NEW MINISTERS: SENATE CLEARS 7 MINISTERIAL NOMINEES
Three of the Special Advisers were Gen. Andrew Azazi (rtd.) National Security; Senator Joy Emodi, National Assembly; and Mr. Kingsley Kuku, Amnesty Programme. The remaining 17 approvals are to be filled in the next few days.
Emodi commenced duty after being briefed by Presidency officials yesterday by leading the ministerial nominees to the Senate for the screening.
The seven nominees confirmed by the Senate after an elongated sitting session that stretched from 10.00 am till 4.30 p.m. were Emeka Wogu, (Abia); Bala Mohammed, (Bauchi); Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke (Bayelsa); Elder Godsday Orubebe (Delta); Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu (Ebonyi); Navy Captain Caleb Olubolade (Ekiti) and Professor Ruqquaya Rufai (Jigawa).
All the nominees confirmed at the Senate session presided over by Senate President David Mark, yesterday, served in the immediate past Federal Executive Council.
Rigorous screening
Expectations of a rigorous screening of the nominees as promised by the Senate Leader, Senator Vicftor Ndoma-Egba, SAN, on Tuesday did not materialise, yesterday, as the Senate did not honour its promise not to allow any of the nominees to bow and go.
Erstwhile Petroleum Minister, Mrs. Allison-Madueke spent the longest time during the Senate sessions that commenced with erstwhile Labour Minister, Wogu. Allison-Madueke explained how the government was able to curb the incidence of kerosine explosion and the reason for the onslaught against her nomination to the cabinet by some segments of the society.
MINISTERIAL NOMINEES. From the left: Emeka Wogu, Caleb Olubolade, Peter Orubebe and Christian Chukwu checking through a list as they awaited their screening at the National Assembly, Abuja, yesterday. Photo: Abayomi Adeshida
Asked on his performance as minister of Labour in the past administration and his opinion on the calls for a review of the revenue sharing formula, Wogu said that the country needs a new revenue sharing formula as the existing one is no longer realistic.
Speaking on how the minimum wage of N18,000 was obtained, Wogu, said it was a product of wide consultation between the Federal Government and other stakeholders including state governments, local governments, organized labour and employers of labour.
He said: 'The minimum wage was as a result of painstaking consultation with state governors, local governments, organized labour and other stakeholders. It is coming ten years after the last minimum wage was arrived at. A lot of issues were taken into consideration including the availability of funds and how realistic it is for states to pay. All these issues informed the choice of N18,000 as minimum wage.'
Achievements in office
He enumerated some of his achievements in office to include the creation of jobs, establishment of industrial harmony between labour and government, the establishment of an employment policy and the introduction of Diploma programme at the Micheal Imoudu Institute for Labour Studies, Illorin, Kwara State.
Wogu claimed that the unemployment figure in Nigeria is less than those of the United States of America and the United kingdom, adding that with the policy put in place by the administration, there would be a remarkable decline in unemployment in the country.
Following him, the erstwhile Minister of Niger Delta, Orubebe mounted the podium and proclaimed the return of peace to the Niger Delta as the past government's greatest achievement.
According to him the return of peace helped to push oil production up to about 2 million barrels per day from the less than 1 million barrels per day prevalent during the crisis in the region.
According to him, the Ministry of Niger Delta put in place measures to develop the region and permanently bring peace to the region noting that if funds are provided, the years of neglect of the region would be a thing of the past.
He cited the East- West road and the Coastal road projects as two of the greatest projects that would help to sustain peace in the region.
Framework for development
'The framework for the development of the Niger Delta has been completed. The people to drive the process have been put in place. What is lacking now is the needed funds. Once we are able to get the funds to drive the programmes, there would be general peace in the Niger Delta which will translate to more revenue for the country'' he said.
Orubebe was taken up by a number of the senators on the perceived disconnect between the Ministry of Niger Delta and the development agencies including the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC.
Godsday Orubebe
'There is no disconnect between, OMPADEC, NDDC and the Niger Delta ministry or the state government but as a ministry, we do not interfere with state government except we have major or mega projects like East West road presently ongoing, Orubebe added.
According to him, the Ministry was mainly preoccupied with mega projects and policy directions.
He further revealed that about 1,450 youths from the Niger Delta region had been sent for training in oil and Gas, Maritime and Agriculture, saying 'our dream is to ensure that Niger Delta youths are self reliant'
Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Diezani Alison-Madueke whose nomination received much controversy on account of public petitions raised against her used the opportunity to articulate the achievements of the petroleum sector under her stewardship.
She responded to questions on the shortage of kerosene across the country, the call for the removal of fuel subsidy, the exploration of oil in the Chad basin, her alleged indictment by the sixth Senate, allegations that she was tribalistic in her official dealings and the Petroleum Industry Bill.
Speaking on the call by governors for the removal of subsidy on Petroleum products, the former petroleum minister admitted that the subsidy was not realizing the objective it was set out to achieve noting that middlemen were the beneficiaries of the subsidy.
Issue of subsidy
'We have looked extensively at the issue of subsidy because it is a very delicate issue for Nigerians at any point in time. It is true that right now government budget can hardly afford the cost of subsidy which at this point is well over a trillion naira and government is actually looking for the money as we speak. The issue as we see them and we are looking at them very delicately, in fact I had set up a committee to begin looking at it before I left, is that many of these subsidies are not reaching the masses that they set up to take care of.
'When we bring in products like kerosene at a certain cost and then sell them to the middle man at much lower subsidied cost, he then sells at a particular cost which in turn is not translated to the man on the street, instead rather at a higher cost is what the retailer presents to them and that is why we are dealing with this high cost of kerosene.
'It was not actually achieving the aim it was set up to achieve in the first place which was to alleviate suffering of the man on the street. It is in fact retailers who are the middle men that are enjoying the benefit of this hefty subsidy and so we have to find a better way. You cannot take away subsidy without finding a way to soften the impact for the ordinary man. There are ways and means of mitigating this and it is not a process you can slap on the people over night.'
The problem with kerosine-Diezani
On the perennial scarcity of kerosene in the country, Mrs. Madueke blamed the crisis on 'round tripping by unscrupulous marketers' adding that there has to be stronger regulatory framework put in place to check their activities.
Former Nigeria's Minister of Petroleum Diezani Allison-Madueke
She said the kerosine being imported into the country has become attractive to other users because 'the specifics of the kerosene that is imported into Nigeria as house hold kerosene is exactly the same as the specifics for aviation kerosene as well.
'However, even though we were able to ensure that there was enough supply, we were having problems with the price of kerosene as everybody knows.
Part of the problem is because the specifics of the kerosene that is imported into Nigeria as household kerosene is exactly the same as the specifics for aviation kerosene as well and because of this, we were seeing round tripping by unscrupulous marketers, so you buy the kerosene at the price of the DPK and you will sell it for aviation kerosene which is obviously more expensive.
'The question will be asked why not import a lower specific of kerosene, but that lower propensity of kerosene has a flash point of less than 45 because of the explosion that we had in the past, with those using kerosene lantern. We have kept kerosene at the flash point of over 45 which is the highest flash point which greatly reduces the possibility of kerosene explosion.
Now even if you dilute the kerosene with a flash point of 45, you probably bring it to 38, even at that it will not explode that is why we have kept importing that level of kerosene. It means that we will need stronger regulation, much stronger regulation to fight the round tripping and to ensure the price is kept down' she said.
On Petroleum Industry Bill
On the Petroleum Industry Bill, Mrs Allison-Madueke said the bill as it is now needs 'a certain amount of review' to address some concerns raised on it, adding that while she was in office, she had no control over the bill once it was submitted to the National Assembly.
She said the investment in the construction of more refineries as well as the turn-around maintenance on the existing refineries in the country means that ' in three years time, Nigeria should actually be a net exporter of the petroleum products'.
She explained that the opposition against her is because of the reforms she has introduced, noting that 'when you move to make certain reforms, you are bound to step on big and small toes and they are bound to fight back. I find the attack on me, including the allegation that I was indicted by the senate 'extremely vociferous and extremely personal'.
Onyebuchi Chukwu
Former Minister of Health, Professor Onyebuchi Chukwu in his appearance before the senate emphasized on the need to train personnel as well as equipment that would be deployed at the nation's hospitals.
Onyebuchi
According to him, the Ministry under his leadership was able to reduce the rate of wide polio infection in the country by 95 per cent while there is no reported case of guinea worm in the country in the last three years while the prevalence of HIV/AIDES has been reduce from 4.6 per cent to 2.6 per cent while number of death during pregnancy was reduced from 800 out of 100,000 in 2003 to 545 out of 100,000 in 2008.
Other ministers screened
Other ministers screened and confirmed were the former Minister of the FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed who was asked to take a bow and go, Navy captain Caleb Olubolade and Professor Ruqquaya Rufai who was the former minister of Education.
Caleb Olubolade
Earlier, the Senate had confirmed the request by President Jonathan to appoint 20 Special Advisers amid protests from Senators that the high number of Special Advisers poses a threat to the economy of the nation.
Cost of maintaining Special Advisers
The Senators who spoke before the confirmation of the Special Advisers were of the view that the cost of maintaining 20 Special Advisers is too much when government at the moment is talking about reducing cost of governance.
They advised the President to toe the line of the National Assembly that has agreed to cut its allocation by 40 per cent to reduce the cost of governance in the country.
Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, PDP, Abia who spoke on the need for the President to reduce the number of Special Advisers, said that Jonathan does not need such large number of Advisers with 42 ministers in his government.
He said, 'With 42 Ministers that are expected and 20 Special Advisers that makes 64 different organs that is going to make bureaucracies of government. Yet we complain about the cost of governance. This is the time to talk to the President that he may not appoint 20 Special Advisers. As we are cutting down 40 per cent, maybe he should reduce the cost of governance in Aso Rock by cutting down 40 per cent also.'
Bala Mohammed
Senator Umaru Dahiru, PDP, Sokoto who also kicked against the number of the Advisers said appointing the total of 20 will over burden the economy.
According to him, 'We can reduce the number; obviously it is overburdening the government. We have more than enough ministers, since we believe in cutting cost of governance, we should start now' he added.
Senator Chris Ngige who also added his voice to the protest said it will be very unhealthy to the economy for the government to appoint 20 Special Advisers in view of the dire economic situation of the country.
'I am at a loss why after speaking reality my friends are trying to make a u-turn. We are facing hard times in this country everybody agrees these are very hard times and it brings the burden on government. The President should start with the number that is reasonable to run government. We have agreed to cut; the President should also assist us. He should start with 10 SA.' he said.
Oppostion brushed aside
But their oppositions were brushed aside by their colleagues who overwhelmingly voted in favour of the request.
Senator Ahmed Yerima, ANPP, Zamfara while asking the Senators to approve the request argued that the Advisers are those that will help the President in the day to day business of governance.