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One Year Assessment Of APC Governments Of PMB And Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufa’i (29th May 2015-29th May 2016)

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Buhari-el-rufai

By Centrum Initiative For Development And Fundamental Rights Advocacy( CEDRA) No Sf7 Zabura Plaza Behind Samrada Fuel Station Ungwan Romi Kaduna

CHAIRMAN’S NOTE
In August of 2015 CEDRA adhered to a global tradition that sprang-up in the 30s in the U.S. by running commentary of APC  governments at the Federal and Kaduna State levels. CEDRA’s assessment was pillared on policy pronouncements during their campaigns, after mounting the saddle on 29th May 2015, and actions taken.

Aside highlighting the likely consequences of their pronouncements, CEDRA offered alternative ways and timings  of most of their decisions on: wars against graft and terror; demolition of private buildings in public schools lands; multiple staff verification exercises; sinking of fertiliser distribution formulae;
making of Kaduna State a no-man’s land;
retirement and appointment of Permanent Secretaries with disregard to ethnic and religious diversity in the state; inclusion of men enmeshed in multiple national and international corruption allegations in governance; and a clarion call to opposition parties to live up to their constitutional billings for the good of democracy and the principles of checks and balances in the body polity.

CEDRA’s sixty-one paged document was officially mailed to those concerned and many stakeholders  for their possible considerations and necessary actions. Similarly the full content of the report was unveiled to Nigerians and the entire world in soft and hard copies. As expected the report attracted cheers and jeers from many corners of the state and the country. Since it was an effort that solely centred on government policies, there were attempts to politicise our findings and recommendations, but they failed to distract and divert attention under the power of facts and superior analyses.

Once again, CEDRA is observing another global ritual of scaling governance after one year in office (29th May 2015 – 29th May 2016). CEDRA’s one year scaling of government’s policies revisited most of issues scrutinised in our first hundred days report. And placed in front burner fresh concerns on other matters that couldn’t attract our attention, before. In our first one hundred days assessment, major sources of information were newspapers and websites reportage. The method of data collection and interpretation has not change in this report.

PMB’s war on corruption and the attendant ding dong was spotlighted and his controversial comment during his first media chat that demonstrated unwillingness to respect court orders granting some of the accused bail. The accusation of the selectiveness of the fight against graft was analysed.

CEDRA also looked at negative consequences on Foreign Direct Investments(FDI) of PMB’s statements abroad that kept saying his compatriots are corrupt. Every time he goes out and got an opportunity to talk to foreign leaders and investors; he brands Nigerian businessmen and women crooks.
Furthermore, PMB’s vascilative financial policies that barred law abiding citizens from using Naira ATMs abroad irrespective of their mission abroad was X-rayed. His government’s monetary decision didn’t only threaten businesses, but lives of compatriots on medical tourism abroad, and students studying in many institutions across the globe.
Scandal that trailed his 2016 appropriation presented to the National Assembly and sacking of those directly linked to scripting the proposal was also delved into in this volume.

At Kaduna State level, many of the policies of Governor El-rufa’i have gone full cycle.His actions which were mostly premised on executive orders dissolved the department in-charge of vehicle inspection(VIO)- a department in the state ministry of works and transport.

Along the way, the state government launched a school feeding scheme  for kids in primary schools. Questions bordering hygiene of the food and environment which the food were being served were raised. CEDRA has weighed the cost implication of school feeding of pupils vis-a-vis desirability of instructional materials and structures  in the education sub sector.
CEDRA also study the full ramifications of Governor El-rufa’i’s lack of tolerance to voices of dissents within and outside his party. The phenomenon of arresting people enjoying their liberties and freedom has reared its ugly head in the state. CEDRA posed moral and legal questions to this undemocratic attitude of people who enjoyed their freedom while in opposition unmolested.
Finally, CEDRA  reminded  opposition parties and   human rights and advocacy groups their place in a democracy, as enshrined in Nigerian constitution and other global protocols on peoples’ rights. The fact that the polity made way for changes on 28th March and 11th April 2015 , that doesn’t mean Nigeria democracy is matured enough to deter aspiring autocrat from abusing their offices in a democracy.

Ski down the high and low points of the report. Happy reading.

Dr. John Danfulani
Board Chairman and Director of Strategy
Centrum Initiative For Development and Fundamental Rights Advocacy(CEDRA)

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

On 29th May 2015 the All Progressives Congress  (APC ) took over governments at the federal and in many states of Nigeria. APC’s victory was unprecedented in the history of the country since the lowering of the Union Jack on 1st October 1960. Before the historic 2015 polls, all electoral contests conducted under seating governments ended with incumbents regimes refreshing and securing fresh mandates.
Mr. Buhari along with other victors of 2015 polls under APC campaigned with a widely circulated manifesto. Aside APC’s general manifesto, individual gubernatorial candidates in states, senatorial districts, and House of Representatives and State of Assembly constituencies scripted unique manifestos to suit unique issues affecting their constituents. That gave their 2015 campaigns much energy and dynamism never seen in Nigerian electoral contests.
It is esoteric agreeing on factor responsible for the ouster of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). However, fate, good fortune, hard work, careful planning and execution of campaigns,ineptitude of PDP mandate holders, and complacency accounted for APC’s victories and PDP. Other pundits blamed everything that happened on regional solidarity, ethnic fraternity, majoritarian dictatorship, religious bigotry, and irredentism for dictating the outcomes of the polls.  The ding dong of why victory and defeat rages on in academic worlds and other social research platforms.
Local and international observers adjudged the polls credible. Their verdicts are not foreclosing existence of challenges before, during, and after the polls. The 2015 witnessed accidental but not incidental hiccups. Even in advanced climes where the culture of democracy and electoral contests have a two centuries history- and sophisticated infrastructures and working equipment; events often gets out of control for elections managers. Even the collation centre of the presidential poll in Abuja under the supervision of the nation’s chief returning officer wasn’t insulated by drama and melodrama ignited by  politicians whose brand of politicking has no regards to the decision of the mandate givers and electoral laws. Minor challenges encountered in the entire electoral process were not a calculated attempt by election managers to give any party involved an undue advantage. The  full import of elections observers’ verdict was, the elections reflected the wishes of the majority of Nigerians who participated in the polls.

Today’s main opposition party(PDP) are now in an unfamiliar terrain. Since inception of this democracy in 1999, they have been on the ruling side. Spades of their victories masterminded a statement from one of their leaders that they will rule Nigeria for six decades, nonstop. His prediction was cut short in just sixteen years. Today PDP are finding it difficult understanding the nittygritty of their new role or opposition politics. It appears, they are struggling to reform their party to enable them brace up with their constitutional role of checking and placing the ruling party on the tight robe of accountability, sensitivity, and responsibility to Nigerians. And making sure they constantly reminded them of their promises while hunting for their mandates.
The change is one year, already. Within the year, policy statements were made, action taken to back statements taken. Effects of their inactions and actions in all facets of life are manifesting or about to manifest. The poignant questions are:
a) Are Nigerians better off today?
b) Has the security situation improved?
c) Is the economy better managed than before?
d) Are rights of citizens in tandem with democratic ethos respected?
e) Are there improvement in administration of justice in Nigeria?
f) Are leaders sensitive to the yearnings of the people?
g) Is the war on corruption fought in line with the spirit of the law?
h) How has the foreign policy of the new regime help the economy and war on terror?
CEDRA centred its analysis on some of these issues and assumed there implications on the economy, national cohesion, security of the nation, and above all happiness of the citizens or natives of Kaduna State- as the case may be.

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU  BUHARI(PMB)
PMB campaigned on two broad issues viz: war against graft; and fight against terrorism. On war against corruption, PMB has a track record of disdain for corruption in public and private sectors. His previous attempts of 2003, 2007, and 2011 placed this agenda on the top of his pyramid of preferences. Majority of Nigerians believe he is one of a privileged few who successfully resisted the virus of corruption despite ample opportunities in life. He can be accused of anything but not stealing or abetting pillage of public treasury either for himself or his cronies.
On war against the terror group called Boko Haram, PMB promised to wipe them out and return all captured lands under their control to the legitimate government of Nigeria. He successfully link successes of Boko Haram against Nigerian Armed Forces to gross corruption taking place at the top. It was while discussing the bridge between corruption and lost of territories that he made one of his famous statement “is either we kill corruption or corruption kills us”. People saw more serious plans in him and believe he can effectively direct the war proper as Commander-in-Chief.
On 29th May 2015,PMB gave a totally terrific inaugural speech to a gathering of  Nigerians and world leaders at Eagle’s Square Abuja. His speech encapsulated his intentions in tackling major problems bedeviling Nigeria. He lamented the state of power supply, promised to combat terrorism and terrorists holding territories in the north east, and undertook to square off with the dreaded virus of corruption in the land.
Best lines of his speech were: “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody”; and “Boko Haram is a mindless, godless group that is far away from Islam as one can think”. The first statement demonstrated his zeal to execute his programmes irrespective of whose ox is gored. And a tacit way of telling party kingpins nursing ambition of recovering their investment in his ambition that he will be faithful to his oath of office not to some godfathers.

On war on terror, PMB hit the ground running by taking the first action as Commander-in-Cheif in  his inaugural speech. He ordered immediate relocation of command directing the war to Maiduguri. PMB believes that proximity of commanders with troops fighting will afford them the opportunity to closely monitor events at the fronts and to also boost morale of the soldiers. This will also give the commanders a chance of going to the war front for instant assessment. Apart from these reasons,are other strategic and tactical advantages associated with his decision to relocate the command to Maiduguri.PMB’s first order was followed by a series of other covert and overt decisions.Heads of branches of forces were retired and new ones appointed as well as those of other security agencies.

Boko Haram group has a trans-borders activities because of the porous nature of the borders shared with some West and Central African countries. A few days after mounting the saddle, he visited these countries and solicited for their support in the war against terror and entered bi-lateral and multi-lateral agreements. He even traveled beyond African shores on the same mission. Some of the results of his visits to other countries was agreement to form a multi-national cooperation with headquarters in N’djamena  the headquarters of Chad Republic with a Nigerian as the field commander. Furthermore, the U.S.and other European countries promised to render sundry assistance to Nigeria, and they have lived up to their promises.

A combination of these actions has raised the morale of fighters in the fronts.  The usual news of Nigeria Soldiers taking to their heels on hearing a gun shot from Boko Haramists is no more. Sad stories of soldiers refusing orders to advance by commanders is gone. Complains of poor weapons and stealing of money for food rations has not been heard since PMB took over.  Territorial gains made by Boko Haram before his arrival has been reversed. Nigerian armed forces has set them on the run and reduced their capacity to unleashed terror without any difficulties.

Today Boko Haram have been reduced to selective suicide bombing of soft spots like IDP camps, crowded places, and adoptions of innocent people. They lack the capacity to take head-on the military like before. This is by no means saying they have totally been liquidated without a single capacity to kill or comb places. But the spade has been drastically reduced.
Along with improvement in defeating Boko Haram,there is a little improvement in internal security. Communal clashes and highway banditry have also scale down drastically. However, it is not uhuru, yet. There are cases like the massacre of Agatu people  in Benue State, Igbo people in Enugu State and other places by Fulani herdsmen – a replay of what happened in 2013 and 2014 in Southern Kaduna.

No nation is an island, no matter how strong and rich it is. Nations commune with others  on a bi-lateral or multi-lateral webs to address peculiar and common problems. Engaging with other states and non state actors affords states the capacity to tackle joint challenges as well as individual problems with assistance of others. Strata of cooperation or conflict cut-across all borders of life like; economy, socio-cultural, defense etc. It is good  for each state to cultivate cordial relationship with others.
PMB took over the leadership of Nigeria at a very turbulent moment when a terrorist organization has physically occupied some parts of the nation and hoisted their flags in captured areas and running quasi Islamic theocracy. His first foreign policy agenda was soliciting for cooperation of neighboring states in the war against Boko Haram. His visitations to countries like Niger, Cameroon, and Chad Republics yielded instant results because of bi-lateral cooperation entered with these states that share very long and porous borders with Nigeria. The highest achievement of PMB’s diplomatic shuttle was formation of a multinational force with the sole mission of combatting Boko Haram  terrorism.
Closely related to this were his visit to some powerful countries like the U.S.and some European nations. He went to also extract their support and cooperation in the war against Terror. That was borne out of the fact of their experience and equipment. Most of the countries promised to share useful intelligence with Nigeria and training of Nigerian Armed forces. However, appeal by PMB to procure some category of arms was denied by the U.S.citing human rights allegations by Amnesty International against Nigeria Armed Forces while fighting terrorists in some cities of North Eastern Nigeria.
PMB also attended many  international fora organized by governmental and non governmental organizations in which Nigeria is a member. He also honoured invitations of European Union and the club of rich nations called G8 in Germany. Where he had opportunity to make an address, the same appeal for support for his government’s policies of war against corruption and terror were made.
PMB has attended conferences aimed at attracting Direct Foreign Investment(DFI) and addressed some of the world leading investors or Chief Executive Officers. On several occasions he gives hope to prospective investors with one hand and dashed it with another. After painting a wonderful picture of potentials in the country and why they should invest; in another breath, he will say, Nigerians are corrupt.

PMB and APC’s 2015 campaign dwelled heavily on the desire to cleanse the country of the deadly virus of corruption in the public and private sectors. His inaugural speech left nobody in doubt that his campaign promises on this were not mere political talks aimed at bamboozling Nigerians to get their votes. He has on several occasions promised to recover stolen wealth from corrupt public officials. The Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) and other anti graft bodies knew that there is a heavy task ahead of them.
There is no debating the fact that the system is full of corruption and that is hindering progress and development of the nation. Corruption and corrupt practices are denying efficient and effective functioning of every state institution. The economy is suffering from lack of foreign investment for fear of losing such investments by foreign firms. Infrastructures are decaying without any effort of addressing the menace despite capturing them in the budget. The primary and secondary healthcare delivery systems have totally collapsed, forcing many Nigerians to embark on medical tourism to fellow developing countries that Nigeria had better facilities than them, some years back. The justice system has been affected through unholy practices that subverts the cause of justice.
PMB’s war on corruption intends to pick on perpetrators of these unacceptable acts that have reduced a very promising country and beacon of hope in continental Africa and the world at large to a sad case of a frustrated dream and aspirations. He felt Nigeria must get back on track and continue its journey to greatness as envisioned by its founding fathers.
PMB had no difficulty garnering local and international  solidarity  for his war against corruption .There is total support because many Nigerians and the global community believes Nigeria must get it right because the country is a very important player in the continent with a high population that a total disaster or breakdown of law and order will spell one of the worse human disaster ever recorded in contemporary history.
The anti corruption body EFCC has been knocking at the door of suspected former public office holders and dropping invitations. We have seen many arrests, detentions ,and prosecution of Nigerians suspected to have breached the trust of their offices in recent past. Nigerians read and are still reading embarrassing stories especially those connected with monies earmarked for procurement of armament to fight Boko Haram. There are others involving Director Generals and Head of Federal Government’s Parastatals and departments. Figures being quoted are head shattering and portrayed gross insensitivity and senselessness of the accused.
Like any other development, there were attempts in some quarters to label the exercise a political vendetta by PMB against his opponents. Proponents of this position are saying, only kingpins of the immediate regime he ousted are being targeted. In their opinion, the war is selective and not all-inclusive by nature. They posited that if PMB truly desire to unravel sleaze he should cast his net wide to cover other regimes not limiting himself to the period of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. They also accused the government of unwillingness to look into the records of many former ministers or governors of PDP that joined the APC coalition, just a year before the expiration of the tenure of President Jonathan. More and more versions of this and allied protests are coming from people who are not under any investigation or had no dealings with governments that some of the officers who served under them are being investigated and prosecuted by two main anti graft bodies (EFCC or ICPC).
While observations of lopsidedness and selectiveness are flying around, there are counter forces denying the allegations and supporting every move regarding war on graft. They believe  in the sanctity of every move taken by EFFC and ICPC. Most of these groups are APC party urchins who have reduced everything to party colours thereof relegating legal and moral angles to the backbench.

APC’s 2015 campaign manifesto is barren of a clear cut economic policy they intend to roll down if given the mandate. All people can see is a commitment of running the economy in a more transparent and better way than PDP and its men in power. They accused the former managers of corruption and lack of sincerity in either implementing budgets or other wastages. No economic sin was not said to be committed by the government they successfully sacked. The long and short of it is, their manifestos is malnourished of policy specifics.
Economic policy lacuna found in their manifesto is also found throughout their campaigns. APC’s votes hunting trips in all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria were mare rostrum talks by politicians that played on the sentiments of their audiences. No where did any of them unveil their economic policies to mostly their gullible and undiscerning cheering crowds. It was all talks of bad moments and promises of getting things better. Nigerians were constantly told that the deal they got was not good enough, considering the abundance of human and capital resources the nation has.

After victory, people assumed they will make public their economic policies in tandem with the global reality surrounding their major source of income; i.e.crude oil. If they had one and used it to get their mandate, one would have been thinking of a reversed version consequent to the reality on ground. Calls from all over the country for PMB and his party to tell the nation their policy fell on deaf ears.
Within their first year in office, inflation went to double digit, fuel scarcity became the new norm, the Naira value tumbled,reduction in productivity, and drop in growth. Fuel scarcity ran for over seven days non-stop towards the end of 2015. The government managed to stabilized supply from the last week of December 2015  through the second week of January  2016, but by the third week of January 2016 longer queues resurfaced all over the country.  The minister of State on petroleum and Group General Manager of NNPC told the nation that long queues in fuel stations will not disappear till May of 2016. A few days after making such a revelation, he was lampooned by APC juggernauts for talking straight on the matter. He had to reversed his earlier statement and assured Nigerians that by the end of the first week of April the product will be available.
Either for lack of good monetary policy or something the public is yet to know, the Naira lost its value in the parallel market. When  PMB took over, the Naira was around 190 to a USD, and within the range of 220 to 221 to a USD in unofficial markets. Today the Naira is sold at over 250  to one USD in the parallel markets. The regime blamed the woeful collapsed of the Naira to low foreign reserve they inherited. Sure low foreign reserve is one of the many factors responsible for lost of value of currencies of nations. But in his case, it’s clear that other factors played leading role in the lost of value of Nigeria’s currency. Experts in currency and monetary policies have run several commentaries and proposed strategies of how to address the issue of lost of the value of the Naira.

CEDRA’S STANCE  ON PMB’S WAR ON CORRUPTION AND INTERNAL SECURITY
CEDRA believes the war on terror has achieved much and more positive developments are appearing by the day. If the tempo is sustained, the end of total victory against killers is in sight. Nigeria Army and other armed forces fighting Boko Haram have  acquired sufficient experience of fighting a force engaging them in unconventional warfare that had no prime place in their training modules in many training institutions.
CEDRA encourage training and retraining of men and officers of Nigeria Armed Forces on the challenges of fighting new wars. Wars are no longer fought with guns, bombs,jets and battleships alone. Recruitment and training of terrorists is mostly done via cyber world, physical contact is far becoming anachronistic. Only upgrading their knowledge in latest technologies and cyber activities can help them appreciate the new ways of war.
CEDRA also advise that the country’s intelligence community should undergo reforms to help their capacity to gather information, interpret them, and connect the dots to enable them plan the best strategy of how to tackle insecurity. Once the intelligence community are able to do their work satisfactorily, most of security threats will be aborted or averted. No successful security architecture that will succeed without effective intelligence gathering.

CEDRA believes that there is much to do to enable Nigerian police live up to their constitutional duties of manning the streets and maintaining internal security. Nigerian Police is besieged by multifaceted problems. Men and officers of the Nigerian Police are well trained like their counterparts in other countries. Their problems are shortage of manpower, outdated and inadequate equipment, lack of training, poor welfare packages. We advice that this mountain of problems be tackled to enable them effectively police the streets and perform other duties bestowed on them in the constitution. We commend the government for giving the police a go ahead to recruit ten thousand personnels.

PMB should increase border security because most of the criminal elements and their criminal activities operates from their save havens across the borders. Exit and entry routes must be effectively manned to make things difficult for these trans-borders  criminals causing much injuries to the economy and physical security of the nation. Paramilitary bodies traditionally charged with immigration and customs duties be complimented with other paramilitary departments for effective and efficient border management.

CEDRA’S STANCE ON PMB’S FOREIGN POLICY
PMB has recorded tremendous success in his bid to rally round neighbouring countries to support his war against Boko Haram. The decision to form a multinational force with the sole mission of combating Boko Haram was historic. And it has indeed contributed in downgrading their activities and rolling back their territorial gains.
CEDRA believes that, after rallying round West and Central African neighbours to fight Boko Haram, he should have passed-on the baton of other foreign policy agenda to the nation’s chief diplomat that is the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He has spent and is still spending quality time flying around the globe, like a United Nations Ambassador brokering peace in some war zones. Statistics shows that he is the most travelled President within the first one year of any administration since the beginning of this republic in 1999.

CEDRA views his constant comments that Nigerians are thieves while addressing  investors or CEO’s of leading cooperation as unfortunate and injurious to Nigeria’s image abroad. The fraction of people involved in international corruption are quite insignificant to warrant a blanket statement from PMB. There is no wisdom courting investors with one side of the mouth and scaring them away with another side. If he thinks that is a sign of sincerity, it is not, because it is morally and statistically wrong to make such a statement not once or twice abroad while millions of sincere and hard working compatriots watch him from their homes. His comments made the British Prime Minister Mr. David Cameron  to brand Nigeria a ” fantastically corrupt nation”.  While that statement was made, PMB refused to protest but rather asked for a return of starched wealth in his countries.
CEDRA believes that PMB should pull the brake from his incessant foreign trips and concentrate in solving problems at home. He is the commander-in-chief and minister of petroleum not the minister of foreign affairs. The portfolio of the nation’s chief diplomat is daunting and very technical to be dabbled upon without proper briefings and knowledge of existing practices. It is either he allows the minister to do most of the shuttles or he should officially add the portfolio of foreign affairs to the ministries and parastatals he intends to personally handle.
CEDRA doesn’t believe his intentions of joining a coalition of some Islamic State to fight ISIS, fighting to establish Caliphate in Syria and Iran. The decision is not popular at home, and no foreign policy that has no domestic support succeed. Moreover, the statement was not deep and wide enough facts of Nigeria’s role in the coalition. Is Nigeria going to be a mere troop contributing nation while other pick the bills of the coalition? Or is Nigeria going to contribute troops and finances to running the coalition forces? How strategic is that vis a vis demand of troops at home to totally wipe out BokoHaram terrorists? These and many questions are begging for answers and until people are properly briefed, the support for his intentions will keep shrinking by day.

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CEDRA’S POSITION ON WAR ON CORRUPTION

CEDRA shares the aspiration of the government’s anti graft war because corruption is directly linked to most of the problems bedeviling Nigeria. Endemic corruption in public and private spheres have reduced a promising nation to a hopeless clime where all sorts of negativity flows like the Nile River.
CEDRA frowns at attempts to dent the war on corruption by branding it in party coulours  by the urchins of the two main political parties. Since no party promotes corruption in its constitution and manifestos, members who got power through their platforms and got themselves infested with the deadly virus of greed and primitive accumulation should not be shielded through invoking party sentiment.
CEDRA believes that the government must get to the root of the matter through reorienting Nigerians by teaching them of our rich African cultural mores and values which abhors stealing from the common till. People must be reminded that wealth is not the only means of assessing success of people but good character, contentment, and devotion to service for humanity.
CEDRA is of the opinion that social orientation agency like National Orientation Agency(NOA) be reorganise to breast up with the challenges of its mission. They have a big role to play in changing the mentality of Nigerians to good and descent conducts. NOA have structures down to the grassroots, so if they are given the necessary support and tools, they will disinfect many corrupt minds and refill them with a new way of thinking that will go a long way in reducing the rate of corruption in Nigeria.
CEDRA is of the opinion that religious leaders be officially engaged. Stealing or other forms of subversion aren’t Godly. Nigeria is a deeply religious country and people believe sermons of their religious leaders. The message of rendering account to there Creator after ones sojourn here on earth should be part of their daily sermons. Nigerians are people who do not easily wish to gamble paradise, their only problem is materialism and greed of accumulation. Ironically all the big thieves so far known, are people that took oath of offices with either the Bible or the Qur’an. Sequel to this, those in command of the holy places must talk to their followers to desist from corruption.
CEDRA is not unaware of the cliché “justice delayed is justice denied”. If the government feels the pace in regular courts is not too good, let them explore possible avenues of setting up courts dealing with economic and financial crimes. If a law by the National Assembly will permit that, let the executive work on a bill for the courts and forward it to them for approval. We believe the bill will receive accelerated hearing and approval because of the pressure they will receive from their constituents. This will be far better than cutting corners while prosecuting suspects and ameliorate the palaver of unnecessary delays in regular courts in the land. It is a known fact that courts in Nigeria are overstretched due to the number of cases before them.
CEDRA has observed a phenomenon of disregard to laid down rules by EFCC or ICPC while pursuing cases. There were instances of disregard to due process of law, especially bordering on rights of the accused to bail. Using security factors as basics for refusing to respect courts pronouncements is totally undemocratic and exploitative. The law is clear that accused persons remained innocent until proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. No matter how serious a case might look like, due process be followed so that justice will not only be done but must be seen be done. Disregarding the law under the guise of expressing disdain for corruption is more corrupt than the corruption they are fighting because it might end with persecution and miscarriage of justice. And it is  a known cliché that it is better for many to escape justice than a single innocent soul to be unjustly punished. It is not how they wish the war should be prosecuted but how the law said it should be done.

CEDRA’S STANCE ON THE ECONOMY
CEDRA believes that the economy has not faired well under APC and PMB in the one year they took over the country from PDP. Their constant blame game of attributing their inability to manage the country’s economy to past regimes is not adding up.  It was peoples’ dissatisfaction of how the economy was being managed that led to their emergence. If people were satisfied, they wouldn’t have refused renewing the mandate of the former leadership.
CEDRA believes that the worsening fuel scarcity should be immediately arrested because it is affecting productivity and hiking prices of goods and services in the nation. It is ironical that a team that promised tackling problems have not been able to import enough fuel to fill the quota local refineries are unable to produce. Crude prices have been down in the international market, by implication,prices of refined product are also down. But Nigerians are still buying petrol and allied products very high.
CEDRA counsels that the government should engage experts to fashion strategies on how to stimulate the economy. All we have seen are many media aides instead of economic advisers. We all know that media aides are nothing but propaganda elements whose concern is keeping a good public relations. Unfortunately economic matters are not matters you can bamboozle people with, the markets are there for people to confirm all the claims. Propaganda can work on some issues but doesn’t work in economic matters.

CEDRA’S STANCE ON FRESH UPRISING
CEDRA is saying that the army needlessly shot down Shiites members. This is because the use of weapons, even against enemies, should always be a last resort; not to mention civilian citizens. CEDRA believes the army has not exhausted all other alternatives before resorting to the use of weapons against civilians who are also citizens of the country and by law, are to be protected by the same army against external aggression. The army could have retreated, mobilised and then return to pick strictly the leadership of the Shiites, instead of summarily executing members who were simply acting on instructions. However, CEDRA commends the government for setting up a commission of enquiry to look into the Shiites massacre.

On pipeline vandals, CEDRA is saying that democracy does not give Mr. President the right to dish out the Boko Haram  treatment on the Niger Delta militants without exhausting all peaceful means possible. On several occasions, the Boko Haram  were invited to the table by the previous administration to no avail. PMB himself urged the previous administration to call the Boko Haram  to table instead of killing them and destroying their homes. Thus, it is only appropriate for PMB to also respect democracy and exhaust all the tools of persuasion through negotiations, before resorting to the use of force. The use of force by government on her citizens should only be, when there is no other alternative.

Thus CEDRA is saying that deploying troops to the Niger Delta is not in the spirit of democracy and it’s capable of compounding the problems as well as exposing innocent civilian citizens and troops to unnecessary harm by the same government which is saddled with the primary responsibility of ensuring their safety.

CEDRA believes that the real herdsmen had existed side by side the farmers for decades, in a symbiotic relationship. CEDRA holds that apart from minor skirmishes, the farmers and herdsmen had always enjoyed a mutual relationship, thus cannot understand why it degenerated this bad in recent years where whole communities are being wiped out from Zamfara to Plateau to Kaduna to Benue, Taraba, and many areas in both Igbo and Yoruba lands.  CEDRA called on the government to,as a matter of urgency, investigate and know those really responsible for the soured relationship between herdsmen and farmers, and what is it that they,the instigators,want and why they had to continue hiding under the banner of herdsmen/farmers clash to continue to unleash terror on harmless and defenceless farmers. If the government still find only the herdsmen in the middle, then CEDRA expects the government to call the fulani herdsmen to order. And where they can not be called to order, CEDRA is suggesting that the government should borrow a leave from America and pass a gun legislation that will allow farmers to arm themselves in protection of their farms the way the herdsmen arm themselves in protection of their herds. The grains produced by the farmers are equally as important to national food production as the beef and milk produced by the herdsmen. Besides, the herdsmen have no right to kill fellow Nigerians and be treated with kid gloves by any responsible government.

By the way, in normal situations, everybody can lead, but true leaders are those that turn things around.

GENERAL OBSERVATION ON PMB’S STYLE OF LEADERSHIP FROM 29th MAY 2015 TO 29th MAY 2016

 

So far, PMB has exhibited characteristics not seen or that were sharply different from his long standing history. He was believed to be a puritan who dislikes corruption and unethical practices .His long track record contributed for his 2015 unprecedented electoral victory that local and international observers adjudged one of the most credible elections in the history of Nigeria.

 

After a few months in power, PMB started demonstrating new habits people don’t know before his elections. Suddenly he became a globetrotter who hardly spends a week in the country without appearing in one foreign capital or the other. Whilst he flies around the world, domestic problems keeps piling without  any concrete move towards ameliorating them. He has a foreign affairs minister but he has denied him any chance of performing the role of the nation’s chief diplomat. PMB has a twisted mentality that seems to be suggesting that without him, nothing or nobody can measure up to the responsible of moving Nigeria to appreciable height. This shouldn’t be because Nigeria is a land of abundant human capital that he can delegate to perform what he thinks he is the only one that can do.

 

PMB has shown a large quantum of inconsistency in policy and actions. While campaigning he promised to placed unemployed youths and the aged on a monthly stipend of N5000. When he was asked on when people will begin to get alert of the money, he simply said it was his party that promised not him. The full meaning of his denial is, he only concurred to his party’s 2015 electoral manifestos because it will give brighten his electoral fortunes. This is showing that he is beginning to be a man that his words must not be trusted, and a man that can do or say anything to get power.

 

When the issue of fuel prices came up for discussion, he severally said there was no subsidy left to be removed. But in May 2016 he came out and removed subsidy of the pump price of oil. His government’s action was even confusing because they deregulated and regulated, simultaneously. A genuine deregulation wouldn’t at the same time  placed a selling on the prices of petrol at N145 to a litter of  petrol. From an ideological point of view, market forces of demand and supply ought to have fixed the correct prices of petrol.

 

PMB’s inconstancy was also seen in his devaluation of the country’s currency the Naira. Before his May 2016 acceptance of IMF counsel to devalue the Naira, he has told Nigerians severally that he will never devalue the Naira. But  the same PMB who said he wouldn’t do that has changed his decision by accepting IMF and other international lenders advice to reduce the strength of the Naira. This has further confirmed Chief Olusagun Obasanjo’s position that PMB is not hot on economic matters and foreign affairs. In this case, we are in partnership with the clarion call by Sen. Ben Murray-Bruce to PMB to appoint more economic advisors not media aides that their function is mere propaganda that is boomeranging.

 

All the controversies that trailed the 2016 budget that was said to be massively padded emanated from his lack of proper scrutiny and attention to such serious matters. He took the whole proposal to the National Assembly with pomp and pageantry. If it were someone  that couriered the budget,PMB and his people would have made a scapegoat out of him. And if it were a different government that had such a budget full of additions and errors, the PMB we know would have made a strong moral case out of that. Here we have PMB with a budget full of corrupt intends by those who made the draft. Since the bug stops at his table, we believe he must accept responsibility of what happened. Nigerians knew that all the blames tactics heaped on the National Assembly was a deliberate strategy of diverting attention from the crux of the matter.

 

So far, it is clear that the train has overshot its track. There is every need to pull the brakes and reflect on what really happened. PMB’s one year in office has little or nothing to show in terms of economic growth and development. The Naira lost its value, power supply has plummeted, inflation has risen, and new forms of insecurity on the rise. The country is gradually polarizing along ethno-religious divides.

 

PMB has three more years for his tenure to expire. We hope he will use the remaining time to correct the wrong steps he took in his first year in office.

 

GOVERNOR NASIR AHMED EL-RUFA’I OF KADUNA STATE

 

Mr. Nasir Ahmed El-rufa’i is one of the few governors that all eyes are on because of a multitude  of factors. The reason-in-chief was his public service pedigrees and penchant for controversial statements and actions.Other factors are his perceived courage, clear ideology, doggedness, ruggedness, and operational environment i.e. Kaduna State. The scale of his victory demonstrated the believe the people of Kaduna State trusted his capacity to deliver his electoral promises.

 

His inaugural speech of 29th May 2015 laid to rest remnant of doubts that Kaduna State will be one of the centres of political attention between 2015 to 2019. He walked the people of Kaduna State and national and international audience through what he intends to do with a four years mandate given on 11th April 2016. All his intentions and promises that day and during the campaigns were aimed at returning Kaduna State to its former greatness. His motto was ” LET’S MAKE KADUNA GREAT AGAIN”.

 

Within his first year in office, Mr. El-rufa’i has taken decisions that were far detached from the norm and long traditions known in governance, even before the dawn of this republic on 29th May 1999. Most of his decisions have become subjects of political discourses within the state and the nation at large. Similarly,most of his decisions have ignited legal fireworks bordering their constitutionality or otherwise. His policies were so central to every facet of life that nobody is left out of the political discourse raging in the state.

 

Within a few months of mounting the saddle ,the of Government of Kaduna State under Mr. El-rufa’i set on a journey of staff verification. Virtually all governments before him attempted to know the real figure of the state workforce. It is an established realism that salaries vouchers are chucked with ghost names that don’t exist. All the exercises ended with some discoveries and improved payrolls, but after a while, the payrolls are bloated with fresh names. To tackle this mystery, Mr. El-El-rufa’i commissioned  banks and other experts to get to the bottom of the matter.The commissioned bodies designed a multilayeredverification exercises that have been lingering for months now. In his first broadcast and subsequent press releases via his media office, he told the world that he has saved 120 million naira and later 500 million naira monthly from the verifications. Even with it, the process is on going at the state level and in all the 23 Local Governments of the State.

 

To live up to his reformist spirit,he pledged to run a slimmer yet effective government. In line with this spirit, he downsized the number of ministries in the state to just 15. And converted others to departments and placed them under his office and that of the Deputy Governor. Similarly, he slashed the number of permanent secretaries by retiring a bulk of them. His slimming of ministries also led to condensing of the number of commissioners and other appointments  in the state. The state has only 13 commissioners and not more than half a dozen of advisors. The wisdom behind this is reducing the cost of governance and enhancing efficiency in the day to day running of his administration.

 

During his campaigns,he pledged  to revamp the education sub-sector. This was engineered by the complete fall in the standard of education in the state and the nation at large. He adopted a bottom to top approach in his bid to address problems of quality, compulsory and affordable education in Kaduna State by starting with addressing problems of primary education. His government attempted addressing shortage of infrastructure by awarding of contracts of additional block classrooms in many primary schools across the state. In addition to this,the Government  of Kaduna state promised to private school uniforms for primary school pupils in the state. More to these is provision of meals to primary school pupils in public schools in the state. All these policies are geared towards revamping the quality and quantity of education in the state. These decisions also generated ding dongs from seasoned educationists and public affairs commentators agreeing and disagreeing with the policies taken.

 

In February of 2016 ,Mr. El-rufa’i ,the governor of Kaduna State,told the  natives of the state and local and foreign investors participating in the year’s trade fair that his state and other States of north west will take over Peugeot Automobile of Nigeria(PAN). He hopes that after acquiring majority share and reorganize the assembly plant, PAN will be assembling cars up to one hundred thousand per annum. This decision means, Kaduna State and others will be taken back to business. He went further by pledging that the same approach will be adopted to seeing that the collapsed Textiles in Kaduna City are resuscitated and made to produce for local and international markets.

 

Within his one year in office, Mr. El-rufa’I,the governor of Kaduna State,has sent an executive bill titled,“A Bill to substitute the Kaduna State Religious Preaching Law of 1984”to the state house of Assembly( KDSHA). The bill seeks to sensor religious activities in the state through banning the sells of print and electronic materials containing offensive and abusive languages against persons, groups or other religions. Again, the bill made it compulsory for clergies  willing to evangelize in the state to get license before doing that. Before license are given, a committee made up of Jama’atu Nasir Islam(JNI) and Christian Association of Nigeria(CAN) at the local government or state level must vet and certify the preacher before issuing of licenses to such persons. The bill also forbids using of loudspeakers while praying or evangelizing outside designated prayer centres. The bill also ordered that all prayers must end by 8pm. There are monetary fines and jail terms attached to a breach of any of the forbidden act prescribed in the bill. CAN, a members of the Red Chamber, Human rights groups and activist have outrightly rejected this move ,many  others expressed fears because of its potentiality of infringing on freedom of worship. Governor El-rufa’i is headlong and saying no-going-back on this bill.

 

In 2015 farming season Kaduna State Government procured and distribution assorted fertilizers and other farms implements. In 2015 the usual channels of selling these items were blocked and new ones created. The Governor simply said people should buy fertilizers at “Selling Points”. There was no further description of where those “Selling Points” are and the notice was too little too late for peasant farmers. In 2016 farming season, Kaduna State Government didn’t procure fertilizers for  the farming season. The government has made it clear that they will not buy fertilizers for the peasants.

 

In April 2016 ,Kaduna State Governor singed a law banning hawking and begging in the state. The law threatened to arrest kids wandering the streets begging and pledged to prosecute  their parents. The law made both  the giver and receiver guilty of an offense which is punishable. The law intends to shoot two birds with one stone i.e.making school to kids compulsory and cleansing of the streets with beggars.

 

The Government of Kaduna State organized a multimillion musical concert in Kaduna city. Artists were brought from far and near to perform. It was a come-one come-all affair without gate fees or any financial Commitment from those who went and enjoyed the state sponsored musical jamboree. The social and economic benefits of this project were not properly told to the people of Kaduna State. This attracted opposition from social commentators and many groups within the state. More of the punches came from the puritans and moralists who saw it not only as a waste of money but an event with potentials to corrupt good morals of the people of the state.

 

In January of 2016, Kaduna State Security Counsel under the headship of the Governor of the State resolved to begin to arrest and prosecute what they termed “Hate Speech” makers in the state.Like most of his decision that borders on human rights, this attracted condemnation from Human Rights advocates because of the fear that this could encroach on freedom and liberty of people of Kaduna State.

 

Mr. El-rufa’I,the governor of Kaduna State,embarked on a demolition of structures constructed in lands initially earmarked for public schools. Occupants of such lands were given calve-out by former governments of Kaduna State. Some of them were also given certificate of occupancy ( C of O) of the lands given to them. The government of Kaduna State under Mr. El-rufa’i gave people three weeks to vacate their habitats or force the consequences of the bulldozers. The exercise started in Zaria and descended to some parts of Kaduna City. The demolition exercise seems to be on a halt for unknown reasons. Building along constitution road that were marked for demolition are still standing.

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON STAFF VERIFICATION

 

CEDRA shares the spirit behind the verification exercises because it’s criminal for people to crowd staff payment vouchers with ghost workers that are gulping hundreds of millions Naira a month. But we believe that making staff verification a project on itself is bad.These experts that were commissioned through a billion Naira contract should have been through with their work by now. Workers have being subjected to all sorts of hardship all in the name of verification. The exercise was so unorganized to the degree of making staff ghost in some months and real workers in other months . Worse, these workers were merely asked to fill forms indicating moths the state owes them and return home. Most have been waiting for months without any concrete action towards giving them their arrears. This same exercise led to liquidation of their colleagues through a suicide bomber in Sabon Gari Zaria in 2015.

 

Despite many verification exercises,and the claims that they now have the actual number of genuine workers,  the Government of Kaduna state under Mr. El-rufa’i has not been able to pay salaries of workers and pick their many months arrears. Ironically, the previous governments paid the state civil servants and their other  entitlements despite the presence of ghost workers. So,the government’s talks of cleansing the payrolls and non payment of salaries and arrears are not clicking with commonsense. Most of the problems is with primary school teachers and Local Government staff.Ordinarily,these category of workers shouldn’t be under the state government’s control. But because of the policy of Treasury Single Account (TSA) and lack of democratically elected government at the last layer of authority, the state government has taken over that layer of authority and subsumed their workers into one single workforce.

 

CEDRA frowns at attempt by the State Government to break organized labour through providing a question in one of their verification forms of whether workers wants to be members of their unions or they are willing to opt out. This is unacceptable because they know that once they don’t have a single voice through their unions they are finished. We also consider withholding union fees paid by workers to their unions by government as unconstitutional and a further attempt to render them spineless. Only governments who don’t value the primacy of labour will attempt to break them up through sundry policies like the one we are seeing in Kaduna State.

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CEDRA’S STANCE ON RELIGIOUS BILL BEFORE KDSHA

 

CEDRA believes that there are times where preachers crossed the lines of decency as proscribed by their holy books and as accepted by the law. But no society is devoid of people behaving in excess or over-withdrawing from our account of collective rights. Nevertheless, that is not enough grounds for the bill Mr. El-rufa’i drafted and sent to KDSHA for consideration and passage.

 

The bill is full of contradictions and directly challenges tenets of many religions- especially Christian faith. In Christian faith, adherents were admonished by Jesus Christ to pray without ceasing and to go into the whole world and preach the word- it is called the Great Commission. So what happened if a Christian is moved by the spirit of evangelism and prayers beyond 8pm? In the same vein, there is what missionaries called gospel on wheel, what happened to them- seeing that they will no longer hang their loudspeakers and move around  with their messages loud?  Again what happens to the license given by Jesus Christ over two thousand years ago under the Great Commission?

 

His bill also refused to take cognizance of other religions and African Traditional religion worshippers. Where are they going to get their clearance from? Which committee is to look at their records as a prelude for getting preaching permit? Clearly, his bill has made Kaduna State a clime of two religions only. What will then happen to Hindus, Buddhist and Jewish worshippers coming to invest in Kaduna State? Are they going to be permitted to pray and evangelize or not? The bill talked of shariah law for Muslims and Customary courts for Christians. But customary court is not for Christians but adherence of traditional religion.

 

The bill is not all encompassing and will create more questions and answers. We call for  immediate withdrawal of the bill from KDSHA to avert negative consequences that will follow the passage and possible signing into law. We see people respecting God’s laws not those made by the Chief Tenant of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House and his cohorts in KDSHA.

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON PRIMARY SCHOOL FEEDING

 

CEDRA believes in genuine effort to revamp education  especially at the basic level because quality education at that level is key. But we think sinking millions a day on feeding pupils  is a misplacement of priority by Kaduna State Government. In January 2016 the state’s commissioner of education  said feeding was introduced for two reasons: first, to encouraged enrollment; and second, to improve nutritional need of pupils.

 

The paraded reasons were far off commonsense and logic. How can a meal attract a kid to the classroom? If food has that magic, can a kid attracted by food to the class concentrate after eating his meal?  On nutritional need,how can a single meal cooked outside any supervisory body have all nutrients needed?  Another vital question is, is their learning environment descent to warrant food vendors serving food there? Is that motivating their teachers who have so many months arrears to clear with government?  A rough computation shows that over 450m goes into school feeding weekly, meaning over a billion is going into it monthly. Is the money not enough to tackle problems associated with infrastructure and instructional materials?

 

We see this as a politically motivated policy which has no bearing with improving the enrollment or nutritional needs of pupils. In March 2016,barely two months after starting the programme, the same commissioner who announced the commencement of the policy came crying that pupils are abandoning classes after eating their rations of food. In spite this, the government is not courageous enough to halt the scheme and channel the monies they are wasting to other vital projects that will impact possibility in education sub-sector.

 

Education is too important a sector to play politics with. There is no doubt that history books will hold that Kaduna State introduced a free feeding programme to pupils in public primary schools but that is not akin to improving the quality of education in the state. It is even shameful for government to use food as a means to attract kids to class. The picture to the outside world is disgraceful and denigrating because it is showing that parents can’t feed kids they gave birth to. And want and deprivation in the kids of Kaduna State  is so much that food is so attractive to the degree that they can do anything to get it. What a a shame!

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON A SLIMMER GOVERNMENT

 

CEDRA quite surrender to the fact that Chief Executives of government parastatals or some layers of authorities have big councils and routines of aides beyond reason. Their bills are so heavy to the level that what they pick is hampering execution of people’s oriented projects.That also holds with existence of some ministries, departments and parastatals in the state.

 

But we have observed that there is either confusion or lack of sincerity in Governor El-rufa’i’s attempt to run a slimmer government. While he is reducing ministries he is at the same time creating parastatals and giving them duties of some departments in existing ministries. A clear example of this is KASTELEA- a body charged with traffic control and environmental inspection. The traffic aspect of it was being handled by VIOs before he disbanded them, and the environmental aspect was under ministries of environment and health. Another example is the Kaduna Geographic Information Agency(KADGIS), dealing with lands. Their functions were being performed by department of lands he placed under his office. There are others like Kaduna State Investment Promotion Agency(KADIPA).He recruited fresh hands to handle these new agencies despite abundance of trained and experienced personnel in their mother departments or ministries. All the monies sank in their training is now a waste. With this, it is hard to believe their philosophy of running a slimmer government to save cost.

 

Most of these agencies are duplication of effort which means wasting of human and financial capital in the state. Like most of the policies,the creation of these agencies is politically calculated to achieve cheap political point. It has nothing to do with efficiency and proper management of men and resources. It’s sad for a government trying to weed out redundancy and duplication to engage in practices that are sharply contradicting their professed dictum.

 

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON BANNING OF HAWKING AND BEGGING

 

CEDRA believe that hawkers are associated with negative economic and social factors. People engaging in hawking are denying the government good revenue. And they are always a problem to free flow of traffic in Kaduna City. It is a good idea to think of cleansing the streets off beggars but there are other factors that are denying the idea a human face. Everybody knows that,before uprooting people from their sources of livelihood, alternatives must be improvised. In this case, were there such affordable alternatives to these thousands they law illegalized their activities? Where and how on earth can people shuttling with a few items get a shop to rent and be able to pay?  Is it possible for little girls selling fried or boiled groundnuts from place to place to get a shop and pay on a business that the daily turnover is less than N1000? What the law is simply saying is, go and die!

 

On banning begging,we simply don’t know of a city in both developing and developed climes where there are no beggars. By the way, we read in the bible of a cripple beggars at the synagogue. We believe other holy books talked of the needies and admonished those endowed or blessed to give. How do people fulfilled their spiritual duty of sowing a seed through giving the less privileged amongst them? The law said both the givers and takers will pay a price for that,all laws must have references- where was this inhuman laws sourced from? Even in dictatorial political settings such laws don’t exist.  This is pure class hatred  and discrimination by those God has blessed them. Their activities should be moderated not outright banning.

 

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON FERTILIZERS POLICY

 

CEDRA is not satisfied with his decision to stop procurement of assorted fertilizers for millions of peasants whose contribution to growing the economy is unmatchable. Apart from farming and providing food security for themselves, it is their only source of income. Consequently,  refusal by the Government of Kaduna State under Mr. El-rufa’i to buy fertilizers  and other items like herbicide and insecticides will threaten the economic base of the very people who gave him the mandate on 11th April 2015.

 

The refusal of Kaduna State to procure these items and sell them at subsidized rate has also denied the peasants  of Kaduna State subsidies provided to each bag of fertilizers  by the Federal Government of Nigeria under an agreement signed between the Federal Government of Nigeria and affiliating states of the federation.

 

Unfortunately, the government of Kaduna State refused to work out plans on how peasants can access facilities of agricultural related schemes in Nigeria Agricultural Development Bank, Central Bank of Nigeria or any commercial bank. Kano State worked out an agreement with the Central Bank of Nigeria that opened the gate for over 60,000 farmers to access a rice farming facility worth billions of Naira. We expected a similar move from Mr. El-rufa’i to sugar cane, ginger, tomato and maize farmers of Kaduna State to no avail.

 

Even developed countries provides various subsidies to their farmers because of it’s importance in providing food security. In Europe, the European Union give ranchers subsidy to each head of cow or sheep they are keeping. If that is done there, despite availability of loan facility and insurance, why not here? Where is the wisdom of rushing to save PAN and resuscitate dead textiles while leaving millions of peasants helplessly?

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON BUYING OF PEUGEOT AUTOMOBILE OF NIGERIA AND RESUSCITATION OF TEXTILES

 

CEDRA is flabbergasted by the decision of Kaduna State Government to take over PAN along with some sister states of North West. The move is a gargantuan departure from the governor’s long standing principle of ” government has no business in business”. And complete waving of white handkerchief by government in anything business. The entire public service life of Mr. El-rufa’i was centred on implementing that philosophy. Between 1999 to 2007 the Governor of Kaduna State put to practice his cherished principle of privatization of Public Enterprises.

 

In 2012, he presented a paper  where Mr. El-rufa’i discussed displayed social, legal and political reasons why governments can successfully run businesses. To the best of our knowledge those reason are still standing in Nigeria today. The justice system is still bad and getting worse, political patronage is soaring higher, and irredentism or nepotism glowing.

 

The question here is, why the sudden change in philosophy by Mr. El-rufa’i?  How vital is PAN that government must take it over from its private owners? The problem of PAN is not production but competition from other automobile brands from the U.S.Japan and Germany. The time they were assembling the figure he quoted while announcing his decision to acquire them was a period they enjoyed monopoly of Nigeria market. With the influx of others, their monopoly was broken. Peoples taste changed to other brands with the type of comfort they needed in cars.

 

We believe that even if the best brains are employed to manage PAN and billions of Naira pump in, PAN will never have a market that will warrant them producing like before. So, it’s a total waste of money and a big philosophical tumble by Mr. El-rufa’i.

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON HATE SPEECH

 

CEDRA also think people engaged in hate speech be brought to order or table before the temple of justice. Hate speech is the highest form intolerance to others based on their ethnicity, religious beliefs, and political inclination. We have seen the destructive nature of hate speeches in places like Rwanda, Kosovo and even in Germany during the Nazis reign.

 

Our problem on this is, who is responsible for defining what a hate speech is? The UN has organized many conventions to find a common ground on what constitutes hate speech without much success. There is also the problem of freedom of speech and liberty of citizens- which can easily be encroached by those trying to stop hate speech. There is also the problem of moral bankruptcy of Mr. El-rufa’i himself because of his past records.

 

On 15th July 2012, Mr. El-rufa’i tweeted, “we will write this for all to read, Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes”. How can the same man today look at people in the eye and said he will deal with those making hate speeches? Apart from this one, he made other social media updates that are blasphemous like his retweet  of 27th January 2013 that says, “If  Jesus criticizes Jonathan’s government; Maku/Abati/Okupe will say he slept with Mary Magdalene. Again, while opposing President Jonathan’s government, he mocked a photo showing President Jonathan praying by saying ” the many prayers of the lazy, docile, incompetent, clueless, and useless leader”. How can the owner of these words now begin to talk of punishing hate speech makers? Is he not the guiltiest of all?

 

It will be suicidal for people to accept his intentions because  there might be hidden intentions behind the resolution. CEDRA smells a rat and thereby call on people to resist this attempt to padlock critical mouths under the guise of fighting hate speech by natives of Kaduna State.

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON MUSICAL CONCERT

 

CEDRA saw the multimillion musical concert staged in Kaduna City as a total waste of resources by Kaduna State government and others involved in it. It has no bearing with the yearning and aspirations of the people of Kaduna State who voted for change on 11th April 2015. A careful perusal of the social contract entered with the good people of Kaduna state shows that there was nothing thing like an undertaken to stage such a jamboree.

 

This is yet another contradiction by Mr. El-rufa’i. How can a government that said it was slimming down the size of government to save cost squander the saved money on a musical jamboree? How does that impact on the lives of people in the state? After getting the heat from anti-musical jamboree they concocted stories that they entire programme was sponsored by private individuals and companies. If they have the capacity to make companies waste millions of Naira on a musical jamboree , why not make them spend in other serious ventures like buying computers for schools or organizing competitions between primary and secondary schools in the state?

 

We think as well as other well meaning people that that was pure hidonistic venture that was quite unnecessary.

 

CEDRA’S STANCE ON DEMOLITION OF STRUCTURES

 

CEDRA shares El-rufa’i’s mission and vision of reclaiming lands encroached by people in conjunction with previous governments. It’s a sad development that we support all efforts to reverse it. However, we think three weeks ultimatum was too short a time for people to abdicate their homes. The order didn’t take cognizance of factors of the size of the families and scarcity of houses in Kaduna State. Let’s even assumed people have monies to rent homes or can build new ones, is three weeks enough?  We are talking of some families that are more than 20 or 30, is it easy to get a home that will accommodate them all?  So, the policy is a good one but its decency was contaminated by the time limit provided. Any policy that inflicts hardship on people because of absence of dregs of compassion is in itself completely bad.

 

 

GENERAL OBSERVATION ON MR.EL-RUFA’I’S STYLE OF LEADERSHIP FROM 29TH MAY 2016 TO 29th MAY 2016

 

From 29th May 2015 to date, Mr. El-rufa’i’s actions and inactions have certified Abraham Lincoln’s words that ” Nearly all  men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power”. The mandate given to Mr. El-rufa’ion 11th April 2015 by the people of Kaduna State has unveiled much about his character and person. There are contradictions between what he said and done in his recent past and what he is saying and doing now as Governor of Kaduna State.

CEDRA observed upsurge of intolerance to voices of dissents in Kaduna State. People enjoying their constitutionally guaranteed rights of opposing his elitist policies have been subjected to all sorts of threats and maltreatments. The height of his intolerance was seen in October of 2015 when he told those who don’t accept his version of the truth to go and climb KUFENA MOUNTAIN and fall.  The full meaning of that is, if you don’t agree with him, you should go and die. Where on earth do democratic leaders tell their people to go die if they don’t believe in their policies? Using indicative and deductive sense of reasoning, there is no doubt that the State Security Council resolution of January 2016  is a camouflage to stifling critical voices and  freedom of speech in the state.

CEDRA has observed that all the puritanical stance before and during the campaign were mere power seeking sloganeering. They aren’t clean as they wanted people to believe. How can a clean man work with people that are webbed in multiple local and international corruption charges? In our first hundred years in office, we called for sacking of one of such people in his governmente, Mr. Jimi Lawal. Instead of sacking him, he was merely removed from his offices of Special Advisor on Investment Promotion to Adviser and Councillor General to the Governor. Is El-rufa’i ignorance of the adage ” show me your friend and I will tell you who you are”?  Can two work in alliance without agreement? No. Clearly, people were only bamboozled and hypnotized just to get power. They weren’t white garment wearing angels we assumed they are.

His historical narration and claims of 6th April 2016 in Sunrise Daily of Channels Television has shown his penchant for fairing the untrue. In that interview, Mr. El-rufa’i claimed that over 800 people were killed in post 2011 electoral crisis and most of the killings took place in Southern Kaduna. The governor of Kaduna State also claimed that the crisis coincided with a period of international migration of herdsmen along West Africa belt. And that the kith and kins  of those killed in Southern Kaduna were that ones who came back on reprisal killings that took place in Southern Kaduna between 2013 and 2015. His last major claim that day was that Muslims constitutes 70% while Christians are 30%. There is no doubting the fact that, all his major claims in that interview were not rooted in facts and any known history.

For example, National Population Commission( NPC) are the only body charged with head count in Nigeria. And in their last exercise, people’s religion was not in the array of data they collected. With that, where did he get his 70/30 ratio from? On the killings in Southern Kaduna that he claimed was underreported by the press, facts contained in a commission set up by government is not his best ally. Similarly, no book  or oral narration that holds that Southern Kaduna is a route of an annual shuttle of herdsmen along the West Africa belt. All the claims of 6th April 2016 were mischievously hemmed to distort history and label Southern Kaduna people killers and justify what he called reprisal killings by Fulanis. Sad enough, he concluded that session without condemning the reprisal but rather extolled Fulanis criminal antics of having a long memory like Mr. Snake. His disposition must have been a justification of his tweet of 15th July 2012 that gave warning to people who killed the Fulanis.

Govwrnor El-rifa’i of Kaduna State  pledged that if elected, nobody will kill another and go scot free. Kaduna, especially the rural areas, remains a death trap from the activities of Fulani herdsmen. From Kasuwan Magani to Kachia, Zangon Kataf to Sanga, and Lere and back to Chikun; fulani gunmen operate unhindered against native communities and were never apprehended not to mention being brought to face the wrath of the law. In Malali of Kaduna State, a man was murdered by his wife’s lover, but to this day, the man walks freely while the government was quick to arrest and jail a journalist who reported the story. Kidnappers, for the first time, found Kaduna a safe haven for their sinister activities, with pastors and senior military officers kidnapped and murdered. Children are not spared as some were kidnapped only to be found with gouged out eyes. Pockets of persons are silently and quietly being murdered – some in their farms, some in their cars and some others, on their way back from work. The murderers of Mrs Mary Godwin Kagal somewhere in 2015, the murderers of a District Head in Sanga some few weeks ago, the murderers of one of the three kidnapped pastors in March 2016, the murderers of many others that went unreported are all still at large. The Kaduna State government has not been able to bring any of those persons to justice.

Mr. El-rufa’i’s one year in office is without a single people’s oriented project in any part of the state. It was all talks without action. Giant strides seeing in other states are absent in Kaduna State. His style is courting press attention no matter how minutes an issue can be. An example of unnecessary attracting attention was closing of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House clinic. Who is bereaved of the fact that no single Governor in the entire 36 states of the federation  visit their government house clinic? All of them embark on medical tourism abroad for even mild ailments like headache. Government house clinics are meant for supporting staff who work for longer hours and their job schedules demands sitting throughout working hours. With this, how do these people gets quick medical attention and return to their tables in a nick of time?  That goes with many of his pronouncements and actions. They are hiding his ineptitude and cluelessness in handling Kaduna State.

 

One year has gone without any conscious effort toward conducting Local Government polls. People have made several calls for the conduct of elections at that tier of government. His government seems reluctant for reason known to him. Other states have conducted Local Government Polls and their Local Governments are being run democratically. In Kaduna State his appointees are the ones heading the local governments. This is making them not to perform their residual constitutional duties assigned to that layer of authority. Local Governments in Kaduna State are merely a department under the office of the governor.

 

All men of goodwill must stand firm because it’s clear that dictatorship is gradually shooting its root down the political soil of Kaduna State. The situation is so precarious that if nothing is done – especially by people and institutions scheduled to check his excesses the state will become a clime where dictatorship is the political order. If nothing is done and done fast, the prison  wards and police cells will soon be crowded by Mr. El-rufa’i’sprisoners of conscience.

ON OPPOSITION PARTIES AND OTHERS

No true democracy without existence of strong opposition party or parties and other good governance advocacy groups. Their existence is vital to checking excesses of those in power . Vibrant opposition parties and other advocacy groups sometimes are more productive than the horde of leaders or lawmakers under the ruling parties. Elected and appointed officials are often times caged by party solidarity and other ideological persuasions even if such policies are astronomically detached from the yearning and aspirations of the mandate givers.
At the beginning of APC’s regime from 29th May 2015, the main opposition party PDP and others slumbered. But along the way, they breast up to their new billings. What happened was initial shock of losing an elections they never thought even in their wildest dreams. Another factor that slowed their momentum was lack of experience in the art of opposition politicking. Most of them have been on the ruling side since inception of this republic in 1999. But the reality is now on them, and they are gradually rolling on.
There is the need for them to gear-up because they have a constitutional right hanging on their shoulders. If they play their roles well, it is possible for them to bounce back to power, sooner than expected. Otherwise, they will wander in the political wilderness for so many years. However, their future depends on the performance of the APC – especially in the area of keeping faith with the social contract entered with Nigerians on the 28th March and 11th April 2015. Yes performance and faithfulness to social contracts plays a big role in determining who wins and losses, but beyond that are other variable which are also important in the act of politics.
On their part, civil societies and others struggling for an open society predicated on the basis of rule of law must intensify their efforts because  power is corruptible. Let them not be bamboozle by the sweet talks of politicians while struggling to get mandates. History has shown that, after getting power, men are capable of transforming from doves to Hawks and from gentlemen to very rugged and dangerous men. Consequent to this, good governance advocacy groups  must soldier on without pulling the brakes.
There is no doubt that many advocacy groups are besieged with problems – especially funding of most of their activities. Nevertheless, extra  sacrifices must be made to ensure that at least a minimal level of activities are on going.Freedom and liberty is never free, anywhere in the world. There is always a price to pay for every act of struggle against the system and its actors. Those benefiting from the evil and illegalities injected in the system will never stand hands akimbo and see themselves forced to do the right thing. It shall be a constant fight, but one thing is sure; the victory of evil over good doesn’t last.

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