₦airaland Forum

The Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank has approved $200m (about N39.4bn) credit to Lagos State to support a range of reforms relating to fiscal sustainability, budget planning, budget execution and the investment climate in the state.

A statement issued by the bank on Wednesday said the facility would help sustain the state’s recent economic growth and poverty reduction, while helping it to continue to deliver social services to the expanding population.

The credit from the International Development Association segment of the World Bank Group supports the Third Lagos State Development Policy Operation and is the last of a series of two development policy operations, which aim to improve public finances and the investment climate in a fiscally sustainable manner.

In the past decade, Lagos State achieved significant economic growth, improved its infrastructure and services, significantly reduced crime, and brought millions of people out of poverty, the bank said.

The World Bank Task Team Leader for the project, Jariya Hoffman, said with enhanced budget transparency and efficiency, adequate funding could be shifted to programmes to benefit the state’s booming population, especially the poorest families.

“The operation’s focus on furthering improvements in the transparency of the budget system, effectiveness of public expenditures, and the business climate will help sustain the pace of economic growth and thus the state’s positive momentum towards income equality and the delivery of public services,” he said.

The World Bank Country Director for Nigeria, Marie-Francoise Marie-Nelly, said, “This operation is designed to assist Lagos State in its quest to continue its recent success in spite of the challenges brought on by rapid economic and population growth.

“As an urban agglomeration that has reduced income inequality during double digit economic growth, Lagos is an example of inclusive growth in Nigeria. If the Lagos experience is sustained, there is strong potential for this type of inclusive growth to spread to other parts of Nigeria.”

According to the bank, the operation will enhance the state government’s fiscal sustainability by anchoring the budget on a framework that accounts for key fiscal risks and improves revenue collection. Support for adopting a new approach to budget planning and preparation will ensure adequate allocation of budgetary resources to social services such as education and health.

uzolexis:
well,look at all the type of clothes ur not allowed to wear. so what exactly are you allowed to wear then?

Elmuaz:
If u mistakenly kill any Northerner we will slaughter all the igbos living in the North. Idiot poeple

uzolexis:
IMSU has dress code this is news to me
this is a university owned by the government for crying out loud,why should they be so strict on dressing

By Dele Momodu

Your Excellency, I write to you today with a heavy heart. The reason should be obvious. I was one of those latter day converts to Buharism, a political philosophy that believes in the reincarnation of former leaders in the days of tribulation. You were never the first man to resurrect from retirement and near political oblivion. General Olusegun Obasanjo bounced back from prison to Aso Rock Villa. In nearby Benin Republic, former military dictator and strongman, Mathieu Kerekou who had served as maximum ruler for about 17 incredible years, came back to defeat incumbent President , Nicephore Soglo in a 1990 election. He led his country for another ten years and almost got another five-year term but for the age barrier that disqualified him.

It is normal for Africans to run towards the wise elders of the village when trouble comes knocking. That is one of the major reasons Nigerians in their millions voted with their feet and thumbs to elect you President. Many of those who supported you did so for several other reasons and you must understand that they were mainly not members of your political party, APC. So, apart from your age, they backed you because they believed in your impeccable pedigree as an incorruptible and honourable man, a strict disciplinarian, a Scrooge who would not fritter away our meagre resources, a scourge of rogues and prodigal sons, a metamorphosed tyrant now a born-again democrat, and so on and so forth.

Nigerians ardently placed their hopes in you and fervently prayed you won’t disappoint them. This is the principal reason I have decided to send you this desperate memo today before some despicable politicians tarnish your hard-earned reputation and truncate this beautiful chance again.

[b]Sir, let me say right away that the goodwill garnered during your campaigns and the jubilation that heralded your recent victory are fast fading and you need to, as a matter of urgency, convince the people of Nigeria that you’re now ready to hit the ground running. They are not going to listen to excuses since you had 30 years after quitting the high office to onerously prepare for the job again. For them it is immaterial that you met an empty treasury or that you are mostly surrounded by selfish, corruptive influences and impostors. As I mentioned in my earlier epistles to you, Nigerians have become totally impatient and what they expect of you is tantamount to performing the miracle of turning water into wine or raising Lazarus from the dead. You cannot afford to waste any second before displaying the sterner stuff you’re reputed to be made of.

I had encouraged you not to be afraid of taking charge of the Party that brought you to power or tackling the politicians that claimed to have helped you in the process. I had imagined that you know the ways of our politicians by now and thought you knew how to handle them. I had told you matter-of-factly that you may have to step on some powerful toes in order to achieve anything tangible. The worst that may likely happen is for people to say and accuse you of dictatorial proclivity which won’t be new in your lexicon or to be threatened with impeachment and all-what-not. But trust me, no evil shall befall you for as long as you carry the people along in your crusade and do not pander to the whims and caprices of members of the privilegentsia.[/b]

There is no doubt that the present imbroglio in your Party is as a result of your lukewarm attitude to Party issues thinking you could merely concentrate on nation-building while others deal with political intrigues. However, it is not always as simple as that. As you can now see, you don’t seem to be on the same page with your Party. While you were busy agonising over the myriad of problems besetting Nigeria, many of your presumed disciples were busy fighting over positions and control of power the way babies squabble over lollipops. They have studiously forgotten the change mantra and the huge expectations that made the electorate to troop out in droves and cast their votes for you and the Party.

The moment you became the President-elect, you should have readied your manacles for all would-be trouble makers. You should have sent out a powerful message to those politicians who may wish to act above the law. But the moment you appeared ready to abdicate some of your leadership responsibilities to them, the obvious lacuna gave them the needed impetus to take charge and cut you adrift. Your political advisers, if any, should have prepared you for the offensive. There is no way you are going to fight and survive the battle ahead if the political class see you as a man they can easily bully. You cannot sit on the fence. Whilst your decision not to interfere in the affairs of another arm of Government, the legislature, is commendable and indeed your constitutional duty, you must make it clear to your Party that the same non-interference must apply to them.

Our people may have voted for your Party but they also voted for the individuals that the Party entrusted its mandate to including you. Just as there is a limit to how the Party can control you in the exercise of your executive functions and those you choose to assist you in the fulfilment of those functions, so also must you tell the Party chieftains that there is a limit as to how much the leadership structure and duties of the legislative arm can be controlled. If you are ambiguous about this, then you are inviting your Party leadership to write a letter to you categorically stating not only those you must appoint as your Ministers and Special Advisers but also those that you must not work with under any guise. I am sure you would not tolerate that. In the same vein you must not tolerate Party interference in the legislature. Change has come, please imbibe it!

In essence it is incumbent on you to deal with the issues arising from tensions created by party supremacy, parliamentary democracy and above all constitutionality. There is a delicate balance to be struck between these competing interests though constitutionality must eventually prevail. However, even constitutionality is subordinated to national interest, because that is the most important interest of all.

Your Party has a lot to learn from the tragedy which was invited upon itself by advertence of the former ruling Party, PDP. As a mark of respect to your status and office, your Party should have adopted your instinct and temperament immediately you conceded that the elections of principal officers at the National Assembly were “somewhat constitutional.” Even if internally aggrieved, like mortals may invariably be, your Party hierarchy should not have washed their dirty linen in public knowing the full implications of the backlash that might splash and smear your collective image. APC should have done what PDP failed to do when Governor Rotimi Amaechi won the Chairmanship of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum by instantly recognising the leadership of the National Assembly while seeking ways to ameliorate the unfortunate saga. No reasonable parent would voluntarily kill a recalcitrant child. There is always another opportunity for penitence and atonement.

I expected the crisis to escalate once the warring factions stuck arrogantly to their positions and neither was ready to bulge. Had APC accepted its fate with equanimity, I’m certain this peculiar mess would have been exterminated. Had Saraki and Dogara shown magnanimity in victory some of the truculent malice expressed by certain leaders may have also been mellowed.

Say what you will, the PDP had its fair dose of political migraine and rambunctiousness but it accepted certain realities and moved on. The ones they failed to accept led to their cataclysmic fall. The mutually destructive suspicion in APC should have been nipped in the bud for your sake. The burden you currently carry is heavier than an elephant and I don’t think you need or deserve this kind of nuisance distraction. The leadership of the National Assembly should also calm down by reaching out to their angry Party chieftains. There is nothing to gain in fighting a perennial war. Once upon a time, they were all friends and members of the same family. It is never too late to embrace peace and reunite. Now that we know what the bone of contention is, no one should be victimised for belonging to whatever factions that exist.

I have read endless arguments for and against the pugilists in APC and my candid advice is that you need to appoint your cabinet and aides now. The sooner you assemble and send forth your foot-soldiers the better for our polity to begin the healing process. Right now our nation appears to be rudderless and floundering and this should not be the case. What is left for you to do is to quickly bring all the gladiators together and see how you can apply some balm on frayed nerves. The Federal Government has humongous largesse to disburse so it should not be too difficult to appease the juggernauts. When that is sorted, you should draw your own plans and let your people know your roadmap. Your job would be much easier if you surround yourself with people who can look at you straight in the eye and say the truth no matter how bitter. Most of our leaders failed because they fell victims of sweet-talking scammers.

It is very essential that your Party sees and embrace you as their father and not the other way round. Whether you like it or not, and whether others in your Party want to accept it or not, you are the de facto national leader of your Party. You are the President and Commander in Chief of our country. Yes, you ARE the capo di tutti capi. You therefore cannot be subservient to any other person. You must immediately take upon this role and assume that mantle. Please feel free to lay down the law and if occasion demands, enforce our law. That is what leaders do. Ambivalence or hesitancy will simply not do! You have the next four years minus one month and time is ticking away dutifully.

Equally important is the fact that you are more of a social crusader than a politician and your Party ought to note this fact and understand that it can’t be business as usual. Your Party leveraged on your uncommon reputation to gain POWER. Sir, you can’t afford to evaporate such stupendous equity just like that. You have demonstrated enough tolerance but the time has come to repudiate our propensity for rascality.

The task ahead is so gargantuan and it would require all hands to be on deck. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I reiterate that the first priority, apart from national security, should be how to reduce the atrocious costs of running government in Nigeria. Until you achieve that sir, the Muhammed Alis of Nigeria will never stop their boxing tournaments in parliaments and elsewhere. The fight is for cash and not for any selfless services. Many won’t bother to contest if they think it is not lucrative. I don’t know how you plan to do this but it has to be done somehow and thankfully there are many methods that you can deploy. I’m glad you hope to retrieve some of the stolen billions. You need some serious cash, Sir. The challenges ahead would dissipate if you can raise the finances needed to tackle them.

I trust that God has deliberately raised you up at this time as a veritable example to mankind that being honest is not a crime and we have a lot to learn and cheer from your miraculous victory. May God help you to carry this cross successfully.

*Says he collected N300,000 on each abduction
victim kept in his custody

By Evelyn Usman

The visit of stern looking policemen in three vans
to Odubotu compound, located in Okesopen area
of Ijebu-Igbo,Ogun state, sent fear down the spine
of members of the sleepy community.

The armed men reportedly jumped out of the
vehicles and positioned themselves strategically
around[quote]the building.

Some of them reportedly stormed into one of the
rooms, where they dragged out a herbalist
identified as MukailaDauda..

Not done, the policemen, discovered to be
operatives from the Special Anti Robbery Squad,
SARS, of the Ogun State Police Command, again,
dashed inside the herbalist’s apartment, taking
him along and conducted a search, in the process
of which they reportedly came out with two AK
47 rifles, a pump action rifle, a barretta pistol, a
cut-to-size locally made short gun and assorted
charms.

The 46-year-old herbalist was subsequently
whisked away in one of the police vans.
The fear stricken neigbours later came out of their
hiding, with expression of confusion and which
needed clarification on their faces. The
explanation was provided, following the allegation
that the herbalist was a member of a kidnaps
gang that had been terrorizing Ogun and
neigbouring states.

Arrested alongside Dauda were four other
suspected members of the syndicate identified as
Ahmed Adebanjo, Tunde Akilo, a popular
commercial motorcyclist, Sunkanmi Dacosta and
Lateef Agboola.

Preliminary investigation, according to the police,
revealed that the suspects may have been
responsible for several cases of kidnapping in
Ijebu axis. One of their victims, the herbalist
allegedly told the police, was one Chief Alakoso, a
prominent businessman, who was kidnapped
three months ago around Emu Eleni area of the
state and released after a ransom of N2 million
was paid.

In this interview with Sunday Vanguard, Dauda, a
father of six, disclosed that his role in the
kidnapping saga was to keep abducted persons
until ransom was paid, adding that he usually
got N300,000 at the end of each operation.
He disclosed that some of the victims were rich
clients who had come to him for spiritual
assistance, while others were abducted in
connivance with their relatives. According to him,
most of the victims were not abducted with
charms, which hypnotized them. The herbalist
explained that rituals were performed on the
kidnappers before embarking on any abduction
trip, to enable them succeed.

Joining syndicate

Dauda explained why he joined the syndicate. “I
am a herbalist. I have been into the profession for
25 years. I specialise in curing strokes and other
ailments which are beyond medical treatment. At
a point, business was no longer moving and
feeding my two wives and six children became
burdensome. It was at this point that I met
Tunde Akilo, a commercial motorcyclist, and
Sunkanmi Dacosta, who introduced me to
kidnapping.

My role is to keep victims in my house, pending
when their families would pay ransom. I never
went out with them but I gave them names of
prominent persons in Ijebu Igbo. Some of these
people have patronized me.

“The first person that was brought to my house
was one Chief Alakoso. He was brought in March,
blindfolded. I got N300,000 after ransom was paid
four days later, for keeping him in my place. This
amount was aside my regular share from the loot
because that was the bargain. Also, two Onipomo
in Ijebu Igbo were kept in my place. I also gave
their contacts to my members.

“I usually prepared charms to fortify members
before they go for any job. This is to enable them
get their catch without trouble. I also prepared
charms that will make victims lose their senses. A
day before they would leave, I would lit fire and
say some incantations into it. The fire will be on
until they arrived. But if it goes off in the process,
that means they have entered into trouble”, said
the herbalist.

Charm disappoints

Members of the kidnap syndicate, some of who
were alleged to be members of separate robbery
gangs and cult groups, reportedly set out last
month for their usual ‘job’. Destination was
Ijebu-Ode /Ikorodu Road, Lagos State and their
victim a herb seller otherwise called Iyaalagbo .
Time was 7pm.

The herb seller was reportedly trailed from her
Odogbolu residence in Ogun State to Itoikin by
the abductors, numbering four. The unsuspecting
trader was about closing for the day when they
arrived, pretending to have come to buy herbs.
Sensing all was not well; the woman reportedly
told the strangers that she did not have what
they requested for. But as she made to leave the
shop, she was reportedly bundled into the
kidnappers car and driven away, amidst sporadic
gun shots, apparently aimed at scaring away
intruders.

Midway into the journey to the herbalist’s house,
the first incident that signaled doom for the
kidnappers occurred, after the two back tyres of
the vehicle punctured.

Explaining how they were arrested, Ahmed
Adesanya, a commercial motorcyclist, from Omu
Eleni town, claimed he only got a telephone call
from one of his colleagues to bring his motorbike
to the spot where the tyres punctured.

The 21-year-old suspect stated: “When I got to
the place, I met one Mama Alagbo, our Okada
unit chairman, Ahmed (Soldier), Yemi Agboola
and Tunde Akilo inside the car. But four of them,
including Mama Alagbo, took off on my
motorcycle, while Yemi Agboola, Tunde Akilo and I
drove in the car. But on reaching Imodi town, we
met some policemen at a checkpoint, who
insisted on checking the vehicle. Agboola and
myself escaped into the bush but we did not see
TundeAkilo. A week later, he (Akilo ) led
policemen to my house and I was arrested”.
Asked what role he played, said, “I used my
Okada to take some passengers to the herbalist’s
house. My targets are usually passengers who do
not know where they are going”.

I also belong to a robbery gang – Akilo

On his part, Akilo, who confessed to be a member
of the Eiye Confraternity, also admitted to be
involved in armed robbery operations within the
Ijebu axis, apart from kidnapping.“He however,
stated that he had only taken part in two
abductions.

“I have only taken part in two kidnap operations.
One was the abduction of Chief Alakoso, after
which I was given N250, 000. The second
operation was that of Mama Alagbo which
unfortunately was unsuccessful. One Yemi
Agboola, a relative to the woman, brought the
deal to us . He said her relatives could provide
N1 million if kidnapped. If I had known, I would
have remained in the robbery gang instead of
joining this syndicate”, he said remorsefully.
38-year-old Dascosta confessed to be a member
of a robbery gang, claiming he was introduced
into kidnapping by the herbalist, Dauda, when he
went to him for spiritual protection. Like his
colleague ,Akilo, he expressed regret for joining
the kidnap syndicate, saying he had only earned
N310,000 since he joined.

I am a victim of circumstance- Dascosta

When approached, Agboola (48) absolved himself
of involvement in the kidnap saga, stating that his
younger brother, Yemi Agboola, drove the
Chevrolet car that was used in the kidnap of
Mama Alagbo.. The brother was said to be on
the run.

“Yemi came to me during the celebration of
Kilajosu festival and said he wanted to use my
car. I gave him the keys without suspecting any
foul play and told him to return it the next day.
He told me he wanted to drive it to Omu-Eleni”,
he narrated.

“But to my shock, some policemen stormed my
house and asked me to follow them to the
station, only to be shown a vehicle which turned
out to be mine. That was how I became a guest
here. I have never robbed all my life, neither have
I been involved in kidnap. I am only a victim of
circumstance. My prayer is for the police to arrest
my brother so that I will be vindicated”.