Those Who Acted With Impunity Should Be Prosecuted – Ewuga

By Ruth Choji — Jan 16, 2016 6:00 am

Sen Solomon Ewuga represented Nasarawa North Senatorial Zone in the 7th Senate. In this interview with Ruth Choji, he says people should be made to account for their actions to serve as deterrent to others.

Are you surprised with the kind of money that was allegedly misappropriated by the former NSA and some politicians in the PDP?

I am very surprised because it is reckless but that they did is a sign of the impunity we have in our society. I think these are the things that have come out very clearly to indicate that it was a matter of weak leadership, it had nothing to do with party. Everybody takes a cue from the strength or weakness of the leadership. Once the leadership is weak, anybody can act anyhow and that has manifested. Nobody could call for order. If it wasn’t corruption, what is #1.2bn for special prayers? It is impunity. If we had a strong leadership, we wouldn’t have been having such reckless sub-head. The senate which I was a member approved a loan of one billion dollars ($1bn) for the purchase of arms that none of those arms were bought.

But don’t you think your session in the senate also fail on its part for not doing it oversight function that know whether the funds were put to proper use

That is a different matter, the point here is that, you can’t claim to do what you did not do. Oversight is based on activity of correct government and I was not a member of the committee on defense, so I wouldn’t know what happed. But clearly the money approved for the purchased of arms was not respected from what we are seeing, it shows that nothing was bought.

Nigerians are afraid that some of those indicted might use the ‘plea bargain’ to escape justice. What is your take on this?

Did the government said there was a plea bargain? I think people are jumping to conclusion, if someone is returning money willing, then it is an acceptance of guilt.it is when government action goes outside of Nigerian expectations that Nigerians can talk. I have not seen where government said anything on plea bargain.

Most of these people indicted are from the PDP, some see the fight against corruption as being selective…

When somebody has done wrong, it doesn’t matter where he comes from. People have a way of shifting blames, it is when it is wrong that you are putting sentiments. When they were taking those things, didn’t they know where they belong? If you jobs is to bring clarity and justice to the system, why did you engage in such things? I don’t want to create any coloration in this case. Impunity is impunity and corruption is corruption. Government should prosecute those who have done wrong.

The Federal government has said that it has started withdrawing subsidy, do you think Nigerian are ready for it

I have always felt that it is a very corrupt system that we have. Anything that is done that provides opportunity for someone to be indiscreet, indiscretion that is part of exploitation of the system enjoys protection, remove the protection and you find there is criminality. How much are people already paying for fuel? They are paying the same amount. If it is liberalized, fuel will not be selling for #130.it will be selling for lower price because process will be regulated according to the amount rates. Right now, oil is selling at about $30 at the international market, but you are still paying the price of when it was $120.so it means the issue of subsidy is no longer tenable. If we let it to float, who will be the beneficiary? The masses.

The 2016 budget is being describe by the APC as budget of change, do you think the it is feasible

The budget is the reflection of the thinking of government, the national assembly appropriate based on exigency and expediency as presented and agreed upon by the two arms of government. If the government has the capacity to generate that kind of funds, how can I question it? it will bring an aggregate valuable to the economy for the first time in the history of this country. In the last 20 years, this is the first time we are having a provision for capital budget, which is so much in the budget. The injection of so much money into the budget will mean more business activities and more participating governance. What it means is that it is going to allow people to exploit the opportunity that the budget will create.it is always been trite to know that budget is the prime source of physical discipline. We have so much that we can generate for the economy.

But do you think Nigeria the resources to fund the budget because they are now talking of borrowing

The government said they have the capacity to generate it. Even America borrow to funds its budget and it has the strongest economy. There is nothing wrong with that. What we need to do is increase our productive capacity so that we can pay for the debts we take. People take loans to fund their businesses, are they not making it? There is nothing wrong with loan, it shows the capacity of the government to get money from any source. If you are not credit worthy, nobody will take you.so instead of us to look at things from that kind of inverted approach, agriculture is a capacity that we can pursue with lots of energy. If we can have more stable power than government wants to pursue it, then it means that the economics of scale will work in favor of people who are doing small things like the grinding mills, salon and the rest will be generating more income to keep households In shape. If these is not done, everybody will go to one source, government which is imploding. We need to explore transportation. Sea, rail and vehicular transportation. If we improve our rail, the pressure on the road will reduce and our roads will last longer. The president has said he will activate the railroads, so let’s see what will happen. If he built more road, we should put toll gate because it is only in Nigeria that people have wide road without any kind of re-injection for these roads. Anywhere we go, there is toll gate so that the roads can be maintain. The best is not the ones people cry about, they are about those things that are maintain.

You mention power, the DISCOS has come out to say that, they will increase the tariff any time soon, do you think this will help the poor people of Nigeria

I don’t know the economics of scale in the power sector so I don’t want to say things that I don’t know much about. The most important thing is that they produce power so that the common man will enjoy the benefits.

The government policy that bar Nigerians from withdrawing more than a thousand dollars from their international account is being criticize by many Nigerians. Do you think it was a good one?

It is not economically wise for me to travel and not fund my activities. Nigeria has a large population, you can’t limit them by everything you do.it is understandable that the ATM card is being abused but you put a bar on abuses not the funds. The BVN thing is there to protect this things. If there is no ban on abuse and I am prevented from withdrawing money, then it is wrong. Initially they said it must not be more than $300.00 a day and now it is $1000 a month, how do I pay for my hotel bill? These are the issue that come up. Things must be judge based on how they come out, this will make people to withdraw their children and bring them back home.so it will have a multiplier value to the economy at home. But there are those who will still train heir children abroad, whether it is one thousand naira to the dollar because they have cumulative value abroad. The only thing I will say is that punitive action to reduce people freedom must be reduce to a point where there must be free will. Reducing the amount of dollars to one thousand a month is not good for business.

Going back to the senate, there has been an outcry over the amount they earmark for cars. As a former senator what do you think of this?

I was given a car when I was in the senate but I paid for it. The money was taking from my salary every month. But do you want your senator to come to the senate and be trekking to the chambers every day? If the senate have the capacity to do it, they should do it. These amount is reduce from their salaries, so it is not free. People want you to work but they don’t want to provide you with the tools you will need. Cars must be bought, even if you give them as a loan, it is the same thing.

Coming back to Nassarawa state, the governor is going to build an airport, but some seem to think the state doesn’t need it now

I want to reserve my comment on Nassarawa state.

House of Reps Passes Bill Seeking Increment of Corps Members Allowance

Discussion in 'Metro News' started by RemmyAlex, Yesterday at 4:12 PM

The House of Representatives, yesterday passed for third reading a Bill for an Act seeking to amend the National Youth Service Corps Act 2004 which will bring about an increment in the allowance earned by Corps members in the country, DailyPost gathered.

The Bill which also seeks to provide mandatory life insurance to Corps members was sponsored by Hon Joan Mrakpor, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Delta State. It was unanimously adopted by members.

Passage of the Bill would enable corps members who have acquired special business skill from the Service to have access to loan.



Mrakpor, while calling on his colleagues to support the passage of the bill, said the essence of the Bill’s amendment was to ensure that the aim of the NYSC scheme was not defeated and it would reduce the number of graduates relying on white collar jobs in the country.

Following its passage, the House referred the Bill to the adhoc committee on constitution review for further legislative input.

 

Biafran agitation borne out of ignorance, frustration — Obasanjo

Posted By: Jide Babalola, Assistant Editor and John Ofikhenua, Abujaon: January 16, 2016In: Featured, NewThe renewed agitation for Biafra yesterday came under attack from former President Olusegun Obasanjo who dismissed it as a product of error,ignorance and frustration.

Obasanjo who said he ‘very cautious’ in  getting involved in any debate or conversation with “the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), its many hydra-headed iterations and its resurgent Biafra agitation” said : “at best, the agitation was at regional level and that no inadvertent helping hand should be lent to it, to make it national.”

He spoke at a Development Discourse  organised by Nextier Limited on the Biafra issue Abuja.

Reading from his  prepared speech and speaking extempore at times,the former President said it is also wrong to say that the South East  is marginalised in the scheme of things.

He hailed  South-East leaders who,at a stakeholders’ meeting on December 17, 2015 dismissed the Biafra agenda and called for improvement in their region’s socio-economic situation.

He advised them  to ensure sanity among their youth.

 “No right-thinking person who has experienced the horror of war will ever agitate for more war… If the elders abdicate their responsibility to the immaturity, inadequate experience, unrealistic idealism and the frustration of the young, it will no doubt lead to disaster.

 “Biafra as a secession issue is dead and nobody should follow that way. It can again, only lead to disaster.

“The devil finds work for idle hands and fills empty minds; there is even some suspicion that the agitators embarked on the act in order   to extort   money from outsiders and to also extract financial support from the government.

“The commercialization and exploitation of Biafra agitation is obscene to the point of criminal fraudulence; or, how do you explain the issuance of Biafran passport that takes no one anywhere and for which unwary people are being charged exorbitant prices.

According to Obasanjo, Biafra agitation is “a hopeless and fruitless exercise on which nobody in seriousness should embark”.

“Proffering solutions, the ex-President stated that the resurgent Biafra agitation should be treated as “a cry for attention, amelioration and improvement of socio-economic conditions” of South East youth and their counterparts in other parts.

“Above all, good governance at all levels is the key solution. The welfare and well-being of the citizenry with equity, justice and fairness must be the main pre-occupation of government at all levels”, he added.

On alleged marginalization of the Igbos,he said: “When I became an elected President, an Igbo man was made the minister of finance;an Igbo man was made the governor of Central Bank;an Igbo man was made the minister of transport.

“One day some people came to me and said that the civil war is not over yet and I asked why. They said since the end of the civil war no Igbo man has been the minister of Defence and explained to them that what matters is the service chiefs and we have had Igbos in that position. And I appointed Thompson Aguiyi- Ironsi  (as Minister of State for Defence).”

Northern governors vow to reposition North

Posted By: Tony AKOWE and Abdulgafar ALABELEWE, Kadunaon: January 16, 2016In: News

Northern governors under the auspices of the Northern State Governors Forum said yesterday that they are working hard to restore and revive the legacies left behind by the late Premier of the north, Sir Ahmadu Bello.

Speaking on behalf of the Forum, during th 50th anniversary of the death of the premier, the  Chairman of the forum and governor of Borno State, Kashim Shettima, said while the late Sardauna did very well for the north, it was the responsibility of present day leaders in the region to invest on the people.

He said the present day leaders of the north would build on the legacies the late Sardauna left behind and  work on how to create jobs for the millions of people that are coming first in the North.

“Unemployment in the north is extremely high. Nigeria is a country of two nations, the South is much more stable and prosperous, the north on the other hand is in a poverty trap. In Nigeria, poverty wears a northern cap, if you are looking for a poor man, get somebody wearing a northern cap,” he said.

Shettima said that the governors would be holding discussions with the Islamic Developmental Bank to see how they can come in.

“Sardauna was a leader of his own generation and every generation come up with its own style of leader. Sardauna did remarkably well for the North and for the nation, our duty, especially for those of us in the North is in our interest to invest in the people.

“Nigeria’s population will double in the next 23 years. By 2020, Nigeria’s population will be around 210 million. By 2030, there will be about 270million Nigerians and by 2050, when old men like me might not be around, the population will be around 440million.

“By then, we will be the third most populous nation on earth and most importantly, 70% of the population will be living in Northern Nigeria. Deforestation, desertification, joblessness, hopelessness, illetracy, unemployment, low access to health facilities are all recepies for disaster.

“It is in our enlightened self interest as northern leaders to invest in the people, to invest in agriculture, to create jobs because, there is a direct correlation with endemic poverty and most of the crisis threatening the north,” he said.

He assured that the northern governors were working assiduously as a team to address the monumental challenges confronting the north.

Answering question on when north started to decline , he said, “I rather look forward than to be mourning about the past, the most important thing is how we can build on the legacies he has left behind and how to create jobs for the millions of people that are coming first in the North.

“The emergence of Yakubu Dogara as the Speaker, House of Representative and B.D Lawal as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, had a tremendous influence on inter-communary relationship in northern Nigeria such that we are now more united than before.

ALERT: If You See THIS Bug, Do NOT Let It Get Near You… Actually, Run the Other Way

A warning has just been issued by the Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention about the latest health scare – a bug called triatomine, or commonly referred to as the “kissing” bug. According to CDC, it can even kill a human.

This bug may seem harmless, but it actually transmits a parasite called Trypanosoma cruzi, which becomes deadly once it enters a human body. This parasite causes Chagas disease, which has affected over 8 million people worldwide.

This is what the “kissing” bug looks like.

Prevalent in Latin America, Chagas disease can cause heart problems and lead to death. The symptoms start two months upon contracting the infection and include fever, headaches, enlarged lymph glands, muscle pain, and difficulty breathing. As these symptoms resemble flu, they are quite difficult to identify.

When symptoms start to develop, the infected person can get skin lesions or a purplish swelling on the eyelids of one eye.

There are two phases of development in Chagas disease. The first phase has fewer symptoms than the second, which usually misguides people into believing they’ve got the flu.

10% of infected people report digestive problems, whereas 30% experience cardiac issues once the second phase develops.

There’s no available immunization for this disease; however Chagas disease is treatable. If the disease is detected early, the treatment is almost 100% effective.

In order to increase your protective measures, the WHO advises using insecticide to spray your house and maintaining proper personal hygiene, especially when near food.

If the host rubs the bite, there’s a higher risk of the disease being spread as the bug normally defecates into the bite, and the fecal matter infects the bite with the deadly parasite.

The northern regions are the only area of the United States which aren’t at risk, including New England and New York State.

- See more at: http://www.healthyfoodteam.com/alert-if-you-see-this-bug-do-not-let-it-get-near-you-actually-run-the-other-way/#sthash.j5kV1jTp.dpuf

NYSC Bars Posting Engineers To Teach In Secondary Schools

BY OUR REPORTER ON JANUARY 13, 2016

The National Youth Service Corps has concluded plans to halt the posting of engineers to secondary schools and other places of primary assignment different from Engineering Institutions. The agreement was reached by the Directorate of NYSC and Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN).

Speaking at the Pre-Inauguration stakeholders’ workshop of the 30th President of the Nigerian Society of Engineers held yesterday in Abuja, the President of COREN, Engineer Kashim A. Ali, disclosed that the Council has secured an agreement with the Director General of NYSC to what he referred to as prevention of wrong training of Engineers. He also said that the Director of Mobilization of NYSC has also been notified of the new development and they have fashioned modalities for its success.

Ali said “Posting engineers during their service year to places they will not benefit is depriving them the opportunity of training and by implication the country is losing. The DG of NYSC agreed with us and directed the Director of Mobilization to ensure that engineers are posted to only engineering institutions.

“To help him, the Director of Mobilization requested that we should assist to give them the names of engineering organizations in all the states of the federation so that when they are doing their posting they will send them to such places.”

(Peter Ogbonna Eze, SUN NEWS ONLINE)

For affordable, accessible healthcare embrace insurance’

Posted By: OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHAon: January 08, 2016In: HEALTH

•Dr Idahosa

 Aside non-accessibility of healthcare services, another obstacle many Nigerians complain of is non-affordability.  In this interview with OYEYEMI GBENGA-MUSTAPHA, the Director, Managed Healthcare Services Limited (MHS), Dr Gabriel Idahosa, speaks on how Health Maintanance Organisations (HMOs) are bridging the gap.

As  the director of an organisation that  is among those that were the earliest Health Maintanance Organisations (HMOs) registered by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), how will you assess the sector?

The health care maintenance industry did not exist about 15 years ago and health care maintenance organisations do what is simply ‘pooling of resources’, because anytime an individual goes to the hospital he/she has to pay the bills if he does not have any other person to pay it. So, what health maintenance does is to bring a lot of people together who pay a fixed amount monthly or yearly with guarantee that if at anytime they need health care, they can walk to their healthcare provider and get services and whatever the bill is, it is the health maintenance organisation that pays. So, once you are subscribed to a plan of Managed Healthcare Services Limited (MHS), for instance, and you have paid your monthly or yearly subscription fee and you then need to see your doctor, you will get treated. All you need do is to present your NHIS card and thereafter get the treatment and go away. The doctor or hospital sends the bill to MHS to settle. It guarantees you access to healthcare and you don’t have to have the anxiety of having to pay each time you go because you already have a plan that covers you and your family. If your wife or child needs medical care and it is under your plan, you don’t have to worry about not being around the family, all they just need is to go to the hospital and get treated. It is something that has been done in other countries for a long time.

About 15 years ago, Nigeria didn’t have it, MHS and a few other organisations were the pioneers who worked with the government, convinced the government to set up a regulatory body called National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which regulates the industry and gives licences for operators.

There is the issue of ease of use of healthcare facilities by subscribers. What is your take on this?

MHS was one of the first HMO to get a licence and since then, has been one of the leading HMOs and it has, among its list, very large Federal Government and   private agencies. We have offices and staff in all the states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). So, whenever our client is out of his state of residence, he only needs to identify our service provider in any of the states to access healthcare services. So, even if a member is travelling outside the country, he only needs to identify a provider by MHS in the neighbourhood and go there and show his or her card or NHIS number, the hospital will contact MHS to confirm if he or she is registered with it. So, even if your provider is in Lagos, you can get another provider in any part of the country to attend to you once you show your card or number and they are one of our listed provider. It guarantees you freedom of access where ever you are. It is not a case of I am resident in Lagos and it is only in Lagos I can get access to healthcare. If you have a health issue outside Lagos, you don’t have to take care of it by yourself.  MHS gives you access and freedom of choice of location. Another initiative MHS is doing as part of the accessibility and affordability reform to get results is that it helps the companies to have a fix on what they will spend in a year. So, if a company has 100 workers and agrees on an amount with MHS, that company will know it cannot get bills from different hospitals its members of staff go to when they access treatment. The bills do not go to the hospitals either, the bills go to MHS. MHS has foreknowledge of the company’s budget for the year and it is not shocked, but rather deep into the ‘pool’ and settles the hospitals based on how much the company will spend on staff treatment. And for the staff, it gives peace of mind that the employers have paid for his or her treatment with MHS and they can go to any clinic to get treated anytime.This is a service that has been perfected and has become reliable for a large number of federal agencies and private agencies.

Is it the same plan/policy for your clients who choose this?

No. There are several types of plans. We have the basic plan, which is for people who just want to go to the hospital. There are other levels of plans where you can go for admission; and very high level where you can be entitled to evacuation to any foreign country for treatment depending on your level and what type of plan you can afford, that covers a whole range of services you enjoy as a subscriber to an MHS plan. There are various levels or plans these are – Basic, Silver, Platinum and so on. For some plans, you are entitled to all the treatments things. When you pay for a plan that includes over-seas evacuation; for example, when you enrol for the plan, it will be clearly stated in what you get, that you are entitled to all these things so it is up to the individual registering to make that kind of choice.

How has the public embraced this initiative?

The evidence of that is that we have a very large number of people that are from members of the public that are not federal agencies and there are a very large number of companies that have enrolled with MHS. In addition, because of the benefits we offer through this initiative, individuals register themselves and their family, groups like cooperative societies, and communities subscribe to the health plan as well. It has an extra benefit of operating within one’s budget that is why a lot of associations are subscribing their members. And it is funny that based on this, many people are joining such associations to benefit from this plan.

Since the introduction of HMOs, how can you assess the state of wellness of Nigerians?

Wellness in terms of physical wellness or fitness, HMOs have not done much. HMOs really are to champion preventive healthcare, so that not much money will be spent on treatment. There is the need for HMOs to create this awareness. Awareness for people to be better informed about what you need to do to be healthy. The HMOs have to do more of health education, which is the major activity of the HMOs. They should organise health sessions with the companies who are their customers and organise for communities who are not even their customers as part of their CSRs (corporate Social Responsibilities).They should go to communities or associations to deliver health care education because a lot of illnesses occur because of ignorance based on the food you eat, lifestyles. If you have knowledge of those things, you will be safe. HMOs know what to eat, the kind of exercises people need to do, type of lifestyle to lead, how you sit down, the type and correct posture when you sit i.e when you have back or neck pain. The basic information on health must be given. In fairness to MHS, it does these all the time for its customers or be invited by groups who are not customers to come and give health education to staff.

Are you saying HMOs are principally after profits and are under serving Nigerians?

An HMO is a health maintenance organisation not a disease curing organisation. In maintenance, you already have good health but HMO wants to ensure that you continue to maintain that good health.  The last thing an HMO wants to do is to go to a hospital, it will prefer that your health is good. For instance, when some take insurance for a car, it is not that they want to have an accident with the car but you really don’t want to have an accident with the car. It is the same thing. An HMO really doesn’t want to go to the hospital. So, at MHS, we try to give you the education that you need to have your good health so you don’t have to go to the hospital, but if after all of that you still have to go to the hospital, then we are ready to make sure that you don’t have an unhealthy body.

In Nigeria, there is problem of compliance to an agreement. In 15 years, what has been the compliance level for individuals, associations and groups towards their subscriptions?

Like every other business, there is a level of performance; it will take about 100 activities to determine some things. Whether it is paying bills or people going to work, you find out that people will be late, it happens also in the industry. Some subscribers may delay in payment, some may come and negotiate with you and say this is when they want to pay, some even pay in advance before you ask them to pay. I will say in the industry the compliance level is very high. We have about 90 per cent enrolees who pay on time.  We still have that small percentage of people who delay payments and are owing but the compliance level is very high, because it is about your health not about something else like house rent, or a car.

President Muhammadu Buhari has presented a budget to the National Assembly. As an expert, which areas do you advise the Federal Government to look into so that the major health challenges can be tackled?

HMO as an organisation believes that preventive medicine reduces the number of people who attend the hospital. So that should take a lot of our budget allocation. This is because if people are not sick, the government will not need to maintain the hospital with a lot of money, in form of facilities. A chunk of previous budget goes to public health facilities and institutions in form of salaries and commodities. So, the minister should ensure that he reduced the rate at which people go to the hospital. A healthy community will give a clear view of what our budget is meant to address. Everything about health is about the well-being of the people. There are three things we need to do when we talk of medicine – access, adequate human resources, infrastructure and affordability.

Acessibility can be seen from three perspectives – the presence of a facility (physical structure) called a health care facility does not automatically mean a person has access to the health care facility. The healthcare industry means health care facilities from the primary, secondary and down to the tertiary/teaching hospitals that are functional and should have the necessary equipment and environment to ensure that they work. They must have the equipment in place, the manpower, and the environment to make them work effectively. You must put in place a budget to ensure that once you walk into an hospital, you get that treatment that is comparable with what we get in any other part of the world.

The issue of health care tourism is a problem. We have many Nigerians getting treatment abroad, not because they can’t get the treatment here but because they have the feeling that the facilities are not there.

The right healthcare personnel and availability of drugs are also important. If these things are addressed in such a way that people will have faith in our structures, that they will get the right treatment and the right personnel, then no one will go far.

But it is not everybody that is expected to walk into  a secondary or tertiary facility…

The primary health care level is where most Nigerians access care. The primary health care centres must be made to function. We know that it is the government that is meant to take care of the primary health care facilities but I will believe that the local government should take it from where the Federal Government reached. It should ensure that the primary healthcare facilities are well taken care of, while the Federal Government and even some states take care of the tertiary institutions and secondary health care facilities. Nigerians should get to a stage where they will feel comfortable that they will get that anticipated level of care.

Some things that are necessary are adequate water resources and infrastructure. We must work within the context of infrastructure and institute an efficient healthcare management system that will enable us measure the  industry. For instance, on a particular day, the number of deliveries that took place, or say, we had a number of people coming to access healthcare facility, determining the particular causes of illnesses and the number of people with that illness. That will help us plan and when planning, we can say, since we have so many people coming up with malaria, can we have an effective intervention to prevent malaria or since we are having these number of deliveries? Can we plan and say what the population of Nigeria is going to be using these basic important healthcare indices and statistics. Getting these proper healthcare statistics is important in planning and the development of any nation.

Many enrolees complain of not getting their cards. How are you resolving this at the MHS?

The essence of the card is for the provider to see that the person is an enrolee of MHS. Each card has a number. If you don’t have the card but has a number and you tell the hospital or the MHS,you will be attended to. Most people will copy that number and leave the card at home than leave the card at home without copying the number. Two things we look for in the card are the number and photograph but if you have the number and they access their system and identify you with that number, they will give you the treatment. Most people normally will carry their cards.