Sahara Reporters Latest News Sunday 15th September 2019
Sahara Reporters Latest News Today and headlines on some of the happenings and news trend in the Country, today 15/09/19
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target=_blank>Ekiti Students Threaten Mass Protest If Demands Are Not Met
Federation of Ekiti State Students’ Union, an umbrella organisation of undergraduates of Ekiti origin, has called on the state governor, Kayode Fayemi, and the Nigeria Police to release all students arrested during a protest leading to the killing of two students of the Federal University Oye Ekiti, by policemen attached to First Lady of Ekiti, Bisi.
In an interview with SaharaReporters, President of the union, Jide Akomolafe, said that they would embark on another protest if their colleagues were not released from police custody.
He said, “Our union rejects a mere visit without compensation for families of the deceased as we have earlier demanded from the state government.
“We expressly charge the Ekiti State Government to as a matter of importance announce compensation for families of the deceased, take responsibility of the hospital bills of the two students in critical conditions in hospital while the Nigeria Police Force should ensure the unconditional release of students in detention.
“They must investigate and prosecute officers involved in the attack and killing of our students who were only exercising their fundamental human rights.
“We are determined to hold a mass protest next week since our demands have not been granted by the state government and police authorities.”
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E2%80%9Czoning-and-rotation%E2%80%9D-edwin-madunagu target=_blank>Revisiting “Zoning And Rotation” By Edwin Madunagu
Edwin Madunagu
Edwin Madunagu
At the end of the Nigerian Civil War (July 1967 – January 1970), and in preparation for a possible return to civilian rule, the ruling class established – or rather, creatively adapted – the dual principle of “zoning” and “rotation” of key political party offices and government positions among geopolitical segments of their class.
Some leading ideologues of the newly re-united class claimed that the principle emerged from one of the lessons of that bitter conflict: the need to protect and promote “national unity” at all time. The theory was that with this principle and complementary ones, the Nigerian ruling class, following the United Nations at the end of the Second World War, could vow, “Never Again!”. These ideologues were young, brilliant and idealistic. But since their horizon did not go beyond capitalism and the capitalist ruling class, their brilliant idea could not even survive the first substantive test.
It should be conceded, however, that it was not all the main factions and tendencies in this re-united but nonetheless non-homogeneous class that adopted the principle of “zoning and rotation” – or, more correctly, promoted it to a lead ideological principle. It was the dominant ruling class coalition which later appeared as Second Republic National Party of Nigeria that was in the forefront of the campaign, which it saw as furthering and strengthening the aims of “federal character” principle enshrined in the new (1979) constitution. The latter was a document whose final shape the party, at its formative stages, had dominantly influenced.
A number of the other ruling class parties of the Second Republic (1979-1983) acknowledged the principle of “zoning and rotation” in their basic documents. Those that did not explicitly endorse or acknowledge the principle, underlined the need for the protection and promotion of “national unity” which they all understood as the unity of Nigeria’s ruling class. But the Nigerian Left simply allowed its revolutionary programme of Workers’ Power, Popular Democracy and Socialism to subsume and transcend the principle of “zoning and rotation”. We may as well remark here that in those days, the Nigerian Left had the habit of summarily rejecting any idea that came from the ruling class. Though this was a legitimate protective mechanism, it was undialectical as a political tactic.
From records of what the NPN fed to the nation at the beginning of the Second Republic, the principle of “zoning and rotation,” as it applied to their party at the federal level, can be sketched like this: First, party offices and government positions are aggregated into a single list of positions. Then the states of the federation and the federal capital are grouped into a number of zones set up for the purpose of “sharing” the aggregated positions. The aggregated positions are then grouped into the number of zones. Finally, the groups of positions are shared between the zones in a “fair and balanced” manner – previously agreed upon. At the end of a four-year presidential tenure, the groups of positions rotate among the zones – again, in a previously agreed order.
This agreement was scheduled to be first tested in late 1981 or early 1982 (that is, half way into President Shehu Shagari’s first tenure) when party congresses and the process of nominating candidates for the 1983 general elections were scheduled to begin. The test collapsed disastrously. The national caucus of NPN was not able to confirm in practice what had been agreed on paper. Neither the grouping of offices nor the rotation of the groups of offices could be confirmed. A “genius” even suggested that the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be above rotation!
The principle of “zoning and rotation” of positions was replaced by “allocations” dictated by the dominant coalition of factions and tendencies in the party. Since then, although neither the ruling class nor any of its leading political formations has disavowed the principle, no attempt to revive and put it into effect has proceeded beyond the stage it reached in 1982 or risen to the 1982 brilliance.
Why did the test of “zoning and rotation” so beautifully set down on paper by the NPN collapse so disastrously? The late Professor Claude Ake appeared to answer this question in a lecture he delivered a decade later at a Guardian event in Lagos. Speaking in 1992 on the prospects of Nigeria returning to civilian democratic rule, the globally-respected social scientist sounded pessimistic. He said something which may be paraphrased like this: “Members of Nigeria’s ruling class, the capitalist class, cannot practise democracy, stand as equals or operate in partnership. If any two of them are together one must be on top of the other, never side by side. That is the logic of their political economy, their history and their culture”.
The immediate inspiration for this particular article came from a media statement made recently by Senator Shehu Sani on the movement of Nigeria’s presidency in 2023. Shehu Sani is recognised as a consistent human rights activist and a progressive Nigerian politician. In 2015, he contested and won the Kaduna Central Senatorial seat on the platform of the rising All Progressives Congress. For the four years he was in the Nigerian Senate (2015-2019), Sani laboured to remain true to his credentials of Leftist populism. Failing, predictably, to get his party’s re-nomination for the 2019 general elections, he sought and obtained a nomination from the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), a radical social-democratic party led by the veteran Leftist politician, Balarabe Musa. He lost the senatorial contest, again predictably.
The experience narrated above merely re-confirms the historically-tested thesis that a true Leftist who strays into a bourgeois formation as a “revolutionary-at-large”, that is, without the background support of a revolutionary movement to which she or he is loyal, will either be completely absorbed and neutralised, turned into a traitor or be lucky to crash out alive.
Senator Sani was reported by the Sunday PUNCH of August 25, 2019 to have told journalists at a press conference in Abuja the previous day that the 2023 presidency “may elude the South if the South-East and South-West clamouring for it are not united”. For the avoidance of doubt, Sani said that “rotation of power is what I prescribe and stand for. Whether that power goes to the South-East or South-West is dependent on the people of the South”. He, however, warned that if any of the dominant political parties refuses to accept “power shift”, presidency may still elude the South. The major parties should therefore be persuaded to accept the principle.
My limited comment on Sani’s proposal will be the conclusion to this article. It is clear that the proposal is addressed neither to the Nigerian Left nor to Nigeria’s popular masses. It is addressed to Nigeria’s capitalist ruling class. It is the ruling class that talks of “North”, “South”, “South-East”, “South-West”, etc. as if these entities are classless or class-homogenous. While some fractions of the ruling class actually do not believe in the existence of classes, others assume that every reasonable person should know that when rulership is discussed, the reference is always to the ruling class. They are “Nigeria”; and the various geopolitical zones are the recognised segments of the ruling class!
Against Sani’s proposal, let there be a more democratic proposal which, in addition to being a real ideological challenge to the ruling class, will also be seen as issuing logically from this apparent difficulty in locating the presidency!
In place of the present office of the President, let there be a Collective Presidency or Presidential Council of six equal members, each member representing a geopolitical zone. The tenure of the Council should be four years and the headship within that tenure should rotate between the members every eight months.
Madunagu, mathematician and journalist, writes from Calabar, Cross River State.
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target=_blank>Alaibe Challenges Douye Diri’s Emergence As Bayelsa PDP Candidate In Court
Former Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Timi Alaibe, has challenged the emergence of Senator Douye Diri as candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial election in Bayelsa State.
Alaibe, who said that the PDP primary in the state was manipulated and held through a flawed process, has approached the Federal High Court in Yenagoa Judicial Division with an application for the cancellation of the result of the election.
Alaibe is asking the court to examine the entire process that resulted in the primary and rule in his favour in the light of violations committed.
He is also seeking an order setting aside the purported submission of Diri’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission by the PDP as its candidate in the November 16, 2019 election in view of the several legal and procedural infractions cited.
Additionally, Alaibe is asking the court to order the conduct of a fresh primary election for the party in the state.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the case.
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target=_blank>Xenophobia: Nigerian Galleries Boycott Johannesburg Art Fair
Sheila Chukwulozie, a Nigerian artist, left her booth empty with an evocative message at the Johannesburg’s FNB Art Fair in South Africa to show her displeasure with recent xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other African migrants in the former apartheid nation.
“Thanks, xenophobia,” was boldly printed on the wall of her portion at the fair to signal her unhappiness at the situation.
In the past few weeks, at least 12 foreign nationals including Nigerians, have been killed in repeated xenophobic attacks in South Africa.
A number of Nigerian artists including musicians have boycotted events in the country, vowing never to set foot in South Africa until the xenophobic tendencies in the country were addressed.
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E2%80%93ondo-varsity-students target=_blank>We Now Live At The Mercy Of Robbers –Ondo Varsity Students
Undergraduates of the Adekunle Ajasin University Akungba Akoko in Ondo State have cried out over the incessant invasion of their hostels by armed robbers.
The students, who are currently in a state of panic, complained that the robbers had made the invasion a daily occurrence with less resistance from the school authorities and the police.
They said the hoodlum frequently burgles their hostels and cart away their valuables including cash while receiving lectures in school.
One of the victims, Titilola Adebola, told SaharaReporters that students had been under constant fear since the ongoing semester began.
Adebola noted that the robbers always invaded their hostels during the day and at night, molesting helpless students in the process.
She said, “The hoodlums come to our hostels both in the day and night to rob us off our personal belongings. We no longer sleep as a result of this.
“One of my friends whose hostel was burgled, had her pot of soup emptied by the hoodlums.
“They ate all the meat that was in the pot and stole her money too before terrorising the whole street occupied by students.
“We have cried to the school management about the robbery attack on us but they are not doing anything about it.”
President of the Students Union Government in the school, Samuel Adesomoju, said the robbery attacks on students had gotten out of hand.
He said, “The situation has now gotten out of hand because our students are robbed and attacked by these armed robbers on daily basis.
“Though the police have been trying to curtail the situation, the attack is getting worse by the day.”
A top management staff of the school, who asked not to be named, confirmed the attacks on students when contacted, stating that the school authorities would urgently address the situation.
Spokesperson for the police in Ondo, Femi Joseph, could not be reached for comments despite several attempts to reach him by SaharaReporters on Saturday.
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target=_blank>EFCC Arrests DG, Accountant Over N10m Fraud
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has arrested Director-General of Sokoto Marshal Agency, Abdullahi Sa’idu, and an accountant with the agency, Bashar Dodo-Iya, over an alleged conspiracy, money laundering and diversion of workers’ salaries to the tune of N10m.
They were arrested in Sokoto State on Friday by operatives of the commission.
Their arrest followed a petition jointly signed and sent to the EFCC by 39 members of the agency, alleging that their salaries for three months were being withheld without any reason.
The petitioners further alleged that the suspects refused to pay their salaries and diverted the money to personal use.
The investigation, however, is still ongoing and the suspects would be charged to court once it is completed, the EFCC said.
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target=_blank>Stable Power Supply Possible, Says NERC
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Chairman of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission, James Momoh, has said that stable electricity supply can be achieved when the metering situation in the country improves, ThisDay reports.
Momoh also provided clarity on the current electricity tariff situation in the country, saying the commission had not increased tariff contrary to what had been making the rounds since it published what he called, “a minor review” last month.
Momoh said, “We (NERC) have not increased tariff at the moment. What we have done is ask the big question: When do we get things right given that the Discos say we need cost-reflective tariff to be able to provide services that we actually should do?
“So, we did a minor review which is a review that takes into account the exchange rate, gas availability, availability of capacity generation, network availability, to make sure there is meter available to customers.
“We are committed to improving the quality of lives of Nigerians every day and every minute.
“By the time we allow renewable energy before 2030, a lot will be done. Formerly, I am saying do we have a target when all Nigerians will be powered? Hopefully, in our lifetime it will happen.”
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target=_blank>Ex-Delta Commissioner Slumps And Dies
Former Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources in Delta State, Joe Utomi, on Friday slumped and died in Asaba, the state capital.
SaharaReporters gathered that Utomi, who hails from Ubulu-Uku in Aniocha South Local Government Area of the state, died on the spot before any help could come his way.
Recall that Utomi was appointed as commissioner by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa during his first term in office.
President of Ubulu-Uku Development Union and close ally of the late politician, Jones Ofunne, confirmed the news to our correspondent.
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E2%80%99s-president-mugabe%E2%80%99s-funeral target=_blank>Xenophobia: Crowd Boos South Africa’s President At Mugabe’s Funeral
President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa was on Saturday booed by a crowd while giving a speech during the state funeral held for Zimbabwe’s ex-leader, Robert Mugabe, in Harare, the capital, according to the AFP.
At least 12 people were killed in series of violence against African migrants in the former apartheid nation, forcing wide criticisms from across the world.
Speaking at the event on Saturday, Ramaphosa said, “I stand before you as a fellow African to express my regret and apologise for what has happened in our country.”
But unsatisfied with his plea, the crowd went on booing him, disrupting much of the activities for a few minutes before calm was restored.
Following the xenophobic attacks, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the evacuation of Nigerians affected by the crisis with at least over 180 citizens already airlifted back to Nigeria.
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I Didn’t Deactivate My Twitter Account, I Only Ran Out Of Data, BudgIT’s Seun Onigbinde Claims
Co-founder of BudgIT, Seun Onigbinde, who had received bashing from Nigerians after his appointment as an adviser to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, has denied claims that he deactivate his Twitter account to avoid attacks by enraged citizens.
Instead, Onigbinde has attributed his brief disappearance from Twitter to running out of airtime and mobile data.
He, however, apologised to Nigerians, who may have been hurt by the development.
He said, “The truth is I didn’t deactivate/delete my account because of the advisory role. Those who follow me keenly know that I do sometimes to declutter and focus.
“I didn’t know yesterday morning would be the day. But, I knew it would come.
“I am also glad that I wasn’t online. I ran of airtime and data. Maybe if I read everything, I would have lost my emotional balance.
“I am grateful in all things. I pray to do my best and not undermine the values I mentioned in my note. If my tweets hurt you, I am sorry.
“Everything said had a context that was also packed with emotions and expectations. May the Lord make it easy. May our voice be strong.”The truth is I didn’t deactivate/delete my account because of the advisory role. Those who follow me keenly know that I do sometimes to declutter & focus. I didn’t know yesterday morning would be the day. But, I knew it would come.— Olúseun OnÃgbiÅ„dé (@seunonigbinde) September 14, 2019
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