–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By Bashorun J.K. Randle, OFR,FCA<\/p>\n
(Address delivered at the Professional Excellence Foundation<\/p>\n
On\u00a0 22nd March\u00a0 2014 at\u00a0 Hotel Victoria, Victoria Island, Lagos<\/p>\n
We owe a great debt of gratitude to Chief Dapo Bailey the indefatigable promoter of the Professional Excellence Foundation for his unrelenting crusade for professional excellence in all spheres of our nation\u2019s affairs.\u00a0\u00a0 We cannot hold him responsible if the nation either deliberately or by default prefers to consign professionalism to the back row and eventually to the dustbin as we reel from one financial crisis to another only to lurch into yet another blaze of allegations of outright stealing of public funds otherwise known as looting the treasury (or \u201cdeduction at source\u201d), blatant incompetence, misplaced priorities; wasteful expenditure; diversion of revenue that should legitimately accrue to government; and criminal misappropriation \/ misallocation of public funds etc.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The generic term for all these abuses is corruption.\u00a0 However, we are sometimes tempted to break the components into various categories \u2013 scams, sleaze and of course \u201c419\u201d which is the common parlance for obtaining money under false pretences which is a criminal offence under Section 419 of Nigeria\u2019s Criminal Code.<\/p>\n
I suspect that it is this backdrop and litany of shenanigans in both the public and private sectors of our political economy that have prompted the Professional Excellence Foundation to assemble us here this evening and selected some of us as worthy of special awards during the Investiture Ceremony.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps it is a consolation prize for those who missed out on the Centenary Awards which were recently conferred on the 100 most outstanding contributors to Nigeria\u2019s fortune (or misfortune).<\/p>\n
Alas, if any of you feel dejected about missing out this time round, I plead that you exercise patience.\u00a0\u00a0 Just hang around for another 100 years and you may be lucky when our beloved nation, Nigeria celebrates its 200th Anniversary in 2114!!\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n
As professionals, what we owe to our nation is never to surrender to despair, depression or despondency.\u00a0 We must remain the steadfast reference point for hope, optimism and self-fulfillment.\u00a0\u00a0 We cannot afford to give up.\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, we are like the currents of the ocean \u2013 forever rolling even though we should be mindful that not all that is washed up by the high tide will necessarily be retrieved by the low tide.\u00a0\u00a0 Whatever is left is marooned until the next cycle.\u00a0\u00a0 Perhaps that is where professionals find ourselves in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0 We may be marooned but surely we are entitled to know where we are; how we got here and where do we go from here?\u00a0\u00a0 Besides, could it be that we have set our expectations too high thereby making disappointment a foregone conclusion?<\/p>\n
Regardless, it is not excusable to keep moaning about the state of affairs in our nation without accepting the challenge to fix it not necessarily for ourselves but for future generations.\u00a0 It behoves us to publicly acknowledge the selfless sacrifices of the generation that preceeded the current crop of professionals \u2013 doctors, engineers, lawyers, bankers, insurers, architects, surveyors, chartered accountants etc.\u00a0\u00a0 I had a rough time at the dentist yesterday so I am not inclined to add dentists to the list.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 However, if there are any dentists amongst us this evening, I shall do so most reluctantly.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I believe that it is fair to declare that our predecessors who took over the mantle of leadership from a professional class that consisted largely of expatriates (under the Colonial Government) were\u00a0\u00a0 by and large conscientious, upright and accountable for their deeds or misdeeds.\u00a0\u00a0 Sadly, what now confronts us are glaring deviations from the ethics, ethos and traditions of our various professions further compounded by outright abuse of public trust and enthronement of impunity as the reigning culture.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt whatever that our nation is in the grip of a monumental crisis.\u00a0 Unfortunately much of it is self-inflicted-fear, hunger, terrorism and revenge.\u00a0\u00a0 Indeed, it is most unfortunate that since the present government assumed the reigns of power, it has not had any respite not to talk of honeymoon no matter how brief.\u00a0\u00a0 Hence, we as professionals have a solemn obligation to ensure that we do not keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Only a fool or buffoon refuses to learn from his\/her mistakes.\u00a0 Professionals are by definition not fools, our real challenge is to make sense of the situation we are confronted with.<\/p>\n
Perhaps, we should avail ourselves of a snapshot of our nation as matters stand now.\u00a0 Thankfully, the press has heeded our call to provide a rescue ladder by documenting and reporting on the state of affairs in our beloved country, Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Here is a report carried by \u201cThisDay\u201d newspaper of February 9, 2014 under the headline: \u201cWOEFUL PERCEPTION\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNigeria remains one of the most corrupt nations in the world, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2013 released by Transparency International, a global watchdog.<\/p>\n
In the last survey released on December 2, 2013, Nigeria ranked 144th out of 177 nations in the world, scoring 25 points out of a possible 100 points.\u00a0\u00a0 Her corruption performance in 2013 was worse than 2012, when it scored 27points.\u00a0 The regional giant was ranked alongside crisis-torn Central African Republic and Cameroon.<\/p>\n
In December 2012, Nigeria was ranked 139 out of the 176 countries surveyed on public sector corruption perception by Transparency International (TI), the global civil society organization leading the fight against corruption.<\/p>\n
From that ranking, Nigeria scored 27 marks out of a possible 100, where zero (0) denotes the worst form of corruption perception in the public sector, and 100 signifies the highest form of cleanliness.<\/p>\n
From past survey results, the West African giant was ranked 143rd in 2011 out of the 183 nations surveyed by TI.\u00a0\u00a0 She was ranked 134th out of 178 surveyed nations in 2010; 130th out of 180 nations in 2009; 121 out of 180 in 2008; 147 out of 180 countries in 2007, and 153 globally out of 180 surveyed nations in 2006.<\/p>\n
Denmark and New Zealand were the cleanest countries in the world in 2013, sharing the first spot in the index, with scores of 91.\u00a0\u00a0 Afghanistan, North Korea and strife torn, Somalia were the worst, with scores of 8 points.\u00a0\u00a0 Finland, Sweden, Norway, Singapore, Switzerland, Netherlands, Australia and Canada emerged in the top ten of least corrupt nations in the world.<\/p>\n
Transparency International said the 2013 report underscored the global reality that the abuse of power, secret dealings and bribery have continued.<\/p>\n
NIGERIA\u2019S\u00a0\u00a0 CPI\u00a0\u00a0 RANKING<\/p>\n
Country\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Year\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ranking\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No\u00a0 of Countries Surveyed<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2006\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 153\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 180<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2007\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 147\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 180<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2008\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 121\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 180<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2009\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 130\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 180<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2010\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 134\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 178<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2011\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 143\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 183<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2012\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 139\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 176<\/p>\n
Nigeria\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2013\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 144\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 177<\/p>\n
Note: Nigeria actually improved in her corruption perception index ranking in the years 2008 (ranked 121st out of 180 surveyed nations) and 2009 (ranked 130 out of 180 surveyed nations), but it plunged again to lower heights in 2013, where it was ranked 144 out of 177 surveyed countries.<\/p>\n
We also have to factor in and contend with the following reports.<\/p>\n
(i)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSaturday Independent\u201d newspaper November 23, 2013.<\/p>\n
\u201cHOW POLICE CRAZE FOR EGUNJE (bribe) KILLED PREGNANT WOMAN IN IBADAN\u201d<\/p>\n
(ii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSaturday Punch\u201d newspaper November 30, 2013<\/p>\n
\u201cMORE LAGOS SCHOOLS WHERE PUPILS SIT ON BARE FLOORS UNEARTHED\u201d<\/p>\n
(iii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSaturday Sun\u201d newspaper February 8m 2014<\/p>\n
\u201cSHAME\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Four men in trouble for impregnating 12-year-old primary school pupil.<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Another defiles 3-year-old girl in Port Harcourt<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mother of 5 raped to death in Abeokuta.<\/p>\n
(iv)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSaturday Punch\u201d\u00a0 newspaper February 15, 2014<\/p>\n
\u201cMAN WHO SLEPT WITH DAUGHTERS FOR TWO YEARS GETS 14 YEARS IMPRISONMENT\u201d<\/p>\n
(v)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThe Nation\u201d newspaper February 15, 2014<\/p>\n
\u201cIF YOU SEE THE MORTUARY, YOU\u2019LL LIKE TO DIE\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Tale of \u201cWonder\u201d hospital in President\u2019s home-town.<\/p>\n
(vi)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDaily Sun\u201d newspaper March 13, 2014<\/p>\n
\u201cTERROR ALERT IN ABUJA\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Soldiers deployed over bombing plot during national conference.<\/p>\n
(vii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDaily Independent\u201d newspaper March 13, 2014<\/p>\n
\u201cQUIT SOUTH-EAST, BIAFRAN GROUP TELLS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.<\/p>\n
(viii)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThisDay\u201d newspaper March 13, 2013<\/p>\n
\u201cNIGERIA AND THE NEXT 100 YEARS\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe failure (of Nigeria) is the more poignant when one makes the comparison with other parts of the world. In 1965, Nigerian (oil exporter) had higher Gross Domestic\u00a0 Product [GDP] per capita than Indonesia (another oil exporter).\u00a0 However, twenty-five years later, Indonesia had three times the Nigerian level.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the Boko Haram insurgency, the gruesomeness, brutality and ruthlessness are far beyond anything we have ever witnessed either as professionals or mere mortals\/ordinary citizens.\u00a0 Nobody is safe \u2013 Christians, moslems, women, children, Yoruba, Hausa, Ibo, Ijaw, Kanuri, Fulani, Ibibio, Efik, Edo etc. are all victims.\u00a0\u00a0 It is as if all hell has been let loose.<\/p>\n
Yet we cannot but remember the certainty and vehemence with which the former Ambassador of the United States of America to Nigeria, John Campbell declared our nation a failed state and that Nigeria would disintegrate before year 2015.<\/p>\n
The year of Armageddon is just around the corner but the question we must ask ourselves is how can professionals profess (or even expect) to be successful if the country in which they operate fails?\u00a0 Even more relevant is what can we as professionals do to salvage what is clearly the road to hell and eternal damnation?\u00a0\u00a0 It may be comforting and tempting to conclude that if it happens, we are all going to hell together and in any case there is not much we can do.<\/p>\n
I suspect\u00a0\u00a0 that it is precisely to dissuade us from choosing the easy and self-indulgent option of lethargy that the Professional Excellence Foundation has invited us this evening.<\/p>\n
For us as professionals, the wake-up call delivered by the \u201cDaily Sun\u201d newspaper editorial published on March 13, 2014 is a high voltage severe jolt.<\/p>\n
Headline:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cACCOUNTING FOR N100 BILLION TEXTILE INTERVENTION FUND\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are strong indications that the N100 billion intervention fund set aside by the Federal Government in 2009 to revive the nation\u2019s ailing textile industries may have been misapplied or misappropriated.\u00a0 If this is found to be so, it will be a very embarrassing and disheartening development that calls for thorough investigation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The suggestion that the fund specifically meant for the cotton, textile and garment industries has gone down the drain was made recently by the National President of the Nigerian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar.\u00a0\u00a0 Speaking during a visit to a media house in Lagos, the NACCIMA boss alleged that the fund, which is reportedly being managed by the Bank of Industry (BoI), has been misapplied.\u00a0 He likened the situation to \u201cputting a new engine in a broken car.\u00a0\u00a0 You cannot get the result.\u201d<\/p>\n
We recall with dismay that similar intervention funds set aside by the Federal Government, such as the one for aviation, suffered the same sorry fate.\u00a0\u00a0 It is disturbing that the textile industry, with its critical role in the economy, has suffered a reversal of fortunes.\u00a0 It moved from its boom years to the present moribund state, largely due to policy flip-flops of successive governments in the country.<\/p>\n
The suggestion that the intervention fund which should have served as a life-line for the sub-sector might have been diverted to uses other than the one for which it was intended is worrisome.\u00a0\u00a0 The failure to use the funds to bring the textile sector back to life smacks of a lack of concern for developing alternative sources of revenue besides oil.<\/p>\n
Figures from the Federal Ministry of Trade show that the textile industry used to net an average of $2 billion annually across the value chain, in its boom years.\u00a0 For instance, in the 1980s, there were no fewer than 175 textile factories employing 600,000 workers in the country.\u00a0\u00a0 Notable among the thriving textile companies in the past were Aba Textile Mill, Afprint, Arewa Textile Mills, Gaskiya Textile Factory and other textile factories\u00a0 in Kaduna, Zamfara and other parts of the country.<\/p>\n
At a time, the textile sector was the second biggest employer of labour in the country, contributing significantly to the national revenue.<\/p>\n
However, the fortunes of the industry began to nosedive in the 1990s, as many of the manufacturers began to feel the pinch of the unfriendly economic and political environment, forcing them to close shop in the wake of massive smuggling and importation of textiles into the country.\u00a0 The situation became worse in 1997 when the Federal Government lifted the ban on textile importation. As recent as 2008, the downward spiral of the sector left only about 24 textile factories still operating with less than 25,000 workers.\u00a0\u00a0 Worse still, those still functioning are not producing at full capacity as high cost of production, erratic power supply, high taxes and lack of government support hamper their operations.<\/p>\n
It is sad to learn that the provision of the intervention fund that was badly needed to resuscitate the industry was mismanaged.\u00a0\u00a0 Nevertheless, it is still necessary for the government to rethink the revitalization of the sector.\u00a0 Information from the Nigerian Textile Manufacturers Association corroborate recent research findings that the textile industry is one of the few viable alternative sources of government revenue, if the Nigerian authorities are serious about diversifying the economy and reducing the almost absolute dependence on oil revenue.\u00a0\u00a0 Nigeria cannot continue to be a dumping ground for textile materials, some of which are inferior to locally produced ones.<\/p>\n
It is important for government to swiftly investigate what happened to the N100 billion intervention fund.\u00a0\u00a0 The way government handles this investigation, and its outcome, will go a long way in determining the handling of similar intervention funds in the country.<\/p>\n
For a country desperately seeking alternative sources of income and employment opportunities, the government should not treat this matter with levity.\u00a0\u00a0 In other words, government should not leave any room for error in the effort to find out what happened to the intervention fund.\u00a0 It must ensure that the objective for setting the money aside is achieved.\u00a0\u00a0 Anything less than that will be counterproductive.\u00a0\u00a0 It will encourage the mismanagement of similar intervention funds in other sectors of the economy.<\/p>\n
Perhaps on account of our collective guilt and culpability we have become hardened to criticism almost to the point of non-chalance.\u00a0 Hence, we have become easy prey.\u00a0\u00a0 In the past, foreign visitors were very circumspect in criticizing us or our government out of trepidation of reprisal attack from our voluble politicians, the vibrant Nigerian press, and our eminent professionals, particularly the lawyers and dentists.<\/p>\n
Last week former British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw was here.\u00a0 He is very mild mannered and a lawyer by profession.\u00a0 There was no protest in the streets as would have been the case in days of yore!!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Instead, the Nigerian press carried the following reports:<\/p>\n
(i)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Vanguard newspaper March 19, 2014<\/p>\n
Front page headline<\/p>\n
\u201cCORRUPTION AFFECTS ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA<\/p>\n
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 EX-BRITISH FOREIGN SCRIBE<\/p>\n
\u2026\u2026\u2026As APC Senators say Nigeria Is Under Siege.<\/p>\n
Abuja \u2013 Former British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw has said that corruption and lack of transparency among the political class have become a great problem that have permeated all cadre of administration in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Straw said that for the war against corruption in the country to be decisively fought and won by government and the people, there must be transparency in governance at all levels as well as incorruptible judiciary to give appropriate penalties to apprehended corrupt officials.<\/p>\n
The former British Secretary who stated this yesterday in an interaction with Senators on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stated that though opposition may not be in government, they can use their voice in a democracy to bring about good governance.<\/p>\n
He urged Nigeria to copy the British model by meting out stiffer penalties to corrupt officials, adding that allowing for transparency in governance and having clean courts to handle corruption related cases in the land, would go a long way in reducing corruption in the country.<\/p>\n
He said, \u201cThere\u2019s need to raise the penalty for corruption in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0 You have anti-corruption laws, you have great laws and you jail people on corruption and you ensure proper transparency; then, it\u2019s safe to say that people would stop being corrupt.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to change the quality of your public administration.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the encouraging signs about Nigeria is the fact that you have effective and viable opposition because democracy requires that there\u2019s change. In democracy, there are alternatives.<\/p>\n
What message can I give you about opposition?\u00a0 Well, first of all, you can change the weather in opposition.\u00a0\u00a0 Although you\u2019ve\u00a0 not got the votes, you\u2019ve got the voice.\u00a0 As you make the better use of the voice, you get public support, then you start to unnerve the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
Straw however, challenged the opposition lawmakers to get quality manifestos and should not mistake the quantity of policies for quality of policies just as he described the 2011 elections as better than the rest but that it didn\u2019t meet international standards.<\/p>\n
He further stated, \u201cThe second thing is that you cannot just wait for the government to be unpopular\u2026.you have to fight crime, tackle health problems, deal with immigration and ensure transparency in government.<\/p>\n
Leadership is about character, but if you don\u2019t have the right leaders, who have the right character, the right backbone, then, it won\u2019t work.\u00a0\u00a0 He won\u2019t have the qualities to bring out the best in people who would work with him.<\/p>\n
Of course, elections are fought through the prisms of leaders\u2026.don\u2019t mistake quantity of policies for quality of policies\u201d, he added.<\/p>\n
Present at the interactive meeting were about five out of the 11 Peoples Democratic Party Senators, Senators Bukola Saraki, Danjuma Goje, Ali Ndume, Abdullahi Adamu and Umaru Dahiru, who had written to the senate to announce their defection to the APC.<\/p>\n
They have maintained that they are already in the APC as they participated actively in the registration exercise of the APC and they proved this yesterday by openly aligning with the opposition lawmakers.<\/p>\n
Speaking on behalf of the opposition Senators, the Senate minority leader, Senator George Akume said the country was under siege due to the rising wave of insecurity in the North East and some parts of the country.<\/p>\n
Akume stated that lack of transparency was one of the major causes of insecurity and corruption in the country adding that the government had failed in its primary duty of protecting the citizens of the country.<\/p>\n
He told the former foreign secretary that as the nation was preparing for the 2015 elections, it was pertinent that the elections must be free and fair.<\/p>\n
The Senate Minority Leader said, \u201cYou are coming at a time when there are many problems in the country. On a positive note, you are coming when the country is celebrating its centenary, every country has its history, you are also visiting during very difficult circumstances in our dear country.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDaily Independent\u201d newspaper March 13, 2014<\/p>\n
Front page headline:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEX-BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY GIVES RECIPE<\/p>\n
TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN NIGERIA\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFormer British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, has said for the war against corruption in Nigeria to be decisively fought and won by government and the people, there must be transparency in governance at all levels and an incorruptible judiciary to give appropriate penalties to apprehended corrupt officials.<\/p>\n
Straw made the declaration on Tuesday, when he interacted with senators on the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) on how the opposition can use its voice in a democracy to bring about good governance.\u00a0 He urged\u00a0\u00a0 Nigerians to copy the British model by meting out stiffer penalties to corrupt officials.<\/p>\n
By allowing for transparency in governance and having clean courts to handle corruption related cases in the land, he maintained, Nigeria will go a long way in reducing corruption in the land.<\/p>\n
Straw said:\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s need to raise the penalty for corruption in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0 You have anti-corruption laws, you have great laws and you jail people on corruption and you ensure proper transparency; then, it\u2019s safe to say that people would stop being corrupt.\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to change the quality of your public administration.<\/p>\n
One of the encouraging signs about Nigeria is the fact that you have effective and viable opposition because democracy requires that to change.\u00a0 In democracy, there are alternatives.<\/p>\n
What message can I give you about opposition?\u00a0\u00a0 Well, first of all, you can change the weather in opposition.\u00a0\u00a0 Although you\u2019ve not got the votes, you\u2019ve got the voices.\u00a0 As you make the better use of the voice, you get public support, then you start to unnerve the government.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThisDay\u201d newspaper\u00a0 March 13, 2014<\/p>\n
Front page headline:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cEX-BRITISH FOREIGN SECRETARY:<\/p>\n
LIFE HAS BEEN SO ROUGH IN NIGERIA<\/p>\n
\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Advocates Stiffer Penalties For Corrupt Officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cFormer British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, yesterday bemoaned the spate of destruction by insurgents in North-eastern part of Nigeria, saying it had been so rough.<\/p>\n
Straw, who said the spate of terrorism in Nigeria had ranked it among terrorist nations such as Afghanistan, added that the affected states were now under siege given the rate at which human lives are destroyed with impunity.<\/p>\n
He added that the situation fulfilled the words of the famous philosopher, Thomas Hobbes, noting that life had now become so brutish and short in Nigeria, while security of the citizens is no longer guaranteed.<\/p>\n
Straw, who made the remarks while being hosted by All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the National Assembly, said little or no progress had been made in the move to tackle the menace.<\/p>\n
\u201cLife is now becoming poor, brutish and short that we cannot guarantee the security of our citizens as a government.\u00a0 The large part of the North-eastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe are under siege with a very slow progress in tackling the terrorists.\u00a0 It is very rough,\u201d he lamented.<\/p>\n
The Briton, who was accompanied to the meeting by the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, also expressed concerns on the war against corruption in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0 According to him, if the war must be won, it has to be decisively fought by governments at all levels, with every sense of transparency as well as availability of security operatives and an incorruptible judiciary to respectively apprehend corrupt officials and impose penalties on them.<\/p>\n
At the session, which bordered on how the opposition could use its voice to bring about good governance in a democracy, Straw urged Nigeria to emulate the British model of anti-graft war by issuing stiffer penalties against corrupt officials.<\/p>\n
He argued further that promoting transparency in governance and putting in place \u201ccorrupt free\u201d courts to handle corruption related cases would go a long way in reducing corruption in the country.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s need to raise the penalty for corruption in Nigeria.\u00a0\u00a0 You have anti-corruption laws; you have great laws and you jail people for corruption and you ensure proper transparency; then, it\u2019s safe to say that people would stop being corrupt.\u00a0\u00a0 You\u2019ve got to change the quality of your public administration.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 One of the encouraging signs about Nigeria is the fact that you have an effective and viable opposition because democracy requires that there\u2019s change.\u00a0\u00a0 In democracy, there are alternatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat message can I give you about opposition?\u00a0\u00a0 Well, first of all, you can change the weather in opposition.\u00a0 Although you\u2019ve not got the votes, you\u2019ve got the voice. As you make the better use of the voice, you get public support, then you start to unnerve the government,\u201d Straw said.<\/p>\n
He challenged the opposition lawmakers to evolve sound manifesto and avoid mistaking what he described as \u201cquantity of policies for quality of policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also commenting on elections in Nigeria, he noted that the 2011 elections were better than previous ones, which he said did not meet international standard, adding that Nigeria was duty bound to elect credible leaders who could champion the course of good governance.<\/p>\n
He added:\u00a0 \u201cThe second thing is that you cannot just wait for the government to be unpopular.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You have to fight crimes, tackle health problems, deal with immigration and ensure transparency in government.<\/p>\n
Leadership is about character, but if you don\u2019t have the right leaders who have the right character, the right backbone, then, it won\u2019t work.\u00a0\u00a0 They won\u2019t have the qualities to bring out the best in people who would work with them.<\/p>\n
Of course, elections are fought through the prisms of leaders\u2026..don\u2019t mistake quantity of policies for quality of policies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier, the Senate\u2019s Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, had told Straw that the opposition was worried about lack of transparency in government as well as corruption in high places adding that Straw was visiting the country at a time Nigeria was witnessing unprecedented security challenges.\u201d<\/p>\n
We owe Jideofor Adibe of \u201cDaily Trust\u201d newspaper a huge debt of gratitude for raising pertinent issues under the headline:<\/p>\n
\u201cJACK STRAW, ROTIMI AMAECHI AND THE NIGERIAN CONDITION\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFormer British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and former Prime Minister of Ireland, John Burton were among the high-profile speakers at a one-day international conference on democracy and good governance organized\u00a0 by the Rivers State Government at the Banquet Hall of Government House, Port Harcourt, on March 11, 2014.<\/p>\n
Apart from the oddity of a state government appropriating a talk-shop of this nature from those best suited for such- relevant departments of our Universities, research institutes, NGOs and other think-tanks \u2013 my interest in the live-televised conference was aroused by the presence of John Whitaker \u201cJack\u201d Straw, who has been a Member of the British House of Commons for Blackburn since 1979. Straw served in the British\u00a0 Cabinet from 1997 to 2010 under the governments of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.\u00a0\u00a0 During this period, he held two of Britain\u2019s traditional Great Offices of State\u2019 (juiciest political offices in Nigeria \u2013 speak) \u2013 as Home Secretary from 1997 to 2001 and Foreign Secretary from 2001 to 2006 under Tony Blair.<\/p>\n
My strongest memory of him however was in late September 2004 when he was embroiled in a controversy that nearly cost him his ministerial position for \u2018shaking Mugabe\u2019s hand.\u2019 No, Mugabe\u2019s hand was not leprous. Mugabe was and remains a man British politicians love to hate.<\/p>\n
The then Conservative spokesman Michael Ancram, called the handshake a \u201cscandalous betrayal of the men and women of Zimbabwe who are suffering at the hands of Mugabe\u2019s blood-stained regime\u201d.<\/p>\n
BBC Newsnight, which had been following Mr. Straw around the United Nations, filmed the controversial handshake during a reception for the then South African president, Thabo Mbeki, at the UN Building in New York.\u00a0 In his defense, Straw who had just started wearing contact lenses, said:\u00a0 \u201cI hadn\u2019t expected to see President Mugabe there.\u00a0 Because\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 it was quite dark in that corner\u2026..I was being pushed towards shaking hands with somebody just as a matter of courtesy, and then it transpired it was President Mugabe.\u00a0\u00a0 But the fact that there is a serious disagreement between Zimbabwe and the United Kingdom does not\u00a0\u00a0 mean that you should then be discourteous or rude\u201d \u2013 (The Guardian [London], 28 September 2004).\u00a0\u00a0 Later Straw\u2019s aides, in what was meant to be damage control, claimed that the hall was dark (and Mugabe being dark too) did not help matters in Straw not knowing the hand he was shaking.<\/p>\n
The UK government remains Mugabe\u2019s severest critic, a mode of criticism which, in my opinion, has made the man resolve to die as his country\u2019s president knowing that if he ever relinquished power Britain and his international critics will ensure he ends up at The Hague as a guest of the International Criminal Court (ICC).\u00a0 Britain has for instance denounced all the elections in which Mugabe, 90, was returned to power and has sponsored various opposition groups and parties against him.\u00a0\u00a0 Mugabe on his own regularly criticizes the UK.\u00a0\u00a0 In 2003, Mugabe withdrew Zimbabwe from the British Commonwealth. Members of his government, and senior members of ZANU-PF, are in turn banned from entering the EU.<\/p>\n
I was honestly pissed off by the furore caused by the Mugabe handshake.\u00a0\u00a0 Here was a group of politicians who lauded Desmond Tutu and others for their Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which forgave White South Africans for the sins of apartheid and even criminalized the anti-apartheid struggle.\u00a0\u00a0 I saw the whole handshake affair as British double standard.\u00a0\u00a0 But this is only a digression.<\/p>\n
My main concern with the live, televised one-day conference was what the whole conference was intended to achieve.\u00a0\u00a0 Rivers State government organizing what was essentially an academic conference \u2013 not even a policy-oriented workshop \u2013 to understand the relationship between democracy and good governance is akin to Anambra state or any of the states of the country not directly affected by what is happening in the North-Eastern part of the country, organizing expensive talk-shops to understand the challenges of terrorism in Nigeria.<\/p>\n
Several questions agitated my mind after watching the televised conference:\u00a0 Why does the Rivers State government deem it necessary to organize an international \u2018academic\u2019 conference on \u2018democracy and good governance in Nigeria\u2019 rather than a policy-oriented roundtable or workshops on issues of local concerns?\u00a0 Knowing that former high profile politicians like Straw and Burton command extremely high speaking fees from mostly governments of \u201cThird World\u201d countries, what was the cost of such talk-shop to the Rivers State government?\u00a0 If Rivers State government\u00a0 was genuinely interested in understanding the relationship between democracy and good governance, would it not have been more cost effective and more rewarding if it had commissioned consultants, a research institute or even a relevant department or any of our universities to carry out a research on the topic?\u00a0\u00a0 Did Jack Straw or John Burton bring any special perspective on the topic to warrant the astronomical fees they were most likely paid?\u00a0 Or are their invitations a hangover of the colonial mentality in which we needed colonial endorsements of the political options we embrace as a proof of our wisdom?\u00a0 Is the sharing of the same platform with them a proof of our putative global statesmanship?\u00a0 Simply put, is Governor Amaechi losing it?<\/p>\n
In his lecture titled: \u2018Democracy, Nationhood and Citizenship Rights, Freedom and Responsibilities in a Global Order,\u2019 Straw argued that a strong opposition party would boost Nigeria\u2019s democracy and welcomed the formation of the All Progressive Congress (APC). Understandably APC apparatchiks had gone to market with this, wrongly giving the impression that Straw endorsed APC as a party rather than what it represents as a strong opposition party.<\/p>\n
But even this apparent \u2018obvious truth\u2019 by Straw that a strong opposition\u00a0 party boosts democracy is simplistic in fragile societies with deep fault lines as ours.\u00a0\u00a0 In other words, while the mantra of strong opposition parties boosting\u00a0 democracy may be true in countries where the bases of nationhood are accepted\u00a0 by all the citizens, it is not the whole truth in multi-ethnic and multi-faith countries like ours where even the basis of statehood remains contested.\u00a0\u00a0 The fear in democratizing fragile states is that democracy and strong parties (especially those that converge with the fault lines) will aggravate the structures of conflicts in such countries and widen the social distance among the citizens. In essence, if a strong opposition party complicates the nation-building process, it cannot ab initio be said to help in deepening democracy.<\/p>\n
I am not in any way against the emergence of a strong opposition party.\u00a0 My position rather is that in our euphoria or desire to get rid of PDP or President Jonathan (or both) through a \u2018strong opposition party\u2019, we tend to gloss over what I believe should be a precedent question:\u00a0 how do we ensure that the sharp contestation of ideas in our democracy with a strong opposition party is not hijacked by a cabal or fissiparous forces to unravel the state if such forces do not get their way?<\/p>\n
It is instructive that at the conference Governor Amaechi expressed disappointment that the people of the South-south had stopped their campaign for resource control, stating that the region might not have the opportunity to press for their rights again.\u00a0 His words:\u00a0 \u201cIn 2005\/2006, the mantra\u00a0 was resource control.\u00a0\u00a0 Where are we now?\u00a0 Are we controlling our resources, is oil in our hands?\u00a0 If tomorrow President Goodluck Jonathan leaves office, who will we say is controlling the resources? Why are we not talking now or is it because it is our turn to chop?\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 With the one-day jamboree in Port Harcourt funded by the Rivers state government, it is also important not just to talk about \u2018resource control\u2019 but judicious management of available resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal summed up the gravity of the security situation in our nation when he declared on CNN:<\/p>\n
\u201cI am the Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives.\u00a0 We cannot claim to be one nation if we cannot provide security or find unity in grief.\u00a0 Neither can we claim to be a great nation when we are incapable of preventing horrendous attacks on our children who were peacefully asleep when Boko Haram cut short their lives by slaughtering them or traumatized them by kidnapping them as hostages or for bondage.\u201d<\/p>\n
That is the political angle.<\/p>\n
The economic dimension is provided by David S. Landes in his fascinating book: \u201cThe Wealth And Poverty Of Nations\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe distortions and ills which have plagued Latin America and the Middle East are exponentially compounded in sub-Saharan Africa as demonstrated by incompetent leadership, (abject) poverty, hunger and (debilitating) disease.<\/p>\n
Of all the so-called developing regions, Africa has done (performed) worst.\u00a0 Gross Domestic Product per capita may be increasing by less than 1 percent a year.\u00a0 The statical tables are sprinkled with minus signs (resulting) in many countries with lower income today than before independence.\u201d<\/p>\n
At this juncture, perhaps we need to ask ourselves a few tough questions starting with the lawyers.\u00a0\u00a0 Suddenly, we are hearing about \u201cthe Association of Ibo lawyers in Lagos\u201d; \u201cOmo Olofin lawyers\u201d (lawyers from Yoruba speaking areas); and all sorts of connotations and fragmentation \u2013 \u201cmoslem lawyers in Lagos\u201d; \u201cChristian judges\u201d in wherever; \u201cmoslem doctors\u201d and to crown it all only the other day we came across a bus with the inscription \u201cCatholic Youth Corpers\u201d!!\u00a0 Where are we going; and where will all this end while professionals fold their hands?<\/p>\n
Bashorun J.K. Randle is<\/p>\n
Chairman & Chief Executive<\/p>\n
JK Randle Professional Services<\/p>\n
Chartered Accountants<\/p>\n
\u201cX KPMG HOUSE\u201d<\/p>\n
One King Ologunkutere Street<\/p>\n
Park View<\/p>\n
Ikoyi<\/p>\n
(opposite Astoria Hotel)<\/p>\n
E-mail:\u00a0 jkrandleintuk@gmail.com<\/p>\n
[B1]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 By Bashorun J.K. Randle, OFR,FCA (Address delivered at the Professional Excellence Foundation On\u00a0 22nd March\u00a0 2014 at\u00a0 Hotel Victoria, Victoria Island, Lagos We owe a great debt of gratitude…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22229,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[7,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25251","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-opinions","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n