Appointments: Uproar as Buhari favours Northerners

Nigerians especially those from the Southern part of the country on Friday, expressed concern over the appointments made so far by President Muhammadu Buhari.

They said the appointments were lopsided and not in the best interest of the country.

President Buhari is from Katsina State, Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, are from Kwara and Bauchi states respectively. The judiciary is led by Justice Mahmud Mohammed from Taraba State.

Of the nine appointments made by Buhari so far, eight are from the North, while one is from the South. The appointments are: Director-General of the State Services, Lawal Daura, Katsina State; Acting Chairman, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs. Amina Bala Zakari, Jigawa State; Director, the Department of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mordecai Danteni Baba Ladan; and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, Kano State.

Others are the State Chief of Protocol, Mallam Lawal Abdullahi Kazaure; Aide De Camp, Lt.-Col. Muhammed Lawal Abubakar, Kano State; Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu; and Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, South-West.

The appointments, however, drew the ire of Nigerians who asked Buhari to respect the country’s principle of federal character.

Already, the Internet, particularly the social media and blogs, are agog with reactions and counter-reactions on the matter.

A commentator named Daamazing, onNairaland, Nigeria’s largest discussion forum, accused Buhari of appointing only Northerners into key positions announced so far.

The enraged citizen said in pidgin, “After all your mumu promises, one thing you’ve not achieved, na to dey appoint all the people for your family tree, dey do tourism up and down. (After all your promises, you’ve not achieved anything. All you have done is to appoint your kinsmen and travel all around the world).”

Another commentator identified simply as Augster, said, “Buhari, don’t let those who voted for you down because your appointment of only Northerners into top positions is baffling us.”

SenseiX, another Nairaland commentator, said it was wrong for Buhari to have brought Daura, the acting DSS DG, from retirement to head the agency when there were qualified persons from other regions of the country still in service.

He said, “He ignored the entire senior cadre of the agency- from Bassey Eteng to the least- simply because they are Southerners. Even if he wanted to pick a a Northerner, he should have picked from the service rather than a 62-year-old retiree, whose only qualification is being Buhari’s kinsman, who was in the DSS. When former President Goodluck Jonathan appointed Ekpenyong, he was already a Director of Operations, same for Gadzama, who was appointed by Umaru Yar’Adua.”

As of the time of filing this report, the story- Buhari sacks DG DSS, service chiefs may go- had been read by 30,722 Nigerians on the PUNCH website, some of who expressed anger over the development.

A reader named as Ify, said, “In as much as I do not subscribe to ethnic sentiments, I am sensitive to the malaise of ethnic distrust in the country. A wise leader would therefore, thread cautiously around this landmine. We must patiently navigate our way out of ethnic bias.

“Let me also point out that Nigeria’s strength is derived from her diversity, therefore, any government that wishes to succeed must draw from our diversity, and not limit itself to the talents from one region alone.”

Another reader, Omoyooba, said, “In a multi-ethnic and multi-religious Nigeria, it is insensitive of him to be making appointments made up of Northern Muslims. What of the Christians and the Southerners? President Muhammadu Buhari should know that former President Goodluck Jonathan started with greater goodwill than this in 2011 and he ran it aground in four years. Buhari should not make the same mistake. Nigeria belongs to everybody.”

On Facebook, Fidelis Anumole-Oparaku, who was apparently disappointed with the situation, said the President’s ministerial appointments would not be much better.

He said, “Because he lacks the power to do so with ministerial appointments, he will likely give key positions to Northern Muslims, then the soft ones will be given to Northern Christians and the South.”

Like the online community, prominent groups in the South-West – Afenifere, Yoruba Unity Forum and the Movement for Oodua Republic – said this kind of lopsided appointments had never happened in the political history of the country.

While describing the President’s actions as worrisome, the YUF Secretary-General, Senator Anthony Adefuye, warned that the earlier the situation was reversed, the better, adding that the YUF would not expect the North to marginalise the South.

He said, “The fact that the President, Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives are from the North is worrisome. There is no way the North can take all the principal offices and leave the deputy to us. It has never happened before and the earlier it is reverted, the better.

“There is no way that can continue because the South is not subordinate to the North. The think tank committee of the YUF will meet soon to look at the issue and see how it affects the Yoruba people. However, the development is a wrong signal that must be corrected.”

While calling on Southerners to be patient and watch events unfold, Adefuye said no region could be a subordinate of the other.

“What is more worrisome is that the immediate past INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, handed over to a Southerner but the Presidency changed it to a Northerner. We are watching and waiting to see what comes out of this new government.”

Adefuye added, “Southerners are always careful and concerned not to marginalise the North. Therefore, I will not expect the North to marginalise the South now that the Presidency is shifted to the region.”

The National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, said the group was watching the President’s actions and taking note of them.

Odumakin, who spoke with one of our correspondents on Friday, said, “We have taken a position in Afenifere to watch the President’s actions before we begin to make comments. 

By the time we have a clearer picture of what is happening in the first 100 days of the President in office, we are certainly going to make a comprehensive statement.”

Also, the leader of MOR, Mr. George Akinola, said the country was heading towards total conflict should the situation continue.

He said, “The country has already been divided along religious lines. The fault lines are there and will always be there. This will continue until a time when one way or the other a conference or a referendum happens. There is no option that is not on the table but at least we will prefer the path of peace.”

Representing the interest of the South-Eastern people, the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Gary Enwo-Igariwey, asked the President to respect the principle of federal character in his appointments.

Enwo-Igariwey said, “We expect the President to recognise other nationalities that make up Nigeria. Elections are over, it is time for governance. We expect that the principle of federal character, which is constitutional, should be respected.

“It is important that in making his appointments, the President should recognise that there are six geo-political zones in the country and it is imperative that he carries all of them along in the spirit of nation building and as a statesman.”

The Igbo World Union and the Ohanaeze Youth Council described the President’s actions as a threat to the corporate existence of Nigeria.

The OYC National President, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, said, “Buhari should not abuse his privileged position as the President of Nigeria for the moment. He should not forget our federal system but reflect the federal character in his appointments.

“We are warning him to drop the Northern agenda and govern Nigeria in line with the constitution which he sworn to protect. We will hold him by his statement that ‘he is for nobody and for everybody ‘ except he now wants to tell us that he is the President of the North alone.”

According to Isiguzoro, Buhari’s actions demonstrate that he came to power to reverse the positive steps made by Jonathan, who gave consideration to Nigeria’s ethnic plurality in his appointments.

“Jonathan appointed Northerners as his National Security Adviser, Defence Minister, Inspector-General of Police, Chief of Defence Staff etc. But so far, Buhari has shown us that he has no regard for other parts of the country.”

In his reaction, the President-General of Igbo World Union, Dr. Mishak Nnanta, asked the President not to succumb to any ill- advice from individuals with parochial interest.

The National President of Njiko Igbo Forum, Reverend Okechukwu Obioha, warned Buhari against running what he described as a “Northern government.”

Obioha expressed the fear that the trend, if left unchecked, could destroy the country.

He said, “Buhari is simply running a Northern government. He is making his appointments as if he is angry with other sections of the country. The appointments are lopsided in favour of the North and that is not acceptable.”

APC crisis: Govs’ peace moves fail

The Progressives Governors’ Forum on Friday failed to resolve the crisis rocking the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, over leadership positions in the National Assembly

The party’s National Executive Committee, which met in Abuja early Friday, had mandated the party’s 22 governors to meet with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in a bid to resolve the dispute between the party’s rival groups.

The Rochas Okorocha-led PGF met for the first time with feuding party members in the National Assembly in Abuja on Friday.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, who are the APC’s preferred candidates for the positions of the Senate President and Speaker respectively, attended the meeting.

The peace moves of the governors failed because the rival groups could not agree on the peace proposals of some party leaders as of the time the meeting was adjourned till Saturday (today)

The meeting, which was held at the Imo State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, was sequel to a directive by the party’s National Executive Committee for the governors to work out modalities to end the crisis at its meeting on Friday.

Saturday Punch learnt that the governors had told the party’s chieftains that the crisis should be left for them to resolve.

A National Assembly official, who confided inSaturday PUNCH, said that on the request of the APC’s governors, the NEC did not bother to discuss the issue at its meeting on Friday.

The source said, “The crisis on the sharing of leadership seats at the National Assembly did not receive any frontal attention at the NEC against expectations. What happened was that, on the request of the governors, the issue was referred to them to discuss and resolve.”

Investigations showed that the governors and the APC lawmakers at their meeting considered proposals by some party chieftains on ways to end the crisis.

The proposals, it was learnt, included a plan that those who lost out in the race for the National Assembly leadership should be allowed to chair their preferred committees.

A top member of the party, who attended the meeting said, “Also under consideration is another proposal to ask Dogara and Saraki to share the leadership positions between ‘party loyalists’ and those who defied it.”

It was gathered that the rival groups had not agreed on terms for truce as of the time the meeting was adjourned till Saturday.

It was learnt that Dogara and Saraki were not favourably disposed to the proposal, particularly sharing of leadership positions, which had already been announced in the Senate.

But another member, who confided inSaturday PUNCH, said that there were positive signs that the issues would soon be resolved.

The party leader said, “The party leadership took cognizance of the role some of the governors played to get us to where we are.

“We thought it wise to throw the matter back to them to let them find a solution to it. In politics, you don’t ignore anyone and for a party like ours, you have to accommodate as many of the power blocks as you can in order to have peace.”

According to him, the party is slowly coming to terms with the reality that the deed has been done, hence the need to find a way of accommodating loyal party members.

Okorocha, who spoke to newsmen after the meeting, said efforts were being made to resolve the dispute to enable the party to forge ahead with its promise to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

Okorocha said, “You will not see more disagreements as against the past, peace has come to our party.

“Both Senate President (Bukola Saraki), and the Speaker; (Yakubu Dogara), Senator Ahmed Lawan and Honourable Femi Gbajabiamila, will work together for the unity and progress of our party.

“By next week, we will give you people the details of the outcome of this peace meeting, but so far so good, all things being equal.

“The party has accepted the leadership of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. To God be the glory.”

Speaking in a similar vein, his Edo State counterpart, Adams Oshiomhole, expressed confidence that the crisis would have become a thing of the past by next week.

He said, “When you have some little disagreement among friends, the only way to solve them is to talk and we have started the process. The fact that the two sides are present, the foundation for peace is there.

“If people refuse to see eye to eye or refuse to sit together then you can’t even discuss and the fact that they all turned up and we listened to all the sides and we have a couple of suggestions; we have agreed to continue with the conversation and we are meeting again tomorrow (Saturday) night here again.

“So, I believe we are making some progress, not that everything is signed, sealed and delivered.”

Earlier, our correspondent learnt that the National Executive Committee meeting did not produce the expected fireworks.

This, it was learnt, was largely because of the presence of President Muhammadu Buhari and the absence of those who had raised issues with the party’s National Working Committee.

President Muhammadu Buhari, at the NEC meeting, had appealed to warring factions within the party to sheathe their swords in the interest of the party and the nation.

In his opening remarks, Buhari recalled the journey of opposition political parties in the country before three of them merged to form the APC.

He explained that his respect for party supremacy compelled him to attend the NEC and Board of Trustees’ meetings when he was invited.

Buhari said, “I have appealed to you all through our chairman, the leadership of our party, through their Excellencies, our governors, through our senators and House of Representatives (members) that the APC must not disappoint its constituency of our nation state.

“Let us not throw this success to the wind. Let us, as members of the APC, no matter our personal differences, get together and meet the mandate given to us by this country. This is my personal appeal. In the name of God, no matter your personal interests and your ambition, please keep it to your heart and in your pocket, let APC work and let the system work and let us have a government that will earn the respect of our constituencies.

“My problem is helping the constituencies. I cannot confine myself to the cage within these our quarrels and refuse to participate in meetings of NEC and eventually BoT because I respect the superiority of the party.”

In an interview with journalists after the meeting, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki said the party was at the verge of resolving all the issues.

“You can see the smiles on everybody’s face; it is a good way to go.”

Those who attended the meeting included President Buhari; Governors Ibrahim Geidam, Yobe; Ibikunle Amosun, Ogun; Simon Lalong, Plateau; Abubakar Sani Bello, Niger; Aminu Bello Masari, Katsina; Sen. Bindow Jibrilla, Adamawa; Akinwumi Ambode, Lagos; Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Sokoto; Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, Kano; Sen. Atiku Bagudu, Kebbi; Adams Oshiomhole, Edo; Rochas Okorocha, Imo; and Abdul’aziz Yari, Zamfara.

Others were: Deputy Governors Nuhu Gidado, Bauchi; Ahmad Zanna Mustapha, Borno; Silas Agara, Nassarawa; Saraki; Speaker House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; Senator Ahmed Lawal; Femi Gbajabiamila; Senator Ali Ndume; Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah; Deputy Speaker, Yusuf Suleman Lasun; and Odigie-Oyegun.

But Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, the party’s national leader, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, and the former Interim National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, were absent from the meeting.

It was learnt that the process of reconciling aggrieved members of the party could not be advanced a step further due in part to the absence of these party leaders.

Although no official reason was given for their absence, it was learnt that Tinubu was in Abuja, as of the time of the meeting.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while addressing journalists after the meeting, said he did not know why Tinubu was not in attendance. He, however, added that he was not a member of the party’s executive.

Mohammed explained that Tinubu was free to attend or not to attend the meeting.

The publicity secretary however explained that the NEC mandated the party’s governors to hold further meetings with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, in a bid to resolve the crisis.

Mohammed said, “Also important is the fact that the NEC has also provided an enabling environment to look into ways of resolving the National Assembly logjam and I know that today, the governors would be meeting with both the Speaker and the Senate President.”

He equally explained that all those in attendance agreed on two things, the supremacy of the party and the need for the party to deliver on its promises to the Nigerian people.

Speaking to journalists at the end of the NEC meeting, Oshiomhole said party members came out of the meeting better than they went in.

He said each member of the party came out with a better understanding of the challenges facing the party and the need to resolve it in order to fulfil its promises to the Nigerian people.

Oshiomhole said, “I am happy with what has happened today, those who expected us to come out of the meeting wearing long faces have been disappointed. God has crowned our efforts with success. Of course, like any human society, we are not perfect. We can’t be perfect because we are human.

“In all cases, we uphold the supremacy of the party, the fact that he (President Muhammadu Buhari) came to the party secretariat is his own demonstration of respect for party supremacy.

“Nigerians are expecting that we will govern as one united party to deliver. We restated our confidence in the leadership of the party. The good thing about politics is that you allow the fool to be foolish and the intelligent person to be intelligent (and) at the end of the day, in the process of discussions, you come out with a position.”

Also, Okorocha said, “Many people think that there will be problems between APC members at this meeting. But I am assuring Nigerians that we have met and discussed what affects all of us and we have understood one another.

“We have also reiterated our support and loyalty to our leadership. We are also going to meet on the issue of the National Assembly crisis and it will be resolved amicably. So, I can confidently say that the crisis facing the party is almost over now.”

The President arrived the party’s National Headquarters at 11am.

He was received by the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; in company of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; and other members of the party’s National Working Committee.

Buhari will improve Nigeria, says wife

The Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, on Friday assured Nigerians that President Muhammadu Buhari would do everything possible to improve living conditions in the country.

She therefore appealed to the public to support her husband to succeed.

Mrs. Buhari spoke during the traditional breaking of Ramadan fast she organised for the less privileged inside the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She said, “I want to assure you that my husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, will do everything possible to improve the living conditions of every citizen.

“I also want to acknowledge your contributions in various fields to the socio-economic development which are very important to the survival of our nation.

“You know that the nation is passing through a transition, therefore, there is need for all to support this government to succeed.”

While acknowledging that her husband won the March 28 presidential election through team work, the President’s wife appealed that the team work should continue.

She said Buhari could not do it alone, hence the call for support.

“We won the election through team work. Let the team work continues. The President cannot do it alone, he needs your support. Please support him,” she appealed.

Mrs. Buhari said she decided to organise the event to show love because both the privileged and the less privileged are all one in God’s sight.

She also lauded the peaceful conducts of Nigerians before and after the last elections, describing them as commendable.

She urged Nigerians to continue in the same spirit, adding that peace is required for the progress of the country.

Mrs. Buhari was joined at the brief event by wife of the Imo State Governor, Mrs. Nkechi Okorocha; wife of the Nassarawa State Governor, Mrs. Tanko Al-Makura: wife of the former governor of Rivers State, Mrs. Judith Amaechi; former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire; and a former member of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, among others.

We may negotiate with Boko Haram, says Presidency

The Federal Government has said that it is open to negotiations with the Boko Haram sect in order to find a lasting solution to the security crisis in the country, if the group is willing.

This was disclosed by the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Friday, in an interview with the BBC.

In the interview, which was monitored by our correspondent, Adesina said the Federal Government was not ruling out negotiations with the sect if it would put an end to the activities of the group. He lamented that the insurgents had attacked so many villages and killed scores of people.

“These were very vicious attacks. People were killed in scores and it’s so sad,” he said.

The President had during his inauguration speech said he had launched a strategy to deal with the sect by relocating the military headquarters to Maiduguri, Borno State.

When asked whether this would work, Adesina replied, “This is going to work. There are machineries being put in place. It’s going to work. The recent killings by the sect were meant to break our resolve, to weaken it, but that will stop. It remains a priority to him (Buhari) to deal with the group.

“You will notice that his first two weeks of administration were dedicated to tackling the insurgency. He visited Chad and Niger Republics and the following week, the Presidents of those countries also visited him in Abuja.

“The President of Benin Republic and the Defence Minister of Cameroon visited him; machinery is being put in place and once we’re through, we will see the end of the group. The target time for the deployment of the multinational force is July ending; that is in a couple of weeks.”

When the BBC also asked if the Federal Government was considering negotiations with the insurgent group, Adesina replied in the affirmative.

He said, “If they are willing, why not? You know attempts have been made for negotiations in the past and they didn’t work. Every reasonable person would want to see the end to this insurgency. So if they are willing, why not? You can’t rule that out.”

Nigerian Politicians & Asset Declaration.

Nigerian Politicians & Asset Declaration.

Firstly, we must all agree that asset declaration is an unpopular culture in countries with corrupt politicians and with criminals as leaders of industries.

Don't be cowed, their refusal to publicly declare their assets is not for cowardice or in avoidance of displeasures from the aggrieved public to their ill accrued net worth, but because they intend to steal more from the already drained treasury and further push the country into more debts. Remember, greedy people are never contented.

The unawares in the Nigerian populace should be told that the finger pointing, exchange of blows and smashing of the Mace (symbol of authority) in our NASS and the divides in the NGF is not solely for money but to belong to certain caucuses or occupy certain positions where they can all feel comfortable and protected from their financial ills, because the above set of people have very corrupt politicians and criminal leaders of industries as their majority.

Until most Nigerians are exposed to the huge national resources that has been diverted to the wallets of our leaders since independence, then we can all agree that the over N90B & 40 mansions in Abuja as reported to have been publicly declared by Mallam Nasir (Incumbent Kaduna State Governor, Former Minister for FCT, Author Accidental Servant among others) is equivalent to birthday gifts from our politicians to their loved ones, cohorts, multiple babes and perhaps their shopping expenses during their holidays abroad.

Nonetheless, I am aware that Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has threatened to sue or already filed a suit against the media house that broke the acclaimed ~false story~, while the media house has also threatened to provide evidences of their claim to the public.

Kazeem Sulaiman
@KazeemDiary

Messy bailout proposal for aviation industry

FOR an industry that has been subsisting on generous handouts from the public till, the fresh call for a bailout by domestic airlines is dubious. Claiming that they cannot offset their operational debts, the airlines recently pleaded with the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria for another round of loans. The airlines have been over-indulged; therefore, they should not be obliged. The role of the Government in the aviation industry should be largely confined to facilitating a competitive aviation market within a proportionate international and domestic regulatory framework to ensure a level playing field and the maintenance of high standards of safety and security.

Already, six of the domestic carriers owe AMCON – the bad debt bank – the sum of N130 billion for the past bailout exercise in 2009. And, now, they are hamstrung again, begging for another round of funds to service their inefficiency. In 2013, the Central Bank of Nigeria ordered AMCON to stop further loans to Aero Contractors Airline because it could not service its $200 million debt.

AMCON should not accede to the request of the airlines, but take the necessary steps to recover what they owe the taxpayer. The debt profile of the airlines is mind-boggling. Apart from owing AMCON, the airlines have not been paying their employees and the regulatory government agencies. Recent media reports stated that some of the entities could not afford to procure aviation fuel to put their planes in the sky.

In an industry that used to witness serial crashes, and where exactitude, technology, safety and regulation are paramount, this is dangerous for the flying public. “For the airlines to be asking AMCON to come and assist them to pay fuel marketers their aviation fuel bills is bad,” says Mohammed Tukur, a former general-secretary of the Airline Operators of Nigeria. “Such airlines will start cutting corners in the areas of aircraft maintenance and other critical safety areas.” The indebtedness got to a head last February when the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria threatened the operations of the airlines. Some of the N22 billion the airlines and concessionaires owe FAAN dates back to 2012.

To head off another round of tragedy, the aviation authorities need to conduct a thorough assessment of our airlines with the aim of making them operate on global standards. Aviation is a big, but delicate business, and it demands firm regulation. In several climes, like the United States and the United Kingdom, the private sector is in charge. Their national authorities only regulate and provide the security setup. British Airways, originally owned by the government, strengthened its operations by forming a merger of four airlines in 1974. By 1987, it was privatised. Subsequently, it merged with Iberia in 2011, grossing £11.42 billion in revenues in 2013. It is now the third largest airline in the world by revenue, employing 38,592 workers in 2013, with a fleet of 298 aircraft.

It is a similar story for Air France, after its 2004 merger with KLM, the Dutch airline. By 2008, the company had become the largest airline in the world with annual revenues in 2012 hitting €25.63 billion, a staff of 100,744 and a fleet of 582 aircraft. The French government, which held 54.4 per cent shares in Air France before the merger, now has just 18.6 per cent.

Nigerian airlines should look critically at their operations and find ways of merging and consolidating to overcome the financial and technical wherewithal needed to survive. The inefficiency and corruption that attended the death of Nigeria Airways is a pointer to the fact that any airline, whether public or private, could enter into distress.           At a time, the country boasted over a dozen private airlines, but most are now defunct.

But now, even in Africa, our airlines are lagging behind. Their business model is not working. Past afflictions like flight delays and outright cancellations, discourteous employees and the inability to replace their ageing fleets point to another round of distress. According to CAPA Fleet, a UK-based outfit that monitors commercial airlines, no Nigerian airline is in the top eight in Africa. The Nigerian airline in the ninth position, Arik, has 26 aircraft, compared to top-ranked Ethiopian Airlines, with 79 planes, EgyptAir (68) and South Africa Airways (64).

The Federal Government is largely to blame for the ills of the industry. It has not resolved the age-long problem of infrastructure, although FAAN manages 22 ill-equipped airports with some state governments adding to the number. To rid the industry of gross underperformance fuelled by poor funding and lack of expertise, the new government should not hesitate to look elsewhere for guidance.

According to the Airports Council International (a global aviation monitor), 22 per cent of Europe’s 404 principal airports had been privatised by 2014. Former British Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, took the lead in 1989 by privatising the former British Airports Authority. Privatising our airports in a transparent way is a sensible option for the ailing industry. Not only will it help the facilities to be well run and equipped, government would have freed up some funds and deployed them in other areas.

The aviation sector should be fully privatised and allowed to operate in a competitive international market. The regulatory authorities should set new minimum standards for airlines, both in operation and in capitalisation, something akin to the bank consolidation scheme of 2005 in which banks merged and some other smaller ones were acquired by the bigger outfits.

APC set for stormy NEC meeting today

Efforts to resolve the leadership tussle in the National Assembly, particularly the House of Representatives, failed on Wednesday as a late-hour meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Aso Rock Villa did not come out with a clear position on the issue.

Our source learnt that though the President had an audience with a group led by a former House Minority Leader, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, the meeting only resolved to push the issue to the National Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress for resolution.

The APC NEC is scheduled to meet on Friday (today). Analysts said on Thursday that the outcome of the meeting of today would either launch the ruling party on the path of recovery or mar it.

The party’s NEC is made up of President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo; the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; the party’s national leader, Ahmed Tinubu; the party’s 22 state governors and other leaders of the party.

Apparently sensing a turbulent NEC session, some leaders of the party on Thursday enjoined members to embrace peace and join hands in searching for solutions to the crisis eating up the APC.

The leaders, including the party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun; and a former Vice-President of the country, Atiku Abubakar, pleaded with party members to give peace a chance.

The leaders’ plea came just as a combined team of security operatives, drawn from the Department of State Services and the police, were deployed in APC national headquarters, located at Blantyre Street, Wuse II, Abuja.

The security agents were said to have been sent from the Presidential Villa to carry out surveillance at the party secretariat.

The team, led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police, arrived at the APC headquarters at about 1.45pm and left about one hour later after visiting the party chairman’s office and inspecting the conference hall where the NEC meeting is expected to hold.

A National Assembly official told The PUNCHon Thursday that Buhari met with the lawmakers loyal to Gbajabiamila but that the President at the end referred further action to the party’s NEC.

The official said, “Mr. President met with Gbajabiamila and his supporters, who said they are the core APC members in the House. They raised several issues on why the party’s position on the dispute must prevail.

“At the end, the decision was that the NEC should resolve it tomorrow (today) by coming out with a clear position.”

However, a separate source in the Gbajabiamila’s camp claimed that the President aligned with the position already taken by the APC that Gbajabiamila should be the Majority Leader of the 8th Assembly.

“The principal offices will stand as earlier directed by the party. The President said he wanted to be properly briefed, and he was briefed.

“He responded that he aligned with the party and that the briefing at the meeting would also guide the NEC in making its final decision on Friday”, the source said.

Contrary to speculations, Dogara was not invited to the Wednesday’s meeting and he was not expected to be there.

The meeting was said to have been called strictly to meet with the Gbajabiamila group. Buhari had met with the Dogara camp four days earlier.

An official from the Gbajabiamila camp, who did not want to be named, confirmed that the meeting did not include Dogara.

“There is a misconception that the speaker was supposed to be there. The meeting was not meant for him. The speaker already held his own meeting with Mr. President four days ago”, the official added.

The speaker’s office also clarified on Thursday that Dogara was not invited to attend any meeting with Buhari on Wednesday.

His Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Hassan Turaki, in a statement, said, 

“We wish to make it abundantly clear that there was never a time the Speaker was invited for a meeting with the President on Wednesday, July 1, 2015.”

Meanwhile, the Gbajabiamila group, on Thursday, released a summarised version of the discussions it held with Buhari.

The group said it had told the President that the Federal Character principle on which Dogara hinged his argument for defying the APC was not applicable to elective positions.

The group also informed Buhari that 174 APC members were loyal to the party, while 39 others sided with the Peoples Democratic Party to work against the interest of the ruling party.

It alleged in its submissions to Buhari that the 39 ‘disloyal’ members were likely to defect to the PDP as part of plans to further undermine the APC.

“The Party has chosen not to punish the 39 APC members, including the elected Speaker and Deputy Speaker, but chose to direct, as it is customary and conventional, on how the other four principal officers should be distributed.

“Alas! The opposition and the 39 members continue to hold the ruling party in contempt by disobeying the party,” the document read in part.

On federal character, the group told Buhari that the only way it would be applicable was to advise either the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, or Dogara to step down since both of them are from the North.

The Gbajabiamila’s group said, “Whereas, the beneficiaries of the disobedience are citing federal character principle as the main reason for their disobedience, His Excellency should note that during the 6th Assembly (2007-2011), the following officers were elected from the North-West – The President and Commander in Chief; Ismaila Kawu and Hon Mutawalle. The two occupied two out of the four principal officers’ positions of the minority party.

“Hon. Aminu Tambuwal was elected Deputy Chief Whip.

“Also, during the 7th Assembly, the following officers in government were elected from the North-West – The Vice President; the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal; Hon. Ismaila Kawu, deputy minority leader; and Hon. Garba Datti, deputy minority whip.

“There was never an issue of federal character in these instances.

“It should be noted that the federal character principle as embedded in chapter two of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is not justifiable and of no legal consequence.

“Its provision in Section 14 of the Constitution is only applicable to appointments in federal ministries and agencies. The House of Representatives is not an agency of the Federal Government and the principal officers positions are elective and not by appointment.

“If the federal character is applicable to the National Assembly, then both the Senate President and the Speaker cannot come from the North; one of them should be advised to step down.”

The group had also called on Buhari to take a categorical stance on the dispute as the only way to stop the ruling party from further ridicule.

Our source learnt that at the earlier meeting between the President and Dogara, the former was said to have been diplomatic by refraining from telling the Speaker in clear terms that his group committed any offence by insisting that federal character must apply in the distribution of the offices.

Dogara was said to have explained to the President that it would not be fair to leave out some zones in the sharing of the principal offices.

One senior National Assembly official, who was privy to the discussions, said, “The Speaker already met with the President earlier in the week to explain the situation to him.

“The issue really is not that he has anything personal against Gbajabiamila. The problem is how to correct the imbalance in the allocation of the positions.

“The aggrieved zones are insisting that the South-West cannot produce the Deputy Speaker and the Majority Leader at the same time.

“It is also not fair to give the North-East any position again, having produced the Speaker. The imbalance has been the issue. As of Wednesday, it remained the issue.

“So long as some persons are not prepared to address this problem of zonal imbalance, there may not be an early resolution of the dispute.”

Odigie-Oyegun, while speaking with reporters at the party’s national headquarters, on Thursday, explained that today’s meeting would afford the party the opportunity to address some of its challenges.

He noted that the party was duty bound to overcome its challenges and forge ahead in the overall interest of the nation.

The APC chairman said, “As painful as the crisis engineered by what transpired in the National Assembly is, party members may have to lose face a little in order to restore peace.

“For me, I think that there is no other way to resolve the conflict other than for all of us to accept compromise. Each one of us will lose face and that is the only way forward.”

Atiku, in a statement by his media office in Abuja, called for the concentration of positive energies on building unity, cohesion and harmony among party leaders and other stakeholders.

“We can resolve our differences when our leaders individually and collectively shift ground from extreme positions and move to the centre in the interest of our party and our country,” the ex-Vice-President said.

Atiku said he was deeply concerned that soon after capturing power, “the APC is torn apart at a time more energies are needed to attend to the objectives of the change agenda for which it was voted into power.”

The statement further explained that the current blame game targeted at individuals was an unnecessary diversion of energies at the expense of the urgency of the mission of the party to make life better for Nigerians.

He was also quoted as saying, the vilification of individual party leaders and members in the face of challenges facing the country was painful to him, adding that the party should learn the lessons and move ahead.

The statement partly read, “While restating his commitment to the party and its change agenda, the former Vice-President advise the party leaders not to allow people of bad faith to fuel division and acrimony among the party, adding that all positive energies should be directed towards sustaining the morale of the voters who look forward to the APC to make their lives better.

“He reminded party leaders that any division could be exploited at the expense of the party. He extended his goodwill to the party for successful deliberations and assured the party of continued support and loyalty at all times.”

The APC has been enmeshed in a crisis of confidence since the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as the Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker, House of Representatives.

Today’s NEC meeting will be the first one since the party won the presidential election of March 28, 2015.

B’Haram kills 145 in Borno mosques, villages

The fighters of the dreaded Boko Haram sect laid a siege to some Borno communities between Tuesday and Wednesday night and killed 145 persons and injured several others.

Some of the deceased were killed in some mosques where the villagers had gone to pray after breaking Wednesday’s fast.

The attacks occurred in some villages in Monguno and Kukawa local government areas of the state.

The Tuesday attack was on Musarram village, located 8km away from Monguno town, in northern part of the troubled state, where 48 males where picked out by the insurgents and killed, according to a resident of the village and some fleeing residents.

In the second attack on Wednesday, the insurgents attacked Kukawa, a border town with Niger Republic and killed 97 persons, according to a fleeing resident, Abba Modu, who spoke to our correspondent in Maiduguri.

Another fleeing resident, Idi Isa, said over 48 persons were killed and 17 others injured when the insurgents attacked Musara, a village that is few kilometres to Monguno on Tuesday.

Isa, who claimed he escaped death by a whisker, said the well-armed terrorists numbering about 40 rounded up the villagers, sorted out the males and opened fire on them.

Isa said, “A total of 48 males died on the spot while 17 others escaped with serious injuries.”

Isa, who spoke on Thursday in Maiduguri, said the image of the killing was disturbing and he still felt he was still being hunted by the insurgents.

A member of the House of Representatives representing the area, Muhammed Tahir Monguno, who spoke to journalists on the telephone in Maiduguri, confirmed the sad incident.

He said, “I received the sad news yesterday (Wednesday) that Boko Haram terrorists had attacked some communities near Monguno.

“Since their dislodgment from the Sambisa Forest, many Boko Haram terrorists had relocated to areas around Monguno where they have been picking on hapless villagers and killing residents there.

“On Tuesday, the terrorists attacked the twin villages of Mussaram I and Mussaram II in the night. They went there when the villagers were resting after the day’s fasting and assembled them before opening fire on them.”

In the second attack on the historic Kukawa town on Wednesday, Modu said suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed about 97 persons.

Modu, a farmer who fled to Maiduguri, said over 50 suspected members of Boko Haram stormed Kukawa at about 6.30pm.

He said, “The terrorists first descended on Muslim worshippers in various mosques who were observing the Magrib prayers shortly after breaking their fast.”

He said after the attack on the worshippers, they rounded up about four different communities where they went to their mosques and opened fire on the worshippers who were mostly men and young children.

Modu said, “They spared nobody and they even took time out to set most of the corpses on fire.

“They equally proceeded to houses and shot indiscriminately at women who were preparing food.”

One of the bereaved residents of the town, Yusuf Aisami, said the terrorists killed his aunt.

He said, “They killed my uncle and his children. They killed his children, about five of them and set his entire house ablaze. I can tell you that the attackers killed at least 97 persons in the attack.”

A member of the vigilante group in the area, Modu Kurawa, said the attack was on for over four hours.

Kurawa said, “There was no single soldier in Kukawa when the terrorists came around 6.30pm. The soldiers were in Kuros-Kawwa which is just 11 kilometres away. The terrorists stole assorted foodstuff from houses and homes and then set everything ablaze. They left around 11 pm.”

There was no immediate comment on the attack from both the military and the police in Maiduguri.