Aspire

ASPIRE

29 SATURDAY SUN July 21, 2012

Editor: SHOLA OSHUNKEYE

YOUR SATURDAY MAGAZINE

The state of our states •Increasing demands for more states Vs viability •Why some states may file for bankruptcy •Issues that will decide everything •The document you’ve never seen anywhere – PAGE30

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SATURDAY SUN

ASPIRE

The State of Our States

July 21, 2012

Special Report

Prologue

By SHOLA OSHUNKEYE It became a never-ending refrain after General Ibrahim Babangida, Nigeria’s military president from August 1985 to August 1993, voided the pan-Nigerian mandate won by billionaire businessman-turned-politician, Bashorun M.K.O Abiola, on June 12, 1993. Roundly condemned by the international community, the annulment turned Nigeria to a pariah nation, a nation despised and avoided by other nations. It also stoked persistent agitations for the revalidation of the election, and, later, for the convocation of a sovereign national conference, SNC. The touted reason for the clamour for SNC was that such national dialogue would help determine fresh terms for the continued coexistence of the country’s varied nationalities and ensure equitable distribution of its common wealth.

Although the country’s successive central governments were not averse to the idea of a national dialogue, they were rabidly opposed to the ‘sovereign’ element in the proposal.

Nevertheless, the din, rather than die, continued to hit new high at every turn. As the agitation for the convocation of SNC reached ear-tearing decibel, demands for creation of more states continued pari passu.

From General Babangida to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, every administration has had its fair share of the agitation either for a national dialogue or the expansion of the nation’s super structure, via creation of more states. All the agitations have one common denominator, namely: to correct perceived inequalities among the existing states of the federation and guarantee equal opportunities for all members of the federating units irrespective of their political and religious inclinations or their ethnic affiliations. In and out of season, the SNC proponents often argue that such conference would strengthen the union and ensure even allocation of resources and other accruing benefits for the federating units.

Since General Yakubu Gowon, who became the youngest ruler in Nigeria at the age of 32, sounded the death knell on regionalism on May 27, 1967, by creating eight states from the existing four regions (West, Mid-West, East and North), there have been unending clamour for more states. Like those agitating for SNC, those calling for more states also hinge their campaign on their belief that such exercise would ensure fairness in the distribution of the ‘national cake’, buoy the confidence and fortunes of the ‘minorities of minorities’ who purportedly live under the fear of marginalization, and bring governance closer to the people.

Although General Gowon proclaimed the 12state structure for political expediency, especially in the face of the subsisting threat of secession by Eastern Nigeria, Generals Murtala Mohammed (in 1975) and Sani Abacha (in 1996), toed their former boss’s line by creating additional 24 states.

Breaking down the figures, the picture shows that General Murtala Mohammed created seven additional states in 1975, increasing the tally to 19 from Gowon’s 12. He also created and designated Abuja as Federal Capital Territory, FCT. In 1989, Nigeria became a 21-state nation with the creation of two more states by General Ibrahim Babangida. Two years later, precisely in 1991, the self-styled military president increased the tally to 30, creating additional nine. General Sani Abacha gave the country its present 36-state structure when, in 1996, he decreed the creation of six new states. (Please, see: State Creation: Fast Facts).

In the face of dwindling resources, occasioned by profligacy, corruption and mismanagement by elected leaders across board, there is almost a national consensus that most of the current 36 states are not viable. Outside the oil money which most of them depend on, and with dismal internally generated revenue, most of the states are so poor they could barely pay staff salaries and other personal emoluments. After paying salaries, there is little or nothing left to execute capital projects.

Scared stiff by the dismal state of the states, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife, former governor of Anambra State, declared, recently, that only five

Gowon states in the motley crowd were viable, They are Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Delta, and Lagos States respectively.

Ezeife, according to an editorial by The Punch, therefore, called for a reversal of “the military action that resulted in the multiplicity of unviable states”, including his home state, Anambra. The same editorial quoted Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State as sharing Ezeife’s fears, urging “stakeholders to use the opportunity of the proposed constitutional amendment to encourage states believed to be economically unviable to merge.”

Yet, Ezeife and Fashola are not alone in their fears. They have a good ally in the World Bank.

The global financial institution has not only been consistent in its conviction that most of the states are not viable, it also believes that, with time, some of them will file for bankruptcy. It believes the 36-state structure is too unwieldy for a country of 160 million people. The United States, with a population of 312 million people, has 50 states and has never contemplated any addition since Alaska and Hawaii became bona fide members of the union in 1959.

Despite this gloomy picture about the state of our states, despite the pathetically weak financial base of most of the states, the cacophony clamoring for new states spirals by the day. Before the end of the sixth National Assembly, at least 45 requests from various groups had been submitted to the legislature. That number has galloped ever since, and still counting.

Yet, not all the requests are not based altruistic considerations.

Despite the sorry state of most of our states, most stakeholders, especially members of the National Assembly still strut about, talking about the creation of new states with magisterial authority. As if it is given…

Yet, hard as they try to justify their positive disposition towards more states, the scales are falling. The clamour, in most of the cases, is all for the wrong reasons: to create personal political empires, create fiefdoms for themselves, their families and lackeys, widen their access to oil money through all kinds of conduits, and tighten their grip on the collective wealth of Nigerians.

Although these issues are germane in the face of the current obsession for state creation, they are not the central theme of this special report. Our central theme is based on the 1996 Report of the States Creation Local Government And Boundary Adjustment Committee set up by the Abacha Regime.

Inaugurated on Wednesday, December 13, 1995. Members of the 14-man committee included Chief Arthur C. I. Mbanefo, MFR, (chairman),

Babangida

Abacha

Ezeife

Fashola

and Dr. Adamu M. Fika, secretary. The other members were: Major General Peter I. Adomokai (rtd.), Dr. O. Mfon Amana, Alhaji Abba Gana Terab, Chief Kunle Oluwasanmi, Alhaji Bello Kofar-Bai, Chief Maximus Ukuta, Alhaji Abubakar Ladan, Alhaji Usman Nagogo, Mrs. Femi Taire, Alhaji Umaru Azores Sulaiman, Dr. Josiah C. Odunna and Chief Elias Nathan.

The committee was mandated “with the supreme responsibility of determining the genuiness or otherwise of the numerous demands for new States and Local Governments.” The eminent persons on the committee worked assiduously and crisscrossed the country for about six months during which they received 195 memoranda demanding the creation of 72 new states.

There was no request from Yobe State. The committee also received 2,369 memoranda requesting for 1,875 new local government areas.

At the end of it all, the Mbanefo Committee took a bird’s eye view of the entire situation and made some far-reaching recommendations. It recommended, among others, the creation of six new states. They are: Bayelsa (from Rivers State) with Yenagoa as capital; Ebonyi (from Enugu and Abia States respectively), with Abakaliki as capital; Ekiti (from Ondo State) with Ado-Ekiti as capital; Gombe (from Bauchi State) with capital in Gombe; Nasarawa (from Plateau State) with capital in Lafia; and Zamfara (from Sokoto State) with capital in Gusau. In total, the committee recommended the creation of 500 new local government areas, making a total of 1,089 without the four area councils in the Federal Capital Territory,

Abuja. However, there are 774 local government areas in the country for now.

On June 26, 1996, the committee submitted its report.

Although, the late Head of State implemented some of the recommendations, especially on the creation of additional states and local government areas, he threw out some portions, which those in the know thought were very crucial to the actualization of the objectives for which the committee was set up in the first place. One of such crucial areas is the delineation of boundaries, which has triggered many terrible battles between border communities in some parts of the country.

On the day the report was submitted, the regime ordered the committee to submit all the copies in its possession, warning that nobody must take any copy home. Those who studied that administration closely posited that it was possible the regime had, at that point in time, made up its mind to trash some of the recommendations right from the onset.

But here, now, is the good news: 16 years later, The Sun, the Voice of the Nation, has obtained the document that Abacha and its successors had hidden from Nigerians all these years. Starting from today, we will serialize the whole of the 195-page document for posterity. Who knows, by so doing, it might offer useful insight into the propriety or otherwise of the current obsession with the creation of more states.

Please, keep a date with us from today, and every day, and enjoy our irresistible offering.

SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

ASPIRE

The State of Our States

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Special Report

The political economy of state creation in Nigeria

By DR.ISAH MOMOH In the beginning was the Colony of Lagos, and then the Southern Protectorate, then the Northern Protectorate, then their amalgamation in 1914 into Nigeria as a British colonial nation. Later the southern protectorate was split into two regions, namely the Eastern Nigeria and Western Nigeria; but the northern protectorate was left as it was and constituted into the Northern Region of Nigeria. And the reason/basis was largely Economics. The West was the Cocoa region, the East was the Palm Oil region and the north had hides and skin derivable from the cattle reared by the Hausa Fulanis, the Groundnut and Cotton from most parts of the north and the various food crops from all parts of the north. Because the north was seen from the periscopic view of the colonial masters as monolithic entity with widespread natural resources, it was considered politically correct to leave it as one. The microscopic natural economic resources spread all over the north, provided the excuse for the political decision to build an unbalanced Nigeria on the tripod regional structure.

In spite of the obvious imbalance, when the opportunity presented itself to remedy the unbalanced federation three years after independence, the economic monolithism of the north was again used as the excuse not to create a Middle-Belt region based on Joseph Tarka’s led Middle Belt Congress Party when the MidWest region was being created out of the then Western Region.

The political reason for the excision of the Mid-West was to weaken the political base of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, accentuate his political rivalry with Chief Samuel Ladoke Akintola and open up Western Nigeria to the inroads of the NPC from the north and the NCNC from the East, given the AG’s cross-carpeting coup against Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the leader of the NCNC who won a significant number of seats in the then Western House of Parliament.

But the real reason for the excision of Mid West region from the West was to wrest the control of the oil-rich Niger-Delta from the Action Group so that the NCNC controlling the Eastern Niger Delta, and the NPC controlling the Root crops, Rice/Grain laden and solid-mineral rich middle belt will be more economically strong and stable. They did not reckon with the educational superiority of the west, the west superior and earlier economic trade and commerce with Western Europe and thus their superior economic sophistication to outgrow the rest of the country in the indices of modern economic development.

The economic enfeeblement policy worked against the west as during the period of 1963-1965, the Eastern Region, including the Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers Niger-Delta area, (not the Western Region) was adjudged by the World Bank, the OECD and the UNDP as the fastest growing economic region of Africa in the mid-60s.

The advent of the Civil War in 1967, led to the politico-economic decision to create the twelve state structure so that the rich eastern Niger-Delta area of Calabar-Ogoja-Rivers was excised from the Biafra declared by the Igbos in the Igbo- dominated SouthEast, thereby weakening Biafra’s economic base, giving a sense/source of empowerment to the Ogojas, Efiks, Ibibios and Anangs of Calabar area and the Kalabaris, Ijaws, Okrikas, Ogonis, Andonis of Port Harcourt area.

This liberation of the Calabar/Ogoja and Rivers people from the domination of the Igbos in the South East actually debilitate the War efforts of Biafra and conversely strengthened the manpower and motivation of the Nigerian Military. From this perspective, the creation of 12 states in Nigeria was more of an economic and Winthe-War strategy than a political weapon. To further balkanize the power of the majority over regional enclaves because of access to economic resources not directly belonging to them but residing in minority areas, the minorities of the north were equally liberated with the creation of North Central State, North Eastern state, North Western state, Benue Plateau state and West Central state in the northern regional area. The West was further split into Lagos , Western state, Mid-West state. It is obvious that the excision of Lagos from the Western region was more to reduce the commercial and financial power of that region which was at that time threatening that…if East goes, the West will go too… Therefore the war cry of the Nigerian Military rulership which was… to Keep Nigeria one is a task that must be done… was more of an economic war cry than a political one. It was a move to secure the economic ports of Nigeria for the federal side and secure the support of all that trade with Nigeria by sea and by air to be on the side of the federal government (read the Northern government).

Witness excerpts of General Gowon’s speech below: Dear Country men: …The whole world is witness to the continued defiance of Federal Authority by the Government of Eastern Region, the distruption of the Railway, the Coal Corporation, the normal operations of the Nigerian Ports Authority, the interference with the flight schedules of the Nigeria Airways and other illegal acts by the Eastern Region Government culminating in the edicts promulgated last month by that Government purporting to seize all

Jonathan

Mark, Senate President

Federal Statutory Corporations and Federal revenues collected in the East.

The consequence of these illegal sets has been the increasing deterioration of the Nigerian economy. It has also produced uncertainty and insecurity generally and pushed the country with increasing tempo towards total disintegration and possible civil war and bloodshed on massive scale.

It has also led to increasing loss of foreign confidence in the ability of Nigerians to resolve the present problems. This has been reflected in the stoppage of the inflow of much badly needed additional foreign investment, it has put a brake on economic development so essential to the well-being of the common man and the ordinary citizen whose only desire is for peace and stability to carry on his daily work… about one third of the entire falling stock of the Nigerian Railways, including 115 oil-tankers, have been detained and that the services on the Eastern District of the Nigerian railways have been completely disrupted for many months. … They have disrupted the direct movement of oil products from the refinery near Port Harcourt to the Northern Region. They have hindered the transit of goods to neighbouring countries and have even seized goods belonging to foreign countries. These acts have flagrantly violated normal international practice and disturbed friendly relations with our neighbours. That refinery is owned jointly by the Federal Government and Regional governments.

Illegally, since last year, the Authorities at Enugu have interfered with the flight routes of the Nigeria Airways. Only recently they committed the barbaric crime of hi-jacking a plane bound for Lagos from Benin… certain vehicles of the Posts and Telegraphs Department which went to the East in resumption of services have been illegally detained in the Region.

Tambuwal, House of Reps Speaker

…Fellow citizens, I recognize however that the problem of Nigeria extends beyond the present misguided actions of the Eastern Region Government. My duty is to all citizens. I propose to treat all sections of the country with equality. The main obstacle to future stability in this country is the present structural imbalance in the Nigerian Federation.

Even Decree No. 8 or Confederation or Loose Association will never survive if any one section of the country is in a position to hold the others to ransom.

This is why the item in the Political and Administrative Programme adopted by the Supreme Military Council last month is the creation of states as a basis for stability. This must be done first so as to remove the fear of domination. Representatives drawn from the new states will be more able to work out the future constitution for this country which can contain provisions to protect the powers of the states to the fullest extent desired by the Nigerian people. As soon as these states are established, a new Revenue Allocation Commission consisting of international experts will be appointed to recommend an equitable formula for revenue allocation taking into account the desires of the states. …The country has a long history of well articulated demands for states. The fears of minorities were explained in great detail and set out in the report of the Willink Commission appointed by the British in 1958. More recently there has been extensive discussion in Regional Consultative Committees and Leaders-ofThought Conferences. Resolutions have been adopted demanding the creation of states in the North and in Lagos. Petitions from minority areas in the East which have been subjected to violent

Continued on page 32

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Special Report

Continued from page 31 intimidation by the Eastern Military Government have been widely publicized. While the present circumstances regrettably do not allow for consultations through plebiscites, I am satisfied that the creation of new states as the only possible basis for stability and equality is the overwhelming desire of vast majority of Nigerians.

To ensure justice, these states are being created simultaneously.

To this end, therefore, I am promulgating a Decree which will divide the Federal republic into Twelve States. The twelve states will be six in the present Northern Region, three in the present Eastern Region, the Mid-West will remain as it is, the Colony Province of the Western Region and Lagos will form a new Lagos State and the Western Region will otherwise remain as it is.

The 19 state structure that nailed the coffin of regionalism in Nigeria by changing the names of the states to reflect their capital cities or rivers rather than the regional areas by Murtala Mohammed in 1976 created states as this listing of Nigeria’s states and the dates of their creation, from the Wikipedia, shows: State Date Created Preceding Entity Abia State 27 August 1991 Imo State Adamawa State 27 August 1991 Gongola State Akwa Ibom State 23 September 1987 Cross River State Anambra State 27 August 1991 (old) Anambra State Bauchi State 3 February 1976 North-Eastern State Bayelsa State 1 October 1996 Rivers State Benue State 3 February 1976 Benue-Plateau State Borno State 3 February 1976 North-Eastern State Cross River State 27 May 1967 Eastern Region; known as South-Eastern State from 1967 to 1976.

Delta State Ebonyi State

27 August 1991 1 October 1996

Bendel State Enugu State and Abia State Edo State 27 August 1991 Bendel State Ekiti State 1 October 1996 Ondo State Enugu State 27 August 1991 (old) Anambra State Gombe State 1 October 1996 Bauchi State Imo State 3 February 1976 East Central State Jigawa State 27 August 1991 Kano State Kaduna State 27 May 1967 Northern Region; known as North-Central State from 1967 to 1976.

Kano State Katsina State Kebbi State Kogi State

27 May 1967 23 September 1987 27 August 1991 27 August 1991

Northern Region Kaduna State Sokoto State Kwara State; Benue State Kwara State 27 May 1967 Northern Region; known as West Central State from 1967 to 1976.

Lagos State

27 May 1967

Federal Territory of Lagos and Colony Province Nasarawa State 1 October 1996 Plateau State Niger State 3 February 1976 North-Western State Ogun State 3 February 1976 Western State Ondo State 3 February 1976 Western State Osun State 27 August 1991 Oyo State Oyo State 3 February 1976 Western State Plateau State 3 February 1976 Benue-Plateau State Rivers State 27 May 1967 Eastern Region Sokoto State 3 February 1976 North-Western State Taraba State 27 August 1991 Gongola State Yobe State 27 August 1991 Borno State Zamfara State 1 October 1996 Sokoto State Abuja Federal Capital Territory3 February 1976 Benue-Plateau, North-Central, and North-Western States With this, the lopsidedness of northern domination was not corrected but reduced and accentuated. Note the irony of the not-toounderstandable fact of the more states in the north being interpreted as strength while the earlier more regions of the south (3 to 1) was

July 21, 2012

The State of Our States

not then interpreted as the south dominating the north. It is from this stage that the political argument for the creation of more state was touted as the major reason for the exercise.

Future agitations for the creation of more state were now hinged on the need to create a balanced federation, with balance being interpreted solely in terms of the number of states. But the economic basis of this cry for balance and equity was the fact that the revenue sharing formula was tied to allocation to states based on the principle of equality of states; not on the size of states.

The staccato creation of states in the 90s had equitable distribution and balanced federation as their main reasons; but this was destabilized by frequent and fundamental changes to the revenue allocation and sharing formulae which was more and more based not on the economic viability of states as the focus was not the baking of the national cake but the sharing of the fortuitous cake of crude petroleum Oil. The two factors of crude oil as a naturally occurring resource to which Nigeria need not add any value and the insatiability of political greed underlying the demand for the creation of more states and whose granting was not based on any political merit but the influence of sons and daughters in the corridor of power fuelled the unquenchable demand for more and more states, without regards and assessment of its consequences and repercussions.

For example an economic focus in the desire for more states will prime the Igbos to demand for Anioma state rather than any other one they are clamouring for now. Below is the number of Local Governments as it stands in Nigeria today. This is because the economics of revenue allocation goes beyond number of states to number of local governments; and now the SOUTH EAST has 95 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, SOUTH WEST 137 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS SOUTH SOUTH 122 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, NORTH WEST 186 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS NORTH EAST 112 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS, and NORTH CENTRAL 121 LOCAL GOVERNMENTS. That is how it stands today regarding the number of local governments within each region. With an additional State like an Anioma State, the South East will have more local governments and still maintain the former status quo, more federal appointments, more members within the Senate and the House of Representative, more population, full integration into the oil producing zone and most of all, more territories.

But because Nigerians have ignored the economic considerations for the restructuring of the nation, each state creation exercise has been a charade and resulted in the emergence of beggarly entities rather than entities that can stand and challenge the federal economic might. We have ignored the fact that from philosophy, politics is merely a struggle for the exercise of authority over economic resources, as demonstrated by the histories of kingdoms, empires, colonialism, hegemony, neo-colonialism/imperialism and now globalization. Technology which has been the major driver of growth and expansionism has been an eco-scientific tool for economic domination.

So should more states be created in the emerging Nigeria? The answer is clearly no as the current practice of zoning the states into a group of six zones indicate. Should the current state structure be reviewed? The answer is yes! The new states should be economic entities of a group of people who have joint/common economic history. That way we would have bigger states which would be viable and make significant demands/challenges on the over-bearing federal government.

This is confirmed by the statement that “Virtually all states in Nigeria are broke” by Gov. Aliyu Babangida The governor of Niger state and former chairman of Governors Forum Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu has revealed that all the state governments in Nigeria are unable to meet all their financial obligations as he called for an urgent review of the revenue sharing formula. Dr Babangida revealed this in a question and answer interview, published by a financial magazine, Economic Confidential recently.

Responding to a question on how true it is that states in the northern part of the country are financially broke and cannot meet their statutory functions, the governor replied in the affirmative saying “it

is not only states in the Northern part of the country that are not in position to meet all their financial obligations; virtually all states in the Federation apart from probably Lagos and states in the Niger Delta areas are in the same boat.”

“In a nut shell I can say categorically that we don’t have enough resources to meet all our obligations to the people that voted us into office,” he quipped.

“The situation has been compounded by the introduction of a new minimum wage for workers in all the states of the country irrespective of the fact that we are in a federation and the poor internally generated revenue base of most states after the payment of salaries.”

“Most states have little or nothing to use for other projects” he added.

The governor also claimed that the affected states have been looking for other sources of funds to enable them meet their obligations.

The following indicates the status of the states: The following table presents a listing of Nigeria’s 36 states ranked in order of their total GDP (PPP) in 2007, according to the Wikipedia Rank 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 -

State Lagos State Rivers State Delta State Oyo State Imo State Kano State Edo State Akwa Ibom State Ogun State Kaduna State Cross River State Abia State Ondo State Osun State Benue State Anambra State Katsina State Niger State Borno State Plateau State Sokoto State Bauchi State Kogi State Adamawa State Enugu State Bayelsa State Zamfara State Kwara State Taraba State Kebbi State Nassarawa State Jigawa State Ekiti State Ebonyi State Gombe State Yobe State Federal Capital Territory

GDP (PPP$) 33,679,258,023 21,073,410,422 16,749,250,544 16,121,670,484 14,212,637,486 12,393,103,864 11,888,446,884 11,179,887,963 10,470,415,017 10,334,763,785 9,292,059,207 8,687,442,705 8,414,302,623 7,280,597,521 6,864,209,262 6,764,219,562 6,022,655,197 6,002,007,080 5,175,165,142 5,154,059,937 4,818,615,261 4,713,858,180 4,642,794,262 4,582,045,246 4,396,590,769 4,337,065,923 4,123,829,498 3,841,827,534 3,397,790,217 3,290,847,166 3,022,828,885 2,988,014,405 2,848,372,512 2,732,472,739 2,500,467,306 2,011,499,081 5,010,968,012

To take our rightful place in the scheme of things, economics not politics should rule and reign; in states creation as in every other sphere of life. It is only then that the bogeys of spreading development, devolution of powers, bringing development nearer to the people, etc would become a reality. For now, no such exercise would yield the desired political nor economic benefits, unless the creation of local governments, an appropriate revenue generation and sharing formula with devolved authority and responsibility for prices, rates, wages and perquisites suitable for a real federation are adopted together.

•Dr. Isah E. Momoh teaches at the School of Media and Communication, Pan African University, Lagos.

SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

ASPIRE

The State of Our States

33

Special Report

Evaluation of the economic performance of the 36 states in Nigeria

By MATTHEW EIGBE (maeigbe@gmail.com) In the beginning, there was no Nigeria. There were two large contiguous landmasses called the Northern Protectorate and the Southern Protectorate. In 1914, Lord Luggard united the two protectorates to form Nigeria. Later, the South split into Western Region and Eastern Region; the Northern Protectorate stayed as one, bringing into existence the well-known three regional structure of Nigeria. But the three-regional structure was not going to last forever. In 1963, the Mid-West Region was carved out of the West.

Then, in 1971, twelve states were carved out of the existing three regions to address complaints of marginalisation and satisfy the need to bring government closer to the people by creating more development nodes. The foregoing arguments will probably be valid all time. The country changed into 36 states, including the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja, in 1991. We are now 14 or 13 states less than the United States of America. Perhaps, the next iteration will bring us at par.

Big Question Let us pop the question now. How have these 36 states been faring economically? On an economic league table, how would they stand?

There is quite a slew of statistics from which you can select some for this exercise. Statistics could be generated about almost anything depending on the purpose at hand, which probably explains why Mark Twain sarcastically classifies them as lies.

Having made those observations, I propose to evaluate the 36 states economic performance on the basis of the following four indicators: •GDP per capita •Budget •Poverty •Unemployment GDP per capita: GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product, and it is defined as the market value of all the final goods and services produced within a country usually. The concept equally applies to a state. It is a measure of the economic health of the political entity under consideration. GDP per capita is the amount of the GDP divided by the territory’s population.

GDP is a function of territorial size, condition of the soil, natural resources, technology, efficiency in production and distribution, population, the skills set of the populace and leadership, amongst other things. The 2007 GDP data from Wikipedia and 2006 population figures have been used to compute the GDP per capita for the each 36 states.

The result is in the chart below:

The ranking of the states is clear but it is worthy to note that the top five states of Delta, Rivers, Lagos, Edo and Imo are from the South.

Budget: Budgets are made every year. They are a statement of what a state or country (in our present context) wants to do in the next twelve months and how those activities will

be funded. It is actually a statement of intentions. So, the practical importance of this statement is the extent to which it is implemented. If it is forgotten soon after the broadcast (as it has always been), then, it would have been better not to have drawn up any budget. But to the extent that it is stating what a state government plans to do (or if I may say, committed to do), then, it really qualifies as a performance indicator. To aim may not always be to achieve but not to aim is not to achieve much. And state matters are too important to be left to simply drift along.

Again, the data obtained from www.yourbudgetit.com for the 2012 budgets of all the states of the federation will suffice here:

The top five states in terms of what they want to do for their citizens between January and December this year are Lagos, Rivers, Delta, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa.

slow growth in the economy, lack of skills and culture besides other factors. The following chart displays the data from the state with the least unemployment to the one with the highest figure.

As you can see, the top five states, where poverty is less, are Niger-33.3%, Osun-37.9%, Bayelsa-47.0%, Ondo-47.5% and Lagos-48.6%. With regard to unemployment, the order is Osun-3%, Kwara-7.1%, Lagos-8.3%, Oyo- 8.9% and Abia-11.2%.

It would be quite complicated to say which states have performed most since we have used four sets of data for this evaluation. In order to get a measure of absolute performance, I propose that we take a simple average of poverty data and unemployment data and see how the states stack up because these two statistics reflect well the condition of a state’s citizens. They are related and many people would probably agree that they are of equal importance.

Poverty: Poor people are described as those living below $1 (NGN160) a day. Now, this is a very undesirable condition, if you asked me. Some of the drivers of poverty are graft, poor leadership and lack of opportunities. The data charted below are from www.nigerianstat.gov.ng. This site was accessed on 18/7/2012.

The data is the percentage of people who are poor as defined above. There was no figure for Yobe. So, what are the best five states in terms of poverty? They are Niger, Osun, Bayelsa, Ondo and Lagos. Four out of these states are from the southern part of the country.

Unemployment: This is defined as the percentage of the citizens who are not employed as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics at www.nigerianstat.gov.ng which was accessed on 18/7/2012. Well, unemployment could be mediated by

The result is Osun–20.5%, Lagos–28.5%, Ondo–30.0%, Oyo-30.4% followed by Ekiti-with 32.3%.

Now, what is the explanation for these rankings? The results are not necessarily due to efforts being made today.

Rather, it is the outcome of past sustained efforts at applying resources with the interest of the people at heart. There are some states with bigger budgets and allocations than Osun and Ekiti, for example, that are near the middle of the table in absolute ranking. It has to do with good governance, delivering the dividends of government, democracy or something else, by devising great people-centric plans and executing them ruthlessly. Leadership, transparency and love for the people are key.

States that did not rank well should go back to the proverbial drawing table. Perhaps in the next five to 10 years, they will be able to alter their position.

Matthew Eigbe taught Marketing Management for several years at the Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos.

He is an acclaimed marketing consultant in corporate Nigeria.

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July 21, 2012

Special Report

Speech by Major-General Yakubu Gowon declaring a 12-state structure for Nigeria on May 27,1967 COUNTRYMEN, as you are all aware Nigeria has been immersed in an extremely grave crisis for almost eighteen months. We have now reached a most critical phase where what is at stake is the very survival of Nigeria as one political and economic unit.

We must rise to the challenge and what we do in the next few days will be decisive. The whole world is witness to the continued defiance of federal authority by the Government of the Eastern Region, the disruption of the Railway, the Coal Corporation, the normal operations of the Nigerian Ports Authority, the interference with the flight schedules of the Nigeria Airways and other illegal acts by the Eastern Region Government culminating in the edicts promulgated last month by that Government purporting to seize all Federal Statutory Corporations and Federal revenues collected in the East.

The consequence of these illegal sets has been the increasing deterioration of the Nigerian economy. It has also produce uncertainty and insecurity generally and pushed the country with increasing tempo towards total disintegration and possible civil war and bloodshed on massive scale.

In the face of all these, I have shown great restraint, hoping that through peaceful negotiations a solution acceptable to all sections of the country can be found.

Unfortunately, the hopes of myself and my other colleagues on the Supreme Military council have been disappointed by the ever increasing campaign of hate by the Governor of the Eastern Region. Lt. Col. Ojukwu has continuously increased his demands as soon as some are met in order to perpetuate the crisis and lead the Eastern Region out of Nigeria. We know very well the tragic consequences of such a misguided step.

Not only will the regions themselves disintegrate further, but before then, pushed by foreign powers and mercenaries who will interfere, this dear country will be turned into a bloody stage for chaotic and wasteful civil war.

When the tragic events of 15th January, 1966 occurred, the country acquiesced in the installation of a Military Regime only because it desired that order and discipline should be restored in the conduct of the affairs of this country, that swift reforms will be introduced to produce just and honest Government, to usher in stability and ensure fair treatment of all citizens in every part of the country.

The citizens of this country have not given the Military Regime any mandate to divide up the country into sovereign states and to plunge them into bloody disaster.

State of emergency As I have warned before, my duty is clear-faced with this final choice between action to save Nigeria and acquiescence in secession and disintegration. I am therefore proclaiming a State of Emergency throughout Nigeria with immediate effect.

I have assumed full powers as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Head of the Federal Military Government for the short period necessary to carry through the measures which are now urgently required.

In this period of emergency, no political

which completely decentralized the government of this country and even went further than the Republican Constitution as it existed before 15th January, 1966. But what has been the response of the Eastern Region Government? Complete rejection of Decree No. 8 and insistence on its separate existence as a sovereign unit.

Only recently, a group of distinguished citizens formed themselves into the National Conciliation Committee. They submitted recommendations aimed at reducing tension.

These included the reciprocal abrogation of economic measures taken by the Federal Military government and the seizure of Federal Statutory Corporations and Federal revenue by the Eastern Government.

These reciprocal actions were to be taken within one week that is by 25th May, 1967.It is on record that I accepted the recommendations and issued instructions effective from Tuesday, May 23. Indeed I now understand that certain vehicles of the

‘When the tragic events of 15th January, 1966 occurred, the country acquiesced in the installation of a Military Regime only because it desired that order and discipline should be restored in the conduct of the affairs of this country, that swift reforms will be introduced to produce just and honest Government, to usher in stability and ensure fair treatment of all citizens in every part of the country’

Gowon statements in the Press, on the Radio and Television and all publicity media or any other political activity, will be tolerated.

The Military and Police are empowered to deal summarily with any offenders.

Newspaper editors are particularly urged to co-operate with the authorities to ensure the success of these measures. I have referred earlier to some illegal acts of the Eastern Region Government.

You all know that about one third of the entire falling stock of the Nigerian Railways, including 115 oil-tankers, have been detained and that the services on the Eastern District of the Nigerian railways have been completely disrupted for many months.

You are also aware of the fact that they have disrupted the direct movement of oil products from the refinery near Port Harcourt to the Northern Region. They have?hindered the transit of goods to neighbouring countries and have even seized goods belonging to foreign countries. These acts have flagrantly violated normal international practice and disturbed friendly relations with our neigh-

bours.

That refinery is owned jointly by the Federal Government and Regional governments. Illegally, since last year, the Authorities at Enugu have interfered with the flight routes of the Nigeria Airways.

Only recently they committed the barbaric crime of hijacking a plane bound for Lagos from Benin.

They have placed a ban on the residence of non-Easterners in the Eastern Region-an action which is against the Constitution and the fundamental provisions of our laws.

They have continuously on the Press and radio incited the people of eastern Region to hatred of other Nigerian peoples and they have indulged in the crudest abuse of members of the Supreme Military Council, especially myself. Despite all these, I have spared no effort to conciliate the East in recognition of their understandable grievances and fears since the tragic incidents of 1966.

To this end I agreed with my other colleagues on the Supreme Military Council to the promulgation of the Decree No. 8

Posts and Telegraphs Department which went to the East in resumption of services have been illegally detained in the Region.

The response of the east has been completely negative and they have continued their propaganda and stage-managed demonstrations for “independence.”

Fellow citizens, I recognise however that the problem of Nigeria extends beyond the present misguided actions of the Eastern Region Government. My duty is to all citizens. I propose to treat all sections of the country with equality. The main obstacle to future stability in this country is the present structural imbalance in the Nigerian Federation.

Even Decree No. 8 or Confederation or Loose Association will never survive if any one section of the country is in a position to hold the others to ransom. This is why the item in the political and administrative programme adopted by the Supreme Military Council last month is the creation of states as a basis for stability. This must be done

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SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

ASPIRE

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Interview FAN NDUBUOKE GM,Heartland Football Club

Why everything I touch turns gold Ejikeme Nze. As you know, the paper was an instant hit and it brought glamour, quality and thrills to sports journalism. It was from here that I was elected as national president of the Sports Writers Association of Nigeria (SWAN). I can tell you that it was a golden era for SWAN and Nigerian football as we had a representative in NFF (Nigeria Football Federation), then NFA (Nigeria Football Association) for the first time.

Before my tenure as SWAN national president, SWAN had no representative at NFF. I am very proud to tell you that Nigeria qualified for the World Cup for the first time, the USA 1994 and went ahead to win the Nations Cup for the second time in Tunisia. Do not forget that my Task Force Committee on the 1994 World Cup campaign was really a major contributor to our qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. The Task Force was made up of Emeka Omeruah, Amos Adamu, Tijani Yusuf, Adegboye Onigbinde, Femi Olukanmi and myself. Again, it was when I was the general manager, media committee of COJAthat Nigeria finished first on the log in the history of the All Africa Games in Abuja in 2003. You are also aware that I had floated Mr. Fans’ fast food business. It was the best in the east of the Niger and one of the best in the country then. And if you care to know, I am the mayor of my town, Mbutu. It happened that I was the president general of Mbutu when we had just one autonomous community but when Mbutu was demarcated into four autonomous communities and I was still the president general, Mbutu elders felt that there must be a clear distinction between my office and the other four presidents-general, hence I was appointed as the mayor of Mbutu. It is the first of its kind. In the same vein, the traditional rulers in Mbaise, without my prompting, crowned me as the Ezinwa of Mbaise (worthy son of Mbaise). This means I am a rallying point in my town. Of course, I am today the general manager of Heartland of Owerri. In my first outing, I led the team to Federation Cup glory, the club’s first trophy in 18 years. Let me also inform you that this was the first time I was managing a team, as I was the brain behind Vipers of Mbutu, a team that produced great players and played in Imo State FA Cup competitions. In my secondary school days, I was called Triangle because I played in the left side defence. And I played very well.

By ORI MARTINS Few men in history have creative talents.

Even fewer men make maximum use of such talents. This much was acknowledged by motivational preacher, John Maxwell in one of his books, Talent Is Not Enough. One Nigerian who certainly has been able to leverage on his talent effectively is Mr. Fan Ndubuoke, chief executive officer of Mr. Fans, a reputable fast food firm in the country.

A journalist, he was among those that made the Champion newspapers a must-read at inception. He later joined forces with other colleagues to float Nigeria’s first-ever all-sports newspaper, The Sports Link, before he was appointed general manager of Heartland Football Club. He turned around the Owerri, Imo State soccer club from a relatively unknown one to a household name not only in Nigeria, but also in Africa.

In this interview, he reveals that like Midas, whatever he touches usually turns gold.

Born without a silver spoon My parents struggled to train us. But that is not to say that we were beggars. I hail from Mbutu in Aboh Mbaise Local Government Area of Imo State. In those days, we were majorly traders and farmers. Some others were artisans plying trades like hunting, palm wine tapping, gold smiting, etc. Despite the hardships of the time, my parents worked assiduously to get us trained and educated. They knew the importance of western education and they ensured that we were not deprived of it. My siblings and I equally wanted to be educated, so we did our best to impress our parents by working hard, taking our functions and duties in the house seriously. We were never found wanting. During the farming season, we would wake up early in the morning to assist our parents in the farm. We would stay as late as 4 p.m. Any day we came back at about 1 p.m., by 3 p.m. we were ready for the evening labour and we could be in the farm till 6.30 p.m. No person complained. The other period we really assisted our parents was during dry seasons. You know, the period I am talking about was not an era of modernity like now when we have pipe borne water and electricity or even means of transportation. It was not really very easy to move from one place to another. The quickest means of transport was bicycle but so many families never had it. There were vehicles but only few families had it. What I mean is that we journeyed long distances on foot looking for water during dry seasons. We were never allowed to use the bicycles until when we entered the secondary schools. On most occasions, we also accompanied our mother to the market as she sold farm produce for our school fees and upkeep. In all, we were very happy and our parents appreciated our efforts. On our side, we made good grades and all were happy.

A stickler for excellence I can tell you that the Almighty God has been very kind to me, though I can also say it with all sense of humility that I have equally worked hard. And if you know me very well, I do not like blowing my trumpet. I rather appreciate it if others tell the world my achievements. Since I started working, everything I have touched has always turned gold because I always stick out my

Fan neck for the best. Look at what I mean – you can remember that I was among the group of journalists that made Champion newspapers a mustread at inception. As a matter of fact, we introduced the idea of using or dedicating the back pages of newspapers to sports and it was an innovation that has come to stay till this day. I still remember that our sports pages were excellently packaged and anybody that had anything to do with sports in those days must tell you to package it in Champion newspapers. I am talking about between 1988 and 1991. My other colleagues included Paul Bassey (sports editor), Alex Tunwagun, Banji Ola, Emeka Obasi, Emeka Iyama and Sam John. I left Champion and teamed up with other colleagues, namely Iyama and Onyebuchi Abia to float Nigeria’s first-ever all-sports newspaper, Sports Link. I was the managing editor. It was published by

‘One of the best managerial skills is for both investors and managers to recognise the powers of passion.

Passion could energise one’s talent’

Idols and mentors There are so many of them, depending on the topic. My parents were my idol and I loved my late elder brother so much. In my immediate community, there was a man, Augustine Ewulonu, a medical doctor who majored in surgery. He saved so many lives and assisted in the development of my community. In Igboland, I grew up to admire two personalities–the great Zik of Africa, Nigeria’s greatest political evangelist and Odumegwu Ojukwu, the Eze Igbo Gburugburu. From Zik, I learnt the power of negotiation. His philosophy of agreeing to disagree or disagreeing to agree brought so many political fortunes to the Igbo nation. As for Ojukwu, he taught us to always to be courageous as well as to stand on our rights no matter the circumstance. I also admire Sam Mbakwe. He was a great Igbo leader. I am also very grateful to the

Continued on page 38

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ASPIRE

SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

Traveller The date was June 20, 2012.

The mission was this year’s Congress of International Press Institute, IPI, holding in the Caribbean dual-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. Although this was neither my first visit to the Caribbean nor South America, the mere thought of the trip still set my adrenaline surging. It quickened my pulse. It raised my expectations to fever pitch.

Why? This is because I had only learnt of the twin cities in my geography lessons in secondary school. And widely travelled as one has been privileged to be, I had never gone beyond the realm of fantasy as far as Trinidad and Tobago was concerned.

My excitement beggared description in the final minutes to the commencement of the journey that would take us, first, to Houston, Texas, in the United States, then, to our final destination.

When our United Airlines airbus finally took off from the Murtala Mohamed International Airport, Lagos, on the first leg of our journey, I metaphorically walked on air. “America, here we come!” I intoned.

At last, I was fulfilling a dream of over four decades. I took special interest in Trinidad and Tobago during my years in the secondary school. The stories from this historical land had always made me long for a visit.

We flew 13 hours, nonstop, through the coast of West Africa and over the frightful Bermuda triangle into George Bush International Airport in Houston. I had a delay of over eight hours before connecting the only daily flight by the United Airlines to Trinidad. The flight took another six hours. By the time we landed at Piarco International Airport in Trinidad, I had spent a staggering 27 hours in transit!

Trinidad and Tob the majesty and

IN THE BOSOM OF T&T After the rigorous airport clearance by the Homeland Security officials at Houston Airport, I headed for my transit gate to Trinidad and Tobago.

Now, are you planning your first trip ever to Trinidad, through the United States? Prime your mind to rigorous checks at the point of entry. You would be scientifically screened; your luggage would be thoroughly scrutinised. The process of retrieving baggage was made rigorous with repeated security checks.

At the ‘C’ checkpoint, some Nigerian women had a hell of a time as the security officials intercepted some Nigerian foodstuffs they were carrying like garri, fried meat, pepper, fruits–all items said to have been banned for importation into the United States by travellers. If you hold more than $10,000, you must declare this in writing in a form, perhaps as a routine measure against money laundering. In this regard, information supplied must be accurate as any false declaration could prompt security operatives to seize your money and initiate a process of prosecution against you.

Ignorance is not an excuse. So, you must familiarise yourself with the immigration laws of the United States before embarking on your trip. As I learnt, the authorities in that land had been super security conscious since the days of 9/11.

Finally, I flew out of Houston for a six-hour flight to Port Of Spain in Trinidad and landed at Piarco International Airport. I made my way out of the beautiful airport and later took an AT&T SIM card to enable me make urgent calls within and outside the country. It was then I realised that a US dollar is equivalent to 60 Trinidad dollars.

The Piarco International Airport, any day, is a beauty to behold. It would be criminal to compare it to what we have at present in Lagos. Though Nigeria’s airports are being restructured and renovated, most frequent travellers still believe that the final product of the turn-

Trinidad Beach

By FOLU OLAMITI, who was in the Caribbean dual-island nation around-maintenance may still not match international standards.

I had always felt that the Murtala

Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, was an old structure, which ought to have been pulled down for a

world-class replacement.

Officials of the IPI, Trinidad local chapter, were on hand to make participants’ journey to their hotel enjoyable.

The twin islands are blessed with an abundance of natural resources. That perhaps explains the reason they remain the most keenly contested colonial territories in history.

Apart from the tourism sector that enjoys priority attention as complement to the national economy, the country

Trinidad and tobago girl also takes pleasure in its industrial base, which is hinged on oil and natural gas resources.

The Hyatt Hotel, which hosted the IPI congress and accommodated 80 percent of the participants, is situated right opposite the deep-water harbour that has a capacity to accommodate cruise ships. Behind the hotel is the seat of government called the Parliament Building. The prime minister and her cabinet have their offices at the building.

The republic runs a parliamentary system of government where the Head of State is the president, but the executive powers are vested in the prime minister. Estimated population of this twin country is 1.3 million, with 55,000 residing in Tobago. The ethnic mix consists of 40.3 percent of East Indian descent, 39.5 percent African, mixed–18.4 percent, European–0.6 percent, while the Chinese and other nationals constitute 1.2 percent.

PICTURESQUE AIRPORT, ET AL

Olamiti (left) with Jim Clancy (right)

One striking feature I noticed at the arrival hall of the airport was the steel band, which has made the Trinidad and Tobago famous. The people see the steel pan as their national instrument, invented as a gift to the world. Invented in the 20th century the steel pan is made by turning the bottoms of steel oil drums.

There has been a yearly steel band festival that attracts music lovers from

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July 21, 2012

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Traveller

bago:Basking in allure of nature

across the country and outside.

I took a trip down the Island of Trinidad, visited the Aspire caves and climbed to the top of the island through a snake-like road to the top of the hill and got a fantastic panoramic view of Trinidad.

Owing to the tight programme at the IPI congress, there was little for sightseeing. Work competed keenly with necessity for relaxation.

LOUD IN TOBAGO However, trip to this beautiful country will be incomplete if you don’t visit Tobago, which is just 20 minutes by air and two hours by fast boat. The after-congress tour of Tobago on June 27,2012 included the newly elected IPI chair, a woman named Galina Sidorova. The flight actually took us 15 minutes with a Dash 8 propeller plane.

The Island is serene and regales in its age of innocence. Seemingly unviolated. It is not as cosmopolitan as Trinidad, yet, its colonial history, its marine activities and good rustic cuisine all make it the favourite of many visitors from across the world.

The tour took us to the island, submerged by an undulating hill with alluring green vegetation and Atlantic Ocean with captivating beaches. The coast of Tobago has numerous vantage points with canons (war relics) on the beach sites of oil forts. Many of the smaller forts were built from tim-

ber and survive only in name, but those visible include Fort Milford with Crown Point Hotel; Rocky Point with its view over Mount Irvine Bay and Fort Bennett which protects the easterly entrance to the famous Turtle Beach.

Our tourist guide told us that the early settlers arrived from Britain, France and Holland and built homes.

Most of the great houses, he said, were long gone, no thanks to the ravages by termites and hurricane disaster recorded in 1963.

We learnt that Tobago was once famous for sugar plantation where men and women of African descents worked as slaves. The relics of the plantation showed us that sugar has always been a king commodity in that part of the world. The first exports occurred in 1770 with 37 factories in operation.

Part of our tourist package was a boat ride on the deep blue ocean. The ocean, we were told, is safe for swimming. Some of us took a dive with life jackets into the warm sea. It was refreshing for me to watch the divers satisfy their passion from the boat. I thought that even with a jacket, I would never have been able to dive into the waters as fear of drowning gripped me.

All Trinidad and Tobago beaches are publicly operated. Some were made to serve the interest of visitors.

We were strictly advised to stick to public beaches with tour guides on the ground in order to avoid untoward experience.

We were later taken on a guided tour of Tobago Museum where history of the transformation of the small Island into a paradise city was well documented.

This year, August specifically, the twin islands country will be celebrating its 50th Independent Anniversary.

You can feel frenetic preparations everywhere. The occasion is expected to be celebrated throughout the country with calypso music and steel bands adding values to the events.

SOCA CARNIVAL Like Brazil, like most Caribbean and South American cities, cultural carnivals are serious business, as they say, in Trinidad and Tobago. For instance, and according to travelnet.com, during such carnivals Soca music reverberates in the streets. Like spirit-possessed beings, beautiful damsels in bikini gyrate and shake sexily to the rhythmic sounds from steel bands and other musical sources.

The carnivals spice a season of cultural celebrations that bury the sordid history of slavery and indenture.

The festival of colour, like its parallels in Nigeria, unites the varied ethnicities and cultures that define the dual-island nation. They all converge in love, in food, in music and dance to lift one another to a seventh-level of ecstasy.

This is Trinidad and Tobago-islands of pleasure. Cities with surfeit of natural and nocturnal attractions. Please,

don’t ask me to give details. Seeing, as they say, is believing.

Suffice it to say that you can never have a dull moment in this dual-island nation. Not with its azure sky, its deep blue sea, personable and very hospitable citizens, and cuisines that make your palate salivate long after you have returned home.

Indeed, if you love adventure, if

your are fun loving, Trinidad and Tobago is the place to visit. It is a tourist destination you can’t ignore, despite its security challenges.

POSTSCRIPT It is possible to conclude that a country of 1.3 million people would be crime free. Far from it! The number of armed policemen on the

streets suggests that all is not well in the country.

Every government building had large presence of gun-totting policemen. In fact, participants at the IPI congress were shocked at the farewell Gala Night when the master of ceremony, before the arrival of the Prime Minister, announced to delegates not to panic if any attack occurred, disclosing that there were six marked escaped routes at the Prime Minister residence to guarantee safety.

The announcement jolted everyone, just as my friend, Malam Garba Shehu gave me a frightening look. I got the message. He was with his wife and his teenage son. But God waved all forms of evil away from the arena.

Indeed, plain-clothe security men detailed for the event overwhelmed the guests. That speaks volume.

It is a way of concluding that Nigeria is not the only country that is groaning under the pang of terrorism. Nothing best explains this than the large presence of men in uniform on the streets, churches, mosques, public buildings and even private residences in Trinidad and Tobago. The world indeed is under the siege of terrorism!

International tourism partners toast NTDC, Runsewe The Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, NTDC, has achieved another international recognition for Nigeria with the acceptance of the country as a destination member of the International Council of Tourism Partners, ICTP, a US-based international tourism body.

The development has been hailed by many as a laudable step in the marketing and promotion of Nigeria as a preferred destination for business and leisure.

ICTP President, Professor Geoffrey Lipman, stated this much when he described Nigeria as the biggest market on the continent.

“Nigeria is the biggest market in Africa with significant ‘travelism’ promise,” Lipman said. “As a member of ICTP, the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation will have a great opportunity to build environmental management at the heart of its development strategies. We look forward to working with them and Nigeria’s aviation and tourism community.”

Corroborating Lipman, the chairman of ICTP, Juergen T. Steinmetz, described Nigeria’s membership as a laudable initiative by the NTDC. “We could not find a better representative to be our first destination member from Nigeria than the NTDC itself. It has a long history of commitment to and passion for the tourism industry in its country.”

Reacting to the development, Director-General of NTDC, Otunba Olusegun Runsewe, described it as a worthy step in its effort at marketing and promoting the country.

“Nigeria’s membership of ICTP, as a destination member, justifies all our efforts at marketing Nigeria.

It is a remarkable and heart-warming achievement,” Runsewe said.

In an earlier press statement by ICTP, the NTDC boss described the ICTP as an enduring partner in its quest to celebrate Nigeria.

Runsewe

“We continue to explore international market platforms to promote Nigeria and in ICTP, we find an enduring partner in our quest to celebrate Nigeria, while adapting to the latest practices in tourism development,” Runsewe stated.

The ICTP is a grassroots travel and tourism coalition of global destinations committed to quality service and green growth.

ICTP also engages communities

and their stakeholders to share quality and green opportunities including tools and resources, access to funding, education and marketing support.

Some destination member countries are Germany, Gambia, Ghana, Greece, US, South Africa, Morocco, Malawi, Mauritius, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Iran, Korea (South), Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Seychelles.

SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

ASPIRE

Interview Continued from page 35

‘One of the greatest problems

administration of former Governor Ikedi Ohakim for appointing me GM of Heartland. Also, I thank Owelle Anayo Rochas Okorocha for giving me the nod to continue despite all odds from so many oppositions. Really, it paid off as we won both the Federation Cup and the Charity Cup just four months after.

Me, MKO Abiola and Amos Adamu After God and probably my late parents, the next person that has touched my life positively is Dr. Amos Adamu. We had a cordial relationship that was anchored on professional issues, not master-son relationship.

You see, I was elected the national president of SWAN in November 1991 but I assumed duties in 1992.

Adamu was appointed director-general of the then NFA(now NFF) in 1992 and we worked together to make football better than we met it. Mind you, Adamu was also director of the Ghana-Nigeria Nations Cup 2000 and also director, COJA2003. I functioned in one capacity or the other in all these competitions and Nigeria excelled.

The fact I want to make is that I used Amos Adamu to bolster Nigerian sports journalists and sports in general, especially SWAN. The trio of Adamu as the DG of NFF, Sani Toro as the secretary general of NFF and even Omeruah when he was elected as NFF chairman, believed in me and the Nigerian press and I exploited the opportunity to uplift Nigerian football.

It was Adamu who approved $250 for me per day as allowance because I was to travel for two weeks ahead of all Nigerian games as a member of the advance team to prepare the ground for Super Eagles. I saved this money and used it to better my live. It was while I was with Adamu that I became first Nigerian SWAN president to be secretary general of African Sports Journalists and even became executive member of AIPS. This means that I reached the pinnacle of my career.

You also recall that my administration organised SWAN Awards at Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Lagos and eight governors were in attendance. That was the standard we raised SWAN to. I introduced SWAN national I.D. cards as well as the SWAN Cup and my administration also ensured that every sports journalist is a member of NUJ and so on.

On the side of Abiola, he was one Nigerian that glamourised sports, especially football. He was the man that really backed us with money to ensure that we got all our programmes right. He bought a brand new vehicle for me as the SWAN president and when I was presented to him, he made the now popular statement: “You said his name is Fan Ndubuoke. Are you sure this fan will rotate?”

Nothing but passion One of the best managerial skills is for both investors and managers to recognise the powers of passion.

Passion could energise one’s talent.

What really carries people to the top and makes them take risks, go the extra mile and do whatever it takes to achieve their goals is nothing but passion. Some well-informed managers have stated it that passion is more important than a plan as it creates fire and provides fuel. One inspirational author has revealed that he had not met any passionate person who lacked energy. It has been agreed that a passionate person with limitations will outperform a passive person who possesses greater talent. As a matter of fact, passion is the first step towards success; it fires willpower, produces energy and puts a touch of excellence in virtually all things. Look at the pas-

Nigerians have is that most of our leaders are not firm’

38

MONEY AND ME I feel bad when Nigerians steal and stash it away abroad

first time in the history of the games, came tops on the overall medals’table.

And only recently, I was appointed as the general manager of Heartland FC of Owerri, a team that has been in the wilderness for close to two decades without winning any silverware. I came on board and took the side to a Federation Cup glory. That was a moment of joy for me and the entire team.

Fan

‘Since I started working, everything I have touched has always turned gold because I always stick out my neck for the best’ sion with which Martin Luther King Jr. went after his fight for civil rights for the blacks in America. You can see the passion with which touts at bus terminals demand their fees from motorists.

You see, the secret to learn in management is passion. You, the owner of the business must be passionate about the success of your business and you must try as much as possible to employ workers that have passion for the job you are offering them. The second rule of survival in business is that the investor must be courageous, firm and visionary. You must have courage for you to take business risks, which ordinarily most people will advise you against. For instance, one of the most successful businessmen in the world today should be Ted Turner, the owner of CNN. Have you read that he threatened to go the way of his father by committing suicide if he did not succeed with the actualisation date of giving the world a cable TV that would run 24 hours? Did he not succeed? He was absolutely courageous. The next law is being firm. One of the greatest problems Nigerians have is that most of our leaders are not firm. For a leader to continuously shift ground simply because one or two people are complaining is not a good attribute. And, then, vision is very important in business too. Imagine the vision of the man

that advised Coca Cola to sell in bottles rather than in jerry cans. Remember that a brand consultant came up with the idea for Cowbell milk to have its products in sachets sometime in 1992 or thereabouts and it was superb.

Moments of thrill and joy To start with, I can tell you that the day I was confirmed as a journalist was one of my happiest days in life.

You know, I had followed some great sports journalists like Robert Dum in the Imo State-owned newspapers, ESSBEE and Sunny Ojegbase of the good old Daily Times, Ernest Okonkwo of the FRCN, Agwu Nwogo of the old IBS and few others either in the print or electronic media.

It was only natural that I followed their footsteps and I am happy that I chose to be a journalist. I can also tell you without mincing words that the day I took my wife to the altar 25 years ago was a very happy day of my life, just as I cannot deny the fact that I was always elated on all the occasions my wife has put to birth because God has blessed me with both the male and female children. As a professional, I am very happy to have associated with the golden era of Nigerian football. I am talking about the 1993/94 Super Eagles team. All what we had that time were easily the best. The board which I was a member, coaching crew led by Clemence Westerhof were the best in Africa and among the best in the world, because Nigeria was African champion as we conquered the continent in Tunisia 94 and qualified for the World Cup for the first time. For the first time in the history of Nigerian football, one of our own, Rashidi Yekini, now late, was voted as the African Footballer of the Year in 1993. Do not forget that the man that made all these things happen was the late Emeka Omeruah who was then the NFF boss. Again, as I have said, I was happy to have been a part of COJA where, again, Nigeria, for the

Trials and sadness Well, as far as we live on earth, we are bound to experience one form of misfortune or the other. As a person, I do not allow my trials to overshadow me. Most trials in life come with multiple blessings. The pains and labour of the farming season bring the joy of harvest. My people say that without the pains of labour room, we cannot look forward to the joy of child delivery. As a Christian, too, I am very much aware that at one instance, our Lord Jesus Christ was crowned with thorns and few days later he was crowned with the throne of glory. To answer your question, one of the saddest moments of my life was when I lost my elder brother fondly known as Kamma or Toronto. He was not just my elder brother, he was my father, uncle and friend. But as a football fan, one of the days I cannot easily forget was sometime in 1975 when the Rangers lost what is known today as the CAF Champions League to Haifas of Guinea. It was the first time a Nigerian club was reaching the final of the competition after so many attempts. That day, it was as if holocaust had happened in Igboland as any football-loving son of Igbo origin felt the bitter loss. But the death of my mother in July 1978 would ever remain the saddest event ever to have happened to me. This is so because she laboured to train me in the secondary school alongside my father, but she died exactly one month after my WAEC and did not even live to see the outcome of the result. It was very painful. As for my father, he lived to see few of my achievements.

As a sports journalist, one of the days that brought pains to me was the day in December 1988 when Iwuanyanwu Nationale lost the final of the CAF Champions League to Setif of Algeria. Of course, as a manager, the USA 94 second round game between Nigeria and Italy where the Super Eagles lost with less than two minutes from full time is still very fresh in my mind.

As an administrator of the game, the officiating I witnessed in Congo few months ago in a Confederation Cup preliminary stage was unimaginable. I never knew that such a terrible officiating could happen in Africa. We were cruising to the group stage and it was just less than two minutes to the end of the added time when the centre referee from Rwanda, without any incident or any contact of any kind, pointed to the penalty spot and awarded a penalty against us. We lost the game. But as I said, these are some of the mountains somebody must climb so as to be great in life. As we say in our local parlance, there is no giant tree that does not have scars at its stem.

PROFESSOR AKPAN EKPO Director General,West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management Ask what money means to him and this is the answer you get: “I don’t believe in crude accumulation.”

For Professor Akpan Ekpo, money is meant to meet basic needs. Even though the former vice chancellor does not believe in accumulation of money, he detests laziness with a passion. “For you to have money at your disposal, you must work hard for it,” he says.

According to the professor who was born and raised in a humble background, “I just pray that I have money so that I don’t have to scratch my head to buy necessary things. In other words, I just need money to meet basic needs. I don’t need accumulation. I don’t believe in crude accumulation.

I believe that money should just be there for you to meet your needs. And if you do an honest work and you grow old, your pension should take care of you. I make money consulting but I don’t accumulate. I have a special scheme. In my father’s name in the village, 10 persons, and in my mother’s 16 persons are on the scheme. I believe that if they are educated, then you change their worldviews. That is why when Nigerians steal money and they take it abroad, I feel bad because there is a lot to be done in this country. I just think one should get enough to build a house; shelter is very important.”

SATURDAY SUN

July 21, 2012

Special Report

ASPIRE

The State of Our States Rivers State comprising Ahoada, Brass, Degema, Ogoni and Port Harcourt Divisions. The states will be free to adopt any particular names they choose in the future.

Continued from page 34

‘The struggle ahead is for the well-being of the present and future generations of Nigerians.

Administrative arrangements

If it were possible for us to avoid chaos and civil war merely by drifting apart as some people claim that easy choice may have been taken’ first so as to remove the fear of domination.

Representatives drawn from the new states will be more able to work out the future constitution for this country which can contain provisions to protect the powers of the states to the fullest extent desired by the Nigerian people.

As soon as these states are established, a new Revenue Allocation Commission consisting of international experts will be appointed to recommend an equitable formula for revenue allocation taking into account the desires of the states. I propose to act faithfully within the political and administrative programme adopted by the Supreme Military Council and published last month.

The world will recognise in these proposals our desire for justice and fair play for all sections of this country and to accommodate all genuine aspirations of the diverse people of this great country.

I have ordered the re-imposition of the economic measures designed to safeguard federal interests until such a time as the Eastern Military Government abrogates its illegal edicts on revenue collection and the administration of the Federal Statutory Corporations based in the East. The country has a long history of well articulated demands for states.

The fears of minorities were explained in great detail and set out in the report of the Willink Commission appointed by the British in 1958. More recently there has been extensive discussion in Regional Consultative Committees and Leaders-of-

39

Gowon Thought Conferences.

Resolutions have been adopted demanding the creation of states in the North and in Lagos. Petitions from minority areas in the East which have been subjected to violent intimidation by the Eastern Military Government have been widely publicized.

While the present circumstances regrettably do not allow for consultations through plebiscites, I am satisfied that the creation of new states as the only possible basis for stability and equality is the overwhelming desire of vast majority of Nigerians.

To ensure justice, these states are being created simultaneously. To this end, therefore, I am promulgating a Decree which will divide the Federal Republic into twelve states. The twelve states will be six in the present Northern Region, three in the present Eastern Region, the Mid-West will remain as it is, the Colony Province of the Western Region and Lagos will form a new Lagos State and the Western Region will otherwise remain as it is.

I must emphasise at once that the Decree will provide for a States Delimitation Commission which will ensure that any

divisions or towns not satisfied with the states in which they are initially grouped will obtain redress. But in this moment of serious National Emergency the co-operation of all concerned is absolutely essential in order to avoid any unpleasant consequences.

The twelve new states, subject to marginal boundary adjustments, will therefore be as follows: North-Western State comprising Sokoto and Niger Provinces. North-Central State comprising Katsina and Zaria. Kano State comprising the present Kano Province.

North-Eastern State comprising Borno, Adamawa, Sardauna and Bauchi Provinces.

Benue/Plateau State comprising Benue and Plateau Provinces. Lagos State comprising the Colony Province and the Federal Territory of Lagos. Western State comprising the present Western Region but excluding the Colony Province. Mid-Western State comprising the present Mid-Western State.

East-Central State comprising the present Eastern Region excluding Calabar, Ogoja and Rivers Provinces. South-Eastern State comprising Calabar and Ogoja Provinces.

The immediate administrative arrangements of the new states have been planned and the names of the Military Governors appointed to the new states will be gazetted shortly. The allocation of federally collected revenue to the new states on an interim basis for the first few months has also been planned.

The successor states in each former region will share the revenue until a more permanent formula is recommended by the new Revenue Allocation Commission. It is my fervent hope that the existing regional Authorities will co-operate fully to ensure the smoothest possible establishment of the new states.

It is also my hope that the nee to use force to support any new state will not arise. I am, however, ready to protect any citizens of this country who are subject to intimidation or violence in the course of establishment of these new states.

My dear countrymen, the struggle ahead is for the well-being of the present and future generations of Nigerians. If it were possible for us to avoid chaos and civil war merely by drifting apart as some people claim that easy choice may have been taken.

But we know that to take such a course will quickly lead to the disintegration of the existing regions in condition of chaos and to disastrous foreign interference. We now have to adopt the courageous course of facing the fundamental problem that has plagued this country since the early 50s.

There should be no recrimination. We must all resolve to work together. It is my hope that those who disagreed in the past with the Federal Military Government through genuine misunderstanding and mistrust will now be convinced of our purpose and be willing to come back and let us plan and work together for the realisation of the political and administrative programme of the Supreme Military Council, and for the early restoration of full civilian rule in circumstances which would enhance just and honest and patriotic government.

I appeal to the general public to continue to give their co-operation to the Federal Military Government; to go about their normal business peacefully; to maintain harmony with all communities wherever they live; to respect all the directives of the Government including directives restricting the movements of people while the emergency remains.

State creation: Fast facts •

• • • • • • • •

1914: Lord Lugard amalgamated the protectorates of Southern and Northern Nigeria and the Colony of Lagos to form Nigeria. The administrative areas of Northern and Southern Nigeria remained under respective Lt. Governors while the Crown Colony of Lagos remained a separate unit under an administrator.

1939: Southern Nigeria sub-divided into Western Nigeria and Eastern Nigeria with their headquarters at Ibadan and Enugu while Northern province has its seat in Kaduna.

1947: The provinces became known as Regions 1963: Mid-West Region created 1967: Creation of 12 states by the military government headed by then General Yakubu Gowon.

1975: General Murtala Mohammed increased it to 19 states. Abuja was also created and designated as Federal Capital Territory 1989: Nigeria became 21 states with the creation of two more states by General Ibrahim Babangida.

1991: General Ibrahim Babangida increased the tally to 30 states 1996: General Sani Abacha created six new states to take the number of states to 36

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The State of Our States

July 21, 2012

Special Report

The Mbanefo Report on State Creation YENAGOA. ii. From Enugu and Abia States EBONYI, Capital ABAKALIKI. iii. From Ondo State EKITI, Capital ADOEKITI. iv. From Bauchi State, GOMBE, Capital GOMBE. v. From Plateau State, NASARAWA, Capital LAFIA. vi. From Sokoto State, ZAMFARA, Capital GUSAU. Chapter 7 Special request asking for the name ADAMAWA State to revert to its old name GONGOLA. The committee recommends this request.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The highlights of the report together with the recommendation therein are summarised hereunder:

1. Section A GENERAL Chapter 1 This chapter discussed the setting up of the committee and its terms of reference. The committee’s general approach to the assignment and the report plan.

Chapter 2 This chapter discussed broad issues and principles of government and governance in Nigeria and concluded that the Federal Government in continuing to break up the component units of the Federation has failed to look and examine closely the relevance and needs of the various tiers of government in the federation. It drew attention to the fact that the states have continued to equate themselves to regional governments we knew in obedience to the injunction that “each State created must be in a position to discharge effectively the functions allocated to Regional Government” and made bold to say that unless this anomaly is addressed at this time, the search for a stable political arrangement for Nigeria will for ever continue and the craving for new States by various groups and minorities will never die down.

Chapter 3 This chapter discussed the recommendations of the Constitutional Conference on the Creation of States and Local Governments and concluded that the conference did not recommend any state and local government areas for creation. Instead, the conference decided to refer all the memoranda received to the Federal Military Government for whatever action it might consider appropriate in the circum-

3.

Section C LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA CREATION

Abacha

Obasanjo

Yar’Adua

Jonathan

Chapter 3 This chapter evaluated the previous efforts at states creation in Nigeria. It concluded that reasons often given for the creation of more states would seem only to meet the objective of those in power at the time.

Chapter 4 This chapter dealt with the analysis and evaluation of requests for state creation received by the committee. Altogether the committee received 195 memoranda demanding the creation of 72 new states. Only in Yobe State was there no request.

Chapter 5 This chapter set out the principles from which the criteria for the creation of states were drawn. The committee was strongly influenced by the need to preserve the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy set out in the Constitution of Nigeria.

Chapter 6 This chapter discussed conclusions and recommendations. It set out three (3) provisos based on which it has recommended to

government six (6) new states for creation: i. that the present powers of state government particularly their structures and paraphernalia of office will be sufficiently reduced to make their functions more relevant and cost effective. ii. that state functions will include direct supervision and co-ordination of local government councils activities so as to ensure that services and development are evenly distributed in all local government areas within each state in such a manner that the masses will feel and perceive the effect of government. iii. that states will be able to develop at their own pace, set their priorities themselves and be able to meet their costs within their own resources. (For example, there is no reason why each state should have the same number of ministries, the same salaries scheme and emolument structure etc.).

The six (6) recommended new states are: i. From Rivers State BAYELSA, Capital

stance.

2.Section B STATES CREATION Chapter 1 This chapter discussed in brief an historical perspective of states creation in Nigeria over the years.

Chapter 2 This chapter discussed the determination of optimum number of states for Nigeria and concluded that for as long as state boundaries can be altered at will to create another state, for as long will it be impossible to determine such a number. It then suggested that if such exercise must be engaged in with any seriousness, government must go back to where it veered away from its set course at independence and: i. Reaffirm or decide whether it should have a federal or unitary government (in practice); ii. Determine the true relationships between the three tiers of government as translated in their defined functions, responsibilities and inter-relationships. iii. Decide to what extent the sanctity of state boundaries can be protected by the constitution.

Concluding, the committee suggested that as a starting point the constitution should be amended by expunging Section 9 which deals with “States Creation and Boundary Adjustment” and replace it with something like the following: “No new states may be created in the federation nor may the boundaries of the states be changed; local government areas may be created for effective administration, and their boundaries may be adjusted within the respective states of the federation to accommodate such changes in the number of local government areas within a state”.

The import of such a provision is that states can no longer be created without amending the constitution which process is not easy.

Chapter 1 This sets out a brief historical perspective of local governments in Nigeria.

Chapter 2 This chapter discussed and evaluated all the previous local government creation exercises in Nigeria. It discussed the various reforms ending with the introduction of “Executive Presidential” system in local governments structure of government in Nigeria.

Chapter 3 This chapter discussed local government creation in Nigeria. It highlighted the relationship between state and local government in Nigeria and concluded that the present system is top heavy and does not allow for easy accountability, efficiency and transparency.

The committee recommended the introduction of prudent management at the local government level as well as the need for the affairs of local governments to be run openly by councilors at least once each quarter having the people in the local government area to attend their meeting at which the councilors will brief them on their activities in the local government area.

Chapter 4 This treated the problems of local government areas created in state capital cities and concluded that such creations are not based on the need for development but purely political. It recommended creating state capital and similar urban areas which are centres of population concentration into municipalities under the administrative charge of Mayors.

Chapter 5 This discussed the principles upon which the criteria for the creation of Local Government Areas were drawn.

Chapter 6 This analysed and evaluated the various requests the committee received. The committee received 2,369 memoranda requesting for 1,875 Local Government Areas.

Chapter 7 The committee, in this chapter, listed all the Local Government Areas showing the existing and the total number now assigned to each state. Altogether, the committee recommended 500 new Local Government Areas making a total of 1,089 without the four (4) Area Councils in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

4.

Section D THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY,ABUJA CITY This section discussed the Federal Capital Territory namely in the context of the constitutional provision for the territory. The committee concluded that it did not feel competent to make recommendation for new Area Councils and recommended that: i. Government takes a firm decision to see to it

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July 21, 2012

Special Report

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The State of Our States

that Federal Capital Territory, Abuja is a Municipal Development Area, therefore, divesting the city of any politics of locality and so-called indigenous land speculators and dealers. ii. The Mayoralty of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, should be guaranteed adequate allocation from the Federation Account which is commensurate with the responsibilities or functions assigned to it. iii. Government ensures that the city is treated as a community that would be a reflection of the unity of the Nigerian Federation and a cosmopolitan Nigerian city its builders and inhabitants looked forward to.

5.

Section E BOUNDARY ADJUSTMENT The section discussed the issues of boundary disputes and boundary adjustment. It referred specifically to the inability of government to correct artificial inter-state boundaries which have continued to be a source of bitter communal disturbances and recommended to government to set up a panel to look further into such matters. All told, ninety-nine (99) such cases were presented to the committee.

The committee recommended adjusting the boundaries of Jigawa State and Kano State to move Kazaure Emirate from Jigawa to Kano State. It further recommended a boundary adjustment between Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State to move the Bakassi Group of Islands and the Oron, Okobo, Urueoffong, Oruko, Mbo and Ibeno Communities from Akwa Ibom State to Cross River State.

6.

Section F COMMENTS AND OBSERVATION ON RELEVANT NATIONAL ISSUES Mbanefo Chapter 1 This chapter discussed the “Concept of Development in Respect to States and Local Governments Creation.” The committee concluded by defining development as those efforts which directly impact positively on the lives of a people and their environment to enhance their social, economic, political and human development status. It should not just be seen as only building houses and roads in a state capital or local government headquarters.

Chapter 2 This chapter discussed the very poor quality of civil service from where new states and local government areas are expected to draw their staff. It drew attention to the impact of statism which made it nearly impossible for states to accept qualified staff of other state indigene with the resultant deterioration of the quality of staff and productivity in those states. The committee advocated training and development of staff in the services of the various tiers of government particularly the new ones which would stretch already dangerously thing numbers in existing states by some moving to the new states or local government areas when created.

Chapter 3 This chapter discusses the differences between the legislative powers of states as contained in the constitution and the need to assign specific function to the various tiers of government as was done in the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution for Local Governments and Traditional Council. A few examples of what a State, rather than a local government would do were given in the Chapter.

Chapter 4 This defined the concept of a Federal Territory which should comprise a specific location or area in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which because of the concentration of the infrastructural and strategic development and security imperatives is considered national enough to be at all times under the full charge of the Central (Federal) Government irrespective of the State or Local Government Area the property is located.

Examples include Onne, Bonny Island, Old Ikoyi etc.

Chapter 5 This chapter dealt with the fears of minorities most of which are quite genuine. It concluded by recommending to the government to set up a panel to look into some of these fears in order to find lasting solutions to them.

7.

Section G NEXT STEPS This comprised a number of things which government should do when it decides to accept and implement some of the committee’s recommendations.

41

SECTION A – GENERAL OVERVIEW CHAPTER 1 PRELIMINARIES The 1995 October 1st national broadcast by the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, General Sani Abacha, GCON, unfolded the administration’s Transition to Civil Rule Programme in which it was first indicated that Six Transition Organs/Institutions would be established to assist and ensure a smooth transition to Civil Rule. One of these is the State Creation, Local Government and Boundary Adjustment Committee. The composition of this committee and the date and time it will be inaugurated by the Head of State in Abuja was subsequently announced by the Federal Government in the electronic and print media on Tuesday, 5th December, 1995.

The Transition to Civil Rule Programme unfolded in the broadcast showed that creation of new states and local government areas, if any, will be effected at the end of the second quarter of 1996. The overall programme was expected to run over three (3) years ending October 1998.

Appointment of Committee and Terms of Reference On Wednesday, 13th December, 1995, the Head of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, General Sani Abacha, GCON, inaugurated the States Creation, Local Government and Boundary Adjustment Committee at Aso Chambers, State House, Abuja. This committee comprised the following members: (a) Chief Arthur C. I. Mbanefo, MFR the Odu of Onitsha - Chairman (b) Maj. Gen. Peter Adomokhai (Rtd) - Member (c) Chief Kunle Oluwasanmi - “ (d) Alhaji Abubakar Ladan - “ (e) Alhaji Umaru Azores Sulaiman - “ (f) Alhaji Abba Gana Terab - “ (g) Alhaji Bello Kofar Bai - “ (h) Alhaji Usman Nagogo - “ (i) Dr. Josiah C. Odunna - “ (j) Mrs. Femi Taire - “ (k) Dr. O. Mfon Amana - “ (l) Chief Maximus Ukuta - “ (m) Chief Elias Nathan - “

The committee started its assignment shortly after its inauguration in the afternoon.

Although a specific deadline for the conclusion of the assignment was not issued to the committee, the committee quickly programmed itself to tackle its assignment with the primary objective of fitting squarely into the Federal Government’s declared Transition to Civil Rule Programme as referred to in the above introduction. The Head of State’s speech during the inaugura-

tion of the committee is reproduced in Appendix 1 to this report.

Terms of Reference The following were the terms of references assigned to the committee: (a) To study the recommendations of the Constitutional Conference on the Creation of States and Local Government. (b) To obtain memoranda and other written submissions from any interested groups and individuals, and the general public on the demand for creation of states and local governments. (c) To visit areas/locations where there are demands for states and local governments. (d) To determine the number of states and local governments to be created. (e) To make recommendations to the Federal Government as to the number of states and local governments to be created. (f) To delineate boundaries of the recommended states and local governments. (g) To determine appropriate names and suggest capitals for the proposed states and local governments.

The Head of State in his inauguration address further directed the committee to execute its assignment with courage and fairness indicating that “the issue of the structure of our federal system of government is of paramount importance. The subject is consistent with our desire for a balanced federation and the new philosophy of power sharing designed to give every section of the country hope in the polity.”

Approach to the Assignment The committee planned its assignment under three main discernable phases, namely: - Information gathering; - Nation-wide tour to sensitise and assess the true yearnings of the majority of the people; and - Analysis, evacuation of information and report. (a) Information Gathering The committee invited memoranda from people interested in its terms of reference. A copy of the press release inviting memoranda and other information is shown in Appendix II to this report.

The committee collected and studied all past reports and records of relevant bodies which had done similar exercises to its charge in the past. In particular, Report of the Panel to Investigate the Issue of the Creation of More States and Boundary Adjustments in Nigeria (Irikefe Report, 1976); Report of the Commission to Enquire into the Fears of

Minorities and the Means of Allaying Them (Willink Report, 1957); Report of Local Government Administration in Nigeria (Dasuki Report, 1984); Report of the Constitutional Conference 1995 (The Committee on Creation of States and Local Governments), were considered.

Prominent and knowledgeable Nigerian administrators and citizens including some former Heads of State and their deputies (where appropriate) were interviewed.

Acknowledged authorities in the subjects of the committee’s terms of reference were invited and they addressed the committee. In some cases, workshops were held for the committee together with these experts.

Resource materials and position papers were also prepared for the committee by – - The National Boundary Commission - National Council on Intergovernmental Relations (now defunct) - States and Local Government Affairs Department in the Office of the Chief of General Staff at the Presidency - The Ministry of the Federal Capital Territory.

Resource materials were also collected from some Military Administrators on issues of concern to their states which they considered relevant to the committee’s assignment.

Needless to add that the committee assiduously read various publications and opinions in the national dailies, magazines, and books that were considered relevant to its work. (b) Nation-Wide Tour The committee held public hearing in each of the 30 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, to meet with individuals and groups that had earlier sent memoranda to it, in compromise with its terms of reference – “to visit areas/locations where there are demands for states and local governments.” The committee settled for visits to state capital cities only because of time constraints as well as cost and logistics implications. It must be said that from all assessments the tour was adjudged very successful as everyone was given due attention and time to express him/herself. The presentations were very well articulated, frank and educative. The Nigerians who defended their memoranda before the committee in many cases included a former Vice President, former State Governors, Ministers and Commissioners as well as serving Commissioners in a few cases, Traditional Rulers, acknowledged political leaders, and leaders of commerce, industry, labour and professions. This, no doubt, pitched the discourse at acceptable high levels. A copy of the committee’s nation-wide tour itinerary is shown in Appendix III to this report.

Relevant maps were physically examined, verbatim reports of proceedings were taken and reproduced, voice tape recordings of proceedings and video recordings were also produced. (c) Analysis, Evaluation of Information and Report The committee at the end of its information gathering and nation-wide tour, settled down, and examined, reviewed, and analysed the information and materials, and drew appropriate conclusions and recommendations which have been articulated in this report.

Report Plan This report has been planned as hereunder to facilitate reference to relevant aspects of the committee’s assignment. For this reason, the report has been grouped under sections each dealing exclusively with a primary aspect of the committee’s terms of reference as shown below: Section A General Overview.

Section B States Creation.

Section C Local Government Areas Creation.

Section D Federal Capital Territory Section E Boundary Adjustments.

Section F Comments and Observations on Relevant National Issues.

Section G Next Steps.

Subjects falling naturally under each section have been discussed under relevant and appropriate chapters properly captioned for clarity and ease of reference.

Atable of the contents of the report will also facilitate reference.

Continued on page 42