Opinion I As Okorocha Launches Public-Private Partnership Policy

AS OKOROCHA LAUNCHES PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP POLICY

        
The last time I checked, the Imo State Government led by Governor Rochas Okorocha had successfully launched a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) policy. It suffices to say that the two sectors involved now have a business understanding among themselves apparently for the good of the state.

      
The initiative, which was launched on Friday, 27^th April 2018, took place at the Imo Trade and Investment Centre situated in Owerri, the state’s capital territory. The historic outing, which unveiled the blueprint of the policy, was graced by countless top government functionaries and several captains of industries cum potential investors.

        
In his speech, Governor Okorocha stated that the Imo government was ready to enter into viable business partnership with any serious-minded prospective investor in the state towards ensuring that the ongoing societal menace like unemployment becomes a thing of the past in the Eastern Heartland.

        
According to the number one citizen, the government would exempt payment of tax, for up to twenty years or thereabouts, from anyone who has invested in any part of the state and could boast of a minimum of one hundred employees of Imo origin who are not relative of the investors.

        
He said, apart from tax exemption, hectares of land shall be provided for any individual or group that has decided to establish any factory in the state. He, however, disclosed that such largesse could not be provided unconditionally.

       
The governor hence stated that such privileges shall be granted to the prospective investors on the condition that the factory, when established, must be functional for at least two years without being obstructed. This implies that, the government would be willing to offer any of the aforementioned grants provided the investor(s) is/are determined to do business in the Eastern Heartland.

       
He went further to inform that even those willing to invest in housing estate shall equally receive the same treatment from the state’s government. He stated “If you want to go into real estate, we will show you about one kilometer of road and ask you to dualize and tar it. Or, we will mandate you to put street lights on the road. Then after your compliance, we will offer you any space of land of your choice for the proposed estate.”

        
Having taking note of all these, or the policy’s blueprint, as outlined by the Executive Governor, I have some pertinent questions to ask the number one citizen. I wish I could meet His Excellency one-on-one and deliberate the matters arising with him. Well, whichever way I deployed, the fact remains that my interest is targeted towards the good of the citizens and the state in general.

       

I wanted to enquire from the governor how he intends to ascertain the genuineness of the self acclaimed prospective investor. From his mission statement, it seems anyone who comes from anywhere and indicates interest of investing in the state, or verbally assures the government of adequate employment of jobless Imolites, would outrightly be lavished with hectares of land coupled with Certificate of Occupancy (C of O).

        

If this is what the government intends to do, then every dick and harry would definitely come in disguise as potential investor just for the sole aim of defrauding the state of our common patrimony. Hence, the governor needs to disclose to us how he intends to find out if the interested investor is for good or bad. Or, the plan of the Rescue Mission Administration towards ensuring that even if the investor eventually established the proposed factory, the firm won’t die on arrival.

       

Aside ascertaining the genuineness of the intending investor’s background or antecedents, there’s also need to ensure that the business wouldn’t go into extinction within a very short time it came into existence. We must have an avenue of ensuring that the intending beneficiary really means business, and not just out for a kangaroo deal.

       

Similarly, how realistic is it to exempt up to twenty years tax from the corporate body if eventually established and becomes functional? Implementing such proposed offer is really far-fetched. If we exempt them from paying tax for a whole twenty years, how does the state intend to benefit from the firms as regards Internally Generated Revenue (IGR)?

       

Or, do we intend to grant all the privileges to them just for the interest of ensuring that our citizens are employed in the long run? We must take into cognizance that the prospective employees are going to work for the firms towards ensuring productivity; so I see no reason we should offer them overwhelming largesse to ensure that they establish in the state. The partnership or bilateral relation shouldn’t be initiated in such a way that the private sector would take advantage of the government’s magnanimity.

        

Same question is applicable to that of the housing estate. If they electrify our streets via installation of street lights, how do we intend to ensure sustenance of the project? Or, does our concern only lies in ensuring installation of the lights without guaranteeing continuity in the long run? A strict measure must equally be implemented with a view to ensuring that the private investor sustains their own part of the deal, or does not violate any clause that’s enshrined thereof.

       

Besides, isn’t it justifiable to sell such a critical and sensitive policy to the state’s legislators? Whenever such initiative came on board, it is essential to involve the lawmakers to ensure that it is duly given a legal backing thereafter. Failure to domesticate such a policy would surely warrant its abuse by successive governments in the future.                   

 

So, if truly the Rescue Mission government sees it as a laudable programme and one that really means well for the state, it shouldn’t hesitate in extending it to the Imo House of Assembly to enable the legislators do the needful if need be.

       

The Igbo people would invariably say “Ihe emeziri amaa, ana akpoya nwa nma” meaning literally, whatever that’s done well is called the child of beauty. The adage is actually trying to educate us that if anything is done the way it ought to, it would look nice in the eyes of every onlooker. In other words, we are encouraged to take our time to bring the best out of anything we are into or involved, so that, our teeming followers will live to celebrate us.

       

The Okorocha-led government might mean well for the Eastern Heartland by initiating the PPP policy, but it’s highly consequential to involve every measure or approach that would ensure that only the needful is adhered to as long as the initiative lasts. Think about it!

 

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers

___________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Follow me: @mediambassador              

          

Opinion I Buhari's Meeting With Trump: Matters Arising

BUHARI’S MEETING WITH TRUMP: MATTERS ARISING

        

Penultimate week, President Muhammadu Buhari graciously left the country for the United States (US) – Washington D.C precisely – to meet with his counterpart in the US, Mr. Donald Trump in response of an invitation from the latter.

        

The bilateral meeting, which held between Monday, 30^th April and Tuesday, 1^st May, 2018, witnessed several talks pertaining to humanitarian aid, security, corruption and business. It’s noteworthy that the 3-day outing marked the first visit by an African president to the White House since the emergence of Mr. Trump as the US President.

        

President Buhari, who went in the company of some sitting governors and other top government functionaries, was opportune to meet with a group of business executives domiciled in the US.

        

During the meeting, President Trump frowned over the ongoing wanton killings of the members of the Christendom in the most populous and popular black nation, particularly the one that took place recently in Benue State where about seventeen worshippers and two Catholic priests were gruesomely murdered by suspected herdsmen, hence urged his guest to expedite action towards ending such an ungodly act.

       

It’s needless to assert that the reaction of the US President over the lingering herdsmen quagmire implies that the global community had been bitter concerning the bad omen. This, thus, sends a strong message that the acclaimed giant of Africa could not repel mere ‘herders’ from ravaging every facet of the country.

      

In another development as regards terrorism, Mr. Trump assured President Buhari of continuous support of his government targeted to eradicate the Boko Haram crisis. Hence, the two leaders reached an agreement for continue supply of military equipment to tackle the societal menace. The hosting leader equally promised that the Tucano fighter helicopters to be released for the terrorism fight shall be followed up with adequate training and other assistance.

      

On corruption, having appreciated Buhari for his administration’s determined effort to alleviate the high level of corrupt practices in Nigeria, Trump pledged to assist the Nigerian government in returning the huge amount of money – reportedly worth more than $500 million – siphoned out of the country and lodged in various banks across the world.

      

Considering that till date Nigerians are yet to realize what the recovered $252 million loot of the past military head of state Late Sani Abacha was used for, the people expected Trump to enquire from Buhari – in a lighter mood though – how the money would be utilized if eventually returned to Nigeria. The citizenry are apparently gradually becoming sceptical of many things, hence the need for such proposed enquiry.

        

Business discussions weren’t left out during the epochal meeting. A lot of American investors used the occasion to disclose their readiness to partner with Nigeria in such areas as aviation, agriculture, and railway, among others. One of them spoke on their determination to attract about two-billion-dollar investment to Nigeria to help in revamping the country’s railway system towards ensuring it’s used for both cargo and human transport.  

      

On its part, John Deere – a US company that majors in tractors –disclosed the firm’s plan to be supplying the said equipment to Nigeria and assembling them herein with the aim of resuscitating the country’s agricultural sector that has turned sour. The firm would also train, employ people as well as help the agric value chain in terms of mechanization and automation, among others.

        

It’s not anymore news that the present administration led by Pres. Buhari came on board with the mantra to overhaul the Nigeria’s agric sector. But, at the moment, it’s mind-boggling to observe that our teeming commercial farmers are still into the usual crude pattern of farming. It’s, therefore, pertinent to say that if properly followed up, the Buhari’s visit to the US would afterwards usher in the long awaited mechanized system of farming in the country.

        

However, something intriguing occurred on the day of the departure of Pres. Buhari after the bilateral talks. Mr. President, having left the US Joint Base Andrews Airport in his ‘Eagle One’ aircraft on Tuesday, 1^st May 2018 and officially headed for Abuja, surprisingly landed in London, the United Kingdom without any prior official report in that regard.

         

Nigerians were eventually informed in the early hours of Thursday by the president’s media aide, Mallam Garba Shehu that the boss was observing a ‘technical stopover’ in London, which according to him, was attributed to the fact that the big aircraft in the President’s Air Fleet was currently under repairs.

       

He said “it has been taken for major repairs, so the President is using a small plane and there is a limit to the distance the small plane can cover.” If one may ask; wasn’t it a shame to tell the world that the number one citizen of a country was on a technical stopover for a whole two days?

        

Though Pres. Buhari later arrived the country successfully at about 10:30pm on Thursday, it’s worthy of note that the 2-day suspense his concerned subjects were kept was enough to insinuate that the stopover had undertones of pranks. Think about it!  

 

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers

________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador            

 

Opinion I Uzodinma's Defection and Okorocha's Rejection

UZODINMA’S DEFECTION AND OKOROCHA’S REJECTION

        

Owing to his peculiar style of politicking and obvious impact on the Nigeria’s legislative arm, only a few Nigerians – or perhaps uninformed ones – are yet to be familiar with the name ‘Senator Hope Uzodinma’ in the country’s political terrain.

      

The lawmaker who is currently representing the Imo West Senatorial District assumed office in May 2011 after the April 2011 general elections having emerged victorious under the aegis of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Though his victory was challenged on the grounds that he was not the valid PDP candidate, the Supreme Court consequently upheld his election into the Red Chamber of the National Assembly (NASS).

        

Subsequently, in 2015, he was returned to the NASS by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The victory was equally confronted in the court by his major rival at the polls Chief Osita Izunaso, but the appeal held no water.

       

On Thursday, 26^th April 2018, the state chairmen – excluding those from Borno and Yobe – of the defunct Alhaji Modu Sheriff-led faction of the PDP graciously defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the company of such some sitting senators as Hope Uzodinma, Abubakar Umar Gada, Gbemi Saraki, Teslim Folarin, and Ahmed Gulak, among others who remained key supporters of the said faction.

        

The defectors who were led to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja by the deputy national chairman of the faction, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh who said he was there on behalf of the national chairman Alhaji Sheriff who was yet to return from a foreign trip, were gladly received by the APC National Chairman and Secretary, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun and Mr. Mai Mala Buni, respectively, among other high-ranking members of the party.

       

Dr. Ojougboh said the decision was taken after embracing the manifesto and programmes of the APC-led government. He also informed he needed to lead the defectors – in the unavoidable absence of his boss, Sheriff – to enable them join the party in view of its ongoing membership registration exercise. He further disclosed the formal reception of the defectors would be held during rallies being “slated for Sokoto, Imo and Delta states as soon as Sheriff returned to the country”.

       

Sen. Uzodinma who was one of those that spoke on behalf of the defectors, stated the visit was to officially announce the “decision of the PDP faction to collapse into APC” as his counterpart Sen. Gada, on his part, said they were in the APC to work with the part to “move the country to the next level”. The former used the medium to ask for equal participation and opportunity.

 

         

However, in the early hours of Friday being the following day, the APC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi who reacted to what he called the ‘purported planned defection’ of Sen. Sheriff and his allies said “While we are aware of such intentions, we wish to restate our earlier position that anyone who wants to join the party should do so at the ward level.” He went further to say “We are happy to welcome new members to our party but membership cards are not issued at the party National Secretariat.”

 

      

Similarly, in a meeting with the state, LGA and ward officials as well as the state legislators of the APC held in Owerri on Monday, 30^th April 2018, the Imo State Governor Chief Rochas Okorocha unequivocally described the defection of Sen. Uzodinma and his likes as an insult. Gov. Okorocha who is equally the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum stated that “It is insulting for someone to be talking about joining the party from the window. The procedure is that the person will start from the ward, LGA and to the state level, and then the state will inform the national level, and not the reverse.”

        

Gov. Okorocha, hence, declared that Sen. Uzodinma was not yet a member of the APC. According to him, the senator could never be recognized by the state as a member of the party until he followed the normal method of joining a political party. He, therefore, asked his colleagues and followers to disregard what he described as a rumour.

        

It’s noteworthy that when the news of the defection filtered into the ears of the teeming supporters of Sen. Uzodinma, particularly those resident in Imo, the lawmaker confirmed it when asked for clarifications. He told them that the step was informed by his notion that it was only the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government that could guarantee the Igbos’ aspiration to become the country’s president come 2023. He thus urged the people to support the present administration.

        

As some of his followers have reportedly threatened to work against him for taking such a sensitive decision without consulting them, Sen. Uzodinma who is at the moment seemingly aspiring to emerge the next governor of Imo State is hell bent not to have a rethink concerning the defection.

       

It would interest you to note that, prior to the Gov. Okorocha’s rejection of the defection, Imolites in some quarters opined that the governor had eventually succeeded in filing an agreement with the senator in question.

       

They were of the view the deal was that the legislator would be fully supported by the governor to enable him return to the Red Chamber for the third time via APC ticket since it isn’t clear that he can still boast of PDP ticket whilst the former, in reciprocation, would support the latter’s anointed one Chief Uche Nwosu to gain access to the Imo Government House as the state’s Executive Governor come 2019.

        

Even though it’s no longer news that Okorocha who equally hails from Imo West is nurturing interest to be in the Senate by 2019, there’s a strong indication he could sacrifice such an ambition for that of Chief Nwosu who’s his Chief of Staff and son-in-law.

         

But as it stands, it implies the duo aren’t yet on the same page. This, somehow, sends a message that Sen. Uzodinma is likely to slug it out with Chief Nwosu during the APC’s gubernatorial primary election in Imo that would take place soonest, if the former eventually succeeded in lobbying for his acceptance by the state party officials.  

       

Whatever the case might be, the current political equation in the Eastern Heartland signifies that the game is gradually becoming more fascinating to the onlookers’ delight. Think about it!

 

Comrade Fred Nwaozor

National Coordinator, Right Thinkers 

________________________

frednwaozor@gmail.com

Twitter: @mediambassador