Nigeria's opposition rejects government's plans to scrap petroleum subsidy

Nigeria's main opposition party Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has rejected the government's plans to scrap the petroleum subsidy, saying it would destabilise the country. ACN described the proposed subsidy removal as the handiwork of those propelled by the philosophy of the “Washington Consensus of rolling back the frontiers of the state.”

The party's secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed released a statement condemning the removal as a fiscal issue, and said the government did not take into account its responsibility to the nation and the improvement of living standards.

In a way of a compromise the ACN proposed the establishment of modular refineries with a total of 280,000 b/d refining capacity in nine cities including, Gusau, Enugu, Ibadan, Kano, Makurdi, Maiduguri, Lagos, Auchi and Gombe;in addition to reviving the existing ones.

The statement went on to say: "The basic objective of any fiscal policy is to improve the living conditions of the people through poverty reduction and the provision of welfare services. The removal of subsidy must therefore go beyond the cheap argument of improving the solvency of the government. To reduce the responsibility of government to its citizen to Naira and Kobo tokenism is tantamount to abdicating responsibility, and this has far reaching consequences not only on sustaining our democracy but the continued existence of the nation as a unified entity.''

ACN added that the only reason the issue has continued to recur was because Nigeria imports petroleum products for domestic consumption, warning that so long as importation continues, the problem would be ongoing.

Sources: Vanguard, All Africa, Afrique en Ligue

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Ousted State governors fall to anti-corruption body

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested four former State governors on a raft of charges, including include embezzlement, fraud, mismanagement and misappropriation of State-owned funds. The former Governors arrested by EFCC are: former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel; former Oyo governor Adebayo Alao-Akala; former Nasarawa governor Aliyu Akwe Doma; and Danjuma Goje, the former governor of Gombe State, who is now a serving senator.

All of the former governors arrested are members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and two of them – Alao-Akala and Doma – lost their re-election bids to opposition candidates, from the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) respectively.

Daniel is the first of the four to be arraigned. He was arraigned in the Ogun State High Court on 12th October on a 16-count charge of embezzlement, fraud and misappropriation of N58 billion in Ogun State funds. He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and has been remanded in custody.

Oyo State's Alao-Akala was also arraigned on 12th October alongside two other suspects. Alao-Akala was arraigned on an 11-count charge of conspiracy, contract fraud and other criminal acts, including fraudulent acquisition of properties in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. His alleged frauds amount to a loss of some N20 billion to the Oyo State government. He pleaded not guilty and has been remanded in custody pending the hearing of his bail application.

Alao-Akala was arraigned with his ex-commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Hosea Ayoola Agboola, presently an Oyo North senator, and Olufemi Ademola Babalola of Pentagon Engineering Services.

The other two ex-Governors – Doma and Goje – are expected to be arraigned within the next week, in their home States. Doma is alleged to have embezzled N18 billion of Nasarawa State funds, while Goje is alleged to have embezzled N52 billion of Gombe State funds.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Nigeria: President Jonathan ahead in the running

Nigeria went into shut-down last night ahead of the presidential election on Saturday 16th April. A curfew on movement came into effect throughout the country at 22.00 last night amid concerns about political violence and possible bombings by dissident Niger Delta and Islamist groups. All political campaigning for the presidency was halted on Friday 15th April.

As Nigeria headed for its third successive presidential election since the 1999 return to civilian rule, incumbent President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan was seen by most commentators to have the advantage for two reasons. Besides the disarray amongst the opposition parties is the ability of his much better funded political machine to secure results at the ballot box, however, controversial the circumstances may be.

The Jonathan Campaign Team feel that they have done enough and are taking comfort from the results of the National Assembly elections which were held last week on the 9th April. Although the ruling Peoples' Democratic Party (PDP) was wiped out in the South West - with opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) making a clean sweep - the PDP vote held up surprisingly well in parts of the North at the expense of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

The PDP appeared to secure stunning and therefore highly controversial results in Kebbi and Jigawa States, making clean sweeps in areas thought to be home turf for the CPC and its presidential candidate, Lt Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd).

While the results declared indicate that the PDP will keep control of the Senate, such was the scale of the losses in the South West, that the PDP may have lost its majority in the House of Representatives. That could pose serious problems for the future legislative program of the next government.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2011 Menas Associates

Three Northern candidates to run against President Jonathan

With the emergence of President Goodluck Jonathan as the Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) presidential candidate, this means that there will be three Northern candidates against Jonathan, who is the sole candidate from the South, which just might make the presidential election a widely polarised North vs South contest.

Nigerian commentators have generally concluded that the way things stand, the Jonathan/ Namadi Sambo ticket is perhaps more likely to win. This is not just because of the incumbency factor which admittedly plays a huge role in President Jonathan's favour. He is also the only major presidential candidate from the South.

The fact that Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which is most dominant in the South-West, has chosen Nuhu Ribadu means that it may not secure as large a vote it the South West as it would with a regional candidate.

Ribadu however appears to be the champion of the young upwardly mobile middle class and particularly in the South- West. But whether this will translate to actual votes remains to be seen.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.


© 2010 Menas Associates