Opinion

Opinion

Opinion: Now that Nigeria is planning to start collecting tax from Beggars, What’s Next?

In an attempt  to raise much needed funds, the Finance Minister, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, has come up with the most ludicrous suggestions of all time : she plans to tax even beggars on their ‘earnings’. She made this perfectly clear at a news conference in Lagos recently.

May I remind the Honourable Minister that ‘begging’ is not actually an occupation but rather a means to survive in times of harsh economic times. Nobody wants to go on the streets and beg for alms – for some it’s a necessity; the alms they receive from charitable people enables them to survive. Yes, there are some professional beggars but not all of them are.

But if the minister is still intent on taxing beggars hopefully she hasn’t forgotten about also taxing armed robbers, cultists, kidnappers ( – ‘Evans’ didn’t pay any tax on the billions he earned from kidnapping!), drug smugglers, Yahoo yahoo boys etc. There’s a long list of people who earn a fortune in the ‘black economy’ and never pay a penny in tax. Some of these people earn more money than most honest people will ever see in a lifetime!

And will she also be taxing any of the bribes or backhanders  her fellow ministers and politicians periodically receive? And what about the Fulani herdsmen? They don’t pay any tax (- but who’s brave enough to ask them for it?)

Surely there are many other ways to raise funds through taxing; the Finance Minister just needs to be a little bit more creative – and reasonable. For instance how about a tax on people who have big second homes? Or  what about taxing a little bit extra on people who have  private planes and yachts? It won’t hurt their bank balances! And what about all the  religious organisations who hide under the façade  of ‘non-profitable organisations’ ? I can name a few ‘fat-cat-non-profitable-ventures’ beggars (aka pastors!) who need taxing; they live bourgeois and opulent lifestyles financed by the charitable contributions of their church members. In reality they are just sophisticated beggars who prey on their vulnerable congregation. Bishop Oyedepo, for instance, can afford to pay a little more tax on his ‘non-profitable-ventures’ earnings.

If this goes ahead it’ll be interesting to see how it will be implemented; will an army of ‘beggar’ tax collectors be employed to collect taxes? How will you determine what they will pay? Or how do you determine how much they earn from begging? How will you enforce such a law? Currently more than 97% of the population of Lagos state don’t pay any tax at all!

Perhaps the real problem is how easy it is to avoid paying tax in Nigeria; you can bribe a tax official to give you a tax clearance certificate; you can operate off the grid, in a black market environment and the authorities will never know or you can simply refuse to pay a tax summons – who’s going to enforce it?

To generate funds through taxation, which is vital for any nations’ growth, an adequate and fair system needs to be put in place.

The taxation system needs to be transparent for all so that everyone pays the correct tax based on their income. Tax loopholes, like the so-called ‘non-profitable ventures’ need to be assessed properly or outlawed. Then there needs to be a system that will collect and enforce non-payment of such – if 97% of people in Lagos don’t pay tax and you can’t enforce it you have a problem.

It’s all good and fair the minister is making plans to tax everybody but without a proper system in place she is just wasting her time.

Surely there must be other ways or means of raising funds without having to resort to harassing the least fortunate members of society for their measly widow’s mite.

Tony Ogunlowo blogs at http://www.archangel641.blogspot.co.uk

 

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Opinion

Opinion: Let’s Break-up Nigeria! | By: Tony Ogunlowo  

So everybody wants to go their own separate way? Some Igbos want to re-create the nation of Biafra while others want a Niger-Delta country; Northern youths are calling for the expulsion of all Igbos (- and Southerners) from the North and quietly the Yorubas are calling for the creation of an Oduduwa Republic.

And then what?
As Great Britain is finding out from its preliminary BREXIT talks with Europe it’s not easy to break up a union that has been around for a very long time. It’s a lot of wahala!
As anybody who has been through a divorce will know, no break-up is easy: who gets to keep the dog? (- or cat?) How will assets be divided and what about access to the kids?
For intended break-aways a lot of things need to be considered; creating your own flag and drawing up your geographical borders is just the tip of the iceberg for there’s lots of things to consider.
A new country will need to be self-sufficient, generate its own income, make its own laws and be able to defend itself for instance.
As we can see from the break-up of the old Soviet Union 25 years ago this can prove to be problematic. Some of the old Soviet bloc countries have all the resources whilst others have nothing – reduced to having cabbage and potato economies.
Even the powerful Great Britain will have problems when they finally break with Europe. There will be problems with trade, defence and immigration amongst other things.
If the North wants to go it alone can they survive on an income derived from groundnuts and rice? Will yams and cocoa fund an Oduduwa Republic? Can the oil-rich delta region survive on oil alone?
And how do you divide up the Federal installations and other assets scattered around the country?
People, of all tribes, are scattered around the country and have made these places their homes. So what immigration policy will be put in place? Will there be free movement between the new countries? Will they be allowed to live and work where they are or do they have to return back to their origins? Will I, a Nigerian require a visa to live and work in Biafra?
Those old enough will remember the trouble caused by the expulsion of illegal aliens order signed by then President Shagari that resulted in the infamous ‘Ghana must Go’ in 1983 when people who were not of Nigerian descent were forced to leave.
Fast forward to the present day; there are more than 500,000 British citizens living and working in Europe and have done so for a very long time with a majority of them in Spain. After Britain voted to leave the European Union they have been left in limbo; they don’t know if they will have to leave everything they’ve spent years building up behind and return back to England. Likewise, European nationals in Britain don’t know if they’ll be sent home.
Currently Nigeria is not stable: the economy is a mess, corruption and crime is still rife and there is mass unemployment to mention but a few of the problems.
Forcing people to uproot and return back to their hometowns will lead to mass civilian unrest. Will they be compensated for their assets such as houses and businesses that they will be forced to leave behind? Who will compensate Dangote for all his investments in the South? And what about the people he employs? Who is going to employ them when he closes his businesses and moves everything up North? (- and again who’s going to work for him in the North? Fulani cattle herders? Boko haram?)
International investors will be very wary of where they invest with so much uncertainty. Again where they invest will be determined by such things as minimum wage, taxes and tariffs imposed by the new nations.
More than twenty years after the creation of the new states in Nigeria, some are still struggling to stand on their own two feet! Can any of them even be financially independent? What can they do without continual financial support from the Federal Government? Nothing! So how will a new country survive with no funds from a Federal Government?
And what about sports? When it comes to the Commonwealth Games or the Olympics some of the ‘new nations’ won’t have any competitors to send because all their women will be at home cooking, making babies clad head-to-toe in hijabs!

Splitting up the country is the equivalent of opening up a Pandora’s Box : you’ll be letting out untold problems that will cause untold misery for many years to come – probably leading to civil wars.

So to all those who are thinking of breaking away its time to go back to the drawing board and think of other ways to help your people to remain part of the country. Helping your people, doing the best for your people and getting the best for them will result in everyone helping everyone to resolve the real problems affecting the nation.

Unification is a lot better than seceding.

 

Follow me on Twitter: @Archangel641 or visit http://www.archangel641. blogspot.co.uk

 

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Opinion

Opinion: When You Die Your Digital Life Lives On | By: Tony Ogunlowo

We live in a world – the digital age- where we virtually do everything online from corresponding to shopping, banking and socializing.

We send and receive emails; shop for virtually everything online; socialize through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram etc; watch movies on YouTube and Netflix; check our bank balances; store our music collection on iTunes – we do everything online.

The average person has at least 25 online accounts, all with different passwords and web addresses.

But what happens to them when you die or become incapacitated? There are currently lawsuits going in the United States right now where people are suing online companies like Facebook and Yahoo for refusing to give them access to their deceased ones’ accounts.

Your digital accounts will not know you’re no longer around and will keep your accounts open and continue to send updates, receive emails etc.

When it comes to closing accounts owned by deceased persons all the online platforms have different policies – some companies insist you send them written confirmation while others will insist on seeing a copy of the death certificate and power of attorney, especially if it’s a bank, PayPal or Bitcoin account. Likewise financial assets or monies held in any of the various crypto currencies will require a lot of paperwork to close the accounts and transfer all monies accrued.

Whilst it’s not possible to let everyone know what you’re doing online all the time it’s a good idea to draw up a list of where you have accounts. This will make it easier to deal with your affairs should you die or become incapacitated.

A simple way around this is to have a little ‘Black Book’ where you record every password and online account you have. This can be an actual notebook ( – if you’re old-fashion like me!), stored on a USB stick or stored online. It’s necessary that you keep it where people such as your lawyer, next-of-kin or power of attorney can find it and use it to access your accounts ( Please for god sake keep it where nobody  with fraudulent intent can find it, or they’ll be able to access your accounts and you’ll be a very poor and sorry person!).

Once your trusted ones are able to access your accounts through the info you leave behind in your ‘Black Book’ they’ll be able to unsubscribe you from all lists and close your accounts following instructions on the individual websites. Also there are companies such as eclosure.com.au that specialize in digital estate management.

Eventhough the law is not yet clear on online accounts and virtual assets it’s a good idea to leave clear instructions on what you want done, for instance who gets access to your music collection in cloud storage and who gets to keep the commissions from your YouTube and Blogger accounts and should they keep running after you are no longer around.

Hopefully , in years to come there will be laws outlining what can be done to access deceased persons’ online accounts, but until then its best to have a little ‘Black Book’ with all your passwords that people can use to unlock your online life.

Tony blogs at  http://www.archangel641. blogspot.co.uk

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Opinion

Opinion: The #HallelujahChallenge and a People's Love for Magic |By: Wole Aguda

I stopped being a fan of exaggerated worship or public display of godliness when I realized that it was possible to be outwardly pristine and internally depraved of morality. Humanity has mastered the art of stripping clothes off the body of another with just the mind so public works are at best a facade. The real treasure of the person to me is therefore the mind from whence actions emanate. So, corporate worship, while excellent and an expression of the unity of the church is adorable, it is however meaningless when so called worshipers promote hate. You cannot serve God and Mammon. You either love or hate. You cannot gather in worship at night and abuse the daylight from Biafra agitators in the day, in same manner that you cannot raise up hands in worship at night and in the day cast aspersions on our Hausa brothers. If the mind is sound, it will love humanity at first line charge, and then other considerations follow. The collective assignment per Christian is first love. Do not assume that it can be anything else. Love must be No. 1.

I was not quite aware of the #HallelujahChallenge but my circle has many who are actively involved in that event. I am delighted that a single event could ramp up tens of thousands of worshippers via live feeds. It is an ingenious use of technology that leaves me satisfied. I have however wondered if the convener of this wonderful challenge would get the same response had he called for a conference where Hausa Christians prayed for Hausa/Fulani Muslims in the North East and in the North West. Would much be achieved if there was a #PrayChallenge organized by Christians in the South East for strictly men and women of Fulani extraction? Could we expect a robust outpouring of “Amens” and excitement were we called to pray for Boko Haram Bombers? Am I treading on impossible grounds already? Wait for this! Can we have a prayer challenge where Yoruba Christians read out the names of every Federal Lawmaker from the North in blessings and supplication to God for their success? Stop squeezing your mind – that is what love is! Love is not convenient; it is not when you feel uplifted ALONE before God. Love is what you give so why will it be such excruciating assignment to wish your Federal Lawmakers success? Why will it be so hard for Christians to rise in prayers for Fulani Herdsmen – afterall they all certainly aren’t the wretched of our earth! We have the peaceful peaceful ones, don’t we? The ones who who had been in Nigeria all the while before the guns proliferation madness should also be subjects of our well wishers, after all they have not yet poisoned our meat as seen in hate broadcasts.

You can’t place a human impression above divine duty. How do you love when in your heart of hearts, you do not want Buhari to return alive? How can you love when you cannot consider ever relocating to Kazaure from Ibadan? When you jump to the controversial conclusions that the major criminals in Nigeria are from a particular region, you sit in judgment. You, yes you with your royal holiness that cannot interpret dreams had in naps. The problem with Nigeria remains to me, the problem of unloving minds and what we have primed it to believe. Forget the big issues and let us, like Tekno in ‘Rara’ talk about the small things. Can you love a person just because the person is human? The descriptions of South East, South West, North East or North West are as artificial as the fake lashes on some sisters. They are only fine for the moment, not when they are beaten by rain and the elements. The call for the unity of Nigeria is better boosted by corporate agreement that love supersedes all things. Distrust is a result of a lack of love. Many marriages break down today because the love ebbed, leaving room for distrust. I can tell that. Why do we have multiple churches yet agitations for hateful breaks exploding exponentially?

I call on religious leaders everywhere to begin to use our opium constructively. Religion is an addiction and it should either be totally discarded or the valuable elements (every religion I believe has its useful parts) put to good use. If religions preach love, why is it concealed by adherents when issues of Nigerian unity prop up? It is not enough to be religious, it is not even enough to have religion. All we need is love, and then Nigeria attains greatness. Forget all the political grammar. The greatness that the likes of Nathaniel Bassey carry has been shown. Let us push this further to quash daylight ethnic hatred, seen or unseen, heard or not.

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Opinion

Opinion: London is Not The Only Place Under Terrorist Attack | By: Tony Ogunlowo

On the 22nd of May, 22-year old Salman Abedi exploded a shrapnel-loaded bomb killing himself and 23 others, injuring 119, some seriously, after an Arianna Grande concert in Manchester.

Twelve days later on the 3rd of June, in London, three terrorists killed 8 people and injured a further 48 before being gunned down by armed police.

The world media, and leaders, went into overdrive decrying the atrocities, holding vigils and benefit concerts for the victims, showing solidarity with the cities of London and Manchester.

But London and Manchester were not the only places in the world to come under attack by Islamic terrorists.

There were others.

From the 22nd of May when the Manchester atrocities were unfolding to the 3rd of June  London stabbings more than  500 people lost their lives to terrorists attacks worldwide, with many more injured.

Some of these atrocities include:

  • 22nd May  – Bangkok, Thailand  – 24 injured
  • 22nd  May – Iraq   6 dead. 15 injured
  • 23rd  May  – Afghanistan – 11 dead, 9 injured
  • 23rd May  – Homs, Syria – 4 dead, 40 injured
  • 24th May  – Somalia  – 12 dead, 15 injured
  • 26th May  – Egypt   –   28 dead, 30 injured.
  • 31st May  – Kabul, Afghanistan  – 150 dead, 420 injured.

This is an incomplete list as it doesn’t contain full details about terrorist attacks in places like Nigeria, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Libya and Iran where attacks occur on a daily basis   and there are no official figures for casualties.

Nobody has shown any solidarity with them (- not even Donald Trump!), there have been no benefit concerts or fundraising for the victims and survivors. The world media hasn’t even bothered to report these incidents or show the pictures of these nameless victims and there’s nobody to help the injured survivors; they’ll probably end up homeless, uncared for and forgotten in IDP( Internal Displaced Person) or refugee camps.

While it is right to decry the atrocities of terrorists, attention shouldn’t be just limited to top Western cities such as London and Paris. There are people who are dying on a daily basis as a result of terrorist activities, worldwide, in places such as Nigeria, Iraq, Afghanistan and the Philippines. They need attention too.

So while terrorist activities in London and Manchester is front page news around the world don’t forget those the western media can’t be bothered to mention.

Tony blogs at http://www.archangel641.blogspot.co.uk

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 Health, Opinion

The Need to Address Mental Health Issues in Nigeria | By : Tony Ogunlowo

It’s not only the mad people who wander the streets dressed in rags, talking to themselves, that have mental health issues. People will be surprised to learn that a lot of seemingly healthy and sane people have mental health issues.

Mental health problems covers a very wide spectrum ranging from the clinically insane ( ‘were’ or mad-man) who roam our streets, to those who were born with mental disorders and disabilities and finally to the closet mental health sufferers.

It’s the last group, the closet-mental-health- sufferers, that I want to address here for they are the ones who are most at risk and are either not aware of it or don’t think it’s a problem. These are the people who suffer from depression, anxiety, panic attacks etc. Left un-checked it can lead to hypertension or the individual developing suicidal thoughts.

According to the Commonwealth Health organisation, the most commonly diagnosed mental illness in Africa is mood disorders caused by a number of things.

There are a lot of things that can cause an individual’s mental health to deteriorate rapidly: the current economic climate with all the uncertainty, peer and family pressure and undisclosed personal problems.

According to Professor  Taiwo Lateef-Shiek, the Medical Director of the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital Kaduna, 80% of Nigerians with mental health problems don’t seek proper help: they are more likely to go running to their pastors or babalawos or keep quiet about it. The recent rise in the number of people taking their own lives is a clear indication of this. If there is more awareness people won’t be stigmatised and ashamed to seek help or commit suicide.

In the Western world there are periodic campaigns to alert people to the dangers of concealing a mental health problem – it can happen to anyone! Hollywood giants like the late Tony Scott and Robin Williams committed suicide after years of suffering from depression. And in the UK, recently, the Royal Princes Harry and William openly talked about their battle with depression following the death of their mother, Princess Diana, in 1997.

In Africa, shame and the thought of being stigmatised prevent people from talking about their mental health problems until it is too late. Remember it can happen to anyone and any number of worldly problems can cause a person to lose the plot and go mad.

There is no shame in going to see a qualified practitioner (-definitely not your Pastor!) and discussing your problems. Sometimes all it takes is therapy, pills or a change in direction in life to clear your head. If you keep it to yourself hoping it’ll go away you’re wrong! It’ll only keep on building up and up till one day you’ll explode (- or implode)

Society also has a role to play in this – stop stigmatising people who have mental problems! You see ‘were’ or a mad-person on the street and start laughing at them, abusing them because they happen to be in the unfortunate position of not being able to control their faculties. Do you know what led to them losing their minds and ending up mad on the streets? You don’t know! It could be a catalogue of problems ( – or a man-made curse!) that finally pushed them over the edge. At the end of the day they are somebody’s brother, sister, uncle or mother. Show some empathy!

People with mental health problems just don’t develop it overnight: it starts off gradually. Signs to look out for are erratic behaviour, loss of interest in things and aloofness, mood swings and uncontrollable emotional outbursts. If the problem is dealt with in its infancy the patient has a good chance of a full recovery.

In the absence of a comprehensive mental health care system we have to look out for each other; sometimes all it takes is a shoulder to cry upon, someone to talk to.

And to the charlatan- pastors out there – you can’t cure every mental health sufferer out there with your brand of prayer sessions and God-knows-what: you’re not a qualified psychiatrist who specialises in these matters.

And if you have a mental health problem don’t hide away in shame- seek help! Your very life and well-being might depend on it!

Tony blogs at http://www.archangel641. blogspot.co.uk

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Opinion

Opinion: What’s a life worth in Nigeria? | By: Biodun Ogungbo

Somewhere in Nigeria.


A trailer fell on a woman.


It crushed her legs.


She was still alive.


But in severe pains and begging.

Begging for help.


For someone to save her! 

There on the scene.


Men and women.


Including law enforcement.


Walking around her.


Taking photographs and video.

Capturing her misery.


Her impending death from blood loss.

For all to see! 

Oh, what a life? 

This was the distressing picture I saw on my phone from a Whatsapp page first thing in the morning and it brought me to tears. This is however not the first such distressing picture or video you would see on social media. Or even hear about from patients and relatives. The question and the tragedy is this. How can we be so without care, without soul and without a shred of humanity? How can we be so detached as to see fun in the misery of others? How is it possible that NO ONE thought about or remembered something simple called FIRST-AID?
A law enforcement officer was in the picture! If the people have no clue what to do, should a law enforcement officer be clueless as well? There was a law enforcement officer in the picture and he was as useless as a lamp-post. There have been many posts on Facebook and in Whatsapp showing people standing by, contaminating crime scenes, accident scenes, taking pictures while someone was being assaulted, killed or dying respectively; as in the case above.
These are then posted online highlighting our collective shame in gory pictures and horrifying videos! So, what is a life worth in Nigeria? A picture for a thousand likes? A video shared to friends and family and seen by three hundred people? A story in Linda Ikeji’s blog? Or perhaps N2000 for recharge card!
What happened to first aid in Nigeria?
Cardiac arrest 
Sometime ago, I wrote about a man who collapsed at the airport presumably from a cardiac arrest. He collapsed and lay dying on the floor in the departure lounge. Suddenly, people gathered around him and then some started praying. Oh, God of Nazareth! Oh, Jesus! This carried on for minutes until a trained nurse happened on the scene. She immediately took over and started to resuscitate the man with a cardiac massage and mouth to mouth resuscitation. Within a few minutes, the chap came back to life and was subsequently taken to hospital. Left to the prayer squad, he would surely have died. This idea of waiting for God to come and solve every little problem is baffling.
Convulsion 
In Lagos, a baby was having a seizure (convulsion) and someone asked that the mother should quickly go and urinate. That the mother’s urine should be poured down the throat of the baby as a solution to stop the convulsion. Others have suggested cow urine and such other concoctions. The level of ignorance, stupidity, the myths, misconceptions and old wives’ tales in Nigeria are at an all-time high. Fueled by near fanatic spirituality, poverty and perhaps defective genome.
Another young girl was having a seizure in Abuja. She was thrashing around on the floor and foaming from the mouth. People quickly gathered round and no one went close to help her. In the crowd, someone said, ‘She is a Muslim’. ‘You cannot touch a Muslim woman’. Another shouted, ‘Get water’, ‘Pour water on her’.
Stroke 
A man collapsed in the street with weakness of the left side of the body and slurring of speech. He was in distress and unable to help himself. Obviously, suffering a stroke. Many people walked by, some calling him a drunk and abusing him for obstructing their path.
My shame 
I see all this from a very different perspective. I feel ashamed as a medical practitioner. I am distressed not from the images or the videos really as I see and have seen worse than these. I cry not because of the woman in the picture but for us all as a failing generation. We as a people! Collectively, we appear doomed, driving with speed to our mutual demise in the sea of deep ignorance. You see, our communal survival depends on being able to care for each other.
Our shame
We as doctors and other healthcare practitioners have perhaps not done enough in the communities to empower people with the information and knowledge to respond appropriately to situations requiring first aid. We should do more. We should do more within the family, in churches and mosques and in our place of work. We should start in our own homes and then go into schools to teach and train and perhaps change attitudes to pain and distress. We should teach how to be humane so we can resuscitate our humanity. We should also be ready to use the media to carry these training to all Nigerians.
Finally, the Government should train its law enforcement officers to be skilled in responding to situations like this. Even civil servants in our ministries and youth-corpers must be knowledgeable in first-aid to preserve life before our non-existent emergency ambulance arrives.
But, that is another story!

Ogungbo is a medical practitioner in Abuja
 Source

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Opinion

Op-Ed: What happened to transparency? | By: Simon Kolawole

At the annual Nigerian jamboree to the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) in Houston, Texas, Dr. IbeKachikwu, the minister of state for petroleum resources, told a “world press conference” on May 5, 2017 that Nigeria’s refineries would soon have new investors. He said 26 investors had indicated interest in the epileptic refineries. “By September, we will unveil the investors for the refineries,” the minister said smoothly, typically. “When we came onboard, the refineries were not working but as we speak, we have sizeable investment portfolio for them to an extent that we don’t know who to partner with for the investment.”
Let’s say I didn’t go to school at all. Or let’s say it was evening school that I attended. These would still be my takeaways from the minister’s proclamations: one, our refineries are now in a position to attract investment; two, 26 investors have indicated interest in taking over the refineries (on a repair, operate and maintain, ROM, agreement); three, we have not taken a decision yet because there are so many suitors to choose from; and four, we will announce the favoured investors by September. Without attending Harvard Business School, I would still conclude that it appeared the process was going to be competitive and transparent.
On May 11, 2017 (six days later, right?) Mr. Wale Tinubu, the CEO of Oando Plc, told the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) that the group had received approval of the government to “repair, operate and maintain” the Port Harcourt Refinery together with “our partner” Agip, a subsidiary of ENI, the Italian company indicted in the Malabu/OPL 245 affair. Tinubu said: “We plan to increase the refinery capacity from 30 per cent to 100 per cent.” Great news, as far I am concerned. We need the refineries back as soon as possible; we have had enough of the endless TAMs gulping billions of naira and spewing out virtually no products for decades.
Now this is where I need your help. The last time I checked, with the help of Google, May and September are different months. There are June, July and August in-between. With the help of Google, I also discovered that the gap between when Kachikwu spoke in Houston and when Tinubu spoke in Lagos was a whopping six days — or, to make it simpler, less than one week. There are usually four weeks in a month, and from May 5, when Kachikwu spoke, to September, there are 17 weeks, according to the all-knowing Google. With Tinubu’s disclosure, should we assume that May is the new September? Or that September came early for Oando, Agip and Kachikwu?
But I think Google is overrated. There were so many questions it could not answer. For instance, I asked: “Is Oando among the 26 investors Kachikwu boasted about in Houston?” I could not make head or tail of the results. Google came up with “FOX 26 Houston KRIV”. Nonsense. But I got more gibberish for other questions: did Oando and ENI send in a bid? Was it an unsolicited bid? Was it selective tendering? If it was competitive bidding, how many bids were received for Port Harcourt? How much did Oando/ENI bid? How much did others bid? How much did the bidders promise to invest? How many years will the ROM run? Are there concessions for the new operators?
I can understand why Google got stuck — that almighty search machine likes transparency. If you do not make your information public, it cannot make it public for you. The best, or should I say the worst, Google would do is to suggest answers that it thinks are related to your questions, even when there is no connection whatsoever. If you google most of the major concessions and major contracts awarded by this government, you will get irrelevant answers on the process. For the same reason: transparency is very scarce in these major deals. We just wake up one day and hear that one company has been awarded a job. Not a word on the process.
Don’t get me wrong: I’m not saying Oando should not take over the Port Harcourt Refinery. I have devoted a significant part of my column-writing career to promoting the cause of Nigerian companies. I believe that one day, made-in-Nigeria will be enjoyed all over the world. I want Nigerian companies to fly our flag honourably. Even though I have been called names and subjected to sickening innuendos for promoting Dangote, Globacom, Oando and Innosons, among others, I am not about to repent. Americans are proud of their Apple, Microsoft and Chevron, and my dream is that our people and our companies will become global brands too.
That said, though, I am very worried about an emerging pattern in this administration. President Muhammadu Buhari campaigned on the strength of correcting the mistakes and misdeeds of the previous government, but I am seeing too much repetition for it to be coincidental. There is too much secrecy in the way many important things are done, and corruption, need we say, thrives on secrecy. Take away competition, take away transparency, take away accountability, and you have a perfect recipe for corruption. We cannot be sealing deals under the table without revealing the details to Nigerians and then claim we are building an open society.
We just woke up one day to learn that GE had secured the concession to take over the railways. How did it happen? What are the details of the deal? Is this the best possible deal Nigeria can get? We were just watching TV one evening and learnt that the federal government had finally signed a renegotiated concession agreement with the Global Steel Holding Limited (GSHL) for Ajaokuta Steel. Up till today, we don’t know the details. Ask questions and what you get as answer is: who paid you to ask? As a journalist, I’m used to the blackmail. I would have quit this job the day I joined if I had to pay attention to personal attacks.
By the way, I know a bit about the procurement options. I know of “sole sourcing”, where you go to one provider only because no other provider does it — like buying a Rolls Royce from the maker. “Selective tendering” allows you to approach a few providers who meet certain criteria. There is “repeat procurement”, where you return to earlier provider because of time constraints and because they did a previous job well. All these need strong justifications because you are restricting competition, which is a major element of procurement. And then there is “competitive bidding”, where you throw it open to all. In all, Nigerians deserve to know the process adopted.
Get me right. I am not saying anything illegal is being done in the case of the Port Harcourt Refinery. It just lacks transparency. That’s my point. And what about other moral issues? ENI again? As I write this, many Nigerians are being prosecuted or wanted by the EFCC for their involvement in the OPL 245 deal. They are being accused of taking part in an elaborate bribery scheme. But ENI, which is at the centre of it all and is being prosecuted by an Italian prosecutor for its role in the $1.3 billion affair, is cornering more deals in Nigeria without getting as much as a slap on the wrist. The impression being created is that our anti-graft war is very narrow.
I sympathise with the government over the limitations imposed by procurement rules, particularly the constraint of speed, but the process was designed for a purpose. More so, this government has been in power for nearly two years, which means a lot could still have been accomplished over the years in spite of the constraints. And, remember, there are many options that can shorten the process which the government has been using for a while now. The biggest headache, though, is that there is too much opaqueness for us to conclude that transparency is a guiding principle. The chaos over the concessioning of Port Harcourt Refinery is a very good example. Dissonance.

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Opinion

Opinion: Lagos @ 50: In Need Of A Yardstick | By: Olaniyan Olawale

 
This write up is sponsored by popular Lagos twitter handle @GidiweatherEko and the write up does not necessarily represent the opinion of the sponsor but that of the writer.
I believe by now it is no longer news that Lagos, the “New York of Nigeria” as Otunba Dele Momodu once described the largest city in Africa  in terms of population and one of the fastest growing cities on planet in his article clocks 50 this year. Every nook and cranny of Lagos you pass by bear images, signposts that inform you of the milestone. Similarly, different social media platforms without any element of exaggeration have been flooded in the past few weeks with different hashtags about this landmark.
The purpose of this write up is not to further market the anniversary or to pronounce this milestone as a success or otherwise but to look at facts that would help us deduce if Lagos at 50 is actually a success as it has been painted to be or if it is otherwise.
Now more than ever have I been forced to think more about the egg and chicken theory; asking myself which came into existence first, if it was the chicken or the egg. I am forced to ask if Lagos came into existence before Nigeria or Nigeria came into existence before Lagos because series of success stories about Lagos flying all over the internet in the past few weeks need some reviews if you ask me.  It might be too early to for us to conclude that the success stories of Lagos at 50 are exaggerated if it is a success at all or if the success is being under celebrated, that’s left for readers to decide at the end of this article. I do not have a perfect or well calibrated yardstick at the moment to determine this. For the purpose of this write up and for simplicity sake I would assume a stand that Lagos at 50 is a success.
One way to determine the extent of this success is by comparing Lagos as a state with other states in the Federation. For example, Ogun state a neighbouring state which is often referred to as New Jersey of Nigeria when Lagos is referred to as the New York of Nigeria. Ogun state celebrated 40 years of existence last year but when we try to compare the developmental gap between Lagos and Ogun state, you would agree with me that Ogun is far more than a decade behind Lagos and this goes for so many other states in Nigeria if not all. Ogun just happens to be the state of comparison here. When you talk of industrialization, civilization, commercialization and infrastructural development, Ogun is arguably like three decades behind Lagos. No intention to humiliate Ogun or the great people of Ogun. The prolific Ogun state known for producing national heroes, from sports where you can mention Muda Lawal of blessed memory, to academics where we have the Nobel laureate; Prof Wole Soyinka.
Another way we can determine if Lagos is a success at 50 or not is to look at the economy of the state. Presently, the state is the fifth largest economy in Africa with a GDP.of $30bn according to versus.com with internally generated revenue of about $600M annually. Reports say Lagos has the potential to be Africa’s second largest economy by 2030. These are figures we see all over the internet but the question we ask is, how does this reflect in the life of the average Lagosian?


Lagos is a city like none, with its unique history among other states in the country, the commercial hub of the federation. The adopted home of businessmen, politicians, musicians, celebrities and so on. The city of dream, hope and breakthrough. A state whose internally generated revenue is more than the remaining south-western states put together. A state that if it were to be a country would be among the top five economies in Africa. I can go on to write fascinating facts about Lagos but like I said earlier, the purpose of this write up is not market Lagos in any dimension but for readers to make some deduction after reading this. It may surprise us to know that Lagos with all these exciting facts houses Makoko; a place once referred to has the biggest floating city in the world. Off course not the type of floating city we have in the Arab emirates but a perfect opposite of it. Makoko, a complete slum spread out beneath the second longest bridge in Africa and the longest in West- Africa; the third mainland bridge has always been a nightmare for the Lagos state government. The state government have always wanted to demolish the slum and evacuate residents but always through the same approach; force. No one comes to Lagos and visits the Island for business, vacation or just any event without having a full view of the slum. No wonder Lagos is being described as the Ocean of poverty and Island of Wealth.
It is imperative for me to draw our minds to some facts about the state of Lagos today before I close, so we can make some quality deductions and conclude if Lagos at 50 is actually a success worth celebrating or not. Although unemployment is a global challenge but unemployment at rate as high as 21% according to versus.com for a state like Lagos that boasts of an IGR. of about 200 billion naira per annum might not be good enough. Education, healthcare and infrastructures are another area I would want us to ask questions about. Do we have the quality we expect for a state with such enormous IGR? Readers should answer these and decide accordingly if Lagos at 50 is a success, and if it is worth celebrating or perhaps if it is being under celebrated.
 

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Opinion

The Hidden Dangers of Cultism | By: Tony Ogunlowo

So many young people are joining cults, or gangs, at an alarming rate. Never a day goes by, somewhere, that somebody doesn’t die as a result of cult activity which is sweeping across the country.

So you join a cult: perhaps out of boredom, peer pressure or thinking you can receive fame and fortune.

All of a sudden you have a new family. The cult feeds you and looks after you and tells you what to do. Your biological family, relatives and friends all become non-entities in your life as you swear an allegiance to the cult. The cult is now your new family.

You are told to beat people up and you do it.
You are told to kill people and you do it.
You are told to rob people and you do it.
You are told to partake in blood rituals and you do it.
But what is the cult? Do you know what they really are? Do you know what you’re getting yourself into?
Let me tell you.
Some people think joining a cult is like earning a badge of honour: they’ll be respected in society and looked up to – wrong !
A cult can be described in many ways but I’ll for the settle for the simple meaning of like-minded people gathering together and this can range from harmless people sharing a common interest to people who want to practice an extreme form of religion, like Boko Haram or ISIS, to spiritual cults that turn to the occult as a means of achieving what they want.
Unfortunately the common cults or gangs around today use spiritual means to enhance their criminal activity making them very dangerous people.
Most cults follow the ideology of their leader. They outline what the cult is all about- they write the rules and the regulations. And who is to say they are right? And who is there to challenge their belief? We can all see the ideologies of warped minded leaders of Boko Haram and ISIS and the chaos they are causing.
When you join a cult you are following the wishes and desires of your leader – not yours! You are just a foot soldier who will be sent to fight and die and do all their dirty work! Do you see any of the so-called leaders going anywhere with you? No!  They send you the expendable cult members. You are expendable! If you become incapacitated or die you’ll be replaced, simple as that!
To become a cult member you have to undergo an initiation which amongst other things involves partaking in blood rituals.
Whilst undergoing these rituals do you know who or what you are really swearing allegiance to? The cult? But what powers the cult? What powers, spirits or demons do they use during initiation ceremonies? Without a doubt you aren’t told what is used that is a secret the leaders keep to themselves. And what are these ‘powers’ going to do to you should you decide to leave the cult and when you finally die? You’ve all heard stories about people who try to leave the Ogboni cult for instance.
The Whiteman always says there’s no such thing as a free lunch and that you should always read the small print. You can’t reap where you haven’t sown! What is the cult not telling you? What are they hiding from you? Do you have to pass your membership on to a family member down the generations?  Are they going to take your life at an early age in return for fame and fortune?
I once knew someone who joined a cult because he was looking for fame and fortune – by all means. He didn’t want to work hard. He just wanted it to materialize overnight.
The cult he joined granted him his wish and he became very famous and rich (- sorry but I can’t mention his name!) but he died mysteriously a week before his thirtieth birthday. If I could speak to him I would like to ask whether it was worth it – he was only rich for three years and leaves behind a young wife and two children under the age of ten who will never know who their father was.
Is it worth it?

Remember that the minute you join a cult your life is no longer yours anymore – you belong to the cult and the cult will use you, destroy you and recruit somebody else to fill your vacant position. You mean nothing to them – you’re just cannon fodder! What if they order you to sacrifice one of your family members? You can’t say no because you would have enjoyed the benefits of other members’ sacrifices!

And when finally you die what becomes of your soul? If you have used these demonic spirits help during your earthly life they will be waiting for you on the other side and there is no saying what they’ll do to you – and they have until eternity to punish you! And all because you wanted instant fame and fortune by any means possible by joining cults.

Think twice before you join any so-called cult.

Follow me on Twitter : @Archangel641 or visit http://archangel641.blogspot. co.uk

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