Business
Saving Our Commonwealth: Thoughts on Legislative Oversight
In 1787, the United States gave the world a unique gift. Through the famous Philadelphia Convention, Congressional Oversight came into existence as a means of reviewing, monitoring and supervising government agencies, programmes and activities. Aside the American Congress which continues to exercise this legislative power through the Congressional Committee System, other democracies including Nigeria are today partakers of this great tradition.
Perhaps initiators of the concept of legislative oversight acknowledged the fact that human beings when entrusted with responsibility and commonwealth are likely to abuse the privilege, hence the need for checks and close watching. There is no where that the tendency to abuse office and commonwealth is more glaring than the Third World countries such as Nigeria and other Sub-Saharan African countries.
For us in the House of Representatives, our equivalent of the American Legislative Reorganization Act of 1946 which concretised the Philadelphia Convention is Section 88 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and Order xviii, Rule 184 of the Standing Orders of the House of Representatives. Here, oversight is embedded in the powers of the legislature.
I admit that there is some truth in the allegation that in a few isolated cases, this power of legislative oversight has been abused for selfish purposes by those who do not understand the purpose and import of the role. This isolated few do not appreciate that oversight is a sacred duty being carried on behalf of the Nigerian masses who entrusted us with such solemn responsibility.
A few days ago, I had reasons to reflect on oversight as a legislative tool. My thought also drifted to the state of Nigeria’s public institutions, not necessarily in the oil and gas sector. My reflections stemmed from a recent oversight tour of both public and private businesses in the petroleum downstream sector in the South-West geo-political zone of Nigeria. For a while, I saluted the courage and vision of men like James Madison and other founding fathers of America who thought it wise to empower Congress with the power of oversight. I really do not think I should overemphasise the privileges and opportunities American citizens and public organizations have enjoyed over the years on account of this legislative instrument.
Nigeria’s National Assembly does not have the long history or the good fortune of America’s Congress that has over two centuries of uninterrupted process. This partially accounts for the few isolated cases of abuse of power of oversight. However, I still believe our legislature need not attain that stature of America’s Congress to effectively add value to the democratic process and there is no better time than now to monitor government business and our commonwealth. As our public organizations stand today, there is really need to worry. And except we urgently address our decrepit infrastructure and man power needs with everything at our disposal, our public institutions may one day grind to a halt.
As representatives of our people, we therefore have everything to gain by routinely monitoring the executive arm for probity, fidelity and above all, efficiency without necessarily being adversarial. This is a sacred duty we owe to the ordinary Nigerian people who have vested in us their trust.
But for this recent oversight tour involving members of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream) one would not have been able to fully appreciate the enormity of the deterioration of public infrastructure in the petroleum downstream sector.
In just four days, we visited about eleven private oil and gas facilities and over four oil and gas infrastructure belonging to and managed by government. However, the most disturbing but revealing aspect of the tour is our shared view that government is a bad businessman. My colleagues and I agreed that the more businesses are removed from the purview of government, the better for that business, the government itself and even our people.
The Committee also took note of the multifarious problems facing these public institutions. For me, the most critical is power. Almost everywhere we went, power remained recurrent because it plays a vital role in almost every business venture. Issues of obsolete equipment, poor management, inadequate staffing, funding, pipeline vandalism, transparency and environmental challenges also came up.
Again, one baffling contradiction is the unresolved issues around HHK or DPK (kerosene). I had to repeatedly ask questions bordering on the never-ending scarcity of HHK or DPK and the question of transparency and greed which in my considered opinion, is at the centre of the crisis. Like most Nigerians, I know that this product which services the mass of our people never reaches the final consumer at government approved rate. Sadly, the answers were unsatisfactory. Beyond the availability of HHK or DPK, I know that Nigeria has the capacity to swiftly transit from DPK to LPG (gas) as source of domestic fuel, which is now widely used in countries like Ghana, Cameroun and other smaller countries within our sub-region. The fact that we have not taken deliberate steps to re-orientate our people and develop gas infrastructure to support the use of gas as domestic fuel in homes is an indictment on our leadership.
Therefore If we must live by the dictum which confers responsibility on democracy as a government of the people, then everybody in the public space working for Nigeria including legislators, must have the interest of the larger percentage of Nigerians at heart. If ordinary people in these less endowed countries can access gas, then our people have every right not only to LPG, but a better life. And I think that is what government is all about.
This Seventh Assembly just turned one but one could still look back with some sense of pride. In the Lower Chamber for instance, we have had challenges but we have also taken very hard and unpopular decisions in the interest of the Nigerian people. Under the leadership of the Rt. Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and Emeka Ihedioha, we have kept faith with the people of Nigeria. But we are also aware that the room for improvement is the biggest room. Those who are impatient with the National Assembly have every right to feel so but they should also be reminded that this institution is the youngest arm of government. The National Assembly certainly may not have met the expectations of majority of our people but everybody admits we are on course. Rays of hope are evident!
This may not be the best of seasons for Nigeria but we should also remember that greatness is a process, not an event, even though I disagree with those who opine that the current challenges are necessary for our growth and development. I therefore wish to congratulate the Seventh Assembly as it turns one. But I would also want to remind the law makers of the need not to falter in their constitutional duties. Majority of our people are living below poverty line, infrastructure is virtually non-existent and economic growth is stunted. Therefore, we must be guided by this reality which is very discouraging and unacceptable.
The events following the recent tragedy that befell Nigeria’s aviation industry are all pointers to the readiness of the legislature to serve the interest of Nigerians. Aside the visit to the crash site by members of both the upper and lower Chambers, the legislature has also vowed to independently carry out its own investigation regarding the crash. At other times, we also saw a parliament that was alive to its duties and willing to initiate interventions for the common good.
We must therefore support our law makers. The law makers on the other hand must also at all times invoke every legitimate legislative instrument necessary for its work. We must learn to live by the strength of our example typified by high moral standing. Oversight for instance, remains a veritable weapon. But for this weapon to be effective, information must be at the disposal of the legislature. There must also be information about the activities of where they are over sighting so that they can feed back into better law-making. That, for me is the path to travel.
Amaopusenibo (Hon.) Dakuku Peterside, member, House of Representatives is also Chairman House Committee on Petroleum (Downstream)
Hon. Dakuku Peterside
Business
Food Vendors, Others Relocate To New Site At PH Airport
The raging controversy between the Port Harcourt International Airport Management and restaurants/canteen operators and theirallies over relocation has been brought under control, as the operators have commenced relocation to their structures at the new site.
Recall that there had been serious feud over a directive by the Manager of the airport, Mr. Michael Area, for food vendors and their allies to relocate to the new site.
They insisted that the new site was too distant and hence, would negatively affect patronage from customers, with possible loss.
They further also insisted that it wouldcost them much money to put up another structure, given the economic situation in the country, since the airport management did not build any structure for them, apart from providing the empty land they have to also pay for.
The situation had led to flexing of muscles, which made the Airport Manager to order for sealing of all shops, resulting in scarcity of food, as airport users could not find a place to eat, apart from the only Genesis fast food spot available.
As at last Friday, The Tide observed that most of the food vendors had transferred their structures to the new place, and had started doing business there already.
Meanwhile, customers have started settling down at the new location as they were seen patronising shops for foods and drinks, in spite of the distance.
Few of the remaining structures at the old site, The Tide further gathered, will also be removed as quickly as possible, and the owners are making efforts to get funds for the job to be done.
One of them, Mrs Aka Love explained that she was going to relocate to the new place before the end of March.
Currently, business activities at the old site have come to null, as the place which was usually a beehive of food, drinks and relaxation, has completely winded down.
By: Corlins Walter
Business
MOWCA Strengthens Maritime Crime Prevention
Secretary General of the Maritime Organisation of West and Central Africa (MOWCA), Dr. Paul Adalikwu, has stepped up interaction with the United States Government to lift restrictions placed on some member countries allegedly implicated in illicit shipping activities.
Adalikwu, who led a delegation from the MOWCA Secretariat to the US Embassy in Abidjan for a first leg of the strategic consultation aimed at promoting seamless participation of MOWCA countries in international trade within the global maritime space, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to the best ethical and lawful maritime practices.
Addressing the U.S Ambassador to Côte d’Ivoire, H.E Mrs Jessica Davis Ba, the MOWCA SG stated the organisation’s interest in promoting the International Ship and Port facility Security (ISPS) code which aims at enhancing security of vessels and their ports of call.
He expressed the commitment of MOWCA in promoting environmentally friendly, safe and cost effective shipping without any encumbrance that may limit the economic potential of member countries.
Dr Adalikwu recalled that at the instance of the U.S. Department of State invitation, MOWCA participated in the 2023 Registry Information Sharing Compact (RISC) Conference in Larnaca, Cyprus, on February 28–March 1, 2023, and a virtual meeting held on June 6 2023, with Mrs Jennifer Chalmers, Officer in change of Counterproliferation Initiative.
He recalled The U.S. DOS willingness to support MOWCA’s effort for preventive maritime security through the establishment of the Center for Information and Communication (CINFOCOM) with the aim to ensure a maritime situational awareness domain within MOWCA’s member states’ waters.
He added that MOWCA under his watch is committed to training and retraining of maritime practitioners and experts to enhance the human capital capabilities of member states.
The CINFOCOM will help prevent transnational crimes committed at sea like sanctions evasion by North Korea and other state actors, who exploit poor enforcement due diligence by ship open registries to circumvent United Nations and U.S. trade restrictions.
By: Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Business
Nigeria’s Public Debt Hits N97.3trn – DMO
The Debt Management Office (DMO) has hinted that Nigeria’s public debt increased by 10.7 per cent from N87.87 trillion in the third quarter of last year, to N97.34 trillion as at December 31, 2023.
DMO, in an update data released last Friday, said the increase in the debt stock was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the Federal Government to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
The office noted that the N97.3 trillion public debt comprises of domestic debt of N59.12 trillion and external debt of N38.22 trillion. The sum of $3.5 billion was used to service external debt during the review period.
“Nigeria’s Public Debt Stock as at December 31, 2023 was N97.34trillion or $108.229 billion. This amount comprises the domestic and external debt stocks of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), the 36 States Governments, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“There was an increase of N9.43 trillion over the comparative figure for September, 2023, which was largely due to new domestic borrowing by the FGN to part finance the deficit in the 2024 Appropriation Act and disbursements by multilateral and bilateral lenders.
“At N59.12 trillion, total domestic debt accounted for 61 percent of the total public debt stock, while external debt at N38.22 trillion accounted for the balance of 39 percent.
“Consistent with the debt management strategy, Nigeria’s external debt stock was skewed in favour of loans from multilateral (49.77 percent) and bilateral lenders (14.02 percent) or total of 63.79 percent which are mostly concessional and semi-concessional.
“Whilst the DMO continues to employ best practice in public debt management, the recent and on-going efforts of the fiscal authorities to shore up revenue will support debt sustainability”, DMO stated.
By: Corlins Walter
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