Don’t Abandon Amnesty Beneficiaries

THERE was widespread anxiety about the fate of the Amnesty programme for former militants of the Niger Delta when Muhammadu Buhari emerged as the President of Nigeria. Given the dynamics of the election, and the fact that the programme was established by the former People’s Democratic Party (PDP) federal government under late President Umar Musa Yar’ Adua and sustained by the regime of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, people were not sure what Buhari would do with it.

Happily, the new president made an undertaking that put the fears of stakeholders to rest during his inaugural speech, when he declared that though the Amnesty Programme would end in December this year, his government would “invest heavily in the projects and programmes currently in place”.

There are, however, worrying signs that the beneficiaries of the programme are beginning to suffer. Reports say that no fewer than thirteen beneficiaries of the programme being trained as commercial pilots in Germany at the Lufthansa Flight Training School, Frankfurt, have been sent away for non-payment of their fees for accommodation and logistics. Two of them are said to have only one test remaining before they graduate. Another six pilots have graduated but their certificates were withheld due to outstanding fees.

It would appear that the main issue is the delay in appointing new officials to continue running the affairs of the Post Amnesty Programme (PAP). It was ascertained that there is sufficient fund in the agency’s account with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

This is just an indicator that the delay in fully constituting the organs of the federal government by President Buhari is hurting the system.

We find it incredulous that because new political heads have not been appointed, some programmes of the federal government are allowed to stagnate. The normal thing is for the most senior bureaucrat to hold the forte until the political heads are re-appointed, to enable governance to run smoothly.

We urge the Presidency to respond with dispatch to the distress call from the beneficiaries of the PAP and allow those currently undergoing the programme to complete their courses in order to achieve the original set objectives of the programme.

Even if the programme will be closed down in December this year, those already involved in the training activities must be allowed to graduate and assisted to settle down.

The Amnesty programme has been beneficial to the economic and social well-being of the country. We should honour our commitments to it and give its beneficiaries a continued sense of belonging.

Osinbajo raises alarm, says Boko Haram targeting VIPs

Says scavengers being prepared by insurgents to dump bombs

5 LGAs in Yobe, Borno still occupied by insurgents

By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA — Vice President Yemi Osinbajo raised alarm, yesterday, that Boko Haram members were targeting to bomb the houses of VIPs.

This came as governors of Yobe, Ibrahim Gaidem and Borno, Kassim Shetima also stated that the insurgents still occupied five local governments of the two states.

Osinbajo made the disclosure during the National Economic Council, NEC, meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The Vice President, who decried the effect of the insurgency on the economic life of the north east, stated that public enlightenment needed to be carried out through radio and television to create more awareness.

He also argued that pressure should be mounted on the new service chiefs to stem the rising tide of insurgency in the country.

Meanwhile, there was no specific mention of the location of the VIP’s houses which the insurgents were said to be targeting for attack.

His concerns were contained in the communique issued at the end of the meeting and made available to newsmen Scavengers being prepared by insurgents to dump bombs

Boko Haram

According to the communique, “the Vice President regretted that the insurgency has affected the economic life of the north east and the country as a whole. He called for the council to speak as a team to put pressure on the service chiefs to increase their effort in fighting insurgency.

“There should be increase in sensitization and education channels like radio, television. The Vice President also disclosed that security report has it that scavengers are now being prepared by insurgents to dump refuse laden with bombs in the houses of VIPs.

“Governors of Yobe, Borno, Taraba, Kaduna, Gombe, Plateau and Bauchi States took turns to inform the council of security concerns in those regions,” while “Governors of Yobe and Borno raised the alarm of five local government areas of the two states still being in possession of the insurgents”.

The governors called for increase in military deployment and provision of sophisticated military equipment in those areas, insisting that “insurgents were still hiding in the Sambisa forest.”

While lending his voice, Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State “suggested that special economic angle should be introduced in addition to military intervention to deal with Boko Haram problem.”

On cattle rustling and banditry, NEC stated Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State disclosed that most of the cattle rustlers were in Kumuku national part, saying that if not properly handled, it could result to another Sambisa forest.

On CBN intervention funds

Giving updates on intervention funds by the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, to states, NEC said it had “received a presentation from the CBN governor on the update of restructuring of bank loans for the states and payment of salary arrears.”

According to the communique, “the governor informed the council that following meetings with banks, it was agreed that existing loans should be restructured for the minimum of 20 years while salary arrears should also be restructured for the minimum of 15 years and not exceed more than 20 years.”

It added that states could opt for two options which incident “the bond option which will attract market rate and the dent restructuring option which will attract single digit rate.”

By way of resolution, “Council resolved that a four-man team made up of of the governor of Bauchi, Rivers, Ondo and Osun States are to follow up with the CBN to ensure that the issues of Excess Crude Collateral for the States are sorted out by next week Tuesday.”

States to cut cost of governance

Briefing State House corespondents at the end of the NEC meeting, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, who was flanked by the governors of Enugu, Plateau and Kebbi States, said NEC also directed states to reduce the cost of governance. He, however, did not give specifics on how that would be done.

He said: “We have just finished the 59th meeting economic council in which a lot of issues were deliberated upon. We resolved that all states should find ways to reduce their cost of governance.

“We do not have a  uniform template on how to reduce the cost of governance but is very clear that states in the specific situations will find different ways and means of ensuring the cost of running governance is not as huge as it has always been.

“So, it is left for the states in their respective situation to find different ways of cutting cost but what is important is that we cannot continue with the kind of huge burden or huge cost we apply to run our government. A situation where you are having a huge percentage of your budget as recurrent  expenditure is obviously not acceptable. And you must look for ways in reducing the cost of administration in the various states.”

Bailout not for salary allowances — AHMED

By Demola Akinyemi

ILORIN—Kwara State governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed, yesterday gave a fresh insight into the bail out given the 36 states of the federation by the federal government, saying it was not meant to pay outstanding salaries and allowances being owed workers and pensioner across the country as widely believed.

Rather, he said the bailout was meant to restructure the debts of states in various banks and financial institutions in order to assist them have a lease of life to run their day-to-day administrations.

It would be recalled that the reported pains and agonies of workers across the federation over problems of backlogs of unpaid salaries prompted President Muhammadu Buhari to release the bailout.

In view of this, striking council workers in the state had lately appealed to traditional rulers and other stakeholders in the state to help appeal to the state government to use the bailout from the federal government  to offset their outstanding salaries and allowances.

But Governor Ahmed in his monthly personality programme, tagged ,” Governor Explains”, held in Ilorin yesterday, explained:   “The bailout has to do with restructuring of existing loans because states had not been able to pay salary of workers because of two things.   First , is that there is drop in federal allocation and second is that, states have incurred debts that had made their cash flow to be under pressure.”

‘’This is because by the time they pay the loan, they would have little left for normal business of governance. And you know that the loan is first line charges and that is why states are under pressure.”

“However, the issue of bail out which people expect that money will be sent to states from the federal government to pay salary and other commitments, that is not how bailout is going to work.

‘’What we mean by bailout and what the federal government meant by bailout is the restructure of existing loans that the states are owing banks and other financial institutions in a  manner that the pressure on monthly payment is lessened so that it creates an additional head room for states to do other financial obligations.

Why Buhari’ll probe only Jonathan’s govt – Presidency

By Levinus Nwabughiogu, Charles Kumolu, Gbenga Oke & Boluwaji Obahopo

ABUJA—The Presidency, yesterday, said President Muhammadu Buhari will limit his probe to the immediate past government of Dr Goodluck Jonathan. President Buhari had vowed, Wednesday, to arrest and prosecute former ministers and government officials who looted funds and stole Nigeria’s crude oil.

Buhari, who said the suspected officials stashed the funds in foreign bank accounts, spoke during his three-day visit to the United States.

The Presidency which said yesterday that there were trails of monumental fraud everywhere that would be too difficult to ignore, however, explained that it will be a distraction to exceed Jonathan’s regime.

Before leaving office, former president Jonathan had said any probe by the new government would be seen as a “witch-hunt” if it fails to go beyond his administration. The Presidency, however, argued that it was not a witch-hunt.

File: Buhari and Jonathan

Speaking in an exclusive telephone chat, yesterday, Special Adviser to the President on Media & Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the probe was the proper thing to do.

His words: “It is a simple thing. Before he was inaugurated, the President said that it will be a distraction for him to start digging deep into past governments. He said so. I don’t see anything new. But it will be irresponsible of any government to leave things of the immediate past that are glaring and evident and not do anything about it.

“It is not a witch-hunt. You have evidence and they are glaring. A responsible government should do something about it. It is not about the former president. It is about how they acquitted themselves in the responsibility they were given. When you are given a public responsibility, you are responsible to the people.

“You must account. When you bury a corpse and the legs are sticking out, have you buried the corpse? No. Once there are trails of money, in dollars everywhere, a responsible government should investigate. It is not as if they are witch-hunting anybody”, he said.

We are not against it— PDP

Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has said it was not against President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to single out the past administration of President Goodluck Jonathan for probe.

National Publicity Secretary of the party, Olisa Metuh, who stated this yesterday in Lokoja during the conduct of the state’s delegates congress of the party, said the probe is in line with the party (PDP)’s stand against corruption.

Metuh said: “Corruption is not only a crime against President Muhammed Buhari, nor is it a crime against the All Progressive Congress. Corruption is against the interest of mankind and it’s against the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“If President Buhari singled out the past administration and PDP members for probe, so be it. We are not against it. If one is not guilty he has nothing to be afraid of if he or she is singled out; at the end, it will amount to vindication for such persons. Only the guilty will be afraid.

“We (PDP) are not against the selective probe of our members because we, as a party, are against corruption, and this will show that we abhor it. We only urge that the probing is done with ‘clean’ mind and not out to villify the past administration”.

Metuh had during the week accused the Federal Government of treating the PDP as ‘prisoners of war’ in view of the way the party members were being treated.

Buhari will lose credibility if he fails — Gbagi

Also, ex-Minister of State for Education, Olorogun Kenneth Gbagi, said: “Buhari will lose credibility if he does not bring to book any former minister and any one found to have embezzled the wealth of this nation. It is very important because he has the credibility and the world is watching him. He has to do that because the amount of money that these people stole is so much and can be used to perpetuate criminal activities. Buhari’s searchlight should not be limited to ministers who were involved in oil deals only.

“Anyone found to have robbed this country of its resources should be brought to book according to the law. I must also state that Buhari has no powers under the law to shield anyone from prosecution. He must ensure that there are no sacred cows in the fight against corruption because if he excludes anyone, some of us who have been in the campaign for accountable governance will be forced to seek asylum outside the country, because we will not be safe in a country where corrupt people are institutionally shielded from prosecution. He has the support of Nigerians to embark on the probe because so much was stolen in this country. I also want the President to make sure that our international friends are committed to this task. That should be done by making them repatriate our stolen wealth in their respective countries. We need their support to achieve the desired result.”

We should commend Buhari for his courage – Mohammed

In his response, Second Republic lawmaker, Dr Junaid Mohammed said Nigerians must admit that President Buhari’s decision to probe oil theft is a good example of leadership courage.
He said:

“We must commend him for that decision because what he is talking about, other former presidents like Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and Jonathan knew about it but did nothing to stop it. What Buhari has said is not only common to the political class or ministers, it is also known to common people in the Niger Delta and other areas where oil is found and oil is stolen.

“Oil theft has been happening for so long and to even control it is a big task because some people in the Niger Delta can tell you who and who among the elite are stealing this crude; military and politicians who are into this oil bunkering and are directly involved. Buhari has only assented to it as a matter of courage and I am glad he said he will investigate, probe and prosecute the people behind oil theft.”

Mohammed added: “I must also say that people complaining that too many probes are taking place should be very careful. Nigerians need to know, you cannot eat your cake and have it. Nigerians need to give time so that things can be properly investigated because oil theft has taken place for so long. So it is now left for Nigerians whether they want the truthfulness and straightforwardness of Buhari or not because there are no two ways about it. If you have to know how our money was packed in billions out of this country, then some of these probes must take place.”

I’m not interested in probes — Babatope

In his reaction, a former Minister of Transport, Chief Ebenezer Babatope said: “I don’t have interest in the probes. I am an Awolowo son and we have different approach to such issues.”

What Tompolo, MEND leaders will discuss as they regroup in Bayelsa

By Emma Amaize

WARRI—LEADER of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger-Delta, MEND and High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, aka Tompolo, yesterday, summoned commanders and leaders of the various wings of the militant group to an emergency meeting, tomorrow in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

He did not state agenda of the meeting, but Tompolo, who is the Ibe-Ebidouwei of Ijaw nation, in the invitation, said the meeting, which will hold at Izon House, Yenagoa, was important.

His words, “My dearly beloved Commanders and Leaders of various wings of the Movement of the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, I greet you all. It is my pleasure to humbly invite you to a very crucial and urgent meeting.”

A source told Vanguard, “The place of the Niger Delta in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and appraisal of the former President Goodluck Jonathan government in view of the current happenings in the country will be tabled for discussion at the meeting. The meeting is restricted only to those invited, it is not an all comers meeting, we will make our position known after the meeting.”

File: Niger Delta Militants

Tompolo and other ex-militant leaders officially disbanded MEND after they accepted amnesty offered them by the administration of former President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2009.

But, a faction of MEND, which did not accept amnesty continued to operate the militant group and stated their disapproval of Jonathan government, but it was obvious that the moving forces behind the group had abandoned it.

Tomorrow’s meeting is the first time all the former commanders and leaders of the militant group are meeting formally since it was disbanded in 2009.

Deal severely with those who ruined Nigeria, Clark tells Buhari

By Henry Umoru

ABUJA—FORMER Federal Commissioner for Information and South South leader, Chief Edwin Clark yesterday raised alarm over the  level of corruption in the country and the economic crunch which have all combined to stagnate the progress of Nigeria over the years. He warned that if President Muhammadu Buhari fails to deal severely with those who ruined Nigeria over the years, Nigeria as a country would sink.

In a six-page letter to President Buhari which was read to journalists yesterday at his Asokoro residence, Abuja, Chief Clark urged him to as a matter of urgency appoint a new Chairman for the Amnesty Programme as a replacement for the immediate past Chairman of the programme, Chief Kingsley Kuku, adding that he would be a sad man if the Amnesty programme fails.

E. K. Clark

MUHAMMADU BUHARI

According to the Elder statesman, the President should know what it means to Nigeria as a country to have peace in the Niger Delta, just as he stressed  that quick appointment of a new Chairman even in acting capacity would help stop the imminent disintegration of the programme that has kept the peace in the Niger Delta.

The Ijaw leader said that the vacuum already created following the absence of Kuku’s successor was creating tension and if not managed immediately, it would lead to that era when the activities of the militants in the creeks, contributed to crude oil fall to about 7,000 barrel per day, compared to the present situation of 2.5 million barrel per day, adding that the problem with the programme at the moment, was lack of an authority to operate the account of the programme.

According to him, “the economy of the country and the eradication of corruption which has become systematic and endemic that has stagnated the progress of this country over the years and the culprit if not severely dealt with will sink the country. We, therefore, pray the Almighty God that these discussions will materialise and  achieve the desired result.

“Secondly, I now respectfully wish to bring to the attention of Mr. President the imminent danger facing the Amnesty programme. It would be recalled, that the former chairman of Amnesty programme and Adviser to Mr. President on Niger Delta Affairs, Chief Kingsley Kuku has since vacated his office as a result of change of government, but unfortunately, he has not been replaced by an  appointee even in acting capacity by Mr. President, and as a result, the whole  programme for now, is without leadership, and no one has the authority to operate the account of the Amnesty programme.”

10-yr-old boy buried alive in Enugu

By Austin Ogwuda

Enugu— A 10-year-old boy was allegedly buried alive by suspected occultic men in Ngwo, Enugu State.

The discovery was made during a three-day fasting and prayer crusade organised to cleanse the community of evil.

Vanguard gathered that the boy was allegedly abducted along Independence Layout axis.

However, a Catholic priest from Abia State, Reverend Father Modestus Chilaka, invited by elders to assist in cleansing the land, rescued the boy.

At press time, it was not known whether the boy had been reunited with the parents; or his whereabouts.

State Police Command’s spokesman, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, told Vanguard: “I am not aware of the incident, but I will check.

“Maybe it happened and it was not reported. I will get back to know if I have the details.”

However, the traditional ruler, Ogwugwu Ebenebe 1 of Ameke Ngwo, Igwe Jerome Okolo, said: “I was here and I saw a small boy who was buried alive as a sacrifice.

“The priest said there was such thing happening and they have buried a boy for rituals.

“He prophesied and said he will go there and rescue him. He went and they rescued the boy and brought him to this ground and everybody saw him.”

Recharging The War On Boko Haram

EMBATTLED Governor Kassim Shettima of Borno State told newsmen that the appointment of two top defence functionaries from the state is a sign that the war against the Boko Haram terrorists will soon enter the end-game stage. The new National Security Adviser (NSA), retired Major General Babagana Monguno, and the Chief of Army Staff, Major General Tukur Buratai, are from the State.

Both have been involved in one capacity or the other in the efforts of the federal government to rein in the terrorists, with Buratai having just recently commanded the Multinational Joint Task Force, the military coalition of Nigeria and her neighbours dedicated to the defeat of Boko Haram.

Since Buratai took over, a flurry of activities has pointed to a possible recharge of the lingering war on Boko Haram. He has renamed the code of the operations from “Operation Zaman Lafia” (campaign to bring peace) to “Operation Lafia Dole” (campaign to enforce peace). He has visited many traditional rulers in the theatre of war to solicit cooperation of the populace, and opted to celebrate the I EL Fitri Sallah with the troops at the war from.

There are merits in assuming that when a “son of the soil” takes over command of a military operation he is likely to give something extra; he is likely to exhibit more “ownership”. A case in point was that of the immediate former Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Marshall Alex Badeh, whose hometown, Vimtim, in Adamawa State was overrun by the terrorists, but he later coordinated efforts to retrieve not only his hometown but also recovered almost every territory occupied by the insurgents during the six-week surge under ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Buratai must bear in mind that since the President Muhammadu Buhari assumed power, Boko Haram has become much more murderous than ever, wreaking a death toll of nearly 1,000 people under two months. They have returned to the asymmetrical strategy of suicide bombings. They have gone back to residing among the people and using deceptive couriers, such as children, women and disabled people to penetrate crowded places to do their evil deed.

To effectively confront the menace, the cooperation that Buratai seeks cannot be over-emphasised. Efforts must be put in mobilising the citizenry all over the terror-prone areas and the country at large to be vigilant. People must be sensitised on how to identify danger and report to the military authorities. 

Greater cooperation between the military and the Civilian JTF vigilantes is a sine qua non.

New strategies must be created to cope with the changing dynamics of the terrorist offence. The new “home boys” in charge cannot afford to fail. The end of Boko Haram must begin now.

Series of bomb blasts kill many in Gombe bus station

More than 40 people were feared dead in Gombe city, northeast Nigeria, on Wednesday after a series of bomb blasts ripped through two bus stations, a rescue worker and a witness told AFP.

The first blast happened at about 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) near the entrance to the Dadin Kowa terminus, while the second occurred some 20 minutes later in the Dukku area.

Witnesses reported hearing two blasts at both sites but lack of electricity made it impossible to say whether they were suicide attacks or homemade bombs left at the scenes.

The blasts bore the hallmarks of Boko Haram, which has previously targeted crowded bus stations, markets, mosques and churches during its bloody six-year insurgency.

Gombe city was hit last Thursday, when a series of improvised explosive devices went off in a market, killing 49.

“So far we have recovered 12 dead bodies from the blast scene,” said one rescue worker, who asked not to be identified, at the first site. “The bodies are badly mutilated and we have several people injured.

“Our main focus now is to save lives.”

Gombe state police spokesman Fwaje Attajiri confirmed the blast but did not give a death toll.

Attajiri had no details about the second explosion but one trader, whose shop is near the Dukku bus station, said: “There were two explosions. They happened after I had closed my shop for the day.

“I and others who were around came back and began pulling out bodies. I counted up to 30 dead bodies. I became sick and left.”

Boko Haram has increased the frequency and intensity of its attacks since Muhammadu Buhari became president on May 29. Since then, more than 750 people have been killed in Nigeria alone, according to an AFP count.

There have also been suicide attacks in Chad’s capital N’Djamena, while earlier on Wednesday, explosives strapped to two girls detonated in the central market of Maroua, northern Cameroon, killing 11.

Buhari has vowed to crush the insurgency, which has claimed at least 15,000 lives and made more than 1.5 million homeless since 2009.

Groups at war over invitation to EFCC to investigate former Gov Orji

By Anayo Okoli

UMUAHIA—Some organizations in Abia State have tackled a group called Save Abia Initiative for Change, SAIC, for allegedly sending a petition against the immediate governor of the state, Governor Theodore Orji and some members of his family, alleging embezzlement of N474 billion.

They accused the group of being used by politicians, who want to settle scores with the former governor and urged the group not to allow itself to be used by people.

The organizations include Abia Central Senatorial Zone Stakeholders, Ibeku Youths Assembly and All Igbere Consultative Forum; they specifically accused a former governor of the state of masterminding the “purported petitions using a faceless group to smear the image and rubbish the good works of the ex-governor, who he saw as a political enemy that must be destroyed at all cost.”

In separate press releases in Umuahia, the groups condemned what they described as alleged “the former governor’s  continued but unwarranted attack against Orji.”

The press statements were signed by Chief Egesi Marcus; Elvis Ngwakwe, Chijioke Kanu, David Uguru, Dr. Eme Chimezie Agbai, and Kalu Donatus, chairmen and secretaries of the various groups.

They challenged the signatories of the purported petition to make their identities public if they were genuine and are to be taken seriously.

According to them, the petition was part of the “plot and political vendetta against former Governor Orji by some aggrieved politicians.

“In as much as we are not saying that EFCC should not bring to book any public officer found wanting in the discharge of his duties, it will be wrong for faceless groups and political detractors to incite EFCC against an achiever.

“Abians know better between this former governor who should be investigated for mismanagement of public funds,” the group said.

They said that it would be uncharitable to pay former Governor Orji, “who has lifted the bar of governance in Abia and restored equity and justice in the political landscape of the state with trumped up allegations.”

The groups, therefore, cautioned Orji’s political opponents and “all those who feel embittered because of his numerous reforms and policies to stop distracting him as he does his work at the Senate.”

Buhari’s undemocratic rule: cui bono?

By Ochereome Nnanna

President Muhammadu Buhari; Saraki, Senate President and Dogara, Speaker

I AM an enthusiast of late Belgian artist, Georges Prosper Remi, better known as Herge, the creator of the famous Adventures of Tintin series. The crisis in the All Progressives Congress (APC) federal government reminds me of Tintin in The Crab with the Golden Claws. Merchant ship’s Captain, Haddock, was a terrible drunkard, and while on a voyage, he complained bitterly to his First Mate, Allan, that he was being deprived of adequate supply of whisky.

Allan, a brute and secret agent of opium runners, told the tipsy captain: “Of course, of course, you know I would never deprive you of whisky for anything in the world”. As he gleefully walked off to fetch more whisky, he added under his breath: “For then, I’ll be boss of this ship and do just as I like”.

That we are currently in a functional dictatorship under President Buhari is pretty evident. In a dictatorship, only the Executive and, sometimes, the Judiciary, are in existence. With the constitution scrapped, the ruler exercises legislative functions and governs by decrees. Under Buhari, the Executive Branch is not even fully in place; only the Presidency and the Judiciary are active.

The National Assembly was inaugurated on June 9th 2015, but it has not been able to perform any of its functions covering the areas of: representation, legislation, appropriation and oversight. Without the National Assembly sitting and freely carrying out its constitutional duties, we cannot claim to be running a genuine democracy.  The Assembly cannot function because the ruling APC is at war with itself over sharing of offices and positioning for advantage in the unfolding government.

It is not Buhari’s fault, some will say. He made it clear, even before the Assembly was inaugurated, that he would work with anyone who emerged. Right? Not quite. Buhari has become part of the problem by his deliberate flashing of conflicting signals. Why would he, after pledging non-interference, start stiff-arming and refusing to meet with those that emerged as helmsmen in Senate and House of Representatives?

Why is he now telling them they must comply with the wishes of the APC leaders, which are at variance with his own widely publicised non-interference stance? This has helped to stalemate efforts to resolve the conflict. It is responsible for the further postponement of the resumption of the Assembly from July 21st to 28th 2015.

Even at that, there is no guarantee that an attempt by the party leaders to muscle their way through will bring solution. It might merely make matters worse, in which case Buhari will simply sit pretty in Aso Villa and continue to rule Nigeria “just as he likes”. In the shadow of this conflict, a lot of worrisome developments are going on bordering on a reckless throwback to Buhari’s basic state of nature: military-mindedness and approach, which no one is checking. Here is a checklist.

Economic and Financial Crime Commission’s (EFCC’s) Ibrahim Lamorde, a man who blows hot and cold in the fight against corruption, is now in the “high” mode. He was the hammer in Malam Nuhu Ribadu’s EFCC under President Obasanjo. When late Yar’ Adua came on, he was made to go soft. Under Jonathan, he was almost forgotten, only to return to hammer under Buhari. The first victims of Lamorde’s sudden resurgence include former Governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido and his sons who were arraigned for alleged fraud.

In a spooky ruling, a judge remanded them in prison for six weeks without trial or bail! It took the intervention of an Abuja Federal High Court judge, Justice Gabriel Kolawole, for them to be admitted to bail. Why would Lamido be treated like this while one of his colleagues who lavishly funded Buhari’s presidential campaign and thus nearly bankrupted a  state was put in his delegation to the USA to see President Obama? Is this how the war on corruption will go?

Buhari’s illegal appointment of Amina Zakari as “acting” Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) chairman would have created immediate uproar in the NASS if it were in session. This illegal Buhari puppet will conduct the next elections (she appears already preparing to do so) if the NASS impasse remains unsolved. Certainly, if the NASS was functional, it would have queried Buhari’s refusal to appoint ministers and fully constitute the Executive Branch as the constitution demands.

The lawmakers would have asked him to explain why not a single person from the South East Zone has met Buhari’s queer standard of “merit” in his twenty or so appointments so far, while all the rest five zones have been represented with the North overwhelmingly favoured. They would have enquired into the sudden release of 182 Boko Haram detainees in Maiduguri and the posting of 47 convicted Boko Haram prisoners to a poorly secured Ekwulobia Prison in Anambra State in total disdain of the protests by the citizens throughout the South East.

Definitely, they would have wanted to know the truth behind the raiding of former National Security Adviser, retired Col. Sambo Dasuki’s properties, as well as the detention of Gordon Obua, former Chief Security Officer of former President Goodluck Jonathan. By now, Buhari would have had a taste of legislative power, which is actually an extension of the people’s power. They would have had a say in the over 700 billion Naira bailout package and, at least, given it some legitimacy.

The absence of legislative power has given Buhari the space to govern as he best knows how: with impunity. Brash, devil-may-care nepotism (Northern domination) is in full force. Lack of respect for rights and interests of people outside his favoured orbit is in full bloom, and his political enemies are already “smelling the rod” without (and before) trial. His favourite puppy could be the next INEC Chairman. Buhari will unfairly consolidate his personal power base.

In other words, most of the socio-political and economic reforms done since his first dictatorship could be reversed before the National Assembly comes back to life.

See who is benefiting from the NASS crises?