You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
THISDAY • WEDNESDAY, MAY 20, 2 015<br />
15<br />
EDITORIAL<br />
WHITHER THE VICTIMS SUPPORT FUND?<br />
The quietness of the committee administering the fund is worrying. Where are they?<br />
Due to the humanitarian crisis<br />
caused by the Boko Haram<br />
insurgency in the North-eastern<br />
part of the country, the federal<br />
government last year set up the<br />
Victims Support Fund which is<br />
aimed at ameliorating the suffering<br />
of those at the receiving<br />
end of the menace. At the launch in Abuja, financial<br />
pledges to the tune of N58.79 billions were made by<br />
individuals and corporate organisations. While we<br />
do not know to what extent those pledges have been<br />
redeemed, we are even more worried that not much<br />
has been heard about the activities of the body since<br />
inauguration.<br />
As we stated at the time, the ideals for setting up<br />
the support fund are no doubt lofty ones. Apart from<br />
its humanitarian value, the fund is one idea that had<br />
assured the world that the Nigerian government was<br />
alive to its responsibility to the citizens, especially<br />
the vulnerable. But conceiving the idea, setting up<br />
the committee and even realising huge donations<br />
at the fund-raiser was the easiest part of the whole<br />
project. The harder part, in our reasoning, was for<br />
the donors to make good their pledges and for the<br />
committee already established to do the tough job it<br />
DID THE VICTIMS<br />
SUPPORT FUND WIND UP<br />
ITS OPERATION AFTER<br />
RAISING THE MONEY?<br />
EXACTLY HOW MUCH WAS<br />
REDEEMED AND WHERE IS<br />
THE MONEY?<br />
was assigned. The<br />
litmus test, as we also<br />
argued, would be in<br />
the implementation<br />
and the judicious<br />
administration of the<br />
fund in such a manner<br />
that the distressed<br />
and the displaced<br />
would benefit. Unfortunately, if there are evidences of<br />
that, most Nigerians are yet to see it.<br />
In the course of his recent visit to the Diffa Province<br />
in Niger Republic to see the more than 200,000 Borno<br />
State indigenes who fled from the Boko Haram<br />
insurgents to the neighbouring country, Borno State<br />
THISDAY<br />
EDITOR IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU<br />
DEPUTY EDITORS EDDY ODIVWRI, ROLAND OGBONNAYA<br />
MANAGING DIRECTOR ENIOLA BELLO<br />
DEPUTY MANAGING DIRECTOR KAYODE KOMOLAFE<br />
CHAIRMAN EDITORIAL BOARD OLUSEGUN ADENIYI<br />
THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LIMITED<br />
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF/CHAIRMAN NDUKA OBAIGBENA<br />
GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS ENIOLA BELLO, KAYODE KOMOLAFE, ISRAEL IWEGBU<br />
GROUP FINANCE DIRECTOR OLUFEMI ABOROWA<br />
DIVISIONAL DIRECTORS IJEOMA NWOGWUGWU, EMMANUEL EFENI,<br />
‘GBAYODE SOMUYIWA<br />
ASSOCIATE DIRECTORS PETER IWEGBU, FIDELIS ELEMA<br />
GENERAL MANAGER PATRICK EIMIUHI<br />
GROUP HEADS FEMI TOLUFASHE<br />
ART DIRECTOR OCHI OGBUAKU II<br />
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR OJOGUN VICTOR DANBOYI<br />
DIRECTOR, PRINTING PRODUCTION CHUKS ONWUDINJO<br />
GENERAL COUNSEL CHINWE IZEGBU (NATION’S CAPITAL)<br />
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY SUNMI SMART-COLE<br />
TO SEND EMAIL: first name.surname@thisdaylive.com<br />
Governor, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, told the displaced<br />
people that he was setting up a Task Force on Evaluation,<br />
Reconstruction, Rehabilitation and Re-integration<br />
of Insurgency Victims. The mandate of this<br />
body would be to assess the safety and damage in all<br />
liberated territories while commencing reconstruction<br />
works to ensure basic necessities of life, such as water,<br />
healthcare facilities, access to food and shelter, are<br />
made available in addition to fumigating all areas to<br />
guarantee health security given possible decomposition<br />
of bodies. He also announced a special welfare<br />
package for the displaced persons in cash which was<br />
handed over to camp officials.<br />
We find it curious that the Borno State<br />
government would be setting up<br />
another body to take care of the victims.<br />
That suggests that there are serious<br />
issues with the one established by the federal government<br />
with much fanfare many months ago. In fact,<br />
ever since the inauguration of the Victims Support<br />
Fund, not much has been heard about its activities.<br />
Yet in the face of the numerous challenges being<br />
suffered by the hundreds of thousands of Nigerians<br />
who were victims of the Boko Haram insurgency in<br />
the North-east, many have been wondering what<br />
happened to the money raised in their names. If the<br />
pledges were not redeemed Nigerians need to know<br />
and if there are challenges that inhibit the committee,<br />
it is also proper to place such in the public arena.<br />
As far as the Boko Haram victims are concerned,<br />
the only institution that seems to be making any<br />
efforts is the National Emergency Management<br />
Agency (NEMA). The pertinent questions here are:<br />
Did the Victims Support Fund wind up its operation<br />
after raising the money? Exactly how much was<br />
redeemed and where is the money? Whatever may<br />
be the answers to these questions, the crucial issue<br />
is that the Nigerian citizens who were displaced as a<br />
result of Boko Haram insurgency and in whose name<br />
a Fund was set up deserve accountability.<br />
Letters to the Editor<br />
TO OUR READERS<br />
Letters in response to specific publications in THISDAY should be brief (150-200 words) and straight to the point. Interested<br />
readers may send such letters along with their contact details to opinion@thisdaylive.com. We also welcome comments and<br />
opinions on topical local, national and international issues provided they are well-written and should also not be longer than (950-<br />
1000 words). They should be sent to opinion@thisdaylive.com along with the email address and phone numbers of the writer.<br />
ATIKU AND THE BUHARI PRESIDENCY<br />
Over the years, former Vice-<br />
President Atiku Abubakar has<br />
been the most visible politician,<br />
especially in the politics of<br />
Nigeria’s presidency. In fact, 68<br />
year-old Atiku has so far has<br />
spent nearly half of his age doing politics.<br />
Atiku is today one of the stakeholders in the<br />
Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress<br />
(APC). The Buhari presidency is a product of<br />
change- a change that most Nigerians are keen for.<br />
Is Atiku a changed man? It seems Atiku is trying<br />
to right the wrongs of the past. However, Atiku still<br />
means different things to his critics and supporters.<br />
Atiku’s critics often argue that the core reason he<br />
ventured into politics was not different from that of<br />
a typical Nigerian politician- the quest for power<br />
and self enrichment. But his supporters say, mere<br />
politics is not what only defines Atiku, but the way<br />
he does it. Atiku is politically adventurous and his<br />
strategies in politics are always audacious- they<br />
surpass those of ordinary Nigerian politicians.<br />
Over the years, Atiku has been the most visible<br />
politician, especially among those who strive for<br />
the country’s presidency. His opponents are always<br />
quick to describe him as opportunistic and a desperate<br />
serial presidential contestant. His supporters see<br />
his unrelenting participation in party politics as a<br />
clear sign of Atiku’s passion to serve his fatherland.<br />
Atiku’s supporters always boast that Atiku is one<br />
of the few top-notch politicians in Nigeria that<br />
fought the PDP– he engineered the biggest revolt<br />
that shocked the PDP (the famous new-PDP).<br />
And, despite that, Atiku lost the APC presidential<br />
primaries to Buhari and his preferred candidate also<br />
lost the Adamawa APC governorship primaries.<br />
Atiku helped the APC with his immense war<br />
chest that easily scares off opponents- vast political<br />
network and connections.<br />
Muhammadu Buhari- the politician appears to<br />
have realised that Atiku is such a man that must be<br />
factored in the present Nigerian political equations.<br />
Atiku was the most prepared candidate for the<br />
2015 presidential election. He has a well-drafted<br />
policy document loaded with fine programmes and<br />
projects, christened “The Atiku Abubakar Formula”.<br />
Atiku promised, if elected, his medium-term strategy<br />
would be to ensure that recurrent expenditure is<br />
financed fully with non-oil revenues, while all oil<br />
proceeds will be invested in infrastructure, security,<br />
education and health.<br />
The Buhari presidency will be a defining moment<br />
for Atiku to re-launch himself as a true democrat,<br />
who is already to sacrifice for the good of the<br />
nation. Though the ultimate measure of a democrat<br />
is not how he stands at the moment of comfort<br />
and convenience, but how he stands at times of<br />
challenges and controversies. Nigerian will be closely<br />
watching Atiku in the Buhari presidency.<br />
Zayyad I. Muhammad, Jimeta, Adamawa State<br />
WHAT SHALL IT PROFIT POLITICIANS?<br />
About six months ago when political<br />
parties began their primary elections<br />
to choose their representatives for<br />
the various elective posts across the<br />
federation, many didn’t know where<br />
the pendulum would swing.<br />
To the outgoing ruling party, the Peoples<br />
Democratic Party, thought it will be business as<br />
usual; all they needed to do was to clinch their<br />
party’s ticket for the various elective posts and wait<br />
till they get to the over-crowded bridge before<br />
thinking of crossing it.<br />
The emergence of General Muhammadu Buhari<br />
as All Progressives Congresss presidential candidate<br />
turned the tide which led to a band wagon effect<br />
across the federation coupled with INEC’s boss,<br />
Professor Attahiru Jega’s uncompromising stance on<br />
the use of permanent voter cards and card readers.<br />
When many politicians embarked on this<br />
political journey, they never gave it a thought that<br />
General Buhari and his wind of change mantra<br />
would gather as much support than he did in<br />
previous elections. Buhari’s overwhelming victory<br />
at the presidential polls shattered their plans at the<br />
state level. In order not to be swept away by the<br />
political tsunami raging from the centre, the political<br />
Shenanigans in collaboration with some repugnant<br />
political turncoats who do not want to be caught<br />
in the web of change manipulated and rigged the<br />
elections in their states.<br />
The general elections has come and gone with its<br />
winners and losers, the pandering predilections that<br />
followed suit is gradually fading away, some winners<br />
and their would be larceny of aids have confined<br />
themselves in solitude. While others are getting<br />
ready to take over the mantle of leadership, there<br />
seems to be deadening silence in some quarters.<br />
The premise of this piece is for how long will<br />
many of these soon to be sworn in elected officials<br />
last in office? The emergence of the incorruptible<br />
czar, General Buhari as president-elect is already<br />
sending shivers down the spines of many and<br />
no one would want to be found wanting in the<br />
discharge of his/her duties before and after May 29,<br />
when the president-elect will be sworn in as the<br />
substantive president of the emerging Nigeria.<br />
So far, the revelations at the ongoing tribunals<br />
against the legitimacy of the elections that returned<br />
elected officials in some states are too damning and<br />
outrageous. I don’t need a political clairvoyant to<br />
foresee what will happen in the next six months;<br />
my wager is that in less than six months from now,<br />
both the state tribunals and law courts will start<br />
upturning the electoral victories of some elected<br />
governors, senators and honourable members.<br />
They will vacate the seats they have been illegally<br />
occupying for the legitimate occupants.<br />
Joe Onwukeme, Enugu