By Ali Abare

Recently, His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, held a media chat, where he interacted with journalists, in a no holds barred session, as part of activities marking his one year in office.

Engineer Sule spoke on wide ranging issues as he responded to journalists, who for the first time since his inauguration, were presented with the opportunity to ask questions regarding his stewardship.

In the course of the interaction, a journalist brought up the issue of whether the Governor was disturbed about insinuations suggesting that he is a ‘one term governor, mostly as pranks by members of the opposition.

In his characteristic frankness and openness, Engineer Sule seized upon the opportunity to clear the air on the matter.

What His Excellency said in response to that particular question was not a slip of tongue to be retracted, it was a cohesive, well articulated response from a leader who is in tune with the realities of the enormous responsibilities attached to his office, a leader who will not hesitate to put things in their right perspective.

The media report trending indicating that Engineer Sule is not interested in a second term, is as sensational as it is misrepresentative. The news report published in a national daily titled, “I don’t need second term…”, credited to His Excellency, was a half-truth coined merely to attract readership and to sell the paper.

Engineer Sule spoke from the heart, in a lengthy, emotion filled narration which in a nutshell translates to not being bothered about being called a ‘one term governor’, when his major preoccupation at the moment, barely a year into his first four-year term, is to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

The truth of the matter is that, at a time His Excellency is effectively and efficiently steering the affairs of the state, navigating through turbulent storms occasioned by dwindling revenues and the challenges posed by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, it amount to outright distraction to want to draw the Governor into a needless controversy on a second term bid, barely a year into his first tenure.

In fact, now the people of Nasarawa State have the opportunity to actually appreciate the beauty of democracy in terms of delivering good governance and quality service. Certainly, His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, is working tirelessly to fit in the large shoe left behind by his predecessor, Senator Umaru Tanko Al-makura, who came into power in 2011 and dymistified governance.

Governance in Nasarawa State is no longer a tea party. Any person elected into the office of the Governor of the State must live up to the expectations of the people, in terms of delivering good governance. That is the major preoccupation of His Excellency for now. Of course, Engineer Sule is interested in a second term because it will accord him the needed time to really actualize his vision for the state.

This wasn’t an accident, it was a deliberate call to service. It is also, a natural phase of development. In 2011, it was a collective decision of the people to turn around the style of governance in the state, away from wanton profligacy, to accountable and prudent management of resources to the benefit of all. Former governor, Senator Al-makura came in and set a benchmark. Any person coming after him must not allow for a lapse in the level of patriotism and selfless leadership.

For those who think governance is a joke, throwing around innuendos calculated at distracting the Governor from his onerous task of taking Nasarawa State to the next level of development, they certainly got their match in Engineer Sule, who was quick to assert that, so what if he is a one term Governor? For now, and at this moment, he is only bothered with finding solutions to the plethora of challenges confronting the state.

Of course, it’s easier for human beings to take to paths of less resistance and for Engineer Sule to chose to retire to the comfort and safety of retirement, either in the US or Saudi Arabia. This is however farfetched for now because both Nasarawa State and its people, need him to be Governor and to help steer the affairs of the state to greatness.

Engineer Sule, within the one year of his administration, has so far demonstrated that he is a leader that is worth every ounce of his weight in gold. He has the capacity, experience and wherewithal to not only fit in the large shoe left behind by his immediate predecessor, but also set a new paradigm for governance in the state.

Of course, elections come once in every four years. The next election will come up in three years time, precisely in 2023. The people of Nasarawa State should therefore cooperate, support and understand with the present administration of His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, rather than to engage in acts capable of distracting him away from working hard to fulfil the promise he made to the people on his assumption of office on May 29, 2019.

When the time comes, Engineer Abdullahi Sule will seek a second term. The people of Nasarawa State will ask him to seek another term in order to continue with his laudable development strides. However, let us not distract him by making insinuations about a second term that is still in the future. Let us all join hands to support the Peoples Governor, as he brings his wealth of experience to bear in the efficient and effective management of both human and natural resources in the Nasarawa State to the benefit of all.

Abare is a Special Assistant on Media to His Excellency, Engineer Abdullahi Sule, the Executive Governor of Nasarawa State.

By Eghosa Sunday-Salami

If the news of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila, on Wednesday 3rd June 2020, denying ever writing any letter for an extension of the tenure of the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Ataba Omolori and other Staff is anything to go by, then one wonders why till date the Clerk still retains his office when he is supposed to have been retired since February, 2020, according to the National Assembly Service Commission rules.

The seeming conspiratorial silence of the leadership and members of the 9th Assembly should worry any right thinking Nigerian, especially when it is an institution that inspires hope in our democracy.

According to a highly placed source in the National assembly, It has become worrisome the twist in the face-off between the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and some members of the National Assembly as the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege mandated the Clerk to write a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes and Commission, EFCC, against Akpabio, bothering on alleged malfeasance and money laundering. In what looks like a desperate launch of a vendetta against Akpabio, the petition refers to a $4.9bn Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) contract award to Osmoserve for supply of relief materials for the Covid-19 pandemic across the nine Niger Delta States. This is most likely because the Minister chose to courageously take the right course of action by backing the Interim Management Committee (IMC) of NDDC to plug all loop holes from which scarce funds were surging out of the Commission over the years.

There are strong indications also that the duo of Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege and Sen. Nwaoboshi, the Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, both from Delta State are in active connivance with the Clerk of the National Assembly to ensure they frustrate the work of the Forensic Auditors currently perusing meticulously through the accounts of the NDDC.

Nothing else explains coherently the reason the EFCC currently working with other renown financial institutions in auditing the books of NDDC will welcome an isolated case bothering on same concerns as the ongoing Forensic Audit.

It all reeks of vindictive intent on the part of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, who, very obviously, is still disenchanted by the way the Bernard Okumagba-led Board ended in a still birth. Omo-Agege had nominated his former contemporary, Bernard Okumagba with whom he served as Commissioners under Ex Governor James Ibori’s Government in Delta State. Unknown to many, Peter Nwaoboshi and the duo of Omo-Agege and Okumagba all served at the same time in that Government, from where they got the appellation, “the Ibori Boys.”

The decision of President Buhari to jettison the already screened members of the Board has not gone down well with Omo-Agege and co, who believe that Akpabio opted for an IMC in a bid to upstage the nominees and their sponsors.

The President’s action is considered an advise from the Minister and that has pitched some members of the National Assembly against Akpabio and by extension, the Interim Management Committee saddled with the responsibility of running the affairs of the Commission during the period of the Forensic Audit.

It is sad to realize that the Clerk of the National Assembly, Sani Ataba Omolori’s desperation to keep his job for another 5years, albeit illegally can make him resort to anything, including joining an unholy union with Principal Officers of the Senate and House of Representatives, simply to retain his job. It won’t be out of place, therefore, if I refer to these strange bedfellows as friends with benefit.

That the Deputy Senate President in a letter addressed to the Chairman of EFCC with a reference no. NASS/CS/99/R/21/19, the Clerk of the Senate stated that he was directed by the office of the Deputy Senate President to request the assistance of the EFCC “in an ongoing inquiry into the affairs of the core members of the Interim Management Committee of the NDDC…” According to the letter titled, “SENATE REQUESTS THE INVESTIGATION AND MONITORING OF MINISTER OF NIGER DELTA AFFAIRS HON. GODSWILL AKPABIO AND POSSIBLE CRIMINAL AFFILIATE MR. SCOTT IKOTT TOMMEY”, the Senators are overriding the adhoc-committee already inaugurated to look into the alleged misappropriation of N40 billion by the Minister and the IMC. This also implies that the Senate President may have mandated his Deputy to petition the EFCC or it could be that his powers have been whittled down by his Deputy and his ally, Nwaoboshi.

Shamefully, it has become a story of one day, one propaganda while another day comes with yet another blackmail, petitions, lies and deceit as the case maybe against the Minister for Niger Delta Affairs and the IMC of NDDC.

Most shocking is how a notable figure like the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-agege can go all out to scuttle a Forensic Audit authorized by the President on the request of the Niger Delta Governors.

How is it that Senator Peter Nwaoboshi is throwing every available spanner into the works, like a drowning man holding unto a straw, ready to pull anyone along with him? How can Sen Peter Nwaoboshi be so knowledgeable about the NDDC, yet, this level of sleaze is being perpetuated under his watch? Is he saying he is unaware of the 50 billion naira payment to NGOs in a single day, on May 15, 2019, and another payment of billions of Naira to 360 NGOs in 2018, and another singular payment of 15 billion Naira to a company based in Akwa Ibom, without any commensurate work done?

It is becoming more difficult convincing Nigerians that government is for them, when news like the clandestine move by NASS leadership to extend the tenure of the Clerk of the National Assembly greeted the news media. For a personality like Sani Ataba Omolori who has served the nation meritoriously, the honour is in retiring from active service with pride, rather than be forcefully evicted going by allegations of illegal extension of his service, a position held by the National Assembly Service Commission.

Following the sudden sequence of allegations against the Minister and the IMC, you will not be living in doubt that they are all geared towards stalling the Forensic Audit, so as continuing with business as usual in the NDDC; nothing more.

A keen observer of the face-off between the NDDC and NASS will tell you that should this impasse in the region be resolved in objectivity, the Niger Delta people will be the greatest beneficiary, and they will have a better NDDC than they ever before the crisis started.

To some gladiators, it is an ego battle, to some others it is a battle for the soul of the Commission to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the people of the Niger Delta region. Whether you lend your voice to the developing debate or not, one thing is sacrosanct; it is the expectation of all well-meaning Niger Deltans that President Buhari will stop at nothing until the final report of the Forensic Audit is presented and is implemented to the letter.

Eghosa Sunday-Salami is the Edo State Secretary of Citizens Quest for Truth Initiative

By Bolade Nafisat

If there is a sector in storming water, it is the oil and gas where the pandemic wrought shocking havoc. Top officials throughout month of April and May must have lost the count of times they checked their BP. With storage tanks filled up worldwide and thousands of stranded ships on seas, leading an oil giant, the heartbeat of Nigeria, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), in COVID-19 era, tasks the ingenuity of oil chiefs. If there is an opportunity for performance review, no time is apt than when disruption struck without magic spells for escape.

While joining the oil sector to mourn the exit of Maikanti Baru (May His Soul Rest in Perfect Peace) , the generalismo who today’ oil sector leaders called their mentor and boss, it won’t be out of place to take liberty in assessing Nigeria’s response to the pandemic. First note that this is an extraordinary assault that hit the oil industry so deeply that oil majors which made $2.47trillion in 2019 faces a 40 percent decline from a pre-pandemic projection of $2.35 trillion to $1.47 trillion for 2020, according to a Bloomberg report. All over the world , the industry was brought to its knees.

Royal Dutch Shell Plc Chief Executive Officer Ben van Beurden said “There will be changes, and therefore we have to be ready for that. That means that we probably have to re-establish what is going to be our strategy.” Darrenn woods of Exon Mobil put it this way: “This is an unprecedented environment”. Mele Kyari , ( some called him Comrade) in his response repeated the line of unprecedentedness of the crisis. The NNPC Group Managing Director and the Petroleum minister, Timpreye Silva reaped from the duo’s early bonding which served the sector well during the height of the oil meltdown.

How appropriate is the pandemic era policy choices of the NNPC leadership? Beyond all those expert jargons from the sector, for the citizenry and the general stakeholders, can we honestly grant Comrade Kyari a pass mark? Let me list the basis of my opinion which I will give shortly. As a young lady,the past of the sector matters but her present and future are more critical to me and my generation. Beyond the rot of the past, I want to see corrective policy measures instituted to create a transparently managed and responsibly run oil sector. A friend who read this piece asked where I place the issue of trust in our leaders. My response is I judge them by what they do.

So let me judge the NNPC chiefs, from the head to the subsidiaries, by what they are doing. In time of crisis,panic mood may ignite wrong decisions. Let me put it on record that Kyari and his team made a strategically correct decision not to stop oil production at the peak of the crisis. At a time Nigerian oil tankers were stranded on international waters without buyers, the GMD said the cost of stopping and restarting production will be too much,hence the need to continue production. That was a first plus as the judgement is validated by gradual easing within a month at the international market.

The second side of the response was the most citizen centred . The NNPC is at this point responding to long held demands of Nigerians with respect to the oil sector. The pandemic presents a golden opportunity to introduce fundamental reforms which were unthinkable pre-pandemic. In recent weeks,policy pronouncements from the sector left many wondering what has changed. Is this the same NNPC we know of? I am not referring to the donation of eleven billion naira to the anti-coronavirus campaign by the NNPC and oil firms across the sector. Even here, support was in kind such as provision of medical consumables; deployment of logistics/in-patient support system and delivery of medical infrastructure , covering testing kits, medical protective suits and ambulances to the highly impacted areas. No cash to steal.

We all know the controversial fuel subsidy. It is now history . I agree it is long overdue but now ,we have it. According to the GMD, Nigeria would no longer be paying for under-recovery or subsidy on petrol, especially due to the current development in the global oil sector. Market forces will now be the driving force,freeing much needed resources for infrastructure,education,health among others. Now the Corporation should engage marketers on the new direction.

Relatedly,the high cost of oil production has taken the center stage. From the top of the corporation was an unambiguous admission that Nigeria has the highest production cost in the world. This must come down drastically. But how?. Powerful interests are opposed to such reforms. And because of our anger with past mismanagement ,we are failing to provide the neccesary support for Kyari and his team to push this reform through. This is a challenge to the civil society organisations. Let support the drive to bring down the cost. Powerful forces are bent on fleecing the country through unsustainable production cost. So beyond fuel subsidy well known to the public as corruption conduit pipe,there is now the production cost. Mallam Kyari pointedly explained this challenge in several interviews.

What other responses addressed the yearnings of the citizenry ? Let me list those I noticed too. The focus on gas development is receiving accellerated attention which is tied to the resolution of power supply crisis in the country. So new gas pipelines are underway like crossing the Rive Niger and eventually producing enough gas for the power plants while extending gas supply for domestic use. By the way, domestic gas availability is considered the best solution to kerosene shortage crisis in the country.

Equally noticeable is the new plan on the refineries. I am not referring to the Dangote mega-refinery. In the past, refinery maintenance contract is widely condemned by rights organisations as the nation has so far failed to revive the refineries and satisfy local PMS needs. A new model is now in place. Kyari has introduced an operate and maintain contract with private firms once ongoing rehabilitation are completed. This is a new approach. Will it work? I guess we should try something new since past model had failed us.

Then there is the vexed question of pipeline vandalisation and oil theft. This is still an intractable problems relating to law and order. Successes recorded are dwarfed by the increasing sophistication of the perpetrators. Some however think Kyari should be as hard on that theft cabal as he is on the oil production caucus. Others also think he should lean more on technology for pipeline monitoring. Those inside said a lot is being done in those areas. But we are Nigerians . And as our people say,seeing is beleiving.

The last area is oil exploration in the North. Honestly,I dont believe the exercise is a waste. Some discoveries have been made and I even condemned the failure of Nigeria to push the exploration long before now. The exercise should continue unabated. That will increase Nigerian oil reserve,reset how southerners see northerners and in the long run increase national wealth. Remmember oil will be with us for long despite our urge for climate control and mitigation.

So much for NNPC during pandemic . Let me drop some personal views. If so much is being commendably done on structural issues within the sector, the leadership should pay close attention to inclusiveness no matter how touchy the matter may be. Secondly, the management needs to handle the several cases of disputed marginal fields diplomatically. These two areas are imperative to match what my friend,Maxwell called “establishment revolution” under Kyari and Silva.

Somebody is still waiting for my judgement of the leadership response. Well , I am elated by happenings in that sector. The policy outings are encouraging. But let Comrade Kyari push harder. The trust deficit is still deep and let the citizenry supports the battle ongoing from within to make the NNPC a truly accountable and transperently run company.

-Bolade Nafisat, a staff of Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry, sent this piece from Abuja. She can be reached on boladenafisat@gmail.com / +2348145072464