Govt Must Fight Corruption To Win People’s Confidence – Hon Swa

Nigerians have continued to express deep concern about the spate of bombings, shootings and reckless killings in the country, which Boko Haram claimed responsibility severally. This attained a crescendo with the recent senseless killings in Kano, which culminated in the lamentation of highly revered Emir of Kano, Alhaji Ado Bayero.

This mindless act of terrorism in Kano and parts of the country has brought to fore the need for a quick resolution of the crisis, and underscores the need for men of conscience  to step in before the crisis plunges the nation into quagmire. Coming on the heels of the olive branch extended by the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, to the sect two weeks ago when he beckoned on them to state their demands and come out for dialogue, the need for credible Nigerians to get involved and find ways of rallying support round the president while prevailing on the leadership of the sect to accept the olive branch offered by the Federal Government so that whatever is their grievances could be resolved through dialogue in the overall interest of the nation, has become compelling.

One of such early supporters of dialogue as a credible means of resolving the impasse is a member of the House of Representatives, Hon Yusuf Manu Swa, representing Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency of Gombe State, and a member of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of the House. His support for dialogue was accentuated only recently when he raised his voice in commendation of Mr President for the initiative while appealing to other Nigerians to join in the efforts at resolving the crisis.

Hon Swa, who is also the Wamban Waja of Gombe, was apt and definite when he spoke with The Tide in Abuja, recently on national security and related national issues. Swa said, “I want to appeal to Boko Haram and other groups that hide under their cover to unleash mayhem on innocent law abiding Nigerians, to please fear God and stop the bombings and the killings; and accept President Jonathan’s offer of dialogue to chart a new way forward”.

Although Boko Haram has jettisoned the president’s gesture, opting not to dialogue with the government, Hon Swa, however, believes that this may not be unconnected with the perceived injustice meted out to the group and its leader in the past, insisting that the continued extermination of lives and destruction of property cannot right the wrong. He further noted that: “Every living creature must taste death; whatever you do, certainly you must account before God (some day); if you are doing well, you know the reward is there; if you are doing the wrong things, you also know the reward is there”.

Hon Swa further applauded President Jonathan for the shake-up and on-going reform in the Police force which saw the replacement of erstwhile Inspector-General of Police, Hafiz Ringim with Mohammed Dikko Abubarkar, and the retirement of all deputy inspectors-general of police. The action is coming in the wake of the escape of Kabiru Sokoto, the mastermind of the Christmas Day bombing in Madalla near Suleja in Niger State from police custody.

Hon. Swa said this development is “good”, adding that “Nigerians are now beginning to have fate in the government’s proactive approach at addressing security threats in the country.” He advised the new acting inspector-general of police to be more proactive and align the Nigeria Police Force with the government’s security reform initiative as well as avoid pitfalls of the past, which sent his predecessor and other superior officers into compulsory retirement.

Hon Swa furthermore challenged the new IGP to consider his appointment as a national calling and restore the trust and confidence which has eroded the police force so that  the adage:  ‘the police is your friend’ will be seen to be true. The honourable member tasked the police boss to strive to rebuild the force with the seriousness and commitment it deserves.

Hon Swa said, his National Security and Intelligence Committee is poised to accord the  Executive arm of government all the necessary support it requires to nip the on-going security challenge in the bud. For a start, he said, in considering the security vote in the 2012 Budget, every security outfit which appeared before the committee for the on-going budget defense at the National Assembly was given ample opportunity to defend their budgets. According to him, the committee extended maximum co-operation to the security and intelligence outfits, and at the end, they were all satisfied. He raised the hope that the security and intelligence outfits would be adequately funded 2012. Hon Swa admitted, however, that “we will certainly do some amendments where necessary,” so in all, “at the committee level, we were satisfied” with the budget defense.

Aside security concerns in 2012, one issue in the minds of Nigerians is the removal of petroleum subsidy by the Federal Government on New Year day. The result of the action was the initial hike in the pump price from N65 to N141. The pegging of the price later to N97 per litre by President Jonathan as a result of the six-day strike and protests by organised labour and civil society groups was received with mix feelings.

Hon Swa expressed concern over the effects the subsidy removal was having on the economy, and called for caution in the implementation of the subsidy fund while tasking the government on tackling corruption, which is the bane of the society, frontally. His words: “We are for the masses; they voted for us, that was why the House had an emergency session on a Sunday to debate the removal of fuel subsidy. I want to thank His Excellency, President Jonathan, for adhering to the advice of the House and the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians. He also showered appreciation to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and other groups who came out to say “it’s not in the interest of the country.”

He further opined that the issue of the subsidy removal was not about President Jonathan’s insensitivity but the failure of past administrations to demonstrate the capacity to manage the palliatives occasioned by endemic corruption in the system, and suggested that government must fight corruption to win back the confidence of the people. The new buses the government rolled out on the streets of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja as palliative measures, Hon Swa, former chairman of Balanga Local Government Area for two tenures said, is not enough to ameliorate the hardships being faced by the people since the hike in the fuel pump price; as the hike affected all sectors of the economy. The solution, to him, lies in the ability of the Dr. Christopher Kolade-led committee on the management of fuel subsidy funds in conjunction with other stakeholders to fear God and effectively manage the funds in the overall interest of the nation.

Hon Swa, who is also a member of the House Committee on Sports, justified the bashing the committee meted out to sports administrators in the country as represented by the Sports Ministry and National Sports Commission during their budget defense two weeks ago, due to their inability to convince the committee over the judicious utilisation of funds provided for in the 2011 Appropriation.  He told The Tide: “We were disappointed as a committee; so does Nigerians. We believe sports as a unifying force in the country has over the years galvanised Nigerians together to overcome their differences. The country’s failure to qualify for both the World Cup and the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations may not be unconnected with the mismanagement of both financial and human resources in sports.

Hon Swa also spoke on the envisaged second appearance of the nation’s sports administrators before the committee, asserting that the Legislature will not tolerate any form of reckless spending by the sports administrators in 2012. He told The Tide, “it depends on what they bring to us (at their second appearance). We are serious about these issues; we cannot appropriate money and people would not deliver. The era of reckless spending is gone. We will no longer tolerate reckless expenditure of scarce funds. The 7th National Assembly will not allow frivolities. We will do our constitutional duty to checkmate the excesses of the Executive through appropriate oversight.”

The Tide further sought his view on Nigeria’s continued dependence on oil as a major source of foreign exchange at the detriment of other sectors, including marine transport, solid minerals, among others. Hon Swa, who is also on the House Committee on Marine Transport snapped: “The potentials of the maritime industry is huge in terms of revenue generation. The Cabotage Act 2003, the Merchant Ship Act, NIMASA Act 2007 and other relevant maritime laws were meant to strengthen the capacity of the maritime industry to contribute maximally to the Nigerian economy. As a member of the committee, we shall ensure that the sector is fully harnessed to generate more revenue to complement the oil industry.”

Hon Swa assured that the committee, “will look at the security of our waterways and the multifarious ship wrecks in our waterways, and proffer solution through the strengthening of maritime laws that will make the maritime industry to perform optimally and boost its capacity to deliver on its mandate.”

He was full of praises to the House leadership, for giving members a grace of one week to study the federal budget before the on-going budget defense, which he described as ‘marvelous’ and beneficial to the nation.  Hon Swa also has a word for his constituents: “Let me appreciate them for the mandate given to me. They should be rest assured that I will not betray them.  I will give a very good representation; protect their interest and that of the nation; and they should always pray for us and the nation”.

Justus Awaji, Abuja