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From Katsina with Ibrahim Shema’s good tidings

By Our Reporter on September 2, 2014 · Back Page / Columns, Columns, Sideview

Originally, it was said the fear of God is the beginning of wisdom. But nowadays, Nigerians have paraphrased that powerful scripture to the fear of Boko Haram is the beginning of wisdom. So, when the Nigerian Guild of Editors announced that this year’s All Nigeria’s Editors’ Conference, ANEC, was going to hold in Katsina, the question was, why Katsina of all places? Or anywhere in the North for that matter!
The way everyone, including this reporter, reacted, you’d think that the Guild was planning to hold the conference in Chibok town, near the evil forest of Sambisa. “Are we safe?” I had asked the Guild President, Femi Adesina. It turned out that it was the question on every lip and Femi had answered it so many times already.
“Katsina is said to be the safest part of the North,” he explained. But it was when I heard that the issue had become so contentious that the northern delegates, who had faithfully attended three or more consecutive annual conferences in the South threatened to pull out of the Guild if the venue was changed that I made up my mind to be there, perhaps, as the disciples of Jesus said at the Lord’s most harrowing hour, “let us go there and die together.”
But far from dying, Katsina offered us a beacon of hope and good things. To avoid landing in Kano and the attendant logistic challenge of travelling to Katsina from Kano, delegates from Lagos and Abuja had a chartered Boeing 737 flight to take us straight to Katsina en route Abuja.
I was last at Katsina in 1991 with a couple of other journalists that included the then NTA’s Chris Anyanwu and we had come for project inspection during the regime of Military Administrator, Col. John Madaki. Katsina, home to the famous Yar’Adua dynasty and former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (from Daura), then was a low-key urban town with limited roads and other infrastructures. Then, we inspected mostly boreholes, rural roads, schools, clinics and electrification. The contrast today is very stark. Katsina today is a very modern city, with good roads. We now drove through a new city paved with a six-lane ring road on both sides around Katsina town with made-in-Katsina solar-powered street lights. But, as we piled into buses at the airport, my eyes were alert. Where are the armed security squads to protect us in case? There were none. I’ve gone to many places in the South here where we were escorted by armed security, but not in Katsina. At the large Liyafa Palace Hotel where all the Fellows of the Guild were lodged in suites, not even a single policeman was visible – just, plain private civilian security guards, the type you have in your homes.
The first night, I was thinking, what if Boko Haram hear that editors are in Katsina, wouldn’t we be a great target of the terrorists to draw global attention? But as it turned out, Katsina is a very peaceful state, with no security concerns. Indeed, when we drove from the airport to the Government House for a brief welcome reception with the State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, and his cabinet members, we encountered minimal security. After our registration for the conference the next day, the soldier manning the conference hall suggested that we drop our conference bags with him and collect it after the opening ceremony ostensibly because the Governor, the Senate President, the Minister of Education and other top dignitaries were expected, but surprisingly, I was able to convince him easily to allow us in with our bags because it would be too difficult for each person to retrieve their bags afterwards since the bags are uniform! Such sensible ease speaks about the ambience of peace and security of Katsina.
Over 200 editors besieged Katsina town, stretching their hotel infrastructure. We had come to explore a theme, Credible Elections and Good Governance: The Role of the Editor. We were exploring the foundation of credible elections and good governance. Apart from the keynote address by Alhaji Umaru Muttallab, other papers were presented around this theme by INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, legal activist, Ms Ayo Obe, media icon, Ray Ekpu, plus an interactive executive session with host governor, Ibrahim Shema, representatives of Lagos State Governor, Tunde Fashola, and Bayelsa State Governor, Henry Dickson.
Good governance or credible elections, which drives the other? Papers and debates went back and forth. I was one of the three discussants of the keynote address by Muttallab – my co-discussants were NTA’s Director-General, Shola Omole (represented by NTA’s Executive Director of News, Shola Atere), and Professor Umar Pate. I concluded by arguing that good governance, to a great extent, should drive credible election. Since June 12, 1993, the average Nigerian voters had demonstrated time and again their willingness to deliver free and fair elections, it is the political class that is dragging the electorate backwards with election riggings and instigation of violence. But where the elected office holders perform well in office, they don’t need to induce people with “stomach infrastructure”, rig elections or resort to violence to win elections. The average Nigerian electorate would fight to return them to office.
As it turned out, the performance of Governor Shema in office became a good illustration of that point, an excellent case study in how good governance can drive credible elections. Shema shared his story both at the executive session with all the editors and at a private session with five elders of the Guild of which I was present.
When he came to power in 2007, he inherited N54 billion of awarded contracts obligations. The Nigerian tradition is usually to abandon those contracts, refuse to pay for them and then proceed to award your own contracts. But Shema, convinced that government is continuity, spent the first 18 months of his tenure, completing all the projects started by his predecessor and paying off the N54 billion. This of course, put him at odds with his supporters and powerful stakeholders, who wanted him to award fresh contracts. Some of those contracts included the Katsina airport where we landed, the completion of Katsina State University and Polytechnics, among other things.
Incidentally, it was in the area of education that Governor Shema seemed to have spectacularly excelled. On coming to power, he visited some schools and found them deserted – the pupils had been sent home because they could not pay school fees. Worried by what he saw, Shema calculated the total revenue that accrued from school fees in the state and was told they came to N450 million per annum. Shema then reckoned that if merely he saved N100 million monthly from the state’s monthly allocation of N2.8 billion then, he would save N1.2 billion a year. With that simple arithmetic, Shema then offered free education in the state from primary to tertiary level. The state government also pays for all exam fees like those of WAEC, JAMB, etc.
But it is not only that students from Katsina State are offered education free, Shema’s administration has offered scholarships to about 700 indigenes of the state to study abroad, all expenses paid. But the condition is that they must study science-based courses like medicine, pharmacy, engineering courses, especially aeronautical, environmental engineering, etc.
The story of an orphan boy from Funtua stood out. Thanks to free education by the Shema administration, the boy was able to make straight A’s in all his subjects. But then, he secured a job in the farm of a rich man where his singular duty was carrying fertilizers on a donkey. When Shema heard of his pathetic story, he offered him scholarship to the University of California to study Environmental Engineering. This year, the orphan graduated with First Class honours and won a prize, as the overall best graduating student. He is back for his youth service but before then, with tears in his eyes, he presented his prize to the governor.
In Katsina, the duty of husbands stops with impregnating their wives. After that, the state government takes over all delivery cost, even if it is caesarian section and the child enjoys free medical care until age five. All malaria treatment and dialysis or renal treatments are free while oldies enjoy fee medical care.
Governor Shema inherited a decrepit and leaky Government House from his predecessor, but today, he has built an ultra-modern Government House complex that rivals any in the country.
But the news is not the building of the Government House but how he funded it. His policy is that before he awards contracts, there must be total cash backing. He pays 40 per cent of the contract sum as mobilisation fee and invests 60 per cent in treasury bills and other financial instruments until the final execution. After three-year tenure, Shema was shocked to discover that the state had garnered a huge income of N10 billion from such investments. It was out of this income from the investments that he spent N8 billion to build and furnish the Government House complex and spent another N400 million to build official Government Lodge at Abuja. “This Government House was not built out of the state’s allocation or IGR,” he said. “It is almost free of charge to the government because there is no law that compels me to invest government money in the first place.”
How much did the six-lane ring road cost? Well, according to Governor Shema, Julius Berger quoted N37 billion for less than one-third of the ring road and declined to make any discount. Realising he could not afford to execute the entire project at that rate, Shema then got consultants, who provided him with bill of quantity and then Shema dared five of us, “Can any of you guess how much we eventually built the entire ring road?”
“May be N15 billion?” Ray Ekpu finally guessed.
Wrong. Wide off the mark! “We eventually built the whole of the six-lane ring road for N6 billion! People don’t believe me but that is the truth!”
In all his exploits, Shema wants it underscored that he has never borrowed a dime. All his projects are executed from the state’s federal allocation of N5 billion and N1 billion IGR.”
Yet, the state is not owing workers or pensioners. Yet, the state has a healthy cash balance of over N32 billion and about N20 billion in local government account. Perhaps, it is high time Shema conducted a tutorial on prudence and management of state resources to many of his colleagues, who have left a legacy of squandermania with nothing to show for it.

Monday, April 11, 2011

FOUR YEARS OF BRIDGE BUILDING

Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III

By Uche Ezechukwu
Monday, March 07, 2011,BACK PAGE

At a time when Nigerians are faced with horrendous and disappointing failures in leadership at the various levels, it is not surprising that superlative performers at their leadership posts are nowadays treated with lack of recognition. At a time when betrayal has become the distinguishing habit of most of those to whom we entrust our lives and circumstances, it is hard to blame citizens when they fail to extol men and women who are making sterling contributions to the society. One of such rare people is a retired army general, astute and intellectual diplomat, scholar and administrator – among many other attributes – and currently the Sultan of Sokoto, the head of the Sokoto Caliphate and the leader of Nigerian Muslims.

Last week, the second of March, marked the fourth anniversary of the coronation of Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III as the 20th Sultan of Sokoto and the head of the 200+ year-old Caliphate, founded by Sheikh Othman dan Fodio in 1804. (He had ascended the throne in November of the previous year, 2006 at the death, through a plane crash, of his predecessor). It would almost be trite to assert that before ascending the most prominent and enduring traditional stool in Nigeria, if not Africa, the former army general (whose bio-data is as thick as a book) had been adequately prepared professionally, intellectually and politically to occupy the position which, like most other such institutions, was being confronted by the challenge of marrying the ancient with the modern ways of life of millions, while at the same time trying to make both relevant in the vicissitudes of the present day demands.

Abubakar III ascended the leadership of the Sultanate, two years after the bi-centenary celebrations, during which the essence of the Caliphate was being put to question by some who were not great fans of an institution which they claimed had outlived its usefulness, just as better informed people, who have had the benefit of studying and watching the operation of the Sultanate from very close quarters, have continued to insist that its roles have become even more relevant now than ever. A major relevance of the Sultan is that as the head of the Muslim community (umma) in Nigeria, he holds a delicate but very important ace to the stability of Nigeria which can only be assured through a deft management of religious relationships in the country. Remarkably, Sultan Abubakar III ascended the throne at a time of great challenges in inter-religious and ethnic relationships in the country.

He personally acknowledged this fact on October 28, 2008, while receiving an honorary doctorate from Anambra State University. The Sultan acknowledged that the country was experiencing great challenges in its religious and ethnic relationships occasioned by the escalation of religious and ethnic differences, particularly over the vexed issue of indigene-settler relations. Wondering how Nigeria had been brought to a stage where “friend turned against friend, neighbour turned against neighbour and state turned against state, to maim and kill, without any compunction and to leave a trail of destruction...”, he reasoned realistically that the sooner Nigerians of all backgrounds appreciated that it does not make any sense for anybody to be regarded as stranger in his or her own country, the better for all, and unless Nigerians were not desirous of existing as citizens of one country, sturdy bridges of understanding must be built consciously by all Nigerians of all ethnics and faiths to achieve the imperative of peaceful co-existence.

He has acted more as a doer than a preacher in the way he has immersed himself deeply into activities that would realistically and sustain build these bridges. Through the instrumentality of the Nigerian Interreligious Council (NIREC), which the Sultan as the head of the Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) co-chairs with the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), a big momentum was generated in the management of religious relationships in the country. Needless to say that the dedication and level-headed activities of this council of the 50 men and women (25 each from the two religions), has contributed immensely to keeping these crises from going overboard. The unique maturity and chemistry between the Sultan and another great bridge builder, Archbishop John Onaiyekan, the Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, have gone a long way in erecting these bridges across the religions and cultures.

It is on record that the Sultan made history when he journeyed to Abuja in May last year to officiate as a keynote speaker at a national event of CAN during which he elaborated on the need for a better appreciation of and on the imperatives of building on the things that bind Muslims and Christians rather than stressing on their differences. It would be useful for such a gesture to be reciprocated by an equally high ranking Christian leader.

I had the opportunity of being invited to deliver the keynote paper at the NIREC conference in Bauchi in April 2010, and have since then, been afforded the opportunity of getting deep insights into the workings of the little-advertised Council as well as the enormous contributions which the organization and its members have made, as well as NIREC’s unprecedented potential for building religious harmony in the country. I have also been able to appreciate more deeply how far personal integrity, committed patriotism and deep knowledge of leaders can take a people and their society in the right direction. That fact ensured that Sultan Abubakar III and Archbishop Onaiyekan achieved a great deal and it is very obvious that even now that Onaiyekan has yielded his seat to another, by the virtue of his departure as CAN’s leader, the impact he left on NIREC and the society will remain enduring, as long as the sultan remains a part of that patriotic commitment and vision.

The Sultan is a man of great knowledge and patriotism, and contrary to what some might think, the Caliphate is not a conservative institution and will continue to remain relevant because it is guided by a deep belief and commitment that no society can survive and endure without building strong bridges of understanding, continually repaired and strengthened across many aspects of the society. For the Sultan Abubakar III and his forebears, these bridges must be built on justice, knowledge and good governance, through the service to the people and not through a situation, whereby leaders, “simply regard politics and struggle for political power as the shortest route to fame and fortune”, as the sultan stated in his lecture paper entitled ‘The Responsibilities of Leadership in National Development’, at NIPSS, Kuru in March 2009.

Like the 19 others before him, Sultan Abubakar III has continued to insist that justice and knowledge constitute some of the strongest bedrocks of a sane, progressive and stable society. In his paper at the Fifth Annual Lecture of the Post Graduate Studies of UNILAG in June 2009, the Sultan succinctly remarked that, “the Sokoto Caliphate...was predicated on the firm belief that knowledge constitutes a necessary ingredient for effective leadership and good governance. Leaders must not only be educated and knowledgeable but must also be guided by knowledge and understanding to manage efficaciously, the affairs of the citizenry”. To him, good education is a sine-qua-non for good governance and good citizenry, just as he holds that Nigeria cannot go forward without justice to the citizens. Most Nigerians today bemoan the fact that lack of knowledge and inadequate education has become the bane of our national and local politics.

He has shown an unparalleled commitment to ensuring that leaders and the led continue to appreciate the great gains that can be made through the enthronement of certain imperatives which, as he believes, Nigeria cannot do without. These imperatives he recognizes as that of purposeful and visionary leadership; a common citizenship with its requisite rights and obligations; and nurturing talent and providing opportunity to each citizen to realise his or her potential.

According to him, “we must also nurture talent and provide opportunities for our entrepreneurs in different parts of the country to contribute their quota to national development. Where a particular region, like the South East, has specific talents in process engineering and manufacturing, the nation, as a whole must come to the full support of this region with the view of making Nigeria self-sufficient in its area of expertise. And the same should be done for other regions...”

Sultan Abubakar III has time and age on his side, and if the big bridges he has already built and building within this short time in office between the different peoples and their cultures and religion, not to talk about the unique vistas and knowledge which has brought to bear, from his vast and varied exposures and experience, on our society, are anything to go by, then Nigeria will be the best for it. Ultimately, it will be appreciated by all that what matters most are not the bridges of concrete across our physical terrains and landscapes, but rather those built across our minds, relationships and perceptions...because it is those that make for human progress, social justice and over-all social development.

That being so, it should no longer the likes of Julius Berger who should be extolled but the likes of Alhaji Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, the 20th Sultan of Sokoto, that should be decorated with the shibboleth of Nigeria’s bridge builders.
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Victor Ndoma-Egba

Ndoma-Egba: A Senator’s empowerment initiative

Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), is known to be one of the highly respected federal lawmakers in the country today, due to his valuable contributions to discussions on the
floor of the Senate, which have greatly helped in the growth and sustenance of our democracy, fifteen years after its entrenchment. The legal practitioner turned politician appears to have become a
legislative brand of sort having spent eleven fruitful years in the Red Chamber, rising from being the Senate spokesman to the Deputy Majority Leader and now Majority Leader.
Since his inauguration as a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2003 representing Cross River Central Senatorial District, on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he has pushed for
the execution of various projects in his constituency and initiated manifold humanitarian/outreach programmes that have gone a long way in ensuring the empowerment of his people. The impact of Ndoma-Egba’s representation seems to be quite superlative, such that he has
continued to receive endorsement from different individuals and groups to remain in the Senate for a record fourth term come 2015. Just last week, prominent Nigerians from all walks of life gathered at
Government Secondary School, Ikom, Cross River State to witness the seventh empowerment programme of the Senator in three years.
The occasion was attended by the Senate President, David Mark, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu and Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke. Some of the items distributed at the event included: cars, generators, deep
freezers, viewing centre equipment, laptops, farm tools, oil mills, beans/corn mills, Garri Processing Machines, musical equipment to a number of churches in various communities across the six LGAs in Cross
River Central. Also the sum of one million naira was given to each LGA in the district for petty business women, one million naira each LGA for widows and N200, 000 each for the 120 beneficiaries of the CBN/Ndoma-Egba Business Enterprise Training. Speaking at the empowerment programme, Imoke commended Ndoma-Egba’s empowerment drive, describing him as a true son of the soil who has made significant impact in the lives of his constituents. “All our representatives must engage in empowerment, they
must ensure that truly our people feel the impact of democracy… today we have come to witness the good things senator Victor Ndoma Egba has brought for his people of the central senatorial district. I also want to thank our son for being part of that family that have made Cross River State proud”, Imoke said.
On his party, the Senate President who was the Special Guest of Honour used the occasion to join the endorsement train for Ndoma Egba’s fourth term ambition. According to him, the Senate Leader has done
much in the empowerment of his people to deserve another term.
While commending the unity between Governor Imoke and Senator Ndoma-Egba, not minding the rumours making the rounds that the duo have been at loggerhead over 2015, Mark said: “The governor said
something vital here today which is sustainable empowerment; how would we have sustainable empowerment? It’s very simple, if Victor Ndoma Egba goes back to the Senate there would be sustainable empowerment,
if he doesn’t return, sustainable empowerment cannot be sustained….I hope the language is very clear to those who have ears, go home and spread the message”.
At the end of the exercise, which was more like a carnival with his numerous admirers and supporters joining the tour, Ndoma-Egba told journalists that the cost of the projects that were inspected excluding the
Trans-African Highway and the Calabar-Oban-Nsan-Okoroba road can be put at N7 billion. According to him, “There are projects that I have attracted to the constituency that we can’t put a cost to. One of them is part of the Trans-African Highway in my constituency. That is in
millions of US dollars. Then there is the Calabar-Oban-Nsan-Okoroba road. It is a major project running into tens of billions. It is about 80 or 90 billion naira.”
• Michael Jegede, Abuja.
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From Katsina with Ibrahim Shema’s good tidings

Monday, April 11, 2011

FOUR YEARS OF BRIDGE BUILDING

Ndoma-Egba: A Senator’s empowerment initiative