Congress, APC, Senator Andy Uba also had to cancel the flag off of his campaign in Onitsha because of insecurity and no date has been fixed for the rally expected to be graced by all the APC governors, senators, House of Representatives members, as well as the array of politicians who defected from other political parties to APC. Similarly, the candidate of All progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Professor Chukwuma Soludo was forced to cancel a scheduled campaign rally at Ihiala following attack by gunmen at the venue of the rally. Before the attack, APGA officials in the local government were already making arrangements for the rally and with the cancellation; a new date has not been chosen to hold the campaign in the local government before the election. What majority of parities presenting candidates for the election are currently doing is neighbour to neighbour campaign, which some politicians consider very effective because it is a direct interaction with the voters. With 21 days to the election, there is, however, hope that security agencies will rise to the occasion and secure the state so that the electorate can go out to cast their votes on November 6.
What Akinwumi Adesina told Buhari By Prisca Sam-Duru The state of the nation is getting more pathetic by the day, with so much hunger, insecurity, violence and high unemployment rate driving the country to the brink. The speech by the President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi A. Adesina, at the Mid-Term Ministerial Performance Review Retreat, comes as a panacea to Nigeria’s recovery. Speaking on the topic, ‘Nigeria’s Economic Resurgence: Learning from the African Experience’, Dr Adesina who was Guest Speaker at the retreat held October 11, 2021, in Abuja, gifted the federal government of Nigeria, a most loaded and padded speech; the content of which if implemented, will engender the country’s economic resurgence. Stating the fact that the corona virus “pandemic has caused so many deaths and upended global economic growth”, he noted that “due to COVID-19, Nigeria’s economic growth rate declined to -1.8% in 2020. This mirrors the pattern across Africa, as the continent posted a -2.1% growth rate in GDP, its lowest in two decades”. He however posited that the country’s recovery, expected in 2022, “will depend on two critical issues: access to vaccines and tackling debt issues”. He added that Nigeria must build quality health care systems that will protect its population, today and well into the future, as well as world-class local pharmaceutical industries, able to effectively tackle the production of therapeutic drugs and vaccines. “Nigeria must revamp its local pharmaceutical industry and launch strategic investments for local vaccine manufacturing. Africa should not be begging for vaccines; Africa should be producing vaccines. “The African Development Bank will invest $3 billion in support of local pharmaceutical industries in Africa, including in Nigeria”. Adesina also insisted that “Nigeria must decisively tackle its debt challenges. The issue is not about debt-to-GDP ratio, as Nigeria’s debt-to-GDP ratio at 35% is still moderate. The big issue is how to service the debt and what that means for resources for domestic investments needed to spur faster economic growth. “The debt service to revenue ratio of Nigeria is high at 73%.Things will improve as oil prices recover, but the situation has revealed the vulnerability of Nigeria’s economy. To have economic resurgence, we need to fix the structure of the economy and address some fundamentals”. Dr Adesina advised government to “significantly boost productivity and revenues from its non-oil sector, with appropriate fiscal and macroeconomic policies, especially flexible exchange rates that will enhance international competitiveness”, adding that “The private sector should be given incentives to invest in infrastructure. ”The Federal Government’s15 trillion Naira Infrastructure Fund is a good idea, so is the initiative for tax credits for private sector investment in infrastructure. To be sustainable and more efficient, Public- Private Partnerships (PPPs) should be accelerated to finance major infrastructure across Nigeria”, he stated. Regarding trade, investment, and competitiveness, he explained that “The Africa Continental Free Trade Area presents a major opportunity for Nigeria. Consumer and business expenditures in Africa are projected to rise to $6.7 trillion by 2030. “Significant support should be directed toward boosting industrial manufacturing capacities. Nigeria should also move rapidly to the top of selected value chains, such as automobiles, computers and electronics, textile and garments, and food manufacturing, transport, and logistics”. Much, he noted in this regard, will depend on the ports of Nigeria. “According to the sector operators, the cost of exporting 100 tons of cargo in Nigeria is $35,000, compared to $4,000 in Ghana. Today, the leading ports for West Africa are in Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Togo, and Benin Republic. All these countries have modernized their port management systems, leaving Nigeria far behind”. Nigeria, he said can “learn from Morocco’s world-class Tangier-Med port. •Adesina The port is unique in that it is an industrial port complex, and a platform that has over 1,100 companies. They collectively exported over • 8 billion worth of goods in 2020". Sharing his experience at the Tangier- Med Port, Dr Adesina said, “I actually thought they were on vacation, as I did not see people; just machines, haulers, automated systems moving containers in what looked like a well-synchronized maze, with incredible efficiency. There were no kilometers of trucks waiting to get to the port”. Suggesting the adoption of the Morocco port model, he declared that “We should not be decongesting the ports in Nigeria, we should be transforming the ports. Nigeria should rapidly modernize and transform its ports. Ports are not there for revenue generation. They are for facilitating business and exports, and stimulating industrial manufacturing, and competitiveness of local businesses and exports”. Another approach to Nigeria’s recovery he recognized, is to boost food security, reduce the price of food, and ensure greater competitiveness of the agricultural sector. The ‘Growth Enhancement Scheme’ and the e-wallet system which he deployed while as Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, which led to fall in prices of food due to increase in production, he revealed, have been adopted in Togo, Liberia, and other African countries, “Yet in Nigeria where they were developed, they are no longer being implemented”. He pointed out that lack of rain, insecurity, middlemen, are not the major factors responsible for low food production but “the main reason is that farmers no longer have access to quality improved seeds, fertilizers, •Buhari and farm inputs at scale”. While joining farmers across the country to plead with the Federal Government to restore the popular Growth Enhancement Support Scheme and the e-Wallet system so as to put millions of farmers at the heart of agriculture at scale, Dr Adesina said, “if this is done, and run well, I can assure you that you will see a dramatic turnaround in national food production”. He further called on government to take “bold policy measures to drive the structural transformation of agriculture, with infrastructure and spatial economic policies”. ”The key for this is the development of Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones (SAPZs)across the country. Nigeria should establish Special Agro-industrial Processing Zones all across the country. The e-Wallet System and Growth Enhancement Scheme, to boost farmers access to productivity enhancing farm inputs should be reinstated and enshrined in law. Policy reversals should be avoided”, he maintained. With the rate of unemployment and youth involvement in societal ills soaring, as part of the recovery strategies for the country, Dr Adesina suggested, that it was high time Nigeria unleashed the potential of her youth. “Today, over 75% of the population is under the age of 35. More decisive actions are needed to turn this demographic asset into an economic dividend. A young, productive, youthful population, with access to education, skills, social protection, affordable housing, and medical care, will power Nigeria’s economy, now and well into the future”, he explained, emphasizing that “We must move away from so-called ‘youth By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja he Social Democratic Party SDP has expressed deep anger at the Tpropensity of political money bags to rig elections in the country, saying ahead of the 2023 general election, it has become imperative to advocate the death penalty for election riggers. This was as the party kicked against zoning of the Delta state Governorship ticket to the Central Senatorial District, saying in a state like Delta with its political maturity and as home to eggheads, competence must trump zoning. Chairman of the party in the state, Amb. Oke Idawene who is also the Chairman, Forum of SDP State Chairmen, stated this in an interview with Saturday Vanguard. He commended the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC for its decision to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS in the September 11 state Assembly bye election in Isoko South 1, Delta state, saying the technology helped to reduce incidences of multiple voting. Idawene said the device was able to guarantee the credibility of voter accreditation by preventing incidents of multiple voting or the use of stolen Permanent Voter Cards PVCs to vote while the use of the incident form was eliminated. Election rigging On rigging, he said the problem is not with INEC but other stakeholders. He said; “The problem we have right now is not SATURDAY Vanguard, OCTOBER 16, 2021—15 empowerment programs’. The youth do not need handouts. They need investments.”That is why the African Development Bank is currently working with Central Banks and countries to design and support the establishment of Youth entrepreneurship investment banks. These will be new financial institutions, run by young, professional, and highly competent financial experts and bankers, to develop and deploy new financial products and services for businesses and ventures of young people. Several African countries have already indicated their readiness to establish Youth Entrepreneurship Investment Banks”. By establishing Youth entrepreneurship investment banks, he said Nigeria would be making its youth the drivers of the new economy. The place of technology as one of the industries that will dominate the future, cannot be overemphasized. On this note, the African Development Bank Group president, disclosed that by “2030, 650 million Africans will have smart phones, and 50 million will have 5G phone networks. Digital payments, mobile money accounts, savings, credit, and money transfers will revolutionize businesses. Nigeria’s FinTech is surging as one of the leaders in Africa today”. He therefore, advised government to position the “FinTech industry as a major driver of the economy, and invest heavily in digital infrastructure”. And then, the biggest issue- insecurity. An economically resurgent Nigeria Dr Adesina insisted, “must be a more peaceful and secure Nigeria”. According to him, “Today, more than ever, several African countries are spending a significant share of their budgets on security, displacing the resources needed for development”. He lamented that on an alarming rate, “the investible space in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria, is shrinking due to insecurity and insurgencies.Yet, resources are not there to enable countries to cope with these rising challenges”, adding that “We must recognize the strong linkages between security, investment, growth, and development”. ”Without security there cannot be investment, without investment there cannot be growth, and without growth there cannot be development. The African Development Bank stands ready to help Nigeria in the design and implementation of Security- Indexed Investment Bonds to raise more resources to tackle its security challenges”, he stated. Not leaving out issue of climate change which is also crucial to the country’s economic recovery, Dr Adesina averred that if Nigeria does not prioritize climate adaptation and mitigation actions, climate change will pose challenges to the country’s economic resurgence. “Climate change has already decimated the whole of the Lake Chad basin. Today, that vast area, which used to provide livelihoods and resources for fisheries, livestock and food production is now littered with patch lands, dried up water beds and scorched earth. He therefore advised government to prioritize the recharging of the Lake Chad basin, as well as drive for a just energy transition, with natural gas; to protect its economy, assure energy for industrialization, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, pledging that “The African Development Bank will mobilize $25 billion in climate finance by 2025 in support of African countries”. And finally, on how much progress Africa Development Bank is making so far, he said “This year, Global Finance, the globally renowned U.S Magazine, rated the African Development Bank as the Best Multilateral Financial Institution in the world for 2021. “That is the kind of Africa we want! Africa showing global excellence in the midst of a turbulent world, finding solutions, and driving innovation and change, at scale”. 2023: SDP wants death penalty for election riggers, kicks against zoning INEC. It is the people. Somebody tried to snatch a ballot box in Isoko South and he was gunned down. I don’t like bloodshed, but that is the way to go. Ahead of 2023, the punishment for such electoral malfeasance should be death by hanging. Anybody rigging elections is an enemy of the people and must be so treated. “With the BVAS, the votes were not adulterated. There was no rigging in that election. For the first time in Nigeria, I went for an election where until the morning of the elections, the collation officers were not known and the voting pattern was clear. “To this end, I think we should give INEC all the support for electronic voting, electronic collation and transmission of results. It is only then we can get genuine leadership and see Nigeria tilting towards progressive tendencies. I want to call on the National Assembly to support this BVAS and other technologies used by INEC”. On Zoning the 2023 presidency to the South and the Delta Governorship ticket to Delta Central, the SDP Chairman said; “SDP is not for zoning. We are for competence. It is time we stopped regional tendencies. Nigeria is one. No matter how you try, you cannot break us. Let us elect a leader who is a true Nigerian in body, soul and spirit so that at the end of the day we can say we are going forward. “SDP is anti-zoning. For the Southern leaders, if you •Ambassador Idawene want the presidency, I call on you to lobby. Power is not given for free. It is a collective responsibility. Leave your comfort zones and go to the North and explain why you should be given the opportunity to produce the next president. Apart from that, every Nigerian is qualified to run for president.
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16102021 - Southeast Gov INEC top official in trouble over $4m bribe

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