Politics
INC and Politics of Nation Building
The Ijaw National Congress (INC), a social-cultural organisation and the umbrella body of the Ijaw ethnic nationality has been a very vocal voice among the 250 ethnic nationalities in Nigeria. Found in six states of the federation.
They are Bayelsa, Akwa IBom, Delta, Edo Rivers and Ondo States that make up the geographical entity called Nigeria.
The organisation which pioneered the agitation for resource control, neglect, marginalisation of the Niger Delta People and South South president became a formaidable rallying point to demand for better treatment from the federal government. They condemned environmental degradation caused by multinational oil firms that explore and exploit the natural resources which God put in their soil that was meant to be used to tackle the difficult terrain of the area.
In other words, God deliberately created the people of the region, put them in the difficult environment and buried black gold that would be utilized to surmount the developmental challenges of the people. This led to agitations, following many years of unfulfilled promises to uplift the worsening condition of living of the Niger Delta region.
Consciously, the Federal government under successive administrations, presided over the wealth form the area through the crude oil resources that produce over 90 per cent of the country’s earnings.
However, the genuine struggle of the Ijaw ethnic nationality and indeed the entire people of the region began to attract international sympathy as the issue of indigenous notn working in the companies operating in the locality came to the fore. Thus, youth unemployment rose to the high heavens and the resultltant effect was the hijacking of the struggle by the youngmen who created illegitimate economy to survive and ciriminality creeped into the reasonable agitation for improvement in the living conditions of the people.
There is no doubt, the struggle of the Ijaw ethnic nationality can be described as successful, considering the emergence of Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, as Vice President and subsequent election as the first President of Nigeria from the Ijaw extraction.
Although, today, the activities of INC appear to have nose dived in recent times as alleged in-fighting and penetration of partisan politics into the ranks of the organisation may be diminishing the success recorded by the body.
Recently, the National President of INC Dr. Atuboyedia Obianime was suspended from office laying credence to the existence of internal squabble in the once vibrant Ijaw National Congress.
Perhaps, the inactive posture of the organisation may be a new strategy adopted by the body so as not to confront the federal government led by an Ijaw man, from Otueke, in Bayelsa State. But the Acting President of INC, Chief Joshua Benamaisia Ibiakpo, denied insinuations that the organisation is in disarray rather admitted that their activities have slowed down a little.
Chief Ibiakpo, who spoke to The Tide Political desk, said disagreements abound in every human organisation, including family set up but it does not translate to affecting the workings of the congress.
Though, the Ijaw struggle did not start today some achievements have been recorded, emphasising that the demand for resource control and self determination remains the reason for their support for restructuring of the country which is already before the National Assembly.
He restated the demand for the creation of two states, for the Ijaw race namely Oil Rivers out of Rivers and Akwa Ibom States, Toru-Ebe out of the present Delta, Edo and Ondo States, insisting that they are against any balkanisation of the Ijaw people in the country and called on the federal government to intervene in the problem in Edo State where the Ijaws are being denied their place in the scheme of things.
As expected, INC proactive steps is to assist President Jonathan’s administration to succeed by giving him maximum cooperation which perhaps accounts for the slow pace of their activities. According to the Acting President the bomb blasts in the country are acts of terrorism by some unscrupulous Nigerians to distract the President who was voted into power as a unifying factor in the country.
To that extent, he argued that Nigeria is together and would continue to be one indivisible entity, emphasizing that what Nigeria needs at the moment is restructuring which would be achieved through the convening of an ethnic national conference. The present 1999 constitution is flawed for retaining military programmes in form of decrees and cited the land use decree as being in effect under a civilian regime.
Obviously, the only constitution INC would support is the one where the people will participate in its formulation so that various interests would be considered for the over wellbeing of the country.
On the position of Ijaw National Congress, on the proposed removal of Petroleum subsidy, Chief Ibiakpo, said “fuel subsidy has always been there since the military era and the system has remained porous which made the subsidy not to benefit the poor masses. For instance kerosene is subsided for N50.00 but today it sells for between N150 and N200 per litre, thereby making the ordinary people not to feel the impact of the subsidy.”
Fortunately, rather than criticise, the INC leadership took a step further by going to the Minister of Petroleum Resources to make inquiry and have gotten the full analysis which informs its position on the issue. The question that readily agitate the minds of Nigerians are not far fetched, who are the beneficiaries of the subsidy on Petroleum products?, why are the four refineries not working? What is responsible for the lack of political will to checkmake those obstructing the realisation of this programme over the year.
Answers to these questions would keep our minds pondering in different directions but the political class must embark on soul searching venture to purge itself of the enigma if the country must achieve its dream of being one of the best 20 economies in the world by 2020.
Even as the Ijaw nation continues its struggle which dates back to the colonial era and the achievement of some degree of success by the organisation, the present leadership of the organisation is being watched by many to see how the vision of the founding fathers of the body would be actualised in the years to come.
The perceived in-fighting in INC should be resolved quickly to enable it provide the needed cover for their kinsmen President Jonathan. Therefore Ijaw elders must rise to the occasion to proffer workable solution to the issues involved, otherwise the impasse may degenerate to factionalisation of the congress and that would lead to unsavouring consequences for a pace-setting ethnic nationality.
The PDP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Ibrahim Abdullahi, and the Deputy National Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, wondered why President Bola Tinubu was in a hurry to pass the bills.
For more than two weeks, the bills have sparked widespread controversy with some northern lawmakers strongly opposed to the passage of the bills.
Following approval of the Federal Executive Council in October, President Tinubu transmitted four tax reform bills to the National Assembly for consideration.
The Federal Government says the bills are aimed at overhauling the nation’s tax system.
They include the Nigeria Tax Bill 2024, the Nigeria Tax Administration Bill, the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Bill, and the Joint Revenue Board (Establishment) Bill.
The proposed legislation seeks to consolidate existing tax laws, establish clearer frameworks for tax administration, and create bodies like the Tax Appeal Tribunal and the Office of the Tax Ombudsman.
In an interview with The Tide source on Monday, Mr Abdullahi said the government needed to recognise the significant implications of the bills, stressing that the collective interest of the citizens should be the priority.
He stated, “My take aligns with the position of the majority of Nigerians. If the elite members of society, particularly the governors, are apprehensive, it calls for an expanded or broader review of the situation.
“The government needs to realise the great implications of this, as the collective interest of the citizenry should be at the forefront. Governors, being in a position to understand these implications, should be involved.”
He added, “However, I do not believe this should be a priority going forward for this country. Nigerians have been struggling since the arrival of this government, with skyrocketing inflation and harsh economic policies.
“The effects have been severe, whether it’s the floating of the naira, the removal of subsidies, or the numerous taxes that the country has had to deal with over the past year. It’s time for a change, as it’s not in the nation’s best interest to rush this process.
“If there are no sinister motives behind it, why the haste? We need more time for Nigerians to review and evaluate the implications of these decisions. If it truly serves our interest, it will be accepted naturally. However, the rush with which the government is pursuing this raises doubts about the sincerity of their intentions.”
Also speaking, Mr Osadolor acknowledged that the concept of tax reform was positive but urged the Federal Government not to rush the process.
He said, “There should have been wider and deeper consultations. You see, democracy is about the participation of everyone, not a Nazi-style approach to issues.
“If there is a large and strong call for more understanding, there is no need for a rush. Even in the past, without these tax reforms, we moved on.
“I don’t see how waiting for a week, two weeks, or even up to six months to explain this cause and gather input from other Nigerians would be a problem. It’s always good to consult and communicate with the people so that unnecessary conflicts can be avoided.
“The idea of the tax reforms is welcome, but there are clauses that I think people are unhappy with, and that I, too, find uncomfortable. So, I believe that if there had been more consultations, more public hearings, and more engagement with the states, many of these conversations and frictions across the country would not be happening now.”
At plenary, presided over by the Speaker, Isma’il Falgore, the lawmakers kicked against the bills after extensive deliberation.
The Majority Leader, Lawan Husseini (ANPP-Dala) introduced a motion of ‘urgent public importance,’ emphasising the need for northern lawmakers and the Conference of Speakers to prevent the passage of the bills.
Mr Husseini argued that if passed into law, the bills would not benefit the northern states.
He condemned the Senate’s decision to approve the bills, saying, “We view it as a deliberate effort to sabotage the economy, increase hardship and further impoverishing the region.”
Mr Husseini expressed concern over the proposed VAT allocation system, noting that states like Lagos, where major corporations such as Nigerian banks, telecommunications companies, and multinational companies were headquartered, would receive the largest share of the VAT.
“Lagos and its environs would account for 80 percent of the VAT collected in Nigeria, leaving northern states with a minimal share,” he said.
He warned that if allowed to scale through, the bill would further weaken northern states, potentially rendering some unable to pay salaries and worsening poverty and hardship.
Supporting the motion, Salisu Mohammed (APC-Doguwa) urged the upper legislative house to focus on more pressing national issues, such as attention insecurity and unemployment, instead of rushing the tax reform bills through the legislative process.
Similarly, Murtala Kadage (ANPP-Garko) called for unity among lawmakers to prevent the bills from passing, for the benefit of the region.
The House called on northern members of the Senate and House of Representatives, along with the Conference of Speakers, to take swift and decisive action to block the passage of the bills.
Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the off-cycle governorship election, Mr Agboola Ajayi, had approached the court to challenge the qualification of Olayide Adelami, the deputy governor-elect.
Mr Ajayi, the first runner-up in the governorship election, cited inconsistency in the names Mr Adelami submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) prior to the poll.
The PDP governorship candidate had, through his counsel, M. Ndoka (SAN), challenged the eligibility of Mr Adelami to contest as the deputy governorship candidate on the platform of APC and consequently sought the disqualification of APC from the ballot.
In the originating summons through his counsel, Mr Ajayi said the first defendant (Mr Adelami) is known by multiple conflicting and irreconcilable names, such as Adelami Owolabi Jackson and Olaide Owolabi Adelami.
In his submission, the PDP candidate prayed the court, “That the first defendant, (Adelami) is constitutionally disqualified from contesting the election as Deputy Governorship candidate of APC.”
Also, he sought “A declaration that the APC has no validly nominated governorship and deputy governorship candidate for the 2024 election.”
He further sought an order disqualifying the defendants from participating in the election and restraining INEC from publishing their names or allowing them to participate.
However, the defence counsel, Remi Olatubora (SAN), said Mr Adelami’s West African Examination Council (WAEC) result had the name Adelami Owolabi Jackson in 1974 and that a degree certificate from Ambrose Alli University issued in 1982 has the name Adelami Olaide Owolabi.
He said the grievance of the plaintiffs is not about discrepancies in the name but the order or arrangements of the names.
Mr Olatubora said the plaintiffs have no right to file the suit following section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 because they are not members of the APC and did not participate in the primary that produced Messrs Adelami and Aiyedatiwa as candidates.
“The plaintiffs lack the locus standi to file the suit or seek the reliefs set out in the originating summons. That the suit as a matter of law does not qualify as a pre-election matter, and this court lacks jurisdiction,” he said.
In her judgment, Justice Toyin Adegoke dismissed all the charges preferred against the APC candidates.
Justice Adegoke, in suit No. FHC/AK/CS/99/2024, held that the PDP candidate who challenged the qualification of the APC lacked locus standi to file the case.
She held that the case filed by Mr Ajayi and the PDP is barred by statute, having filed it outside the 14 days required by the Electoral Act.
Justice Adegoke further held that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the suit, having filed it through originating summons instead of a Writ of Summons.
The judge said the issue involving certificate forgery and perjury is criminal, which required the calling of evidence from the authorities that issued the certificates in question.
The court further held that section 29 of the Electoral Act made provisions for who could challenge the candidate of political parties.
She said the fact that PDP and Ajayi are not aspirants in the APC primary that produced Messrs Aiyedatiwa and Adelami as candidates had rubbed them off any legal right to challenge their qualifications.
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