₦airaland Forum

The National Conference has ended its deliberations without resolving the contentious issues of derivation and resource control. LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the implication of the non-resolution of the national question.

When the National Conference was inaugurated on March 17, many thought that delegates would go there with open minds and proffer solutions to the national question especially power structure, revenue sharing, derivation and resource control. But, Nigerias later lost hope because delegates could not adequately address the fundamental issues.

The controversey over derivation and resource control deepened the rift between northern and southern delegates, forcing the conference to adjourn abruptly many times. Delegates engaged in shouting matches, thereby frustrating several attempts by the leadership to broker peace and restore normalcy. Parochial mindset and regional interest were projected by delegates. They were not ready to make compromise on more issues.

In his inaugural address, President Goodluck Jonathan had said: “The purpose of this conference is to discuss and reach consensus on any aspect of governance arrangement for re-enforcing the unity, cohesion, stability, security, progress, development and performance of the Nigerian Federation… I believe, that certain issues must by now be accepted as minimum issues that must be regarded as given. These are issues that have resulted from decades of political engagements and contestations, dialogues, conflict and negotiations, networking , and confrontation with stark realities that unite us as a people”.

The 50 -wise men, in their report, have increased the derivation fund to 18 per cent. There five per cent first line charge for the development of mineral resources and another five per cent is proposed as the National Intervention Fund in Northeast states affected by the insurgency.

In analysts’ opinion, the delegates derailed from their principal task of reforming the imperfect federal structure and fostering true federalism. Instead, they engaged in regional and ethnic politics that has further polarised the country. In the process they reduced the conference to an arena of ethnic competition and regional antagonism.

The Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on National Conference, Dr Femi Okunrounmu, who is also a delegate, has reflected on the commotion. He said very early in the conference, three categories of delegates were at the conference.

Okunrounmu said the people in the first category consist of delegates from the Southwest and to a lesser extent, the Southeast, who were eagerly anticipating fundamental changes in the status quo is a return to regionalism and parliamentary form of government and a substantial devolution of powers to the regions or zones. The second category is made up of delegates from the minority zones. The Middle Belt delegates were opposed to regionalism, believing that they may once again come under the domination of the Hausa-Fulani. They wanted more states for ethnic minorities still entrapped in the core North. The South-south wanted of resource control and resource ownership. The delegates from the core North constitute the third category. They came with a very straight forward agenda, which was to block any change and ensure the sustenance of the status quo.

According to Okunrounmu, the core-North wanted to frustrate regionalism, and resist the call for a referendum. He also said that the North had the numerical strength to insist that the report should go to the National Assembly.

Public Affairs analyst Dr Frank Ezimora observed that the National Conference is threading path that led to the abrupt end of the National Political Reform Conference conveyed by the Olusegun Obasanjo administration in 2005. He recalled that the issue of derivation and resource control tore the conference apart. He said the three geo-political zones that make up the North, including the Middle Belt, had presented a united opposition to the Southsouth’s demand for a return to the status quo, whereby the federating units, that is, the regions, controlled their economic activities and finances.

Ezimora noted that the contentious issue had been settled by the 1960 Independence and 1963 Republican constitutions.”It was the law of Nigeria before and after independence that the federating units the regions, controlled their economic activities and finances, keeping 50 per cent of all revenues and contributing 50 per cent to the Federation account, out of which another 30 per cent was shared among the regions, leaving 20 per cent to the Federal Government,” he said.

Ezimora said the law was changed in 1969 by the General Yakubu Gowon military administration when the crude oil from the Niger Delta became the mainstay of the economy. “The change was done without consultation with or mandate from the people,” he added.

The social critic said many delegates do not understand the fundamental premise of fiscal federalism. According to him, the Southsouth delegates are simply asking for a return to the post-independence practice after 45 years. His words: “In fact, the zone has shown an understanding and political maturity by agreeing to a graduated increase from a base of 25 per cent over a five year period to 50 per cent, thereby allowing some time for other regions to wean themselves of the oil addiction. A return to resource control is the much needed panacea to Nigeria’s present state of arrested development that would at the same time offer relief to the impoverished and degraded peoples of the oil producing communities, Ezimora postulated.

Elder statesman Alhaji Femi Okunnu agreed with Ezimora’s submission. The legal luminary said: “We are not fair to the oil-producing states. The retention of the 13 per cent of the profit from sales of petroleum and agricultural products to state of origin under the 1999 Constitution is grossly unfair to the states of origin of minerals and agricultural products.

“ We are not ready to face the historical truth about the basis of the revenue allocation; the reason why in the colonial era , and until 1979, why the Federal Government was assigned only 20 per cent of the revenue allocation, instead of the 54 per cent the Federal Government now takes for running the central government.”

The former Federal Works Commissioner cited Section 134 (1) of the 1960 Constitution that stipulated that: “There shall be paid by the Federation to each region a sum equal to 50 per cent of the proceeds of any royalty received by the federation, in respect of any mineral extracted in that region and any mining rents derived by the federation during that year from within that region”.

The constitution further provided that, “the federation shall credit to the Distributable Pool Account, a sum equal to 30 per cent of the proceeds of any royalty received by the federation, in respect of the mineral extraction in any region and any mining rents derived by the federation from any region”.

Okunnu said the remaining 20 per cent was kept by the Federal Government as its own share. He explained that, under the colonial rule, the revenue allocation was fashioned in such a way that regions would derive revenue from the Federation Account according to the functions and powers, which the regions would carry out under the constitution.

He explained further: “Before independence, the colonial government, with the consent of the regional governments, appointed the Fiscal Commission to look into the functions and powers of the legislative list and determine the percentage of revenue the regional government will need to carry out their functions and the percentage that will go to the Federal Government; to determine how much the Federal Government would spend to service its own functions. That was how government at independence up to Murtala/Obasanjo era followed the fixed constitutional formula of 20 per cent to the Federal Government, 50 per cent to state of origin and remaining 30 per cent to the distributive pool to be shared among the regions or states.”

An activist, Bala Zakari, said there was no justification for increasing the revenue allocation of the oil-producing states. According to him, what a state like Delta collects from the Federation Account in a month is more than what five states in the North receive. His argument is that to increase the derivation allocation from 13 per cent will further impoverish states that do not produce oil.

Zakari argued that the oil-producing states do not spend money on the exploration and exploitation of oil. All the expenses, he said, were borne by the Federal Government. It is wrong for any state to claim ownership of the oil, since they don’t make any in-put in form of capital andtechnology towards production,” he said.

The Arewa youth leader queried the basis for the additional revenue being sought by the Southsouth. He said the Southsouth governors have not used the proceeds of 13 per cent derivation accrue to them judiciously. The special allocation has not impacted in the living standard of the people. He cited the case of former governor of Delta State, James Ibori who is serving jail term in Britain for diverting public funds meant to provide infrastructure for Delta people into his personal bank accounts in United Kingdom.

But, Ezimora faulted Zakari’s position. He said it was wrong to say that since the South-south governors have not used the 13 per cent derivation judiciously, they should not be given their states entitlement. He asked: What has the Nigerian governments controlled by northerners for the past 40 years, got to show for one trillion US dollars oil money. He said people should not play God by thinking that they will take away what belongs to others because in their warped minds such people have not used it to their own satisfaction.

Ezimora also said that, “if you give more to the Southsouth, there would be less for other zones. He said: “The corollary to this argument is that the oil producing communities should continue to be impoverished and vanquished because other zones need their wealth. Are South-south people being asked to sacrifice their lives so that northerners can live?”

In Okunrounmu’s reckoning, the core North has a fixation for power. He said there is nothing wrong in any section of the country wishing to have the Presidency, but when a section is so desperate for it, the country is moving towards crisis.



SOURCE ; http://thenationonlineng.net/new/controversy-over-resource-control/

The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) , Godwin Emefiele has been elected chairman of Committee of Central Bank Governors of the ECOWAS sub-region.

Emefiele, who was elected by fellow central bank governors from ECOWAS countries at the 31st meeting of the Committee of Governors of the West African Monetary Zone (WAMZ) in Abuja yesterday, hinted that the January 1, 2015 date for the commencement of the sub-regions monetary union may not be feasible.

He lamented that “over the years, appraisals have continued to show that the level of macroeconomic convergence in the Zone has remained inadequate relative to the set targets.”

He said since 2009, no two countries satisfied all the four primary convergence criteria consistently for two consecutive years. “Accordingly, we have missed several launch dates for the monetary union,” he said.

This development he said “may have informed the decision of the Heads of State and Governments to approve the Modified Gradualist Approach to monetary integration by 2020.”

He noted that the performance of Member States’ on the convergence scale, relative to that required for the establishment of a monetary union was still inadequate.

Also member countries’ business cycle synchronisation in terms of real GDP, inflation, broad money and interest rates remained weak, and their level of institutional preparedness for the monetary union remain inadequate, he added.

He then urged other central bank governors, “to objectively examine the numerous challenges before us, assess the state of preparedness of member states for monetary integration at short notice, and realistically appraise the directive of the Heads of States and Governments for a Modified Gradualist Approach to monetary Integration by 2020.”

He said their role “is to honestly appraise this directive and design strategies to ensure a sustainable monetary union in the zone.”

In doing this, Emefiele urged other ECOWAS countries, “to think outside the box, realistically assessing and providing innovative options as well as the costs and benefits of implementing the Modified Gradualist Approach.”

He however said that member countries “have continued to make remarkable progress towards the establishment of a common market and the implementation of the ECOWAS Trade Integration Protocols and Convention as well as significant progress towards the reforms of their financial systems.”




SOURCE: http://thenationonlineng.net/new/emefiele-emerges-ecowas-central-banks-governors-chair/

The European Union (EU) approved yesterday a N3.4billion grant to Nigeria for the power sector.

The grant is meant for the Nigerian Energy Support Programme (NESP), dedicated to improving access to modern and sustainable energy sources in Nigeria.

The grant was jointly announced by the Federal Ministry of Power (FMP), the European Union (EU) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit yesterday.

At the event, the EU Ambassador, Michel Arrion, said the release of the funds showed the European Union’s commitment to ensure that a greater number of Nigerians get access to electricity, as well as to a lasting partnership with the government and other donors in the power sector.

The Permanent secretary, Ambassador Igali, while inaugurating the event, said part of the government’s transformation agenda is to improve the supply and efficiency of electricity for Nigerian households and businesses, thereby improving the livelihoods of a greater number of the people.

He praised the EU, GIZ and the other development partners in their support of the power sector.

The Country Director to GIZ, Dr. Thomas Kirsch, said the EU funding will greatly help to support the implementation of the Nigerian transformation agenda, and scale-up activities aimed at improving access to energy supply for the population.

The Nigerian Energy Support Programme aims to improve the conditions for investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency and rural electrification.

The programme commenced in 2013 with about N2 billion support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

The N3,4 billion additional funding will allow NESP to continue to advise Nigerian institutions on the enabling policy, institutional and regulatory framework conditions at the Federal level, support improved rural electrification planning in five states and set up various demonstration projects, providing business models to increase energy access through sustainable energy resources.

Also, NESP will initiate and support vocational training and capacity development in the electricity sector.

The EU contribution to NESP is part of the N9billion grants in the Energising Access to Sustainable Energy in Nigeria (EASE) Programme, agreed with the Nigerian Government in February, 2014.




SOURCE : http://thenationonlineng.net/new/eu-grants-nigeria-n3-4b-to-boost-power/

General2000: After Nyako, Guess who?

....nasarrawa state governor nxt, den rochas and amechi

NgeneUkwenu: Jonathan problems about to start...

which problem if i may ask

emaboi: U will not fall frm d top like
SPAIN,
Ur enemies will suffer
humiliation like BRAZIL,
Ur haterz will misbehave like
SUAREZ,
U will neva be misled when
close to ur glory like BELGIUM,
U will be gettin goals like
GERMANY when ur enemies are
gettin confused like BRAZIL,
U wouldn't be ashamed of
showing face @ d place of ur
glory like ESSIEN,
Ur enemy will be impotent like
PORTUGAL,
D goliath dat doesn't want
2give way 2 you will fall like
SPAIN fell to CHILE,
Ur efforts want be as futile as
AUSTRALIA's against HOLLAND,
U will be favored and uplifted
like JAMES RODRIGUEZ,
U will be a world class achiever
like THOMAZ MULLER nd a
record breaking personality
like MIROSLAV KLOSE...
So shall it be unto you ,can i hear a
thunderous Amen.

.... AAAAAMEEEEEENNN

I was expecting these to happen.....oya nff go and source for ur own money....thieves

Abiagirl777: Abians wot do you say?i think its also damn time T A orji is impeached.

.....dat useless man has d house in his hands

bigwallace: google is ur frnd my brother,y dnt u google d stat of both players,den u compare nd contrast.afTa den u ask urself if u wer d coach wich of d players wud u av chosen,

....as for u HE GOAT i dont hav ur time....every1 wants to get notice, every1 wants to bcom a football pundit....i can see some1 like u getting keshi's job and failing b4 u sign ur contract papers...d google u refer to as my friend, let me ask u is google ur enemy, ar u blind to see fegnor made 7 appearance last season for arkmar perm in d russian league, as for nosa igiebor i watch most of real betis game....he is a bench warmer......if u hav personal hatred for keshi my friend its better u deal with it or u hug tranfomer.....

mikeansy: U need to do ur research cos you have no clue

.....google and wikipedia are ur friends....fegnor ogude made just 7 appearance for amkar perm in d russia league nosa igiebor was a bench warmer an got injuried i d better half of last season. Mereto i guess a coach like u would hav take them to d world cup...clueless you

mikeansy: Which players are bench warmers?

Do you even know their clubs?

....keep quiet, i tell u both players ar bench warmers....do ur reseach and prove me wrong

mikeansy: Mourinho and fergie will not take Ramon Azeez and Gabriel Rueben to World Cup ahead of Nosa Igiebor and and Fegor Ogude

.....both players are bench warmers in there respective clubsides

DeeMain: I think Nigeria should use this transition period to find a great coach who can fit into our system.

I have issues with Keshi. Keshi is not tactically savvy. Yes, he has won us the Nation's Cup, but we shouldn't allow that to cloud our judgement. His team has no shape, his team lacks basic organization (they are all over the place). The commentators were even alarmed and made fun at how poorly organized we were. His substitutions and choices are mediocre (remember Reuben Gabriel for Onazi). What of his choices of players to the WC? How can an ambitious coach go to the World Cup without a bench? And yes, he sacrifices merit (remember Chigozie Agbim, etc). His awareness and proactiveness is low. France hounded us for all of 25 minutes before they scored without a reaction from Keshi. Save for Enyeama it would have been another tale. Lastly, Keshi has poor man-management skills.

I believe we had a bad World Cup. If the Ref had allowed Dzeko's goal maybe we wouldn't have qualified for the 2nd round. 1 draw, 1 ref assisted win, 2 losses and a bad team is not good enough 4 me. Keshi should not be rewarded for his mediocrity.

What's our vision for our team? Where are we going? These questions should inform our decisions not sympathy or emotional interest.

We house a quarter of all black people on earth. We are a giant. We are the hope of Africa. Let's raise our standards. Africa is looking up to us.

My submission

....what a trash...what do u expect from keshi...thw truth is dat we dont havnt the caliber of players fit to compete at d level of the world cup....all our super stars ar flop amd bench warmer...pls dont disturb keshi even MOU, fegie will do nothing with dat team...free keshi abegii

Since work enugu....wish enugu and anambra would industrialize a bit in d nearst future THEN TO HELL WITH LAGOS....abia pls borrow a leaf from ur sister states

naijamerican: I thought Ghana was paradise? Whats going on?

.....dont mind them....GHANA is an over hyped country....benin republic way no dey shout better pass am.....

Yoritshekiri: You didn't read my post properly.

....kkk apologise

Ghana na una follow come? D way u charlee's ar seeking ASSYLUM... Hummmm deris God oooooo

Yoritshekiri: I don't know how some of you sit at home and make conclusions.
Ghana economy is sinking, I mean at the edge of collapse!

....stop denying the facts....why den is your charlee brodas seeking assylum/refugee in anoda country....let me ask DO YOU KNOW THE MEANING OF ASSYLUM?

mentorken05: so suprised with ur choice of words....u talk like u aint african...aint nigeria doing well economically too

.....and hav u heard or seen nigerians seeking refugee

anago90: loser your misspelling says lot. it bed time loser fvck off my mentions.

.....just like i said coward free my spellingz.....if u run away....it wont b well with u fool....oh i see South West cowards just like d civil war dey ran (awolowo) to dere norther folks because dey cant fight....oyen ba oso nmaya....ewu gambia

anago90: loser talking about manner jeez yet the loser is cussing out on another fellow mother on a public forum. low lifer how about taking portent dose of cyanide and concentrated h2so4 and save humanity from your gross stupidity syndrome.

.....how about u jumping inside lagoon just save ur pathetic parents d shame of breeding an idait

anago90: loser talking about manner jeez yet the loser is cussing out on another fellow mother on a public forum. low lifer how about taking portent dose of cyanide and concentrated h2so4 and save humanity from your gross stupidity syndrome.

.....how about u jumping inside lagoon just save ur pathetic parents d shame of breeding an idait