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How I saved Vanguard From Being Shut By The Military Junta

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By Kehinde Olaosebikan
 

The annulment of June 12, 1993 Presidential election, adjudged to be the best in Nigerian history was a Pandora’s box with numerous consequences and troubles. For Nigeria, it was an opportunity, a great opportunity missed for real growth and development of the most populous Black nation in the world. It is a general belief that if the election that saw Chief Moshood Kolawole Olawale Abiola, A Yoruba man from Abeokuta flatly defeating his opponent, Alhaji Bashir Tofa in his home state of Kano without any qualms, had been upheld, Nigeria would have been better developed socially, politically and economically. By now, it would have been in the league of the developed countries of the world. But, sadly, Nigeria is today worse off than our situation before the annulled election, 31 years after.

For the media, the annulment and its aftermath, particularly the seizure of power by the dark goggled President from 1993 to 1998, the late General Sani Abacha was hell. The Nigerian Press almost totally lost its freedom.

Media houses and journalists then had to practice their trade with fear and trepidation as no one was sure of what constituted a threat to the Abacha Government. Purposely to deal with the media and other perceived enemies of the regime, the government raised a special anti-people squad made up of the nastiest of men and officers from the military and security outfits. It is called the Strike Force and they terrorized the city of Abuja menacingly.
During the period, journalists were mauled, newspapers destroyed while many newspaper organizations closed down.  In fact the media suffered arbitrary detention, misuse of criminal charges and unfair trials, oppressive use of defamation proceedings , torture and ill treatment , suspected assassination attempts, arson attacks and outright banning of publications etc.,. The Punch, The Guardian, Concord, Sketch, African Concord, The News, TSM, The Source, Daily Times and 26 other newspapers and magazines published by 12 media houses were proscribed or simply closed down.  Many of them never recovered from the evil visited on them by the Abacha junta.
However, Vanguard Newspapers owned by one of the best men on earth, Mr. Sam Amuka-Pemu, the great Uncle Sam, the newspaper I joined immediately after my youth corps service in September, 1988 escaped the malevolence of General Sani Abacha. Our ever refreshingly Vanguard was neither shut nor prescribed for one day; not because we were weak or cowardly, we were with many hot, brave  columnists, Pini Jason, Dele Sobowale, Kola Animashaun, Obi Nwakama etc. like all other notable newspapers we were hot, audacious and always with the masses. What really stood us out then was the profound leadership and exceptional professionalism  provided by the great Uncle Sam. He reads the papers diligently and gives well thought out strategies and directions and this was what actually saved us from the Abacha’s troubles.
A particular story or column that nearly got us into the Abacha trouble, when we were about to be proscribed and or shut down was pragmatically managed by the trio of our publisher, Uncle Sam, our editor, the man of clarity in all areas, Mr. Frank  Aigbogun and my humble self as the Abuja Bureau Chief of the newspaper then.
Information got to our headquarters in Kirikiri Canal, Lagos that our editor would soon be picked up, detained, charged to court and our source of living, Vanguard proscribed. Expectedly, the management was worried. As their representative in the seat of power, both Uncle Sam and the Editor called and briefed me about the impending calamity. Immediately, I made some checks and confirmed with additional information which I passed on to them and they became more terrified. With my position, I officially related directly with both the editor and publisher unhindered. Uncle Sam wanted to come straight to Abuja for a possible solution but I told him to allow me handle it first which I did successfully to the glory of God.
With my rich contacts and an uncommon audacity, I approached the Chief Judge of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and I explained to him what Vanguard stands for, our style of operation and the fact that ours was more of development journalism. Now seeing me like his child (I was barely 30 then) and a good and bold defender of his place of work, he confessed to me the plans by the government to get the paper proscribed like others. I thanked him profusely and left his office. But, I did not stop at that as I made straight to the media office of the Abuja judiciary where I narrated the outcome of my meeting with the CJ. Being  my friends, I convinced them to issue a press release on Vanguard Newspapers that Vanguard was not just only friendly to the government of the day but that Vanguard has a history of contributing immensely to the social development of the country.
I accompanied the head of the press of the FCT Judiciary to the headquarters of the Nigeria Television Authority to submit the press release to either their DG or the Director News and it made the major headline of that day Network News at 9. It was the first item beautifully delivered by the late ace broadcaster, Tokunbo Ajayi that glorious night.
So, instead of Uncle Sam and our versatile editor, Frank Aigbogun hearing about the order for the arrest of the editor, arraignment and proscription of Vanguard on the Network News, it was news of praise and commendation of the refreshingly different newspapers that came up. I was extolled by both Uncle Sam and the Editor but Uncle Sam knew that in Abuja I could pull any string.
 
Kehinde Olaosebikan retired from Vanguard Media Limited in 2003 and is now the CEO of Midas Communications Ltd, a global public relations firm.

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Reps Quiz Federal Polytechnics Damaturu, Mubi, Monguno Over Infractions

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By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has queried the Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Adamawa State, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Borno State and Federal Polytechnic Damaturu, Yobe State over series of administrative and financial infractions.
This was as Rectors and some management staff of the three institutions appeared before the house Committee on Polytechnics and other Higher Technical Education, as part of oversight function to render accounts of their budget performances.
But the Committee found various infractions in the documents presented by the three institutions which ranged from abuse of Federal Character in employment, Extra-Budgetary spendings and recurring abandoned, uncompleted  projects in one of the institutions.
During presentation by the Rector of Federal Polytechnic Mubi, Dr.  Abdulrahman Ishaku, the Committee discovered that projects that were to be completed in two to three years were not finished despite adequate release of funds in budget.
Specifically, the Committee was provoked by the non-completion of a staff quarters and an administrative block project by the institution for years.
Speaking, Rep. Emil Inyang who stood in for the Committee Chairman, Rep. Fuad Kayode Laguda at the meeting on Thursday, lamented that, the projects have not been completed and have been recurring in the budgets.
He said, “Physical Planning, can you show me where you rolled over the project to 2023? It’s not here. Is it in 2024? Why do you come here to lie? Where is it? That admin block, is it in use? Has it been completed? So, you have abandoned it.
“Gentlemen, I don’t know what to say to these kinds of people. Construction of staff quarters, Item number Nine under 2022 capital projects. Have you seen it Rector? What is the state of that building? Is it completed? It is completed, that’s what is shown here, and you are saying it is still remaining fittings. Is fittings not part of completion?
“You people are just disgracing yourselves. We are just killing this country from various directions. From our various positions we are just killing this country. Let me ask a question on this staff quarters. In 2022, the amount appropriated was N57.9 million, N28.9 was utilized was released, so remaining N28.9 that’s half.
“But, by 2023, appropriation was 88 and the entire amount has been released. So, is it the same project?If it is the same project, when this appropriation was done, does it mean that, the other 28 that was not done, not utilised that time, is it kept somewhere?”
The Rector however informed the Committee that, the fund was later mopped up.
In his ruling after the submission, the Chairman stated, “What I will tell you now is that, instead of going through this your document that does not satisfy anything, please, you will.list all the abandoned, all the structures you have not completed. When it started, How much was appropriated, How much you have put in till date, the state of those projects one after the other in the entire school.
“Not just in. your regime. From inception till date.So that, we will include them in your 2025 budget. You will not do any new thing as capital. You must complete these abandoned. You have turned some of these projects to conduits of putting money into them and not completing them. Even the ones you have written as completed here. You used your own mouth to tell us here that, you have not installed fittings. That is what you said.
“So, this is why it is necessary for us to go there and see things for ourselves.Because what you are doing here, you are just wasting governments’ resources. These abandoned projects or the state of the jobs especially constructions, let’s have it in one week time. How much you have put in there, at what stage are they, how much you will need to complete”.
Similarly, the Committee criticized the Federal Polytechnic Damaturu over using Insecurity as an excuse for financial malfeasance and other infractions as well the abuse of Federal Character in employment.
Chairman of the Committee noted that, the institution has carelessly spent its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) according to the records presented to the Committee.
In his presentation, the Acting Rector, Dr Ibrahim Babale Gashua said, the institution is faced with the challenge of low IGR as a result of the insecurity being faced in the state, which according to him, has reduced students intake and other activities.
He said, “We that are residing in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe State, we have three different high institutions. We have to lower our tuition fee because not everybody will come from outside the state. Even those in the state, it is only the course that is not available in their places that they come for in Damaturu because of the insurgency”.
The Committee however discovered that, despite the insurgency claim that reduced the institutions IGR, there was no commensurate reduction in its spending which the Committee said cannot be justified.
Another member of the Committee while commenting on the matter said, “Everybody comes to claim insurgency. Students don’t want to come to the schools. But it doesn’t stop them from spending the whole money.IGR, you blow it, Overhead, and yet, there is insurgency. So, it’s funny. You see, if I have a house and I am supposed to have 10 people occupying it. If 10 people are not occupying it, it means that my NEPA.payment, my PHCN money will reduce, because consumption of power supply will reduce. My water consumption will reduce. My number of cleaners will reduce because I don’t have full occupation. You understand what I am saying? My security personnel will reduce in terms of numbers.
“So, these are the issues.Most of the Polytechnics in the North come here brandishing this insecurity issue as the major reason for non performance. You are not performing on students admission, but you are performing on your expenditure profile”.
Speaking, Chairman of the Committee said, “Ok, this insurgency is a big excuse. Once you mention it, you will all close our mouths.Look at your Nominal Role, a federal Institution. Open to page 47 and 48, you will see how you have obeyed the law of the land, the Federal Character. Have you seen it Acting Rector? That’s the best you can do? You think from all those Zero-Zero states, if you offer them employment they wouldn’t come?”.
The Rector however reacted saying, “Some of them don’t come. Even those that we have left. I am telling you Sir”.
But a member of the Committee, Rep. Adebayo Adepoju faulted the Rector’s claim and said, it was not justifiable.
He said, “You cannot defend it, because if you are trying to defend it, saying that you’ve done everything in your powers and Nigerians have refused to come to your school, at that point, you say you have done the most you can do.
“But, when you did not even given Nigerians the opportunity to apply. We know what goes on in Federal Character. We know. I am telling you, if you go there and you want to apply, everybody has an interest, they give you. And before you know, they give you Certificate of Compliance.
“That Certificate of Compliance, we have shredded it so many times. Give yourself the opportunity to be fair to Nigerians.People want jobs in this country. We have so many jobless people and you will agree with me, there are many that will say, I won’t mind to go to Borno to teach.Please let’s give them an opportunity”.
The Rector and Management of the Polytechnic were directed to remedy the anomalies in their employment and henceforth advertise all vacancies in national dailies in order to give all Nigerians equal opportunity.
Similarly, after a presentation by the Rector, Federal Polytechnic Monguno, Prof. Garba Mohd, the Committee directed the institution to also be diligent in its observance of Federal Character and other issues as the Committee discovered a skewed empolyment in the institution in favour of a particular section of the country.
It reminded the Rector and members of his management that, as a federal institution, it is required by law to treat all parts of the country in terms of employment and other considerations.
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Obasanjo narrates how he escaped becoming drug addict

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he almost became a drug addict.

He spoke in Abeokuta over the weekend at the second edition of ‘Fly Above The High’ anti-drug campaign conference organised by the Recovery Advocacy Network.

Obasanjo stated that smoking during his youthful age led to chronic coughing and almost became an addiction.

The former President, while lamenting the increase in drug abuse among Nigerians and other West Africans, urged Nigerian students and young people to refrain from abusing psychoactive drugs, saying that they ruin life rather than enhance it.

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“If I had persisted, I could have become addicted. Once you get involved, it is difficult to get out.

“There’s nothing drug can do for you except destruction.

“We found out that West Africa has equally been a centre for drug consumption in a very bad way. That was more than 10 years ago, so the situation has since gone worse. And whatever applies to West Africa applies to all other parts of Africa,” Obasanjo said.

He cautioned against stigmatization and urged individuals who are already addicted to psychoactive drugs to get help.

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We saved $20bn after Petrol Subsidy Removal and FX Rate Reforms, Says Finance Minister

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Wale Edun, minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, says Nigeria has saved $20 billion from petrol subsidy removal and market-based pricing of the foreign exchange rate.

Edun spoke at a ceremony recently held to mark the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, head of civil service of the federation, in Abuja.

“An amount of five per cent of GDP is what those two subsidies were costing when there was a subsidy on PMS; when there was petroleum product generally for a long time and when there was a subsidy of foreign exchange. Between them, they were costing five percent of GDP,” he said.

“If you say GDP was on average, let’s say $400 billion. We all know what five percent of that is – $20 billion of funds that could be going into infrastructure, health, social services, education.”

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