•Akande

 Chief Bisi Akande: Celebrating a worthy leader at 75

Posted by: Femi Orebe

It is a thing of joy that we still have in Yoruba land today, a distinguished leader of the calibre of Chief Bisi Akande,

This column opens up today with a portion that was guillotined from last Sunday’s article due to space constraint. It is a thing of joy that we still have in Yoruba land today, a distinguished leader of the calibre of Chief Bisi Akande, the Interim National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress to celebrate. In an age when all manner of characters are bandied about as leaders in the Southwest geo-political zone, and when ‘leaders’  are being trashed right and left in certain circles, no matter what high office they have held in the land, we of the APC,  and millions of Omoluabi Yoruba and Nigerians in general, can truly celebrate one of our own. A man of impeccable integrity, variously tested and trusted, below is what I wrote about Chief Akande in the special publication for  his birthday anniversary: ‘A dye-in-the- wool Awoist and an irrepressible student of the Uncle Bola Ige school of politics, Baba Akande has grown to become an indefatigable democrat. A tested leader in whom there is no guile, it is safe to say that with the likes of him leading the APC, it will yet be too early to declare Nigeria a failed state. Happy Birthday, Sir.

Fighting Executive Impunity In Nigeria:  Dr Bashir Gwandu’s Example

“I see this case as part of my contribution towards strengthening of the rule of law and a decision meant to send message to investors that Nigeria has come of age and is a place where the law is applicable to everyone, including the president. The Nigerian telecom law is there and it contains adequate provisions to protect stakeholders and investment, all that investors need to do is to learn to stand and pursue their rights in defence of their investments. As for the young ones, never be discouraged, troubled, or get intimidated by powerful forces. There is an honour in public service, just do your part, and God is there to provide protection. Have faith in God and you will never be disappointed.’ – Dr Bashir Gwandu on his court victory.

Increasingly under the Jonathan administration, Nigeria and corruption are becoming Siamese twins.  With executive impunity firmly in place, well-connected and high-profile fraudsters are guaranteed a safe passage, whatever their crime.  By itself, the administration also routinely perpetrates corruption, as the case in which Dr Bashir Gwandu was unjustly punished eloquently demonstrates.

As reported severally in the media when the news broke in 2013, Dr Gwandu, former Executive Commissioner of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and Chairman of the technical body of  Radio communications Advisory Group (RAG),  as  well  as  Vice-Chairman  Joint Task Group, JTG-4-5-6-7, of  I.T.U, was summarily  removed from office as  Executive Commissioner of the NCC on 26th November 2012 for  his principled stand against  three major frauds  committed in the commission by agents of the Jonathan government. Indeed,  according  to  Femi  Falana, SAN, who is Gwandu’s lawyer,  Mrs Omobola Johnson,  the Minister of  Communications Technology, actually demanded, by a letter dated April 12, 2013, addressed to the Secretary-General of ITU, that  Dr Gwandu be relieved  of the positions he held at  ITU.  Such barefaced impunity will be hard to come by in any government that sets any stock by transparency and anti-corruption; two elements the Jonathan administration very sincerely abhors.

What then were Gwandu’s offences?

Of course, his sins against the innermost cravings of a corrupt government was that he spilled the bins on three main frauds committed in the commission, apparently on orders from above.

These, according to several news sources, are:  selling of 450MHz Spectrum to an unlicensed company- OpenSkys Ltd reportedly owned by Mr Emeka Offor and some powerful associates who then connived to remove Gwandu, after paying only US $6 million for a licence that should have fetched the nation over $50 million.  Second  was reported to be the N1.029B waiver applied for by the Communications Minister ostensibly for  three companies:  Multilink’s, Starcomms and MTS, but was granted to only  MTS – a company in which NCC’s Chief Executive Officer,  Eugene Juwah,  in two separate interviews  admitted to having  shares,  at the expense of the  federation account and  those two other companies.

The third issue was Gwandu’s reported opposition to the sale of a 10MHz slot in the 800MHz spectrum-band without competitive bids, as required by law, to a South African company called Smile Communications Limited for about €13million while equivalent spectrums sold in Germany, Italy, France and UK for around €992million.

Till date, these weighty allegations have not been probed by the Jonathan administration.

But Nigerians must thank Dr Gwandu and his intrepid lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, who took his sack case to court as only this past week, the National Industrial Court, sitting at Abuja, declared Gwandu’s removal from office as Executive Commissioner illegal, unconstitutional, ultra vires, null and void and of no effect whatsoever. The court, therefore, ordered that Gwandu be paid his accrued salaries, benefits, allowances and entitlements up to 21st January 2014. The court further awarded him N100 million in damages.

Unless, and until Nigerians come to rise up to fight this thoroughly kleptomanic government, we as a country and people, will remain the butt of jokes the world over. Unfortunately, most of these frauds are perpetrated with the 2015 election in mind as the beneficiaries are all potential big election donors and for that alone, the Jonathan government will sacrifice anything.

It is the same amoral considerations that underpinned some of the names recently sent by the president to the senate for confirmation as ministers. While mercifully, Nigerians should see the back of Princess Oduah in the imminent cabinet reshuffle, some of these individuals should not be anywhere near a public office.  It is extremely painful what messages President Jonathan is sending to Nigerians, as well as the outside world about how serious he is on fighting corruption. Even if the former PDP Chairman, recently forced out of office was not accused of any fraud, the fact that a man who could not manage a political party gets appointed to a very critical segment of the economy is also very uncomplimentary. One can understand jobs for the boys, but for a man of Alhaji’s Tukur’s age and accomplishments to have accepted his new job can only be a validation of his grovelling reluctance to leave the former.  It equally says a lot about  the PDP that it could appoint as its Chairman, a person who is not only wanted by the EFCC, but  was  adjudged  by a seven-man panel set up by  none other than Governor Yuguda who reportedly nominated  him,  to have misappropriated N20.4 billion while governor of Bauchi State.

Regarding Jonathan’s new ministers, Nigerians can only hope that this time around, the senate will truly serve the nation.

A hollow hope, many will say.