AFRICA'S YOUNGEST PARLIAMENTARIAN

Proscovia Alengot Oromait is Africa's youngest Member of Parliament. She was elected at the age of 19 in 2012, after she won the Usuk county election with 11,059 votes defeating Charles Ojok Oleny with 5,329 votes, Charles Okure from FDC with 2,725 votes and Cecilia Anyakoit of UPC with 554 votes. The outspoken youngster replaces her late father.

She is a member of the National Resistance Movement, headed by President Yoweri Museveni.

While some people feel she will not survive her term in parliament because of her age and little experience; some believe this is the beginning of change in Africa and it’s time to get rid of the overly old leaders and allow young people to take the continent forward.
Hon. Alengot's area faces challenges of clean water, electricity and poor roads among others. For now the people of Usuk have their hopes pinned on the 19 year-old MP. Hopefully, she will be in position to represent them appropriately.

God bless our youths and Save Our Democracy!

Youths in a Democracy

I have always being of the opinion that the youths in Nigeria hold the key to the future of this country. Call it election irregularities or rigging or even thuggery, the fact remains that the youths of our time are always at the front of the cause - good or bad!

Why should our leaders continue to manipulate us whereas we should be the ones determining our future. Its so bad when some of our youths having collected meager amounts of money from those looting their future, compromise their conscience. So sad that you ask an average Nigerian youth about the situation of Nigeria and the just shake their heads as if to say, we are finished!

In his early or mid 30s, the substantive governor of Benue state was already involved in policy formulation in the form of a Federal legislator. However, what you find today is youths aged 30 - 45 being used to perpetuate election rigging and thuggery in order to advance the selfish interest of these leaders! what a shame!!

Have we forgotten Former Minsiters of Information Frank Nweke Jnr, Chukwu Emeka Chikelu, Osita Chidoka (Commandant FRSC) and many other youths who held and still hold public offices till date. What about the PDP governorship flag bearer in the just concluded Anambra election, Tonye Nwoye. These group of youths have continuously being involved in governance in Nigeria and i keep wondering if these youths used for illegal activities do not see what i see.

In Rivers, Sokoto, Kano, Borno n many other states, the youths are being used to settle the self interest grievances of political parties. You will laugh when i remind you that most of these youths who cary placards of political parties do not even belong to these parties - as such are not card carrying members of these parties. Worse more, they do not possess the instrument of change i.e. voters card, but they keep fgting for causes they do not even believe in.

All hope is not lost any ways, but we the youths must stand up to challenge our misleading elders to contest, including during elections. Yes we can! You can be voted for and thus should not be degenerated to mere election thugs.

While i implore youths to brace up for the upcoming elections in 2015, one thing we must do is to ensure that we come out enmasse in our various constituencies or wards to get registered and obtain our voters card. From that point we can start strategizing on who gets elected or otherwise and subsequently who should be recalled.

If we begin now, we shall be taking the right step in attempting to save our noble democracy

HAPPY NEW FROM SAVE OUR DEMOCRACY GROUP

It’s a New Year peeps; a match to the much awaited election year come 2015! 2013 did not go without a lot of political intrigues, the highlight was the attempt to form a formidable opposition to the ruling PDP in Nigeria. For me such political happenings are positives consequences of democracy. We are gradually going past those days when elections were almost concluded at PDP primaries; once you obtained the PDP ticket for most elections in many parts of the country, you could only but go home and rest for victory is certain! That situation encouraged allegiance to delegates and god fathers rather than Nigerians themselves.

This time around it’s going to be a different ball game. Go win your primaries and come and convince Nigerians, telling them what you have to offer. Perhaps you might just be garnering votes in that way that would ensure your victory at the general elections. For this reason, we the electorates shall be prepared to reap enormous dividends from democracy. In economics, it is called a perfect competition situation. This also means that as MTN, GLO, ETISALAT and Airtel fight to grab more users through promos and innovations, only we the end users stand to gain at the end of the day.   

On our part as electorates, we ought to get ready with our writing materials - paper and pen, tablets, Ipads, phones and other recording devices. Information is necessary, so we have to record all their promises upon which we shall judge them as time goes on.

My friend who is also a classmate and is contesting the gubernatorial elections in Benue State had confided me in me that he ought to prove a point to the youths in Nigeria. He said to me, it is high time the youths realized that they too can sit on seats of administration and governance rather than being hired as thugs for election rigging and odd jobs. Our time is now and we have to begin to use it wisely.

Who says these recycling contemporary political leaders are not recycling their old ideas and a new wave of younger reasoning ought to start taking over? With the saying, “the youths are the future of tomorrow in Nigeria”, it behoves on us to seize this opportunity by force (violent taketh heaven by force) else, our greedy parents will keep ruling a pretty younger generation until there shall be no future for us no more.  

At this point we urge all the youths in Nigeria to shun the fold arms and watch syndrome. We can do more in instilling a new order in democratic governance in Nigeria. We are the internet generation, full of ideas that must not be allowed to erode or become obsolete just because we didn’t act when we had to. We alone can work assiduously towards bridging the gaps that our society presents in religion, tribe, etc.

As we meditate on the way forward, let us realize that folding your arms and forming ignorance is also a policy statement, however, how far the results of such actions would portend, remains the conclusion as to what nature and history will judge you and tell about you when the time comes.

Happy New Year from Save Our Democracy Group!

REVELATION BY THE CBN GORVERNOR

The revelation by the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, in a letter issued by him (not signed) that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has failed to remit $49.8 billion, being proceeds from crude sales between January 2012 and July 2013 to the Federation Account, has elicited widespread outrage.

The said amount represents 76 per cent of the value of crude oil lifting during the period, in which the NNPC was said to have remitted $15.5bn, representing a paltry 24 per cent of the total value of $65.3bn. Sanusi had disclosed this in a letter written to President Goodluck Jonathan.

But, the NNPC has refuted the report credited to Sanusi, saying that the allegation was borne out of misunderstanding of the workings of the oil and gas industry and the modality for remitting crude oil sales revenue into the Federation Account.

Reacting to the development, the All Progressives Congress (APC) described the non-remittance of the funds to the nation’s coffers as the stocking of a war chest towards the 2015 polls.

In a telephone chat with LEADERSHIP in Lagos yesterday, interim national publicity secretary of the APC, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, urged President Goodluck Jonathan to speak up on the issue, if he is not to be held culpable.

Mohammed also stated that the current situation was in keeping with the level of corruption in the country, saying that the Goodluck Jonathan-led administration had shown its unwillingness to curb corruption in the country.

“It is a deliberate scheme by the government and it is one the plans aimed at 2015. It is a war chest and if it is not, the president must speak up if the government is not culpable. Never in the history of the country has the level of corruption been so high,” Mohammed said.

It’s time to demand accountability – Aturu

Lagos-based human rights activist and legal practitioner, Mr. Bamidele Aturu, has commended the action of the CBN governor for raising the alarm. He, however, said it should have come much earlier, just as he reasoned that the action was a mere confirmation of what is known to the public regarding the way the country is being managed.

Aturu, who spoke to LEADERSHIP last night in Lagos, said Nigerians are waiting for the action of the president on the shameful issue, saying that Nigerians must rise to demand for accountability in the manner in which the country is being managed.

He said, “To me, the situation will ultimately make Nigerians demand for more accountability in the way and manner that they are being governed. This is a test case for all of us.”

Benefiting interests frustrating PIB passage – EITI

Also reacting to the development, Nigeria’s representative on the global Board of the Extractive Industries Transparency initiative (EITI), Faith Nwadishi said, “These are issues the Petroleum Industry Bill is meant to address. But the people who are benefiting from NNPC as it is do not want the PIB to be passed. The development is a reflection of the findings of various oil and gas sector audits by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which shows that the NNPC reports to no one, but itself.”

Nwadishi, who is also the national coordinator, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Nigeria, said the practice had been going on for years and praised the CBN governor for taking the bold step to write the presidency. He said, “The citizens should take the report and demand accountability. The NNPC needs to serve national interest. The fight against corruption is the people’s fight, because the National Assembly has done nothing about all the other reports indicting the NNPC of corruption. They instituted a probe but nothing has come out of the probe.”

President has shown no will to fight corruption – Agbaje

In his reaction, human rights lawyer, Fred Agbaje said, “The bombshell coming from the CBN and the speaker of the House of Representatives AminuTambuwal in respect of the body language of the president to the fight against corruption is true and correct. The president has never shown any willpower to fight corruption. In fact, corruption is fighting this government. The media team of the president was quick to react to the statement made by the speaker, but is this letter from the CBN not confirming what Tambuwal has said? Will they also accuse the CBN governor of being partisan?”

Find missing money, SERAP tells presidency

Similarly, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to urgently query the NNPC over its allegations. The organisation also asked the president to “publicly announce to Nigerians what he is doing to find the missing funds and to bring suspected perpetrators to justice,” adding that “this case provides the president a rare opportunity to show that he is truly committed to the oft-repeated fight against corruption.”

“It is certainly not enough for this government to simply praise Nelson Mandela. If the president is truly inspired by Mandela, he needs to begin to show the leadership and steadfast commitment required to end corruption,” SERAP added.

Revelations calls for sleepless nights – CLO

Also in his reaction, the executive director, Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) Comrade Buchi Ezike, noted that in a society where transparency, accountability and issues of graft are taken seriously, this would be ear-tingling news that should cause the president and those in government sleepless nights.

He, however, said, “We in CLO do not expect that anything good will come out of the CBN allegation. All of them are involved in the dirty deals of plundering and squandering our country and so nobody prosecutes him or herself.”

Various NEITI oil and gas industry reports have indicted the NNPC over discrepancies in remittance of crude oil sales and lifting. For example, the 2009-2011 report alone revealed that the federation lost about N2.153trillion to unwholesome activities by the NNPC.

Allegation baseless – NNPC

But the NNPC has debunked the claim of Sanusi in a statement issued yesterday by the general manager, media relations department of the NNPC, Dr. Omar Farouk Ibrahim. Ibrahim said, “For the avoidance of doubt, it needs to be stated that the figure of 594.024 million barrels of crude oil given by the CBN as the total crude oil lifting for the period of January 2012 to July 2013 does not represent the correct picture of crude oil lifting for the period. From our records, the correct figure is 618.55m barrels. This shows that the CBN understated the actual crude lifting by 4.13%.”

He explained that revenue from crude oil lifting is in various categories, namely Equity Crude, Petroleum Profit Tax, Royalty, Third Party Financing and the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company.

“Revenues from each of these categories are statutorily collected by different agencies of the government. The NNPC collects only one of the aforementioned categories, namely Equity Crude. Petroleum Profit Tax is collected by the Federal Inland Revenue Service; Royalty goes to the Department of Petroleum Resources; Third Party financing goes for Research, Development, Programme and Satellite fields Development, while NPDC goes to NPDC for upstream development. While NNPC pays proceeds from Equity crude directly to the Federation Account with the CBN, the FIRS and DPR pay PPT and Royalty respectively into the Federation Account with the CBN. The sum total of these proceeds makes up the alleged unremitted revenues,” he said.

He added that, “The 24% of total crude oil revenue receipts which the CBN governor is reported to have acknowledged that NNPC remitted represents the proceeds from the equity lifting, which NNPC is directly responsible for. The alleged unremitted 76% was paid to the agencies that are statutorily empowered to receive them for onward remittance into the Federation Account.”

Ibrahim further stressed the need for top government functionaries to seek understanding of issues that are not clear to them from relevant agencies, rather than go public with misleading information that is capable of creating public disaffection.

culled from Naija Sharp News http://naijasharpnews.com/?p=627 AllAfrica.com

DEFECTION OF LAWMAKERS IN THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

With the fallout of 5 of the nPDP governors culminating in their defection to APC, a lot of opinions have been expressed especially as it borders on the composition of the legislature. While some have expressed positions such as Members of the legislature who intend to defect to APC might lose their seats, it has become pertinent to post statutory conditions for defection by members of the National Assembly;

The 1999 Constitution allows defection of lawmakers if there is division in any political party.

Section 68 (1) says: “ A member of the Senate or the House of Representatives shall vacate his seat in the House which he is a member if -

(a) he becomes a member of another legislative house;

(b) any other circumstance arise that, if he were not a member of the Senate or the House of Representatives, would cause him to be disqualified for election as a member;

(c) he ceases to be a citizen of Nigeria;

(d) he becomes President, Vice President, Governor, Deputy Governor or a Minister of the Government of the Federation or a Commissioner of the Government of a State or a Special Adviser;

(e) save as otherwise prescribed by this Constitution, he becomes a member of a Commission or other body established by the Constitution or by any other law;

(f) without just cause he is absent from meetings of the House of which he is a member or a period amounting in the aggregate to more than one-third of the total number of days during which the House meets in any one year;

(g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected:

“Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored.”

WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO OUR CONSTITUTION REVIEW

Towards the last quarter of the 6th National Assembly in Nigeria, the process of Constitution Review began and culminated in the amendment of several sections including the Electoral Act. At the beginning of the 7th National Assembly, the Senate especially spear headed the process which the House of Representatives concurred. 

To this end, many optimistic Nigerians saw the process as a way of liberating the people. The wide zonal and constituency consultations offered a lot of hope since they were met with large crowds of attendants. These consultations resulted to the enumeration of several issues to be tabled for discussion in the legislature and subsequent translation into laws that would amend affected areas of our constitution. The Senate especially set criteria to begin legislative activities that would consider issues like states creation, boundary adjustments, local government autonomy and host of other issues. 

Of course the process is on going. However, in recent times the entire process or better still the brouhaha associated with it has fizzled out. In fact, what seemed to be a transparent process guided by public opinion began to lost its integrity and representation, leading to many Nigerians asking questions as to the integrity of the process and its eventual outcome.

The year 2013 is gradually coming to an end and nothing tangible has been recorded as success of the committees on Constitution Review of both Houses especially given the huge amount of public funds that have been allocated for this purpose.

Does it mean the Constitution Review Process has ended? what is happening to the aspirations of Nigerians that have been brought forward for legislative action? Do members of the Committees have requisite knowledge in advancing their roles? what of the hundreds of millions of Naira been voted for the course? Is it another case of deceiving the populace? Nigerians demand answers to these questions to know exactly where their fate lie. We ought to remember that the voting results from both Houses of the National Assembly must be reconciled in order that they are sent to the State Houses of Assembly for another round of voting. Where are we exactly on the time table or agenda of the Process? It will only be wicked if this set of Nigerians come back next year through the budget asking for more funds when nothing is on ground to justify any further trust. While we await any positive action in that direction, Nigerians ought to ask those they sent to represent them, questions about the on-goings in the constitution review process. We demand genuine answers where our security, welfare and livelihood is being directed. 

The least we can do, is educate and remind ourselves of our rights in a democracy. 

Another Election Year

Politicians have started again...the election year is drawing closer and closer and the drum beat is changing to sound emancipation of the people. We cannot trust any individual to alleviate our poor nature of livelihood but ourselves.

They are now rushing to organize town hall meetings so that they can share kobo kobo, giving out scholarships, writing to youth groups for employment into their political thuggery ventures and perfecting their rigging plans.

They have also forgotten that we previously voted them in, only for them to metamorphose into car dealers, landlords, travel agents and invisible. instead before now, they ride on convoy, the exotic cars with plate numbers, HM1, HM2, HM3 on the sandy and dusty roads they could not fix, pouring on us red or white dust, they would never answer your call except u text to say, "honourable please pick your call i don't want to demand for money...."

Whereas it should be the other way round. We are meant to put them in those positions and constantly demand for accountability, but we never realised or perhaps show so much apathy to the development in our society at our entire peril. How can people send someone to represent them at a converge and the representative gets to the converge, is being paid some money and the person decides what to give you! No way!!! we should only collectively agree that since you are the one facing the terrain in Abuja or wherever, you can have a little above us. For goodness sake, it is called constituency projects money and not domestic project money. If you use our constituency monies to buy a car, then the car is obviously the constituency's. why should your mere servant be riding on a tall horse while you can only watch him display stolen royalty. Enough is enough!!!

we call on all well meaning Nigerians to at this point sacrifice their old ways of doing things and lets all work hard to instill democracy that works. The system must work! And it begins with me n you!!!