AGRICULTURE BEYOND STOMACH INFRASTRUCTURE
At first encounter with the expression “stomach infrastructure” in the dailies one could not grasp the extent of its use so one’s appetite to read columns with that expression became doused. Admitted as a colloquial yet I thought it could only come from unsophisticated mind of some motor park economists whose philosophy is, for obvious reasons, built around their daily stomach needs without minding about the future.  If the expression was coined with more accepted phrases that have been with us for a long time like “food security”, “food politics” etc., no eye brow would have been raised, but alas the philosophy of “stomach infrastructure” is what Mr President transformed into agricultural revolution.
As an individual who have over the years invested in the pursuit and research of ideas for success and excellence, each time I read opinions regularly expressed by enlightened commentators I tend to subscribe to those ideas that the moral strength of leaders and their philosophical direction should not only reflect on the masses but actually influence them.  If that strike you as a fact then the level of indiscipline today therefore due partially to negative democratic culture imbibed from past, and present leaders.
Although most Nigerians are pleasantly surprised at Mr President’s relative progress at agricultural sector with continuing political commitment, considering his background as a zoologist and educational laurels, including thorough understanding of human nature and psychology, one should actually expect more success in that direction. Napoleon Bonaparte, that 18th century French military leader excelled because of his masterly appreciation of human instincts and sensibilities and that in turn earned him committed and unflinching followers.  It is impossible for intellectually blind leaders to command such influence.
If food security is fully attained and quickly followed by housing simultaneously with security of lives and properties enshrined in the constitution, it therefore means that Nigerians would less and less demand that presidency should be produced from their political zone. Instead they would more and more demand that whoever that succeeds president Jonathan should be a candidate, who, apart from sustaining the momentum would exhibit qualities to surpass his in terms of performance.
As African Union (AU) declared and marked 2014 as a year of agriculture and food security, Mr president’s experiments and agricultural sector achievements is actually replicating success stories from Eastern part of the continent that started the agro-revolution earlier than Nigeria.  The remarkable outcome of the exercise appear to be the acknowledgement that Africa’s problem: hunger, diseases, unemployment; lack of productivity and their vicious cycle can be solved. How? The main and smart prescriptions to invest more fund into agriculture to create millions of employment; provision of modern infrastructure; boosting of industrial base by the supply of raw materials rather than importing them and at the end of the chain, litter the markets with fresh and healthy foods.  And as the competition in agro-revolution proliferates with all the countries aiming at exporting food the inescapable question become: exporting to who? Since every country would
have become food secured!
In my submission gleaned from my understanding of the economic and political policies deployed by Dr Julius Nyerere of Tanzania I want to believe that Ujamaa, (African socialism) was an honest attempt to elevate agriculture through investment but without sufficient capital (saved or borrowed) instead farmers and cooperatives across Tanzania were used as capital. That was a time Brettonwood did not   see any economic potentials in the continent except raw material. It was a time no telecommunication, internet nor digital platforms that are now aiding agro-revolution.  The worst was that the model was not fashioned along capitalist/market economies, so there was no support for the programme that was exactly what the Chinese did under Mao Tse Tung and succeeded.  He was the Chinese leader that introduced agriculture at such scale (beyond stomach infrastructure) which led to and preceded industrial revolution. Today with increased funding agriculture in
market economy is producing the solutions the erstwhile Tanzanian leader envisaged with his agricultural policies.
The recent crash of petro-dollar at the world market brought home with it the reduction of price of PMS. Since then analysts have had a field day on the economic and political consequences.  Without much ado I queue behind those who argue that the reduction will bring down transportation costs across the nation making movement of agricultural produce more cost-effective. The ultimate being that even as this administration battles with readjustments of budget bench-marks, on the domestic front the masses and farmers would feel the advantage of the fall in price of PMS, all things being equal.
On a negative note the outbreak of avian flu in three states has punctuated the positive ambiance surrounding agricultural sector under this administration but it is so skeletal that “Ebola combatants” will soon halt its spread. However, generally there is optimism in the horizon for Mr President’s agricultural policies and achievements so far.

Iyke Ozemena
IKECHUKWU O. ODOEMELAM & CO
Corporate Attorneys/Consultants

 

   

 

INDUCED CRIMINALITY AND DISENFRANCHISEMENT Delays as a result of dearth of data and effective structures and apparatus for collecting them have become almost a permanent feature of Nigerian public services institution as well as private institutions in the service of the public. Take a typical public service institution like Civil Service Commission whose function is to recruit civil servants, post them to primary locations, train and retrain them, promote, demote, transfer discipline, suspend, terminate, dismiss their appointment retire them. These are enormous logistic work, I admit but they know that it is their job. But a civil servant who retires after keeping his/her record for the entire working life of 35 years or less will be delays for couple of months and years for the commission to trace his/her file, name or some other day and confirm them. Within there periods of delay host workers have been receiving their salaries and allowances but the genuine worker have not confirmed that they ever stepped into the governments department. What a shame! Now INEC is an umpire with sufficient staff and a forthright chairman who had display qualities of indefatigable and committed leadership. But when you juxtapose his qualities with the fact that a couple of days to the election million of eligible Nigerians have been waiting to obtain their PVCs and hopes are deeming by the day that they would ever get them. On the part of INEC their assurances on daily basis is that the PVCs are there for their owners to showing arte obtain them, discount all the time commencing protocol that electorates are made to go through before colleting them. These class of people are those who have  gone through the initial hurdles of getting their bio-data into the INEC voters register. The ones that deserve our collective sympathy are the 4 million eligible voters confirmed by INEC to have registered more than once and therefore became accused persons to be prosecuted according to electoral act 2010 but INEC rather than comply with the Act decided to invoke a waiver. The doctrine of nolle prosequi is entered as a plea by a State or Federal Attorney General in a criminal case before a competent court when the states legal department decided that for some reasons it will be futile to prosecute the case or even if it goes ahead it will be counter productive. One can imagine the amount of time and resources that will be required to investigate, fish out arrest and arraign 4 million persons across Nigeria. They must have taken a piece of advice from their legal team. But that is just one side of the coin. Who are these 4 million person? Most probably they are you and me queuing up, get registered once and obtain temporary voters card, and on subsequent calls to confirm or collect PVC only to find that the computer data will report non-existence of such names, or another scenario where your name will appear in multiple. And these are through no fault of yours. When these 4 million cases are thoroughly dissected you discover that we will be talking about induced criminality. While these cock and bull story are on millions of Nigerian stand a risk of been  disenfranchised through no fault of theirs.  Just recently 14 thousand PVCs were lost to rubber in rivers State and any attempt by their owners to go to voters registered constitute a crime. The computer registration is configured to accept one version of registration. Subsequent once go to the trash and the issue multiple registration would not come up at all. Voters register is not configured to incriminate voters with honest intention to obtain one PVC. I find INEC’s inability to carry out its duties incomprehensive because, it has full description, analysis and scope of its electioneering duties; it has enabling environment like budged, electoral acts and presidential support to ensure transparent, free and fair election at a cost often dictated by INEC. How then did we have such an avalanche of eligible voters that turnout for registration in June 2014 without getting registered and the popular view that the registration will continue at the LGA was not implemented. There is no doubt that INEC was overwhelmed by the large number of voters they have to carter for, but does it not go with the common acknowledgement that Nigerian turn 18 daily in their thousand and accumulating endlessly. That those who have been given temporary voters card by INEC not vote is induced disenfranchisement due to legal incapacitation, which a clause amending the Electoral Act could rescue a few hundred of thousand if not millions of eligible voters holding that  piece of paper. That is a demonstration of not acknowledging the value of electorates civil responsibilities. Iyke Ozemena IKECHULWU O. ODOEMELAM & CO                                                                           Corporate Attorneys/Consultants

SECURITY CHALLENGES & KIDNAP RANSOM INSURANCE POLICY
In an election year security is a serious issue with violence, kidnapping, terrorism and political intolerance or threat of them as some of the phenomena that pose serious danger to it. So the price of security becomes higher than normal non-election times when life is taken for granted. In recognition of this high stake Federal Government’s recent delivery additional military hardware to deal terminal blows to the insurgency in the North-East is a welcome development.
There have been violence at Edo State legislators’ quarters as well as anarchy and vandalism at Ekiti High Court as the nation counts down to election. The 2007 and 2011 were characteristized by election violence. Perhaps these omens led political parties to sign non – violence pact also known as “Abuja accord” binding leaders and supporters  against provocative and violent campaigns. However commendable as that may appear, reports of violent incidents thereafter keeps one wondering whether that pact requires further validation for its efficacy. And that questions how much reliance to place on the provisions of criminal / penal codes, Electoral Acts offences, Public Order Act, Prevention of Terrorism Act and their enforcements.
Even though political associations are ordinarily considered social goods, they sometimes metamorphose into a repressive evil, just like Khamer Rouge party did in Cambodia some years ago; or the activities of Sandanista in Latin America or the heinous activities of Italian mafia which dated as far back as 1875 in Sicily. They had at different times posed threat and real danger to security.
Sicilia mafia were a group of aggrieved individuals acting on revenge or protest against denial of the right to vote which led to a “boss” with followers springing up to redress that denial. In the course of redressing the social malaise, various tactics and strategies were adopted: threat, harm, kidnapping, torture, maiming and killing, just as Boko Haram has been doing in the North East.
Although some analysts paint the picture of mafia as political instead of terrorist, especially if the account that  led to their origin in Sicily is taken as fact. It is probably such analyst that equally label terrorists political.  In my view both are on the same page even though the difference between their modus operandi remain subtle with a common denominator of illegality.
The word ‘mafia’ does not have modern definite meaning except that link above with their historical origin, however it can share antecedents with Boko Haram since their ‘Jihad’ to make the nation  ungovernable came after electoral victory of Jonathan in 2011, which is also a protest about votes. But they are not exactly the same. However, The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary defined ‘mafia’ thus: “In Sicily, the spirit of hostility to law and its ministers, often manifested itself in vindictive crimes. Also the body of those who share in this spirit”,. Simply put any group that poses security threat to individuals, governments or both can be tagged ‘mafia’, especially if they remain amorphous and use subterranean operation. 
However, in the eye of the law both groups and operations are illegal and unconstitutional. My worry is that if the laws, especially criminal law of all nations have criminalized the conducts of those groups as unlawful societies  against government, (s.62 Criminal Code) where did modern state or government found the audacity or is it exception to meddle with their activities by approving or condoning insurance policies that accrue to their benefits? Although most insurance companies are private investments with shareholders across borders but there seem to be complicity if governments hold shares in those insurance companies.
By s. 62 of Criminal Code these groups have to be at least 10 persons and there has to be a declaration order by the government that the groups are unlawful societies. In the light of this one wonders Nigeria took such along time before it could declare Boko Haram a terrorist organization only for the USA to do so forthrightly.
Sometimes like a dream or nightmare one hears about kidnapping. You are not the victim. Of course not or that victim is a relation. Perhaps not at all. But the hard fact is that you could be a victim; your relation or someone(s) you know could be. That is the crux of the menace. It is at this point that I heard the idea of kidnap ransom insurance policy with mixed feelings. #The idea  is not local yet since crisis management consultants are still working on the operational modules.  A syndicate of American Insurance Group (AIG), American International Insurance Company (AIICO) etc. are teaming up with other insurance companies to provide policies that could be taken up by families, corporate bodies to recover sums paid as ransom for the release of loved family members or staff of corporations especially those who travel to areas with record of militancy, terrorism, mafia activities or even drug barons taking hostages in exchange for release of detained
drug offenders.
In the case of corporate bodies it is difficult to see the moral basis of what looks like tacit approval of bribery albeit to save life.  Commenting on corporate bribery in this instance, FIFA bribery report recently published Kolawole Olaniyan defined bribery as: “the receiving or offering of any undue reward by or in any person whatsoever in a public or private role, in order to influence his or her behavior in that role, and incline him/her to act contrary to the known rules of honesty, impartiality and integrity.”
However, I am more disposed to come to terms with the psychological basis of kidnap ransom insurance policy. For families of those in the employ of corporate bodies it is a golden assurance that in the case of such sad and undesirable incident nothing would be spared to secure the release of their loved ones, although such polices cannot exceed $30 million.  Suppose the ‘devils’ decide to play the Oliver Twist by asking for more than that? The entire scheme becomes meaningless.  But the rationale is psychological succor.  You may not use it but it is a precaution that could come to aid any time.  It offers protection to corporate bodies against incidence of kidnap and preventive protection when such sad  even occurs.  The proposed insurers have made it clear that they do not pay ransom on behalf of the insured but reimburses sum paid as ransom, injuries or death, losses;  medical bills and ransoms paid on transit.
Since huge sums of money are paid annually as kidnap ransom, those likely to consider this policy include but  not limited to those who operate in militancy prone areas, companies with sensitive information or technology or in control of huge cash.   Equally prone places are areas with records of drug barons taking hostages in exchange for release of detained drug offenders; holiday resorts as well as hijacking spots.  It is possible that this policy would become desirable to many people and institutions considering that the insurgency in the North East has not abated coupled with the fact that it is an election year.

Iyke Ozemena

IKECHUKWU O. ODOEMELAM & CO
Corporate Attorneys/Consultants