LAGOS – Comrade Debo Adeniran, the nation’s frontline anti-corruption crusader and activist, on Friday May 15, 2020, turned 60.
Adeniran, Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL), although marked the epoch making occasion without funfair, a cross section of activists held a colloquium in his honour.
The colloquium held at the Talk Hall, Angle 1706, Sango- Otta, Ogun State, attracted notable activists, although many could not be there physically due to the lockdown occasioned by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Although only about 17 participants were at the venue, most of the discussants joined online via Zoom. Expectedly, the colloquium centred on corruption, with the theme: ‘LaunderedLootasPotentialForeignReserve for an Economy: What Lessons from Nigeria’s Abacha’.
The colloquium was held under the auspices of ‘Debo Discussions’, an interactive forum inaugurated that day, meant to hold at regular intervals as a retirement engagement by the celebrant.
‘Debo Discussions’ is a forum meant to find meeting point on what is said, promised or meant by duty bearers (ruling elites) and what is understood, expected or desired by right holders (the citizenry) on socio-economic and political issues at different levels of government in Nigeria.
Personalities that graced the occasion, included Rt. Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji, former Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly; Barrister Femi Falana (SAN); Comrade (Barr) Femi Aborisade; Ogbeni Kolawole Isola, who represented Rt. Hon. Olakunle Oluomo, Speaker, Ogun State House of Assembly; Hon Kehinde Joseph, who represented Rt Hon Mudashiru Obasa, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly; and several others.
During the discussion, several observations were made by participants concerning looted funds in Nigeria. They noted that there had been too much emphasis on Gen. Sani Abacha’s loot, whereas there are still many more of such funds stashed away in foreign banks, while the culprits move about freely, just because they are still alive.
The participants also maintained that other past Heads of State suspected to have looted public treasury during their tenure in office, should also be probed and their loots recovered.
They stressed that such recovered loot could be used to provide critical infrastructures for the country.
One sore point they noted as unfortunate was that some of the petitions submitted to anti-corruption agencies by civil society organisations were not investigated.
The participants also observed that foreign countries which received the looted funds always paid them back without interests despite using them to develop their economies, but give stringent conditions to repatriate the recovered loot.
Participants at the colloquium also noted that Nigeria’s foreign reserve is denominated in U.S dollars, while America’s reserve is denominated in Gold, thereby making it less volatile.
They also lamented that Nigeria’s youth of today have not been showing much interest in assuming leadership positions.
Comrade Debo Adeniran, an activist, is the Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and a public affairs commentator. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic to Nigeria as well as the resolution of the crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues. Excerpts:
How do you see the way the federal and state governments have been handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is difficult to determine whether the handling is inadequate or not without engaging in a comparison with other countries. The index case could not have been discovered, but for the Lafarge doctor. We can talk of laxity at the entry point. But, the disease is new and there could not be symptoms until after some days. The best could have been to shut down the airports at the early stage. They ought to have shut down the airports long ago. A lot of people with the virus could have entered into the country undetected at the airports, just like the index case. Many could have also entered before the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus situation as a pandemic.
Comrade Debo Adeniran is the Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and a public affairs commentator. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the South West Security Network, otherwise known as ‘Operation Amotekun’, and some challenges the outfit may face, even as he touched the Ondo and Edo states governorship elections that will come up later this year, among other crucial issues. Excerpts:
How do you see the formation of the Amotekun security outfit by the South West governors?
Operation Amotekun would have been unnecessary if the nation’s security had been effective. The regional security system became necessary when the people of South West became vulnerable to attacks by people they believe are strangers. They also believe that the security forces are strangers and do not know the terrain. Amotekun is home-based and understands the terrain. It is a necessary step.
What challenges would you foresee for the Amotekun project?
The first challenge is the problem that the Police, NSCDC and the Army may see them as rivals. They may see the Amotekun as taking their glory. They may therefore work at cross purposes. If the security forces and Amotekun operatives clash, that may make a mess of the objectives. Again, there is the problem of adequate training and equipment as well as the security of the Amotekun operatives themselves. If there is no rivalry between security forces, they may abet such attacks.
Already, the Inspector General of Police has threatened that there are certain categories of arms that will not be found with the Amotekun. Thus, they may be under the power of the herdsmen with superior fire power. They may also face the challenges of funding. The South West governors face a lot of financial challenges. If they are not paid by the governments, the Amotekun operatives may become criminals themselves.
Northern youths were said to have rejected the project. What is your take on the development?
But, the Arewa youths, through Yerima Shettima, has denied it. However, whatever fear any region has does not hold water. Each region had always had their security arms. The North has nothing to fear unless they have some criminals in South West who may be checked by the Amotekun. If the Federal Government fails to protect the people, the people have the right to protect themselves. Security is everybody’s business. Any part of the country that wants to set up security outfit is free to do so.
With the crises in Edo and Ondo APC involving the state governors, how do you see the governorship election coming in both states in the later part of this year?
Elections in Nigeria have not been without various forms of intrigues, horse trading and violence. The two elections may not be exemptions. Already, there has been no trust situation in both states. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government have the duty to protect the people. It should not go the way of Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections, where there were a lot of instances of killings. Elections should not be seen as do-or-die. The people should not see elections as personal, but by convictions. Politicians should not trade in the blood of the innocent people to acquire power. Such things should prick their conscience. A number of alignments and realignments may occur. Political friends may become foes and political foes may become friends. If the government does not allow manipulations, it will be free and fair. But, a lot of political actors may want to foment trouble. Security agents should make security reign. They should work hard to pre-empt violence. Security apparatus of government are expected to get information in advance and nip crises in the bud. I don’t see any trouble if everybody do the required things at the right time.
Do you think that possible defection of both Godwin Obaseki and Rotimi Akeredolu would not adversely affect the fortunes of APC in both states if the crises in both states remain unresolved?
Cross carpeting is part of the political game in a multi-party democracy. People bring up allegations and counter allegations against people when there is an election. What is happening in Edo is an anathema. When the Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, got to office, he was sober. But, now, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, feels betrayed and that he is being edged out and reduced to nothing when he should be an asset. He feels he is a strategist that should be consulted. But, if Obaseki defects to another party, he may lose the election. Those edging him on do not want him to leave the party. They do not want to be in opposition giving what is happening in Bayelsa and the lackadaisical attitude of the governor of Rivers State. So, they do not want to leave the mainstream. Governorship is transient. If the governor is not careful, he will be the loser. It is proper for Obaseki to consider well before jumping the ship. It may backfire and affect his credibility.
In Ondo State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is already mending fences with the party leaders. Although, Alliance for Democracy is becoming more popular. But, if Akeredolu plays his card well, he may be forgiven. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu supports those in power. But, Akeredolu should not undermine the person of Asiwaju. Those he may anchor his support in Abuja may not be there for him. The former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, did not undermine the influence of his leader and the leaders of the party. Amosun did not defect to Allied Peoples Movement (APM) even though he supported the governorship candidate, because he knew the influence of the National Leader. That should teach Akeredolu a lesson. He should remain in APC and fight it out instead of remaining strong headed.
What is your take on the planned hike of electricity tariff?
The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has denied that. Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) can come up with surprises. GENCOS and DISCOs can, in fact, wield undue monopoly. The hike is wicked for people who are not enjoying constant electricity. They do not access electricity well. It is unfair for government to allow that. There is no reason for the agencies to overcharge the people. If they get constant light, people will be ready to pay. But, now, there is epileptic electricity supply as the whole country has no power. It is only a wicked government that will allow this. They should not overcharge people who do not have regular electricity, cannot do their business, suffer damages and spend more to maintain generators. Electricity supply cost Nigerian consumers more expenditure due to the multiplier effect of lack of electricity. No government should try it. Nigeria consumers should rise up against the planned increase. Nigerians should resist it and let the suppliers go to hell.
With crisis in the 2019 elections and the governorship polls in Bayelsa and Kogi States, what reforms would you advocate in the country’s electoral system?
It is beyond INEC to some extent. The National Assembly should rework the electoral law. The voter register should be electronic. Electronic voting should be legalised. If banks should use the BVN to regulate banking, voting should not be an exception. People should do voting from their homes, like banking. The voting number should not be duplicated. Anybody caught in manipulating votes should be barred from contesting elections. Those who participate in violence and killings should face the full wrath of the law. If the penalty is stiff and the judiciary does not back down, everybody will sit up. The lucre for political offices should be reduced. Salaries of political offices should be equal to those of public officers. They should not be given luxuries they cannot afford.
It pains people that the politicians are paid so much for doing nothing. Their salaries should not be more that those of Permanent Secretaries in the MDAs. People should not spend so much to cause brigandage if they know they will not be getting much. Those to be appointed into INEC should be above board.
The Professors used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are said to be making mistakes in calculations. What options do you think INEC has if they drop academics? Do you think the nation has enough experts to do the work instead of the academics?
You cannot have enough experts. People do not study elections in universities. The best we can have is the academia. The best thing is for INEC to be thorough. It is not the Professors that do the calculations. That is why we advocate for electronic voting system. It is those who work with the Professors that make the mistakes. If the votes are electronically calculated, errors will be eliminated.
What agenda would you advocate for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020?
President Muhammadu Buhari should strengthen the anti-corruption efforts and deepen the reach of the anti-graft system. President Buhari is doing well. But, there are a lot of detractors who undermine his efforts. He should ensure there is more publicity of what is being done to combat crimes and corruption. It takes a lot of efforts and patience to extract a virus that has ravaged the body. Corruption has taken deep root in Nigeria. Right from when the colonial masters left, we did not know the level of corruption until all the system began to collapse. It will take a gradual process to repair. People in government are used to our corrupt system.
Basically, President Buhari administration should be vigilant. Whistle Blowers should be well compensated and their payment made easier. Corruption cases should follow due diligence. He should establish anti-corruption courts for them to handle corruption cases. Adequate punishment should be meted to those found guilty. Their properties and assets should be confiscated. Those convicted should live the rest of their lives behind bars. They should be wearing tags showing their former positions and offences they committed and the jail term they are serving so that anyone coming to see them in prison will know what they have done. They should be in special prisons where students will go for excursion, with their names and positions displayed. They should be working in the prison or taught skills there. They can practice all skills in prisons. However, they should not be paid, but should be well taken care of so that they will be healthy to work in the prison. Lastly, President Buhari should constitute a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to evolve a national ideology to give direction to everybody. If the SNC is conveyed, it will give everybody a sense of belonging.
With Nigerians expressing worries over the rising cost of governance, how do you think this could be reduced as Nigeria moves into 2020?
About three or four years ago, we suggested that Nigeria should adopt what Senegal did. Senegal did away with their Senate and reduced the salary of their lawmakers. In Nigeria today, a lot of people see government as an industry and abandon their trade and businesses. They go into government to get rich. People attach themselves to public officers to get rich. That is why Nigerians are getting lazier by the day. It also accounts for the huge amount the lawmakers take, be it at the federal, state and even the local government level. Reducing cost of governance does not mean reducing the structure of government. The Senate does not do more than what the House of Representatives does. Nigeria can do away with the upper legislative house, since the House of Representatives is more representative of the people.
Each constituent should be able to take care of the representatives. It should be the responsibility of the constituents to determine what the salaries of their lawmakers should be. The constituents should be able to determine the take-home pay and allowances of the legislators and aides. The idea of government paying everybody huge amount at all levels has made people to become lazy in raising funds, even at state and local government levels. People in local governments should sit down and determine how to take care of their state lawmakers at both state and local government levels. Every state should contribute to the centre, every local government should in the same way contribute to the state. This should be the way to restructure the federation.
Some of us have suggested the scrapping of state governments, while the local governments should contribute to the centre. That is the only way to reduce cost of governance and people will be active in generating income. Everyone will know how to hold their representatives responsible accountable.
The National Assembly, especially the Senate cannot legislate themselves out of office and the executive cannot remove them from the constitution. That is why we advocate for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), which should be the beginning of true nationhood, instead we will continue to be a contrived geographic expression which people will not take care of. That is why we are advocating that President Buhari should convene a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to consider all systems, decide on revenue generation and allocations to different sections of the economy. This will reduce cost of governance. Although there will still be some oligarchic leaders who may want to control government, they could be checked, instead of the type of unitary system we are running now.
Comrade Debo Adeniran is the Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL). He spoke with EJIKEME OMENAZU on the growing insecurity in the South East, the threat to declare a state of emergency, as well as the division of Northern and Southern governors and leaders over the issue of zoning of the 2023 presidency, among other issues. Excerpt:
During his Independence anniversary speech, President Muhammadu Buhari spoke about some terrorism sponsors in the South East and South West, even as he fingered a prominent member of the National Assembly as a sponsor. What do you think is the implication of such a blanket accusation?
Different people have different styles of governance. The reaction of people may inform the government’s responses. People are against media trials, premature arraignment of suspects. Thorough proper investigation should be carried out to ensure that suspected sponsors of terrorism are duly prosecuted and punished. It is defeatist on the part of the government to think of knowing the criminals before they are punished. People should be deterred from financing terrorism. Such people should be arrested and prosecuted.
What are the implications of such a blanket accusation of the National Assembly members?
The implication is that it will give the financial sponsors of terrorism time to cover their tracts and make Nigeria feel unsafe in the hands of the government and that will make the government lose the loyalty of the people. It is the prerogative of the government to provide security. If the government cannot provide security, it has lost its function. It is a failure of intelligence and failure of governance for the government to share power with the terrorists.
What is the difference between what is happening in the South East from what is happening in the North East and North West?
The difference between what is happening in the South East and North East and North West is that those in the South East have declared a different government, a different republic. This is not the case in North East and North West despite the onslaught of Boko Haram. In the South East, they have their currency, their flag, their army, everything that will make a different country. The ESN’s activities are like an army. They force people to obey their laws. Boko Haram is a terrorist army, which wants to impose their rule on the people. They have not gone as far as IPOB. In the North East, people have not stopped their economic activities. In the South East, the ESN impose sit-at-home and people who disobey are attacked. That is why the situation in the South East is so different from what obtains in the North East. Borno, Adamawa and Yobe had state of emergencies because of inadequate protection of the people due to the Boko Haram. In the South East, IPOB does not want elections to take place. They want to disrupt the Anambra election. No government will want to allow disruption of campaigns and elections in the South East. People’s houses have been attacked and residents killed, including Dr. Chike Akunyili. That makes what is happening in the South East more devastating than what is happening in the North East. Boko Haram has been declared a terrorist organization. IPOB has also been declared, but they have continued to operate illegally.
What is your take on the split between the Northern and Southern governors and leaders over the issue of zoning the 2023 presidency?
I am not really interested in political arguments. We want a system change. The elite should not be leading us by the nose. The arrangement of North/South leadership is tossing people’s sensibility. People should come from any part of the country and participate in elections. People should be concerned about good governance, social inclusion, transparency, and participatory governance. It is not about where people come from. Goodluck Jonathan did not develop South South even though Bayelsa is his home state. The few developments in the North were not only when their citizens were in government. Most of the developments in the South were carried out by heads of government from other parts of the country.
What is your view on the recently released Pandora Papers which fingered some top Nigerian politicians over alleged fraud and money laundering?
It is an expose that government has to take seriously. There were previous papers before this one. The previous governments handled them with kid gloves. We cried to high heavens and nothing was done and they were swept under the carpet. Those names that came up should be investigated. Government should carry out a due diligence investigation of those mentioned in the Pandora Papers. Government should recover what has been looted. Nobody should be in government and still be in business or engage in underhand dealings elsewhere. If government fails to do something about the current revelations, it will affect the image of Nigeria.
Your group has been going around to speak to people about the 2023 general elections. Could you tell us about your recent campaign?
The Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) recently commenced the sensitisation of Nigerians on the 2023 general elections to inculcate in them the virtues of integrity of the electoral process. The project is with the support of Mac Arthur Foundation. It centres on anti-corruption and accountability in elections, even at the grassroots level. The goals of the project tagged ‘Priotising Anti-Corruption and Accountability Issues During the Upcoming 2023 Elections’, include to reduce corruption in the country by bolstering support for anti-corruption and social inclusion among critical groups and strengthening policies and programmes for anti-corruption in the country. The main project goal is to reduce corruption in Nigeria by educating and mobilising citizens’ groups and galvanising support for anti-corruption among political parties, frontline candidates and critical interest groups and networks involved in the 2023 electoral processes in Lagos State. It is our view that the media should increase their reportage and investigation of corruption and accountability issues before, during, and after the elections to ensure that political parties and their candidates incorporate anti-fraud issues in their manifestoes and agenda. There is an urgent need for anti-corruption campaigns to percolate down to the grassroots and even to the level of primary and tertiary institutions to stem the tide of rising cybercrimes (Yahoo-Yahoo) among our youths. Political parties must be engaged in mainstream anti-corruption and accountability in their manifestos and activities. There is an urgent need to amplify the voices of the people at the grassroots because most of them do not even have access to their elected representatives once they are sworn in. There is need for more proactive measures by anti-corruption agencies in timely investigation and prosecution of offenders. In the case of Lagos State, the state anti-corruption agency should be truly independent to investigate and prosecute all corruption cases and should also work in synergy with other anti-corruption agencies. There is the need to increase citizens’ timely voter education and sensitisation by both the electoral body and relevant stakeholders. In the last few weeks, CACOL had been holding consultative meetings with stakeholders in the five major divisions of Lagos State with the aim of making the 2023 general elections corruption free. The programme, which is supposed to be national, will be held in different states, although it was kick-started in Lagos State.
Some Nigerians are worried over the one party state in Lagos. How could this trend be reversed?
Only Lagosians can change the current one-party rule in the state to multi-party administration. The one-party structure of the Lagos administration can only be reversed by the people. What is happening in Lagos is the choice of the political elite in the state. If the citizens are satisfied with what is happening in Lagos, we are not going to fight their battle. They can form their own political party and vote out the ruling party. The people have the right to make Lagos a multi-party state. Lagosians have the right to belong to different political parties. They have the right to vie for elections in any other party and win. If they are cheated, they should use the channels available to them to protest to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), they can embark on street protests or go to court. If there is adequate enlightenment, they will know what they should do. We can only give them enlightenment on what to look for.
Comrade Debo Adeniran is the Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and a public affairs commentator. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the South West Security Network, otherwise known as ‘Operation Amotekun’, and some challenges the outfit may face, even as he touched the Ondo and Edo states governorship elections that will come up later this year, among other crucial issues. Excerpts:
How do you see the formation of the Amotekun security outfit by the South West governors?
Operation Amotekun would have been unnecessary if the nation’s security had been effective. The regional security system became necessary when the people of South West became vulnerable to attacks by people they believe are strangers. They also believe that the security forces are strangers and do not know the terrain. Amotekun is home-based and understands the terrain. It is a necessary step.
What challenges would you foresee for the Amotekun project?
The first challenge is the problem that the Police, NSCDC and the Army may see them as rivals. They may see the Amotekun as taking their glory. They may therefore work at cross purposes. If the security forces and Amotekun operatives clash, that may make a mess of the objectives. Again, there is the problem of adequate training and equipment as well as the security of the Amotekun operatives themselves. If there is no rivalry between security forces, they may abet such attacks.
Already, the Inspector General of Police has threatened that there are certain categories of arms that will not be found with the Amotekun. Thus, they may be under the power of the herdsmen with superior fire power. They may also face the challenges of funding. The South West governors face a lot of financial challenges. If they are not paid by the governments, the Amotekun operatives may become criminals themselves.
Northern youths were said to have rejected the project. What is your take on the development?
But, the Arewa youths, through Yerima Shettima, has denied it. However, whatever fear any region has does not hold water. Each region had always had their security arms. The North has nothing to fear unless they have some criminals in South West who may be checked by the Amotekun. If the Federal Government fails to protect the people, the people have the right to protect themselves. Security is everybody’s business. Any part of the country that wants to set up security outfit is free to do so.
With the crises in Edo and Ondo APC involving the state governors, how do you see the governorship election coming in both states in the later part of this year?
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Elections in Nigeria have not been without various forms of intrigues, horse trading and violence. The two elections may not be exemptions. Already, there has been no trust situation in both states. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Federal Government have the duty to protect the people. It should not go the way of Kogi and Bayelsa governorship elections, where there were a lot of instances of killings. Elections should not be seen as do-or-die. The people should not see elections as personal, but by convictions. Politicians should not trade in the blood of the innocent people to acquire power. Such things should prick their conscience. A number of alignments and realignments may occur. Political friends may become foes and political foes may become friends. If the government does not allow manipulations, it will be free and fair. But, a lot of political actors may want to foment trouble. Security agents should make security reign. They should work hard to pre-empt violence. Security apparatus of government are expected to get information in advance and nip crises in the bud. I don’t see any trouble if everybody do the required things at the right time.
Do you think that possible defection of both Godwin Obaseki and Rotimi Akeredolu would not adversely affect the fortunes of APC in both states if the crises in both states remain unresolved?
Cross carpeting is part of the political game in a multi-party democracy. People bring up allegations and counter allegations against people when there is an election. What is happening in Edo is an anathema. When the Edo Governor, Godwin Obaseki, got to office, he was sober. But, now, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, feels betrayed and that he is being edged out and reduced to nothing when he should be an asset. He feels he is a strategist that should be consulted. But, if Obaseki defects to another party, he may lose the election. Those edging him on do not want him to leave the party. They do not want to be in opposition giving what is happening in Bayelsa and the lackadaisical attitude of the governor of Rivers State. So, they do not want to leave the mainstream. Governorship is transient. If the governor is not careful, he will be the loser. It is proper for Obaseki to consider well before jumping the ship. It may backfire and affect his credibility.
In Ondo State, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu is already mending fences with the party leaders. Although, Alliance for Democracy is becoming more popular. But, if Akeredolu plays his card well, he may be forgiven. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu supports those in power. But, Akeredolu should not undermine the person of Asiwaju. Those he may anchor his support in Abuja may not be there for him. The former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, did not undermine the influence of his leader and the leaders of the party. Amosun did not defect to Allied Peoples Movement (APM) even though he supported the governorship candidate, because he knew the influence of the National Leader. That should teach Akeredolu a lesson. He should remain in APC and fight it out instead of remaining strong headed.
What is your take on the planned hike of electricity tariff?
The National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has denied that. Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) can come up with surprises. GENCOS and DISCOs can, in fact, wield undue monopoly. The hike is wicked for people who are not enjoying constant electricity. They do not access electricity well. It is unfair for government to allow that. There is no reason for the agencies to overcharge the people. If they get constant light, people will be ready to pay. But, now, there is epileptic electricity supply as the whole country has no power. It is only a wicked government that will allow this. They should not overcharge people who do not have regular electricity, cannot do their business, suffer damages and spend more to maintain generators. Electricity supply cost Nigerian consumers more expenditure due to the multiplier effect of lack of electricity. No government should try it. Nigeria consumers should rise up against the planned increase. Nigerians should resist it and let the suppliers go to hell.
With crisis in the 2019 elections and the governorship polls in Bayelsa and Kogi States, what reforms would you advocate in the country’s electoral system?
It is beyond INEC to some extent. The National Assembly should rework the electoral law. The voter register should be electronic. Electronic voting should be legalised. If banks should use the BVN to regulate banking, voting should not be an exception. People should do voting from their homes, like banking. The voting number should not be duplicated. Anybody caught in manipulating votes should be barred from contesting elections. Those who participate in violence and killings should face the full wrath of the law. If the penalty is stiff and the judiciary does not back down, everybody will sit up. The lucre for political offices should be reduced. Salaries of political offices should be equal to those of public officers. They should not be given luxuries they cannot afford.
It pains people that the politicians are paid so much for doing nothing. Their salaries should not be more that those of Permanent Secretaries in the MDAs. People should not spend so much to cause brigandage if they know they will not be getting much. Those to be appointed into INEC should be above board.
The Professors used by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are said to be making mistakes in calculations. What options do you think INEC has if they drop academics? Do you think the nation has enough experts to do the work instead of the academics?
You cannot have enough experts. People do not study elections in universities. The best we can have is the academia. The best thing is for INEC to be thorough. It is not the Professors that do the calculations. That is why we advocate for electronic voting system. It is those who work with the Professors that make the mistakes. If the votes are electronically calculated, errors will be eliminated.
What agenda would you advocate for President Muhammadu Buhari in 2020?
President Muhammadu Buhari should strengthen the anti-corruption efforts and deepen the reach of the anti-graft system. President Buhari is doing well. But, there are a lot of detractors who undermine his efforts. He should ensure there is more publicity of what is being done to combat crimes and corruption. It takes a lot of efforts and patience to extract a virus that has ravaged the body. Corruption has taken deep root in Nigeria. Right from when the colonial masters left, we did not know the level of corruption until all the system began to collapse. It will take a gradual process to repair. People in government are used to our corrupt system.
Basically, President Buhari administration should be vigilant. Whistle Blowers should be well compensated and their payment made easier. Corruption cases should follow due diligence. He should establish anti-corruption courts for them to handle corruption cases. Adequate punishment should be meted to those found guilty. Their properties and assets should be confiscated. Those convicted should live the rest of their lives behind bars. They should be wearing tags showing their former positions and offences they committed and the jail term they are serving so that anyone coming to see them in prison will know what they have done. They should be in special prisons where students will go for excursion, with their names and positions displayed. They should be working in the prison or taught skills there. They can practice all skills in prisons. However, they should not be paid, but should be well taken care of so that they will be healthy to work in the prison. Lastly, President Buhari should constitute a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to evolve a national ideology to give direction to everybody. If the SNC is conveyed, it will give everybody a sense of belonging.
With Nigerians expressing worries over the rising cost of governance, how do you think this could be reduced as Nigeria moves into 2020?
About three or four years ago, we suggested that Nigeria should adopt what Senegal did. Senegal did away with their Senate and reduced the salary of their lawmakers. In Nigeria today, a lot of people see government as an industry and abandon their trade and businesses. They go into government to get rich. People attach themselves to public officers to get rich. That is why Nigerians are getting lazier by the day. It also accounts for the huge amount the lawmakers take, be it at the federal, state and even the local government level. Reducing cost of governance does not mean reducing the structure of government. The Senate does not do more than what the House of Representatives does. Nigeria can do away with the upper legislative house, since the House of Representatives is more representative of the people.
Each constituent should be able to take care of the representatives. It should be the responsibility of the constituents to determine what the salaries of their lawmakers should be. The constituents should be able to determine the take-home pay and allowances of the legislators and aides. The idea of government paying everybody huge amount at all levels has made people to become lazy in raising funds, even at state and local government levels. People in local governments should sit down and determine how to take care of their state lawmakers at both state and local government levels. Every state should contribute to the centre, every local government should in the same way contribute to the state. This should be the way to restructure the federation.
Some of us have suggested the scrapping of state governments, while the local governments should contribute to the centre. That is the only way to reduce cost of governance and people will be active in generating income. Everyone will know how to hold their representatives responsible accountable.
The National Assembly, especially the Senate cannot legislate themselves out of office and the executive cannot remove them from the constitution. That is why we advocate for a Sovereign National Conference (SNC), which should be the beginning of true nationhood, instead we will continue to be a contrived geographic expression which people will not take care of. That is why we are advocating that President Buhari should convene a Sovereign National Conference (SNC) to consider all systems, decide on revenue generation and allocations to different sections of the economy. This will reduce cost of governance. Although there will still be some oligarchic leaders who may want to control government, they could be checked, instead of the type of unitary system we are running now
Comrade Debo Adeniran, an activist, is the Executive Chairman, Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership (CACOL) and a public affairs commentator. He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the implications of the Coronavirus pandemic to Nigeria as well as the resolution of the crisis in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), among other issues. Excerpts:
How do you see the way the federal and state governments have been handling the COVID-19 pandemic?
It is difficult to determine whether the handling is inadequate or not without engaging in a comparison with other countries. The index case could not have been discovered, but for the Lafarge doctor. We can talk of laxity at the entry point. But, the disease is new and there could not be symptoms until after some days. The best could have been to shut down the airports at the early stage. They ought to have shut down the airports long ago. A lot of people with the virus could have entered into the country undetected at the airports, just like the index case. Many could have also entered before the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the virus situation as a pandemic.
The Federal Government could have saved 50% of the cases, but former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s statement that the discovery of the index case was a hoax, just like Shehu Sani could have discouraged a lot of people from taking action. People should not do things because of political leanings, since they were not the ones that tested the patient. The media should not have amplified the cynical statements.
Patients cannot be exposed. The medical profession has a code of ethics. When the index case was declared free, it became obvious. Obasanjo and Shehu Sani could have discouraged the Federal Government from closing all the borders and airports and seaports. We have seen what has been happening to Italy, China and some other countries. We would have shut down the airports long ago.
Lagos and Ogun have taken precautionary measures to check the spread of the virus, especially Lagos, where the index case was discovered. But, someone came in, went to Ibadan and then to Ekiti, where he was discovered. It may not be the fault of the state governments, since it was not discovered at the airport. Health officials at the entry points at the expressways would have tested the people. Health officials should have been posted along the major expressways to examine people, especially those coming in from Lagos and Abuja.
Some precautionary measures have been taken in several states, schools shut down, stadia, sports events stopped. All these are okay. But, tracing the contacts may be difficult. Earlier, some lawmakers could not subject themselves to checks at the airports to their own detriment. They attended social gatherings. The carriers of the virus could have reduced by now with all the hints by the WHO, if Nigerians did not take things for granted. Nigerians themselves contributed to the problem.
Wash hand basins should be provided at public places. People could have been touched by a carrier. Costs of sanitisers have gone high. People do not want to engage in self quarantine because of their businesses. Government should make things available to those on self quarantine.
A lot of people live on what they get on daily basis. Aged people should boost their immune system and have sex regularly as well as engage in exercises. People should engage in self isolation. If they do not have to go out, they should stay at home. Government should do more enlightenment in market places and people should keep social distance and avoid handshakes.
Education on the virus is enough as all discussions in radios, television and newspapers is about the disease. But, we cannot overdo it. Markets should be open because people do not have enough money to stock food for a long time. Hoarding should be avoided. We cannot properly do self isolation when living conditions are difficult.
With one death recorded so far and the figure hitting 65 so far (as at Thursday), what more do you think the governments should do about the rising Coronavirus situation?
That the figure has risen from one to 65 is alarming. Even at that, there are a lot of hidden ones because flights still went on for a long time. Many carriers entered undetected. The country is vulnerable to the disease. The government should trace those who entered the country and ensure that even those in contact with them are quarantined for at least 14 days. From one to 65 in three weeks means that if we continue that way, in another three weeks, we may have 3, 400.
Nigerian has so far recorded one death, the carrier who died in Ekiti. The contacts should be quarantined. Atiku’s household should be quarantined. Yuguda is said to have self-quarantined himself.
Coronavirus has taught us good lessons. We can do with what we have. If we do not, people will perish. People should make alternatives to what we import. Some of us raised alarm about importation of finished products. Our refineries should be made to work we should produce what we need, including medically. We should not rely on foreign countries for our needs. It was not so in the days of our forefathers. We should be self-reliant. We should be self-reliant. We can develop our technology. We should stop borrowing from these countries, using our national resources as collateral, creating uncertain future for generations to come. We should stop medical tourism. If the airport had been open, Buhari’s daughter and Atiku’s son would have been taken abroad for treatment. Coronovirus has become a leveler of people.
Do you think the citizens and corporate institutions understand the seriousness of the pandemic?
For a long time, citizens stopped to believe the government. Cynicism has been there. The average Nigerians no longer believe their government. People are misled by people like Obasanjo. But, when they saw the number of corpses in China and Italy and other countries are locked down, people begin to believe there is a pandemic. People are not responding because they thought it is a ‘big man’s disease’ and the ravaging poverty is much. People are violating rules on buses. A BRT conductor was beaten up because he did not want to carry people who would stand. There are too many people on the road. When the government does the right thing wrongly, they make doing the right thing difficult, as it is the case in Lagos.
In several countries, food is given out freely and people are given money to survive. That is possible in Nigeria. But, the public officers make it impossible. When money budgeted for projects are looted, people are ready to die because they do not see any future.
What is your reaction to the reduction of petroleum pump price from N145 to N125?
It is good reference for government. Several occasions global oil price fell, government refused to change the price of fuel at the local level. The price reduction is not even the same proportion to that at the global market. But, it is nice. But, more incentives could be given by bringing down the fuel price. It should include diesel, kerosene, gas and other things manufactured from petroleum products. Government should bring down the price of fuel to the barest minimum. Everybody make use of petroleum products one way or the other. In Libya, people do not buy fuel at a time.
With the COVID-19 pandemic affecting global economy, with its effect on the Nigerian oil sector, trade and even construction, do you think the country’s economy will not slide into another recession?
It depends on how the country handles it. The recession will be global. The pandemic has affected all sectors. Nothing much is happening in the stock exchange. The world economy is at standstill. It will be a global recession. The bigger the economy, the bigger the recession. Saudi Arabia is not taking pilgrims. Rome is not taking tourists. Italy locked down its economy. People cannot import and export products. Ships are stranded in the seas. People should prepare for tougher time if the pandemic continues.
Government should look inwards to boost the economy. We can go back to the farms. If government utilises the pandemic well, we will suffer the pangs. What we need is mobility, which government should subsidise. The average citizens would have been taught to be stronger through self sustenance. People are learning that paid employment is not enough. There should be other means of affecting more increase. The pandemic is affecting individual economy. Government should find a way of helping those providing perishable goods. The pandemic may lead to more strife and uprising and further distrust of the government by the people.
How do you see the leadership crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC), especially as it concerns the position of the party’s National Chairman?
It is normal with the ruling party. It also happened to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at their own time, in many countries, when a ruling party is approaching an election year, there is bound to be a clash between those in power and those who want to succeed them. It happened to PDP. If APC does not take time, what happened to PDP will happen to it. The difference is that nobody wants to defect from APC. Those who do not want to be disciplined are vocal in the crisis. The same thing happens in the country. Oshiomhole is suffering what President Buhari and the EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Magu are facing in the handling of those who want corruption to continue. Oshiomhole should apply more wisdom and diplomacy. The crisis may spell doom to APC in Ondo and Edo elections, as well as the 2023 general elections. The struggle for influence and support is the cause of the imbroglio. They went to court. That is the civilised way of resolving crisis.
Would you say the courts have not contributed to the crisis in APC, especially in Edo chapter?
It is still the courts that will regulate what is done wrongly. There were conflicting rulings among High Courts of equal adjudications, but the Appeal Court has doused the tension by granting stay of execution order. This has given APC opportunity to rework its system. But, for the courts, there would have been more crises. The developmental problems in Nigeria contribute to the way the courts work. There are problems of data sharing. This affects the courts. Lawyers know how to manipulate things for their selfish purposes. That makes it difficult for the courts to exonerate themselves from the crisis.
Do you see the crisis in Edo APC being resolved so soon?
The Bisi Akande Committee has given them the opportunity for reconciliation. A lot of compromise has been reached and suspended people have been reabsorbed. This is the opportunity for the Akande Committee to bring peace to APC.
What is your take on delisting of several political parties by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the fact that the courts may make nonsense of the agency?
It is neither here nor there. If INEC has power to register parties, it should have power to deregister them. At any time the condition for registration are no longer there, or has degenerated, INEC will deregister. If you have members at the moment of registration and suddenly the members defect to other parties and the membership depleted, there is no point in keeping such political parties.
Some of the political parties are not working towards political stability. Many register to corner resources to themselves. Many of them do not have assets or offices. If INEC wants to register parties, they should have at least 1% or 001% of the population where they want to operate. Most of the parties lie to INEC when their claims are not verifiable. No ideological leanings. Conditions for registration of political parties are loose. That is why as many as 93 political parties were registered. If there is a clear-cut ideology, all parties with single ideology should merge. People should know what to expect from a party. When there is no membership, no ideology, no clear manifesto, why should we have different political parties? They only help to create administration confusion at INEC. If the courts base their rulings on the Electoral Act, INEC may win. The cases cannot make a mess of INEC’s stand. The condition for registration of political parties should be clear.
BEKO is a man of Dignity, a man that believe that there should be Egalitarian society, a man that work towards the enjoyment of right and benefit of Nigerians, no matter how low lay place that person his, he didn’t believe that somebody cannot get to the highest height of his potential, he believe that the resources of Nigeria is enough to give everybody that leverage that will help you or her to live optimum life to enjoy benefits of Citizenship, to enjoy freedom of movement, speech, economic, personal and cooperate economic development. He believe that Nigeria can be better ruled, he believe that we can restructure Nigeria in a way that everybody will have sense of belonging, so that is what eat in deep into us that we believe that we have to continue to remember the sacrifice he made.
He was described by the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka as the bravest of the brave, he had that extra dosage of courage with which he confronted the military regime no matter how powerful, no matter how daring, no matter how wicked, no matter how brutal they were he confronted them and was able to make some difference, he joined hand with others to ensure that every government, the successes government in Nigeria take the opinion of people into consideration before they implement policy and laws that have to affect life and livelihood of the people and that is what we believe should be carried it forward, our been to carry it forward we need to keep on reminding ourselves and to honor him because of his enormous sacrifices that he made towards the emancipation of humanity in Nigeria.
The specific thing that we would ask the government to do in his Remembrance is to ensure that electoral right that people reserve their right to, their political right to enjoy is made generally accessible to the people. Political leaders should not been seen to have been impose on people, the ballot of people should count and our leader should be accountable to the people upon which ballot they road to position of prominent and to power. They should ensure that the right of individual, community, children and women are not denied them and that is only way by which people can live full adequate and successful live.
Issue of Security
You see security will take care of self if economic reality is made generally accessible to people, if everybody has profitable economic engagement they are not likely to go into criminality, the security agency will do their work, the motor park portals they will do their work, drivers will do their own work, farmers will do theirs, everybody will get busy because they know that ultimately they are going to make profit from their daily tolls. All of you in journalism you will do your work because you will be well paid as at when due, teachers will teach what they are paid to teach because they are happy to do the teaching, student will be ready to learn because they will be motivated, now if all of these social economic indexes are made convenient for people to access criminality will go down.
Nobody will have a degree that he knows that he can make a living with will now want to leave the degree at home and get to motor park or go and carry gun in the jungle to say that he want to kidnapped, that he want put certain people in ransomed, or he want to disturb farmers from farming, that he want to take his own herd of cattle into cross farmers farm with the view to chasing them out of place, nobody want to do that. The reason why all of these security becomes issue is because government do not pay the right payum on the sanctity of human sustenance, if there is qualitative education, there will be qualitative services, there will be accountability, there will be transparency, there will be sense of belonging, there will be a nation whereby everybody will move away from rebellion to patriotism, if people move from the position of rebellion to position of patriotism they will ensure that government property are protected, they will be ready to be the whistle blower, they will be ready to ensure that nothing that belong to the state is badly utilize. Basically it is the socio-economic problem that leads to security problem and that leads to instability in the politics that is exactly what we are yearning towards.
Thank you for having me, thank you very much. First and foremost TI is like any other NGO like we have even in Nigeria, and the NGO can go to field to carry out a study, they can carry out a survey, they can carry out all sorts of data gathering exercises from various people and you remember that what TI said is that it base its own conclusion on perception, perception may not necessary reflect the reality on the ground, from selfish point of view The Center for Anti-corruption and Open Leadership(CACOL) has been supporting the fight against corruption in Nigeria and we have also been monitoring the achievement and losses. In 2011 we came up with a petition against the Former Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Who collected about 26 million dollars from Julius Berger over the same case of Malabu and the rest of them to trial the same Julius Berger, nothing was done about despite the fact that we held a street protest and it was published in the paper.
In 2013 we did a protest match to EFCC Office in Lagos to submit a petition against Diezani Alison-Madueke to showcase all of the profligacy and all the kind of up seen opulence in which she and her family members were swimming in and nothing was done all those period, we had cases against the former President Olusegun Obasanjo and several of other people like that, nothing was done until when the present Administrative came and we know that they have convicted a couple of those who are either to consider to be above the law. Some former Governors who had been tried for more than eight years have been convicted, two of them in 2018 then one of them towards the tail end of 2019 and the one that was convicted in 2019 every skeptic has vow that Orji Uzor Kalu will not go to jail because he presented himself as son to the President and that because the chairman of the ruling party said that anybody that cross over his sin will be wash away.
Now when they now saw that i expected that the media will blow that to the high heaven, i believe that the present administration is fighting corruption more than any other administration before it. All the operationalization instrument preventing corruption BVN, TSA, FRC, SCUML, FTIU, so all of these were operationalized, it makes corruption crime to be difficult to commit. Now the perception is based on the information that is available in the public arena and a lot of people followed what you people report in the media electronic and print and you know those who are perpetrating corruption, they would want to under rate the activities of Anti-corruption Agencies and they are the most vocal. A government that want to avoid corruption, that government is not likely to bribe anybody to carry out certain propaganda, they will not need bribe people to skilled stories in favor of the authority and because this time around a lot of exposes were done in the area of corruption so it will sound as if it is now that the corruption crimes were been perpetrated even when they have been there several years back so when you exposing because hitherto corruption cases have been covered, they have been treated as family affairs within the political circle.
So now that it came over bud a lot of people will think that all they will perceive it as if the present system that is perpetrating corruption, for crying out loud the present administration has actually handed over many of those who are working within to the Anti-corruption Agencies for Investigation and Prosecution. Many of his predecessors have not done such a thing so we should give kudos. Like Gani Fawehinmi of blessed memory said that if you cannot contribute to the success of the fight against corruption don’t deride the little effort that is been made by government, that anytime any effort it’s made it will reduce the prevalence of corruption in our society. What would we ask individuals and the even groups to do is to try and show adequate appreciation of those that are fighting corruption, they should not deride the effort that have been made to the extent of making it look as if it is worthless then they should serve as identifier of corruption crimes if government is overlooking any corruption crime they should come into you the media, they should expose it with concrete evidence, they should also write petition even against Anti-corruption Agency that they are being selective.
But i tell you there is no administration that will not be selective, you will only select those who cases are actionable upon which investigation had been carried out and you know that is a winnable case before you select those that have remote evidence and witnesses. If there are no evidence and witnesses cases cannot go to court, criminal don’t give receipt so it is difficult to detect corruption crimes and to gather evidence and witnesses and witnesses are intimidated and they change their statement there is no way the process can continue and you know what is happening within the judiciary even the judiciary need to be sanitized the more.
LASTMA POLICY
The primary purpose of a government is to see that the security and welfare of the people are enhanced. The government claimed that is to enhance the security of the people but it forget about the welfare part of it. Instead of government to create enabling environment for job creation, the policy that is implementing seems to be destroying the existing environment even as difficult as it is, it destroying more jobs than creating it and once peoples job are taking away from them without replacement, what we are likely to witness is putting the security of the people in jeopardy meaning that the welfare of the people that is been taking away by government is likely to compromise the security of the people. I will elucidate, first and foremost the job of controlling the vehicular traffic, it doesn’t matter whether it is bipodal, tripodal or contropodar as in motor-vehicle, cars and trucks and all that.
For the government to streamline, make laws and implement those laws. There are traffic laws that are existing in Lagos State and there are traffic law implementation’s officers as we have it in Federal Road Safety Corps and the Lastma. All of this people are the ones that government should have faced to insist that they should implement traffic laws that regulate the operation of tricycles and motorcycles in Lagos State. It is government that registered this people for commercial purposes, it is the government that took the money from them, and the local government even takes rate from them on daily basis. What have they done with this money and as a matter of fact the money they took from these people would they return it when they chase them out of business.
Now a lot of operators of these categories of vehicles have invested so much, some of them took so much loans to procure their equipment with which they work; most of these loans will not be paid back in the way that the loaner has agreed with them. So what do they expect them to do? Many of them will become more desperate, many of them have families, they have children in schools, and they have those who will fall sick to take to hospital. All of these expenditures are available for the operators of these categories of vehicles to undertake, so what will they do? They will become desperate, they will become angry with government, they will become rebellious and that will lead them into committing crimes. So when the height of criminality in the crime riddled city like Lagos is heightened then everybody is at risk.
We do not believe that the government should put our life more at risk than it is presently. It doesn’t matter whether they say that there are some emigrants from other countries. We have immigration agencies that should control that and if this immigration agency cannot identify who is Nigeria and who is not and none of Nigerians are given license to operate motorcycles and tricycles in Nigeria then is that the fault of the operators? Why don’t they find a way of streamlining their operation so that everybody will be subjected to the same law and at the end of the day the security and welfare of the people would have been protected by the government? So is an admittance of governmental failure when they say they have to ban it because they know that most of those who operate these categories of vehicle are the poor people and the people are the lowest wrong of the socioeconomic ladder that is unfair treatment for the masses of the people that voted them into power.
Well it is going to reduce the capacity of investors to operate within the state because there are several state roads that are not motorable than the use of motorcycles and tricycles and those who are to work in all these workplaces and maybe industries that are to be established live in Lagos sub-hub where vehicular transportation is limited to those two categories of vehicles. Many of them will not be able to get to work on time, many of them will be discouraged from going to work, many of them will laze around at work because they will have trekked a long distances, that means there would be reduction in capacity utilization of the personnel, it will also reduce the amount of productivity at work and also the man-hour that will be wasted in so doing which could have been put in the productive activity of the workplaces will go to waste.
So basically that will reduce the pre-capital income in the state that means that the economics of the state will plummet to a level that will make the state more unbearable and not conducive for establishment of new businesses and a lot of business will also want to move out of Lagos because those tricycles and motorcycles created jobs where government has failed. Of course what even more surprising is that the cooperate organization that established motorcycles business and were licensed to carry business in Lagos at least three of them like Max ride, Oride etc. are being chased out of work and these people said they have invested more than $200millions on the business. Where do they want them to get the money repaid to the investors, so these are some of the implications long term implication of what the government is doing? The buses that were rolled out cannot ply nooks and crannies of Lagos and these categories of vehicles i.e. motorcycles and tricycles would have to get to the highways before they can access petrol filling stations where they could refuel their vehicles. Some of them would have to necessarily drop their passengers by the bus-stops where the bigger bus will operate. Now if they get there, all the enforcement agencies are already harassing them and confiscating their vehicles.
The first thing is for the government because 65 buses is just like a drop of water in the ocean when you compare it with the needs of Lagos dwellers for public transport system. What they need to do is to go beyond that, they should procure smaller buses that can ply all of these neighborhood roads, this road that cannot be access by big and long buses. Lagos state government should procure vehicles that would have 4by4 transmission system that can ply all of those gully, riddled roads that are yet to be fixed by Lagos state. What we said is that the state can make use of motorcycles and tricycles unnecessary if all there roads are actually motorable. It would serve a lot of purpose if those who are interested are given loans even if it is going to be interest yielding loans at single digit to people who want to invest in smaller vehicles that can ply nooks and crannies of Lagos rather than relying on 65 buses to add to what is already in adequate in Lagos but people needed to get to the official bus-stops even before they are able to access the buses that is rolled out until there is alternative for people to get there they have not done much to the welfare of an average Lagosians. The ferry services have designated areas where they operate. If the state wants to use ferry services as alternative means of commuting, they would have dredge all the canals in Lagos that will link every community together. I’m aware that there is nowhere in Lagos that ferry services wouldn’t have been able to operate if all the canals are made usable by the ferry owners. Apart from the government sponsored ferry services, there are people who want to invest in the ferry services but for now only very few places can be access by ferry; for example if you are moving from Ikorodu to Lagos-island, you are moving round maybe to some Riverine areas but internal water system has not been made motorable for watercraft to ply, for example somebody is coming to Agege what can ferry services do for them? If people want to get to places like Ojodu and all of those areas that do not have waterways but they have canals that can be dredge and water can be directed into them through which ferry services will reach everywhere. What the State Government is supposed to do is not to put the cat before the ox, what they should have done is to put the cat before the ox. They could have made all of these nooks and crannies of Lagos accessible by ferry services or by smaller vehicles but they had done was to come on hard on the poor just because they do not have the capacity to defend themselves in the magnitude that can jot government to do something that is better than what they are doing currently. Ferry services can only help when the waterways are motorable.
