NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
DEBATES
FOURTH ASSEMBLY
FIRST SESSION
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
OFFICIAL REPORT
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
Thursday, 1st July, 1999
The House met at 10.10. a.m.
PRAYERS
(The Deputy Speaker in the Chair)
VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS
The Deputy Speaker: Good morning, hon. Members. I have examined and approved the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 30th June, 1999.
OATHS
The Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members-Elect who have not taken and subscribed the Oaths should please come forward.
(No hon. Member moves forward)
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Meeting of Standing Committee on
Anti-Corruption, National Ethics and Values
The Deputy Speaker: The Standing Committee on Anti-Corruption, National Ethics and Values will be meeting on Thursday, 1st July, 1999 at 2.30 p.m. at Committee Room 4, First Floor of the National Assembly.
House Delegation to Anambra State
Hon. Members, Mr. Speaker has travelled to Akwa, Anambra State, along with some hon. Members in order to assist in resolving the problem between the Executive and the State Assembly. They will be back in the evening. This is in continuation of the House's efforts in trying to resolve crises as they occur. We hope that they will come back with good results as the signs are encouraging now.
Composition of the Rules and Business Committee
Hon. Members, T have received a letter from the Rules and Business Committee written by Hon. Musa Elayo who is the Chairman of the Committee and it reads as follows:
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON
RULES AND BUSINESS, INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE CENTRE, NATIONAL ASSEMBLY
P. M. B. 141, ABUJA, NIGERIA.
1st July, 1999.
The Speaker,
House of Representatives,
National Assembly,
Abuja.
PROCEDURE FOR SUBMISSION OF MOTIONS,
BILLS AND AMENDMENTS
At its maiden meeting of the Rules and Business
Committee of the House, held on 30th June, 1999, the
Committee directed me to inform you that it has
assumed its full responsibilities pursuant to Standing
Rule No: 91(1) and (2) and other relevant provisions
of the Rules of the House. The Committee also
resolved that henceforth all motions, bills and
amendments should be submitted to the Committee's
Secretariat Room 6, 1st floor, National Assembly
Complex between the hours of 9.00 a. m and 3.00 p.m.
except on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
2. The purpose of this letter therefore, is to request
you to please bring to the notice of all Members of the
House, the content of this letter for compliance.
3. I want to assure you of the Committee's continued
support in your effort to pilot the affairs of this House
to a successful end.
Hon. Musa Elayo
Chairman
NOTICE OF MOTION
Pension Rights for the Legislators
The Deputy Speaker: Hon. Members, there is only one Motion on Notice on today's Order Paper. The Motion is standing in the names of Hon. YoungHarry Adokiye and Hon. Austin Adiele Opara. I invite either of them to move the Motion.
Hon. Jenrade Kareem Adekunle (Egbeda/Ona Ara): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to observe that in
the Votes and Proceedings of Wednesday, 30th June, 1999, in the last paragraph of Section 5, my name is not correctly written out. I have corrected this several times and the correct spelling is
JENRADE and not JERENDE.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: Your observation is well taken and I will inform the Clerk accordingly. Leadership of Alliance for Democracy (AD) The Deputy Speaker: The Alliance for Democracy (AD) has elected its remaining Principal Officers as follows:
Hon. Adedapo C. Fajuru - Deputy Leader
Hon. Abraham Laoshe - Deputy Whip
Letter from the President
The Deputy Speaker: We have received a letter from the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, regarding the appointment of Special Advisers which reads thus:
June 30, 1999
My Dear Hon. Speaker,
APPOINTMENT OF SPECIAL ADVISERS
Section 151(2) of the 1999 Constitution provided
that the number of Special Advisers to the President
and their remuneration and allowances shall be as
prescribed by law or resolution of the National
Assembly. In line with this provision, I presented 15
nominees to the Senate which graciously approved the
appointment of 12 persons as Special Advisers to the
President.
May I also request the honourable House of
Representatives to kindly support the approval of 12
persons so that the Special Advisers can be sworn in at
a later date.
May I also seek the approval of remuneration and
allowances of the Special Advisers which should be
the same as those attached to the Minister of State.
Thank you for your kind attention.
Your sincerely,
OLUSEGUN OBASANJO
President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
Federal Republic of Nigeria
We have been assured by the Presidential Liaison Officer that they will attach a list of remuneration and allowances today. So, this is just for the information of hon. Members.
Hon. Appolos E. Amadi (Ikwerre/Emohua): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think some of these letters should be distributed to us so that we can read and digest the contents before debating them.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: They will be published in the Votes and Proceedings which will be distributed to you at our next sitting.
Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba (Ehime Mbano/ Ihieteuboma/Obowo): Point of Observation, Mr. Speaker. My Point of Observation is in respect of the letter you have just read which purports to seek our support in respect of the decisions taken. It is not placed on the Table of the House yet, so we are waiting for it to be placed. I believe that it should be laid on the Table of the House, unless it is just for the personal consumption of the Speaker. If we receive this letter and copies are made available to us, then we will debate it in line with our Constitutional responsibilities and pass the Resolutions which the letter asked for.
I think he is asking for a resolution and I will ask this House to put it on the Notice of Motion, so that we can discuss it when it becomes matured. We will tackle all those procedural defects when the time comes. This is just a matter of observation as I have said.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: Thank you very much.
Hon. Gabriel T. Suswan (Katsina Ala/ Logo/ Ukum): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, my
observation is on the Votes and Proceedings of yesterday. If you look at the movers of this Motion, what the Secretariat of this House has done is only to mention the names of those who moved the Motion and they would just say and four others and three others. The proper thing to do is that every person who speaks on a Motion, his or her name should be reflected in the Votes and Proceedings. So, Mr. Speaker, I will like to implore you to take this up with the Clerk.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: In response to Hon. Nwajuba's observation, what I read out is a message from the President, there will be more details provided upon which we can debate thereafter.
Hon. Zakaria A. Malherbe (Buruku): Mr. Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me the attention. What I have observed is that we think we have got to a stage that things should be done on the floor of this House properly. If this is a letter addressed to Mr. Speaker in his private capacity, and it is read to us, then, we take it as such. But if the contents of such a letter are officially addressed to this House, then it is only proper that even in the absence of other copies, a copy should be made available to each member and that shows that members have been notified.
The same thing goes for the observation that the hon. Member for Katsina Ala/Logo/Ukum (Hon. Gabriel T. Suswan) has made. Observations made on the floor of this house are expected to be recorded, except for humorous sake, Mr. Speaker decides that it should be off record. I think from now on, we should strictly adhere to that process because anything said on the Floor of this House could be subject of further consideration by this House; even if it is an observation made in passing by a Member of this honourable House.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, furthermore, we are still faced with the problem of a lot of names of hon. Members of this House being wrongly addressed. I think the time is ripe, in view of the fact that we have now sat for, at least, one month, for the Clerk of the House and his officers to go into details and get these names right. Or else in future, some of us will refuse to respond to official duty calls if our names
are not properly spelt because our names are our individual names. I think the time is ripe for this to be taken seriously.
Let me just mention that up till now, the gentleman who contested the election with me is the man being reflected as representing Buruku
Constituency. Honestly, Mr. Speaker, I think this is serious and I have written to that effect. Except this honourable House decides that I should quit the House, (Laughter) otherwise, I plead that I should be recognised as the true representative of the people of Bukuru Constituency in the House of Representatives.
Thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker: Thank you, please do not quit the House. The point is taken and I will advise the Clerk to, please, begin to take some time to spell Members names correctly, and those who have been duly elected should be so reflected. Mr. Clerk, please, take note of this.
Hon. Charles Dayo Fajuru (Ekiti Central): I want to draw the attention of Mr. Speaker to the Rules of this House, No. 12, which reads:
1) The Speaker shall allocate a seat to
each member, and
2) A member may only speak from the
seat allocated to hint provided that
the Speaker may change the
allocation from time to time.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, up till now, no Member of this honourable House has been allocated a seat, and this can be considered to be at variance with what is happening in the Senate. Members of that very House have got their own seats allocated to them about three weeks ago. I wish this will be looked into as soon as possible.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
The Deputy Speaker: Let me say, hon. Members that we are in the process of finalising the sitting arrangement for Members and very shortly we would announce the seats for every Member.
Thank you, very much.
Hon. Alexander Nwofe (Abakaliki/Izzi): Mr. Speaker, Sir, the point of Order is Order 38 of the Rules and it deals on the mode of receiving messages from Mr. President. With your permission, I read:
(1) The Speaker shall immediately after
prayers or as soon as any new
member has taken the Oath of
Allegiance, read to the House any
message addressed to the House by
the President of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
The Rule does not require that the message should be laid on the table and so the House was quite in order when Mr. Speaker read the message from Mr. President.
That is my observation.
The Deputy Speaker: Thank you, very much.
Hon. Esio Oquong Udoh (Oron/Mbo/Okobo/Udu Nguko/Urue): Mr. Speaker Sir, on the issue of the list sent to the House by Mr. President, and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the observation I am making is that it seems it is an after-thought that this House should also take a look at the list. The Senate had seen this list and had accordingly approved these names. I think the right procedure would have been that the House of Representatives first takes a look at the list and comment on it before it is passed to the Senate. I think this is the correct procedure. This should be pointed out to Mr. President in future. The correct procedure is that the list is submitted simultaneously to both Houses for the Senate and House of Representatives to do their job.
Thank you.
The Deputy Speaker: Hon. Esio O. Udoh, I have noted your points and I believe they will be addressed soon. We now have a Liaison Officer who should correct the lapses. In fact, there is the need to always carry this honourable House along in a timely fashion and not as an after-thought.
Hon. Aliyu Umar Sanyinna (Kebbi/Tambawal): The issue raised by my colleagues rests on Section 171 of the Constitution, and it states;
The power to appoint persons to hold or act in the offices in which this section applies and to remove persons so appointed from any such office shall vest in the President.
Mr. President does not need to send the list of Ministers or Advisers to the
House of Representatives. It is the Senate that is to make the recommendations and not the House of Representatives. It is the Senate that is to approve the list for him. All that the House of Representatives is entitled to in this matter is to be informed. That is our entitlements and that is what we are here to do.
Thank you.
Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba (Ehime Mbano/ Ihiteuboma/Obowo): This matter of Mr. President's list to my mind, I think we are regarded as Supporter's Club but at the moment, there is nothing anybody can do. What Mr. President is asking for is our support only and I wish us to do so now.
Please I beg us to do so. Thank you.
The Deputy Speak: Please, are there any more points to make on this matter or do we rest it? I think we have to rest it.
ORDER OF THE DAY
Debate of the Address of the President,
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria (Sixth Allotted Day)
Adjourned Debate, 30 June, 1999
The Deputy Speaker: We shall continue on the debate on Mr. President's Address.
Hon. Alhassan Danmusa (Borgu/Agwara): Mr. Speaker, Sir, much had been spoken on the President's Address and I would like to say a few words as my contribution and that is on transport. Mr. President said in his Address that he will design and implement new policies on road maintenance. He also promised to make specitic policies that will enable him carry out this. in this vein, I would like all of us to support him in carrying it out.
Thank you.
Hon. Adamu Usman Degri-(Balanga/Billiri): I want to contribute to Mr. President's Address in this House in two areas. My speech might concern specifically the economic sector and I know the bases of any planning is when you have correct data. To me, it appears that the Central Bank and the Ministry of Finance can hardly tell us what is the correct balance of account at any particular day because many a time, if there is any reason to publish their statement of account, you will find variances. I suppose they are supposed to have the same balance, maybe you can excuse fractions and that might be as a result of commissions or charges as the case may be.
Therefore, I would want Mr. President, as a matter of, urgency to look into the area of taxes because, it is my candid opinion that taxes in this country is not properly addressed and about only one-third is taken to government as its due. So, I would like Mr. President to first of all look at that area.
The Second area is that of rural development. We all come from rural areas and I would want a situation where Mr. President will consider setting up something like integrated rural development areas in the Federal Constituencies so as to touch all areas in this country, which we are representing here today.
On agriculture, though my colleagues have made mention of that, I would also want a situation where we will focus attention to the provision of fertilizers and other agriculture imputs so as to boost the production of food in this country. I believe transportation of agricultural produce today is almost a thing of the past but it is of necessity that this same thing is brought back as a complement to our principal revenue earner. Also, if I may suggest, we should toe the line of Agricultural Development Programmes where Farm Service Centres are established in all the nooks and crannies of all the States of the Federation.
On the area of transportation, I would want a situation where Nigerians will be transported with dignity. ; If you take Lagos,: .for instance, where you have Molues, we know the state of those buses and
they are supposed to carry human beings. That tells us that we have little respect for human nature. These buses I think should be comfortable enough for people to ride to their destinations and be free from hazards, but what you can see is the kind of combustion , that comes out from these vehicles because of lack of service and maintenance. I would want a situation where transportation will be seriously addressed so that we can move freely goods and services and thus enhancing the economy of this country.
On railways, we understand that, a lot of money has been invested but up till now, we are yet to commission any one part of that investment. There
is need also to start and at least, later commission whatever has been completed so that we can assure the Nigerian populace that something is being done.
Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think I will rest my case here.
Thank you, very much.
Hon. (Chief) Cajethan Dike (Orlu/Orsu/Oru East): I have quite examined the address of the Head of State, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. I have two areas to comment on. One is on the. economy and the other is the area where he made mention of marginalisation. I have carefully examined the marginalisation issue and come to the conclusion that Imo State is No. 1 State that has been marginalised, having regard to his question `who is marginalising who? I am standing here to tell you that Imo State has been so much marginalised by the Federal Military Government. You can see with me that, it is only in Imo State that you cannot find any road constructed or rehabilitated by Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF) among the 36 states of the Federation.
Some people from my constituency, Orlu, have never seen any Federal Road or any Federal signpost written, Federal Ministry of this or that. You can take a trip to Imo State and see what I mean. Yesterday, we passed a resolution to tour the 36 states of the Federation, please, I would want you to go to Imo State first to see things for yourselves.
On the economy, I would like the President to please address the National Assembly once more and
put us in a proper shape on the position of the economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Sometime last month, we were addressed by the former Head of State, General Abdusalam Abubakar and there were two discrepancies about the proper figure of the economy. We do not know how much we have in the National treasury. I would like Mr. President to please tell us the actual figure of what is in the treasury so that we will know how to work with the figures.
Thank you, very much.
Hon. (Alhaji) Dikko Muktar (Bingji/Silame): Mr. Speaker, Sir, with regard to Mr. President's address, I would like to make comments on the agricultural sector. Since 1976 when the present Head of State was heading the then Federal Military Government, he launched the Green Revolution Programme. But since then, the farmers of this country have not been adequately supplied with agricultural imputs, such as fertilizer and the rest inputs that will make them produce sufficient food supplies. So, if our agricultural programme is to succeed, the government should see that the peasant farmers buy these fertilizers and other imputs at a very subsidized rate and on time. You would notice that at any season the rain is due to start in various States, fertilizers are not supplied on time. Sometimes, it will be by August or September before all the States will start to distribute fertilizers to farmers but this does not augur well for the agriculture sector. Also, our Dams have not been put to proper use as regards irrigation. This area needs to be looked into seriously by Government because we have abundant fadama lands in this country and if these Dams are put into proper use, I am very sure Nigeria will produce sufficient food supply to our teeming population and even to export more. We also have to make arrangement for silos to store any food surplus that may have been produced.
In the area of Education, as far back as 1976-79, Universal Free Primary Education (UPE) was launched but unfortunately, the implementation of that programme has been very faulty. That is why we have continued to complain of lack of teachers, books, and what have you in our Primary School institutions. Now, if this programme is to be revitalised, the Government has to put a very good
machinery in place to implement the programme. That is the reason why we experience shortage of Primary School teachers and stationeries in our primary schools. I believe that, if there is a proper machinery for implementing this programme, our Primary Education system , as we. have already discussed, will be a success story in this country.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, that is my comment with regard to the Address of the President.
Thank you, very much.
Hon. Gabriel Dumi (Sapele/Okpe/Uvwie): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I stand to support among others that the address of the President is all embracing but be that as it may, I have my personal observation in connection with the area of corruption.
Mr. President has in fact brought in the Corruption Bill. We received it in this hon. House only yesterday and on a proper perusal of this Bill, one could find that it is not different in any way from the existing law as contained in the Criminal Code of the Federation. What one would have thought at this new age, because we are now starting a new age, was a serious campaign against indiscipline which is the problem of this nation. The problem of the nation in my view is indiscipline. It is being practised everywhere - from the top to the youths, even with children in primary schools, indiscipline is almost in the mind of everybody. Mr. Speaker, Sir, if we had started off by a campaign through us. here in this honourable House, through the Ministry of Information, starting at the State level, Federal level, even at Local Government level up to the
hamlets within this country to tell them the consequencies and the damage indiscipline has caused in Nigeria, by the time this Bill would have been promulgated, I think the matter would have been of more effect than it is now.
Mr. Speaker, let us examine the situation to show this hon. House that we are even. practising indiscipline. I will give a quick example. When the Sergeant-at-Arms carries the Mace and shouts, Mr. Speaker!, by that act of saying. Mr. Speaker, this honourable House ought to be quiet, there ought to
be absolute silence. But after that shout of Mr. Speaker!, you still see Members moving about. That, in itself, is a very clear act of indiscipline.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I want to give more example. Today in our society we are complaining that there is no job for our children. How can there be job? When the Federal Government constitutes a corporation, who runs down the corporation? Is it not Nigerians? The employees there are Nigerians, they are not foreigners. We run down the corporation. Series of corporations had been established by the Federal and also State Governments but today none of them is functioning. That is as a result of indiscipline. This is so because those people employed in various State Corporations or parastatals, if you like, go there to run the institutions not with a view to improve on them but with a view to running them down. As a result, when the institutions are ruined by taking their monies through different means, where will your child work? Will there be any place? Do you think at that stage when we are trying to put the money in our various pockets we are running down the Government? We are running down ourselves, we are running down our children, we are running down children yet to be born. In my own view, I would have thought that a serious campaign against indiscipline would have been the first approach to corruption rather than a Bill. This Bill, of course, within the next few days or more, is going to be promulgated into law. As it is now being studied, some of us, I will not include myself, are already finding ways of how to set aside some of the provisions therein contained and that in itself is an act of indiscipline.
My message, therefore, Mr. Speaker, is to endeavour to inform the authority that
even though this is now going to be put in place within the next few days or weeks, I am appealing that the Presidency should be informed that there should be a serious campaign against indiscipline because corruption is a product of indiscipline which has done a lot of damage to the society.
The import of what I am saying, put briefly, is that the authorities should be informed that we should try to institute a campaign from the Federal level, the State level, the Local Government level, to every hamlet and tell the children and everybody the consequences of indiscipline. I beg to submit. Thank you.
Mr. Speaker: Thank you.
May I now call on Hon. Daniel Sunday Dung to make his contributions.
Hon. Daniel Sunday Dung (Jos South/Jos East): Mr. Speaker, Sir, Distinguished Colleagues, the President's, speech was all right except that to my mind there should be radical changes in certain areas in order to favour the majority of Nigerians. First, there should be radical changes in primary and secondary education, subsidy on fertilizer and farming inputs should be restored, encourage the proliferation of cottage industries by State Governments while the Federal government should resuscitate the Steel Rolling Plans so that together, they would provide a basis for production.
Secondly, the revitalization of Primary Health Care in the rural areas, the provision of portable drinking water to rural people, restructuring of NEPA and possibly allowing private power generating companies to supply power, would help. For example, NESCO, that is, Nigeria Electricity Supply Company, based in Jos could supply Plateau, Bauchi and Nassarawa States with power.
The next point I want to make is that OMPADEC should be adequately funded in order to take care of pollution and other social problems in the Niger Delta area. SUMPADEC should also be properly funded in order to take care of solid mineral producing areas where the land has been devastated by mining activities.
On foreign investment, the President forgot to emphasize on tourism because tourism is one of the world's largest revenue generator and Nigeria is very much endowed with diverse potentials in it. For example, we have States like Plateau, Bauchi, Taraba, Oyo, Niger and others. These areas should actually be given some assistance in the area of tourism by the Federal Government in order for them to come first in West Africa and in fact, Africa as a whole.
Thank you, I beg to submit. Mr. Speaker: Thank you.
Hon. Durojaiye Gbadamosi (Oluyole): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, having gone through the address of Mr. President, I want to observe that
the address was laudable and commendable. It is such a comprehensive document to a great extent that if it could be properly implemented or followed to the letter, most of the problems militating against the progress, unity and political stability of this country will be solved.
However, Mr. Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment briefly on Education where Mr. President mentioned that he would relaunch the Universal Free Primary Education Scheme. I would like to draw the attention of this honourable House to the fact that it was the same Mr. President that launched this programme in 1978. In my candid opinion, Mr. Speaker, Sir, we need to move a step further in this country educationally. There is need for our educational advancement particularly in the field of Science and Technology. We need to advance on Industry and so on and so forth and without Education as the bedrock of any nation, we cannot move forward.
I could observe, Mr. Speaker, Sir, that there are two major problems in this country and these problems are questions of unemployment and illiteracy. We cannot really wipe out the question of unemployment unless we wipe out the question of illiteracy. So, I am submitting to this honourable House that at this stage of our independence which is going to 40 years, we should move a bit forward educationally and I beg to submit that if education could be made free at this point in time, it should be made free up to secondary school level, at least.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Chidi Okechukwu Duru (Aguata): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have had the privilege of going through Mr. President's speech tagged National Reawakening. My comment is that I see the speech basically as the policy thrust of Mr. President. Our judgement and my judgement for Mr. President for the coming four years term will be dependent on how far he will fulfil the pledge he has made to the Nigerian nation. I want to draw inspiration from page 2 of that speech where he made the comment and I quote:
Let me pledge here that I shall `spare no effort for the ultimate success of the Nigerian nation.
That is a pledge and that also is a commitment to the Nigeria nation. I will not want to go into specifics. but it is important that I mention that I am excited by the pledge' of Mr. President to the idea of privatisation and commercialisation.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Applause)
Hon. Omolola Abiola-Edewor (Apapa): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have no problem whatsoever with Mr. President's speech because I think that a speech could not be better written. There is only one area that is of intense concern to me and that is the anticorruption crusade. Now, it is very easy to talk about wanting to wipe out and eradicate corruption. When we look at the causes of corruption in this country, if we are to move anywhere, we have people in our Civil Service in this country who have dedicated their lives to working, when they are done and have to retire, you will find that they are fighting the system to collect what is rightfully theirs. If you work in the system in this country and you put in your best, you come out without any social welfare benefits; your neigbours will laugh at you. Unless a few things are addressed such that people can be assured that having contributed their quota to their fatherland, the country that they have served will also serve them in their old age. We have a problem because if I am not sure that I will be looked after when I am old, I will then want to actually make hay while the sun shines. I will want to prepare for my old age. We need to look very seriously at the Social Welfare system and maybe adapt them to suit our own situation in this country. We must learn to look after our old people.
We need to look more into our Health system. We need to provide better facilities because we all -, know how much it costs to go to private hospitals;
not everybody can afford it especially considering the minimum wage. We have to look after these things because everybody wants to be able to look after themselves himself or herself in the event of illness. You want to go to the hospital and to looked after such that health services are not only available to the highest bidder. These are things that we need to look into. We need to look into situations where when people get unemployed albeit temporarily, they will be looked after.
We all need shelter. We all know that in this country it costs millions to own a home. Most of us cannot afford it. We need a mortgage system that works; everything is called in millions. People have to be able, within their income, to pay instalmentally so that they can afford the very basic human needs. These are Constitutional issues if we are truly serious about eradicating corruption.
Thank you.
Hon. (Engr.) A. Efekodha (Isoko North/South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, and hon. Members, first of all, I want to thank Mr. President for a beautiful and well prepared National Reawakening speech which I consider as a kind of policy statement for his administration for the next four years.
A lot of other Members had spoken exhaustively in some of the areas which I align myself to but I will still like to talk a little on some of the other areas that were not quite explicit in his speech, particularly on the petroleum industry. I am talking about petroleum industry because, according to him, which I think is right, is that we have neglected that industry to such an extent that the whole industry has been abused and I agree with him. On the areas of exploration, production and the refining of the products, I do not see why our country producing over two million barrels of oil daily should be short of petrol to drive our cars. 1 think, the best areas to tackle the problem, first of all, is to think how we are generating our funds. This is because without funds input into agriculture and other sectors, our economy cannot, of course, stand the test of the day. For example, on the refining of petroleum, I do not see why we should not add, at least, one or two more refineries in addition to improving and maintaining the existing ones.
I think the population of this country is 100 million people or above, and even in some foreign countries where their population is one quarter of what we have, they have nearly four times the size of our present refining capacity. So, these issues have to be looked into seriously.
Again, on the steel industry which has grossly been abused, the country spent a lot of money building giant industrial plants at Aladja which was commissioned in 1982 but today, it is a thing of
sadness that government did not only succeed in killing the proposed Phase II of the Aladja Steel but also even killed the existing one that was established. For, all the steel products that the oil industry use for their production activities and pipeline and whatever are now imported. If you look at the input of our expenses you will discover that a large chunck of our foreign reserves are drained as a result of the money that the oil industry spend on bringing in these steel products.
I will also like to add a little voice on the issue of the sick-baby, called NEPA. The statement was not quite clear in my mind as to what we intend to do.
Also in the area of science and technology, I do not know how long this country will continue to depend on foreign technology because up till now, a lot of the very little things we need for our production are still imported. This is making us to depend on foreign goods and services. And these are the things that responsible for serious drain in our foreign reserves.
I feel so concerned and sorry when I hear of nearly N256 billion deficit. The situation will continue to remain like this until we are able to address this drain in our foreign reserves. Those areas, if properly checked, I think, will do some good work.
I will not finish my little observation without mentioning the issue of the Niger-Delta. On sick baby, Niger Delta Area, we all should here agree that whatever that is happening to this country is embedded in the Niger Delta. I believe that the people have been denied their rights for too long for this Federal Government to pay particular attention, not only to their welfare alone, but to the development and establishment of sustainable industries in those areas to take care of the teeming youths that are now creating all the problems. It is most annoying and most painful that, for example, my constituency produces over N300 million every day to the coffers of this country, yet, you cannot see any presence of the Federal Government in that area. The same thing goes for all other areas in the Niger delta.
I think that if we have to do proper justice to what we are talking about, first of all, the areas
where this oil is coming from, a proper attention has to be paid to them. I rest my
case (Applause)
Hon. Greg Chukwuemeka Egu (Aboh Mbaise/ Ngor-Okpala): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. colleagues, personally, I do not know what the pros and cons of what we are going through now is, but since it is a participatory politics, I think, I must have to talk about it.
The President's speech was very well written. I will like to look at the area of economic recovery, crime and corruption. I want to start with those three together because, somehow, these are interrelated. Economic recovery has both local and foreign contents. Corruption increases the cost of doing business. Crime discourages foreign investment. I believe that the economic recovery must be accomplished here in the near future, that no effort should be spared in fighting crime and corruption. If crime is out of the system then longterm investment would be encouraged.
I also want to touch on the area of rural roads. I come from a rural community. All the foods in this country is grown in the rural areas. If the roads are not motorable so as to improve transportation system, people would not have access to their food baskets. In the rainy season, you will not have access to more than 60 per cent of the rural areas in this country.
In the area of air transportation I want to say that I come from Imo State and we spent a lot of money building our airport ourselves without Federal Government help. The airport has been there for more than five or six years now, the Federal Government claims that they have taken over the airport, yet planes do not land there. Some people have lost their pieces of land in the process of building that airport, a lot of people live around that area of Imo State; I believe that whatever the Federal Government has to do to encourage the use of that airport will be very much appreciated by the people of that area.
I also think that it is the responsibility of this government or any other government in this country to encourage self-help efforts that people make in order to improve their communities.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Musa Elayo (Awe): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, I wish to commend Mr. President for his speech before this House. I wish to contribute as follows.
In the area of marginalisation, it is my humble view that marginalisation in this country has a social status basis. I come from Nasarawa State whose Motto is Home of Solid Minerals, yet, we do
not have one single industry. We produce all the barites in this country, yet, we have no good and tarred roads. My Local Government, Awe, Local Government was created in 1976 and as at today, we are not connected to the National Grid. We do not have telephone services. We do not have General Hospitals and we do not have anything good. There is no Federal Government, in fact, even State Government presence. In some places in my constituency, we have to go to other States to get to some of our villages. In Doma Local Government, for instance, we have to go to Makurdi in Benue State in order to get to some parts of our constituency. So also in Awe, we have to go through Taraba State. So, when we are talking of marginalisation, I begin to wonder who is actually marginalised.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, in the area of privatisation, I would want us to take into consideration as the custodians of the people's will, their plight. A situation where public wealth will be transferred to some foreign companies and in the hands of few Nigerians, should not be acceptable to us. Privatisation should be done in such a way that every State and Local Government in this country is given some shares to purchase and workers should be provided with soft loans by financial institutions so that they can buy shares and this serves as something they can fall back to on the rainy day.
Mr. President in his speech also said he is going to call on the International Monetary Fund (5F) to come and help in training those Civil servants whose appointments will be terminated. I think it is high time that we look inwards because Nigeria is a great country where we have everything that will make this country grow and be as great as America. We have Nigerians all over the world who are well recognised. If these Nigerians can be encouraged to come back home, given the necessary atmosphere to operate, this country will be great. I have not seen any country where MW is invited and the country has progressed. so, I think it is very important for
use to be careful when we are talking of the IMF. Since the intervention of IMF in this country, our Naira has continued to be a devalued currency.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to also comment on the area of Education which Mr. President said he is going to introduce Free Primary School Education. He might do it but if another government comes in today, they may not sustain it. Our duty here is to make free Primary Education a fundamental right of every child so that each successive government can continue with the policy.
Finally, Sir, Mr. President in his speech said he is representing every segment of this country. I observe that he 1999 Constitution has removed the Traditional Institution completely from the scheme of things. We have a big task ahead of us and we should help the President to see that he amends the Constitution to include the Traditional Rulers.
Thank you, very much. (Applause)
Hon. Ita Enang (Itu/IbionoIbon): Thank you, Mr. Speaker, for recognising me. I have read in detail the speech made my the President, Commander-inChief of the armed Forces and a few issues are worthy of commendation. The plans he has made for Education, the plans for industries and the plans for privatisation. Mr. Speaker, I want the President and the Government of this country to redirect its policy on Education because we have so many multiple Agencies working or providing services for Education. Like the
Petroleum (Special) Trust Fund, you have education aspect which renovates Secondary Schools,
OMPADEC, the Education Task Fund and the National Primary Education Commission. My observation is that all these Agencies, the investment they make in Education is only infrastructural. They do not get to issues that relate to the improvement of the quality of Education that is given to the child itself. So, we are emphasising on educational investment only to create money for Contractors who invade the departments to look for contracts only and not interested in the actual quality of education that the child is given. For instance, this year has been reported to be the worst of the years where almost all the students that sat for their Senior Secondary School Education (SSSE) Examination failed and not many are qualified to enter the University, and yet, we have the greatest provision for education.
On Education further, I want to submit that we should have a target education and not that every child who goes in to read sociology whatever their grandfathers read, should come out without being employed. We should get the kind of education and find out how and which areas will children, if they go and get education, will come out to have work and get themselves employed, and not just taking government employment. We should create target education where we go to Universities and find out how many students have graduated over the years from a particular department and have not been able to get employment and then de-emphasise education or schooling in such areas. We can then get into technology and other areas where the international community or where it will be possible for people to have work when they come out of school.
Mr. Speaker, on Petroleum, I would want this country to de-emphasize reliance on oil revenue by establishing and having a direction of oil alternative projects. Before the 1970s, this country was surviving without oil, but when oil came, almost all other sections or sectors of the economy became abandoned and concentration is now on oil. I want us to take note of the fact that there is a lot of technological advancement where we are discovering the use for solar Energy and other alternative energy sources and oil may soon become less important. If this becomes so soon, then Nigeria will have problem of internal revenue. So, we should find out how other countries like Japan and other developed Nations who do not have oil are sustaining themselves and then we develop such areas without having so much concentration on oil. I am conscious that we have the Ministry of Solid Minerals and we are developing this area, but to what extent are we investing in these areas and how well can these areas sustain the economy of this country without other sources?
Mr. Speaker, on the development of the oil communities in the Niger-Delta, I want to submit that we should have the type of development that does not only concentrate on making roads, building schools and providing electricity, because when oil becomes irrelevant, these communities will be without any benefit and the people will be without employment later. With due apology to Enugu State and some other areas which have economic activities
which sustained them before the income from oil, let us go and look at these communities now. For instance, when Coal became not as important as it used to be, what has happened to those communities that relied on Coal? Most of the roads are impassable. The Schools they built may become irrelevant. Even the Universities they have in those places may become difficult to go to. We should, for the sake of the development of the communities in the Niger-Delta and so on, think of establishing industries that will sustain the communities after the advent of oil concurrently and this takes me to the issue of the industries developed in those areas, like the Newsprint Manufacturing Industry at Okuiboku and the Aluminium Smelter Plant at Ikot Abasi. Those industries are almost dead because when oil became so important, government refused to invest in those areas. I want to plead that the Federal Government should re-invest in these areas and take good care of the communities which are producing the revenue of this country.
Finally, Mr. Speaker, I wish to submit that there are so many noted government agencies in this country that are doing duplicated functions. We have an Anti-Corruption Bill here, but this corruption has been in existence when we had MAMSER. It has been with us when we have the National Orientation Agency. Why are we having anti-corruption measures when the institutions where are supposed to orientate Nigerians against corruption are still earning salaries, driving cars, having offices and maintaining those offices. Where were they when this corruption was going on? We have the National Human Rights Commission and we have now set up a Human Rights Review body. What was the National Human Rights Commission doing when human rights abuses were going on? I want to submit that we should review the existence of these Agencies, rationalise them and in doing that, Mr. President should realise that they are bodies established by law and he cannot just wake up and by Presidential Fiat or Military Decree and say that he has scrapped them without passing those things to the National Assembly to consider and appropriately review those laws.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. (Applause)
Hon. Akanineyene Eno Eyo (Abak/Etim Ekpo): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would want to comment on the President's speech like others. It touched me when he mentioned in his speech that this country is
dependent on. petroleum, at least, at a reasonable percentage. But it baffles me that Mr. President never considered the welfare of the people that produce this petroleum. He never talked about what he will do towards developing the areas and their people. I read the speech carefully, and Mr. President never mentioned the security of lives and properties of Nigerians. I would wish Mr. President to assure us that this country must be secured.` We know the stages we have just passed through. Nigerians are not secured.
The issue of being led by the military puts us off, but now that we have a civilian regime, I believe lives and properties of Nigerians would be assured.
On education, one can bear me witness that we even debated the issue of Nigerian teachers in this august House, but I want to stress that if we want sound education we should take our minds back to how education faired in the 1960s and in the 1970s. The primary education system we have now is quite different from what we used to have. I remember when I was in the primary school, my teachers lived in the school compound. Those in primaries five and six were boarders. I would want to suggest that whatever we do to education, we should return that system back. Let us make sure that our teachers are encouraged to live in school premises. Let the senior pupils in primaries five and six live in boarding house so that they can see themselves as really studying well.
Secondly, I know that some schools were Missionary- Schools, like the secondary school I attended
(a Catholic School), but later on, the government took over all schools and the standard of those institutions are not the same like they were when we were in those schools. Sir, I would suggest that schools should be returned to the Missionaries. No matter the policy we may make, there must be some complaints. I am told some of the teachers complained that they do not pay them well, the rate them according to how they perform in churches; they do not employ non-members of those churches, and so on.
But I feel that even if they are members of those churches, they should be allowed to take care of their schools.
On corruption and fraud, I thank Mr. President for mentioning it and I appreciate
the fact that he has taken some steps, but I want to warn on time limit. He has been here, he has been sworn in, and he has just submitted to us the anti-corruption bill which we are going to study for about one or two weeks. I want to warn that we are playing with time. If anything is going to be done towards corruption, please, let us do it in time. The specific areas I want to stress is that there are some construction companies in this country who know that they do not have any equipment, they cannot do the job and yet, they collect mobilisation fees and abandon the job. I want Mr. President to look into this aspect very seriously because it is directly affecting me. There are two companies that were awarded contracts one is called Master Holdings, while the other one is called Herpell. I want to tell you that they have suffered my people for the past eight years. They collected mobilisation fees but abandoned those roads, though I am glad that Members passed the Motion yesterday, that they would visit everywhere. I am sure when we get there, you will see what I am talking about. If we are talking about corruption and fraud as such we should make sure that any company or individuals that get any amount of money from government should do the job the money they collected is meant for.
On the issue of derivation, in his speech, the President said that people complain about derivation, other people complain `about this and that and he asked the question: Who is being marginalised? and someone said there is' none, but I want to draw the attention of this House to the publication of the Department of Raw Materials. In that publication, it is shown that every state in this country produces minerals. Therefore, if the principle of 13 per cent derivation is observed, it means every state would have 13 per cent of what they produce back to their state. The only problem is that everybody is concentrating on oil.) There is gold in this country but we have not talked about it. There is bauxite in this country and we . have not talked about it. We do not know who are the ones tapping these minerals. Fellow Hon. Members, people are taping these Solid Minerals quietly and we do not know about it. So, I want Mr. President to really look into the issue of derivation so that all States could benefit.
With these, I say, thank you, very much, Mr. Speaker.
Hon. Chimaobi Nwakama (Isiala Ngwa South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is my observation that last week, most discussants were allowed two minutes to make their contributions. It appears to me that same people were allowed substantial amount of time and considering that a lot of Members have not been able to make their contributions, it might take us another one week or so to be able to complete it. I suggest that you should reduce the amount of time as allowed those who spoke last week or so.
The Deputy Speaker: Members should please limit themselves to two minutes only.
Hon. Uduese Essien (Eket/ Onwa/ Esit/Eket Ibeno): Mr. Speaker, Sir, in examining Mr. President's address, I would want to first of all commend Mr. President's courage in tackling most of the issues and the fact that he had continued to display this courage in his actions since then.
In the address, Mr. President mentioned reconciliation in the Nigerian polity. To reconcile means there must have been some problems. Some people were hurt, they were cheated or frustrated. This was a period when, I would say that the government was waging war against its people. So for us to actually reconcile, there will be need for the present government to sort out those issues that led to discontentment within the country. So, Mr. President will firstly have to look to the side of the distressed people and remove the agony and discontentment which had caused the problem within the fifteen years of military rule. So, what I would want Mr. President to do is to rehabilitate and reconstruct all those rampages of the military during the past fifteen years.
In tackling the problems of the petroleum industry, Mr. President listed six priority actions that he will take to revive this sector. Although the problem of Niger Delta has been much
publicized in the past few days, and almost on a daily basis it appears Mr. President did not find this serious enough to mention it in his Address. Rather, he went on to look for actions that would bring about more production of the petroleum industry. So, if this was not a deliberate act, let us take it as a serious omission in the President's Address. I hope the much
publicized solutions to the Niger Delta problems is not just a palliative slogan which will be
turned into a jingle, played for a while to douse the tension and then forgotten as usual. The Niger Delta problem is real. As Mr. President noticed and pointed out recently in his meeting with the people, the youths no longer have confidence in the ability of their elders to propagate, protect and defend their interests. The youths believe that the elders have been too docile and complacent in their demands for improvement in the Niger Delta area. The failure of past governments to redeem their promises of developing the area compounded the woes of the elders and further weakened their authority over the youths.
Mr. President would, therefore, do very well to treat the Niger Delta issue as a matter of public importance. During Mr. President's Address the area where he appeared uncomfortable with or indecisive, is the area of true federalism, maybe the word reconstructuring sounds frightful. But there is no running away from certain basic changes in the
polity which will make for peace and progress. We have to re-align our relationship in a way that brings minimal conflicts and frustration. No one would allow another person to come into his ancestral land with equipment and labour hired from elsewhere, harvest the crops, sell it and give to the owner thirteen per cent of the sales proceed. It is unimaginable and it is unheard of.
Mr. Speaker, Sir, this is what oil bearing communities are being asked to do. In the same way, you do not expect a Policeman from
Akwa-Ibom State to go and maintain law and order in Ondo State. Before they understand the terrain of the new station, they may exploit their newness in the area to commit crime before they get posted to another part of the country. Thus, there is the need for local Police to serve in their locality.
(Applause). These are some of the changes which some people who speak big English call restructure. We need to reconstruct.
Mr. Speaker, I rest my case there. Thank you.
Hon. Ibana Tony Esu (Ikot Ekpene/Essien Udim Obot Akara): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will take one and a half minutes. I have studied the President's speech, everybody has talked about what he has said and what he has not said. I am concerned with the thrust of the President's speech as it borders on the
interest of the common-man. On page 3 paragraph 4, he said; Whatever money comes into the coffers of this Nation will be used positively and strictly in the. interest of the common-man and I believe, the common-man is the reason for which we are here. We hope Mr. President is not preaching this common-man thing as we were used to. We hope he considers poverty alleviation very seriously because, if you read Newspapers in the last few days, we have more than 70 million Nigerians that are very poor and the corruption index of Nigeria is 1.9.
We are the fifth most corrupt nation in the world as at today.
So, If he can fight corruption to get stolen money back into the government coffers, I am sure this government can do a lot for the common-man. All the programmes that will not affect the lives of the common-man positively, the FEAP and all other wastages, Mr. Speaker, should be focused. I think, we can change FEAP to REAP, a Programme you will call Rural Economy Acceleration Programme (REAP) that will touch the common-man who is about 80 per cent in the rural environment. He is 30 per cent in the urban centres, two per cent in the urban ghettos and the balance is you and I. So, Mr. President should consolidate all, the poverty alleviation programmes and make sure that when we go back home the common-man will have the reason for sending us to Abuja.
(Applause).
The Deputy Speaker: I now call on hon. B. M. Efobi to speak.
Hon. Efobi B. M. (Nnewi North/Nnewi South Ekwusigo): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members of the House of Representatives. My names are being mispronounced. Somebody raised this objection. I am protesting vehemently. My name is Efobi and not Etobi. I have corrected it but the mistake persists. Please, let this be the last time. Efobi means, I will be famous, but Etobi means, I will continue to grow. I will not continue to grow because, there is time limit for everything.
So, my aspirations have been restructured by the mis-spelling.
Mr. Deputy Speaker: Hon. gentleman, your point has been taken, so you can proceed on the speech now.
Hon: B. M. Efobi (Nnewi North/Nnewi South/ Ekwusigo): Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The speech by the President has been praised by almost every Member and I join them in praising it. The problem is not in the beauty of the speech or the promises in the speech, the problem is in implementation. Nothing seems to work in Nigeria and that is why we have plethora of all types of bodies as some hon. Members have mentioned. We set up one organisation or the other which does not work.. It does not work because of human factor or what we call the Nigerian factor, we do not do things that we ought to do. We leave those things we ought to do and do those things we ought not to do; and that is why we have problems. So, I noticed in the President's speech that he omitted a very vital thing that will help us, that is Divine intervention.
We have tried every kind of thing. We set up MAMSER, War Against Indiscipline; later on War Against Indiscipline and Corruption(WAIC). All these things have not worked. So, we leave Nigerians to their maker, GOD to help remould Nigerians, so that Nigerians will be sorry for themselves, know that Nigeria belongs to them and whatever they do to Nigeria, they are doing it to themselves. This will also make them know that government is Nigeria or that Nigerians make the government. If we do not do that, all these beautiful promises will end in vain.
This is the second coming of the President. He had been there before. He set up Operation Feed the Nation (OFN) and all those things. We hope that his stay in the prison must have changed him so that he now starts to see that what Nigerians need is Spiritual rejuvenation, not all these political nuances and good talks. Spiritual rejuvenation is' what we need. We should all go back to our Maker and pray to him to help us. When there is that inward change, the change in the inner minds of Nigerians, you will feel the change.
The beautiful thing I like in Mr. President's speech which 'I will go straight to, after calling for divine intervention, is privatisation. If you are talking of democracy without privatisation, we are not being true to ourselves. Privatisation will solve a lot of the problems we have. Privatisation brings competition. Competition brings efficiency, efficient allocation of resources, bring division of labour whereby each
person does that thing in which his marginal productivity is greatest. You do what you are best
in. If we do not bring in Privatisation, then, we have government establishments which are regarded by the people as their own honey pots where they lick without contributing. So, get the government off the back of the people. Get the government away from industries.
The Deputy Speaker: Hon. Efobi, please, summarise, you have two minutes more. You have already taken more than four minutes, please.
Hon. Efobi: So, let us go back to our Maker, divine intervention, , re-orientating our Spiritual Values and then Privatisation, everything will be all right with Nigerians.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. (Applause)
Hon. (Ms) Patricia O. O. Etteh (Ayedade/ Irewole/Isokan): Mr. Speaker, Sir, having gone through the President's speech, I will like to talk seriously on rural development. I think, the President should please look seriously into rural lives of our people. This is because if the rural populace are properly taken care of, in terms of infrastructures that are required in the rural areas, there will not be cause for them to feel that there are lots of things in the city for them to start thinking of coming. This will also stop them from polluting the Cosmopolitan area. At the same time, it will make them settle down to look seriously into the things that we can really benefit from in the rural area like agricultural and food production. We really need to look into agriculture seriously to make sure that we have abundant food supply. For them to really do this, they need to be properly taken care of to see that they have all the things that will make them produce food abundantly for the people.
Looking into Agriculture, I think, Nigeria lacks proper storage facilities compared with other countries. In other countries, there is nothing you are looking for there in terms of food that you do not get all the year round. In Nigeria, after the season for your production, the prices will go up which, I think is not good for our nation. And for them to have all these things at their disposal, they need- good roads. There is no way you can talk about Agriculture and Rural Development without thinking of good roads and proper transportation to
bring the food to the cities. I think the Government should look seriously into the food production and storage.
Looking into the educational sector of our society, I think our teachers should be properly taken care of. I am sure the teachers are prepared to work but.
I believe that their salaries are not adequate. If you take a look at the salaries of teachers, you will discover that the teachers always leave the classrooms to go and look for things to do to augment their salaries. I am sure that if they are properly paid, they would sit back to make sure that education takes its proper position in our society.
When you are talking about education, you have to put our youths, too, into consideration because they are our future leaders. If the youths are not properly taken care of in terms of education, moral and ethics, there is no way you can talk of any nation progressing without educating the youths. Our youths should be properly taken care of. Some of you would bear with me that during the elections, the way these children were used was not good enough and the reason being that they do not really have good guidance. I think our President should, please, look seriously into taking care of the youths.
When you talk about the youths, you should also talk about the disabled too in our society, whether children or adults. I think they should be given preference too like we
able people. A committee should be set up on that to look into their accommodation problem. Not only that, I mean taking care of them as a package. We are abled and we can move round; we can really enjoy what they are not able to enjoy.
I want to also talk about the education aspect of the disabled. We do not have adequate schools for them. The few they have, I believe are being used in some way to make sure they take care of them in a way. If this problem is properly looked into, yqu will discover that it is not only those, who are abled that are talented, we still have talents among those people who are disabled.
I want to conclude by saying' that I c really appreciate the Presidents speech ;and being a man of his words, I know that he has started the job and I
pray that he would finish all what God has started in him in Jesus name. Amen. Thank You."
Hon. Alexander Ike Eze (Nsukka/Igboeze South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, Distinguished hon. Members, I would like to commend Mr. President for his
all embracing address. I only call upon the divine Lord to help him to actualize his dreams. I would also like to comment on few areas like rural development.
I am looking at the, address on how it relates to my own constituency. I come from a constituency where a Local Governments and some communities will go into the next millennium without electricity. I am praying that at the end of my tenure here, the President of the Federal Government will help these communities and the Local Government Headquarters to have at least electricity or other basic amenities like electricity and pipe-borne water.
In the area of science and technology, I am also asking the Federal Government to look into the Ajaokuta Steel Rolling Mill. I do not know what is happening to that plant. If you go through that place you would shed tears because it is a colossal waste. Up till now, Nigeria cannot boast of any good product, that is, in terms of steel production. In fact, we can not even say that we have. been able to produce a bicycle for the country, yet we have a lot of money being invested into that steel company. I believe that if the President should . fund that company, Nigeria would come of age to say that we have been able to produce one item that is made in Nigeria, such as motor-cycle or bicycle.
I also want to talk in terms of agriculture. People have talked about agriculture. The President said that Nigeria would . be able to produce food for
everybody and that there would be enough food for Nigerians. We are no more talking about the production of food, we want to look at agriculture as a new wealth-base where we go into
mechanized farming: This mechanized farming will not only enhance food production but it would help the employed graduates and school leavers. I can remember Dr. Michael Okpara's programme where he developed farm settlements. That was before the war and that helped to employ so many school leavers but today those things are no more looked into.
So, Mr. Speaker, these are the few areas I would like to highlight. Let the address of the President reflect the rural populace too.
Thank you. (Applause)
Hon. Enwereuzor Eze Anthony (Aba North/Aba South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, unfortunately we have been allocated very little time to express the way we feel about this speech but whatever is the case, I would like to make some modest contribution.
We have all talked about poverty in this county but we have failed to understand that part of the problem in ourselves. Government has tried to do what it thinks best but the global trend dictates that we are not in isolation. In a country, where telephone is the most expensive in the world, you do; not expect anybody to come here and invest. In a country where electricity does not work, you do not expect anybody to come here and invest. When people come to invest in your country, they are coming but not as a charitable organisation, they are coming to make money. We have put all kinds of bottlenecks in the way to make things not to work in this country.
If you would look at this house today, I doubt if there are up to one hundred and twenty-three Members present and that is the minimum we should be here. People do not even want to come here. They come and leave as they will. That indiscipline permeates into every aspect of our national live and we have not cared. Please, there is no speech that we make here that will correct the problems of Nigeria. We have everything that can make this place the most beautiful place on earth but we do not have the political will to address those issues. We must take the bull by the horn.
First, the President must move fast in the area of privatising all government-owned institutions without which nothing will work here. I know that there are people who feed on these institutions, they are happy that the decay is occurring without caring how Nigerians feel. There is nothing wrong with decentralising NEPA and sell them on regional basis. Each region can generate and distribute electricity. When you have somebody in Abuja dictating the pace of NEPA consumption in Kaura Namoda or in Ogoja, he does not understand what is going on there. Then we put these things to our chest and think that we can do it ourselves, we cannot.
Let me tell you bon. Members, in England, I have not lived there, but I know that most of the companies in America are owned by English people.
Many companies in England are owned by Americans. Even last week Wallmart of United States bought the largest retail company in England. Why are we afraid of selling the things we have to attract foreign investment when these things we have do not work? If they were working then there is concern. In 1972, we sold up all Nigerian companies. At that time, people in the eastern area did not have one kobo to invest; but they were sold anyway for the national good. Today, people in that area have bought some of these things through the Stock market. Why are we afraid of going into the stock market to sell these things and raise money for this country?
(Applause). It is time for us to move forward.
How can we be talking of developing Nigeria when computer is very expensive in Nigeria compared to any other part of the world? We have Paris, up to 60 per cent are on computer. How will the little kids get access to computer. It has become an elite product instead of a product that should be a
merry-go-round, so that all our children are exposed to the modern technology.
This is the only country where to get a telephone is like asking Jesus to come down. People are asking for this things so that they can pay and yet, they do not get it.
Telephone installations are put out of political consideration, not for economic consideration. You have a place like Onitsha with only 5,000 lines but there are some cities in this country that have digital telephones that are so under-subscribed, why are we deceiving ourselves? We must do these things and compare where these things are going and put them in the right places. We should not waste any more time. Let us sell off NITEL and NEPA please. Privatise all these Iron and Steel companies that we are crying and shouting about. Last two weeks, somebody who is not even a Member of staff of NEPA has been appointed the Managing Director of NEPA. He is going to take one year to learn how NEPA functions. These things are not right.
So, Mr. Speaker, bon. Members, if we must move forward, we must, first of all, cultivate the habit of disciplining ourselves so that we can discipline our children, our children can then acquire discipline. It is a way forward.
Thank you.(Applause)
Hon. Tony Eze Okere (Ohaji Egbema/Oguta/Oru West): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, I have read thoroughly through the President's address and
I want to thank the President for reviewing comprehensively, the problems facing Nigeria. But I want to say that the President, in his address, mentioned the need for the laying of the foundation for a durable democracy, it is my opinion that for us to have a durable democracy in Nigeria, we must make concerted efforts to ensure that our people are liberated from the shackles of ignorance, poverty and disease. And for our people to be liberated from ignorance means that the government must as a deliberate, policy introduce qualitative education. Mr. President has informed us of his intention to introduce Universal Primary Education which will ensure free education at the primary level only. I want to say that this great country is rich enough to train our children up to secondary school level free of charge.
(Applause) The implication of training children up to the Primary School level and leaving them there is that we run the risk of these children going back and stopping at the primary school level.
I will give you an example of what is happening in the East now. In some States in the East, parents prefer sending their children to learn one form of trade or the other. As soon as they get to Primary six, they put them into learning trade because they have seen that people who are into trading have made some money. If you say children should be trained up to Primary school level, their parents will say fine, let them read up to Primary school with government money. But as soon as they finish at that level, they pull them out and put them to learn trade, and they stop there.
So, I am advocating that free education should be up to secondary school level and for government to achieve qualitative education means proper training of Teachers. It is very sad that government has abolished Teacher's Training Colleges which form the bedrock for the training of Teachers. I would want the government to reintroduce these Teachers' Training Colleges and then bring in capable hands to teach the teachers before they teach our children.
In the area of disease, it is very sad that the President's address did not emphasise or he
completely left out the all-important sector, Health. After all, we say Health is wealth. This means that you can only find a sound mind in a body that has very good health. I want to see a country where people who live in Burutu, Bomadi and Aniocha have access to Health facilities. I want to see a situation where Primary Health Centres and Health Posts are established in the difficult areas of the Niger Delta. I want to see a country where people go to hospitals and there are drugs' at affordable prices. I want to see a country where we train our children as medical personnel so that they can man all our health institutions appropriately. The address of the President was silent on this very important issue.
(Applause)
In the area of Petroleum industry, I want to say that why we had tension in the Oil-producing areas is because of the bad - policies of Petroleum production and exploitation. 'I want to suggest to the government to involve effectively the areas where this petroleum is exploited.
The Deputy Speaker: Can the hon. Member please summarise his speech?
Hon. Okere: This people can be considered at the stakeholders forum where they can be made to participate in the production of Petroleum so that through this way they can also protect the facilities put in place and they too will feel that they are part of the exploration, procurement and management of Petroleum resources.
Thank you, very much. (Applause)
The Deputy Speaker: May I call on the last speaker for today, the hon. Member for Ideato North and South, (Hon. Ezeani Thankgod).
Hon. Ezeani Nnamdi Thankgod (Ideato North/ South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, hon. Members, the address of the President is an eloquent one. It is a bold attempt by Mr. President to try to analyze and proffer solutions to the myriad of problems that befall this nation.
As others had commended it, it is my wish to commend it as well. I have a few comments on some areas which I believe, Mr. President did not address properly. I would not know whether or not it is a
complete omission or it was deliberate. Mr. President did not touch the issue of the private sector which is the real sector of the economy.
For us to achieve a meaningful growth, a real growth in the economy, we must address the private sector. Industries in the private sector are operating below 50 per cent capacity. they lack the necessary raw materials and infrastructure required for their operations. The President did not address this issue.
It is only the private sector that will provide the real growth in the Gross Domestic Product. It is not the oil we export. But it is what we are able to
generate locally that will improve our GDP. I am of the opinion too that it is the private sector that guarantees employment. Government employment is just a part of the overall employment that is generated' within this country but the private sector compliments that.
The private sector also generates income to the 'government but in the whole, of the address, the President either deliberately or by error of omission did not touch on the private sector.
On the issue of privatisation, too, I would not really know what we are looking for. Is it just to privatise or we want to improve the efficiency of the government owned industries? If we talk of privatisation, we cannot talk about it without commercialising because if you privatise you have somehow commercialised and there are lots of things we have to do before you talk of privatisation. What about the capital income of the average Nigerian; has it been improved? What of those things like the Water Board? Can an average Nigerian afford a privatised and commercialised Water Board bill in this country? Can we really afford to pay the water rate if it is privatised because when we privatise we tend to make profits. We have to improve all these areas as the per capita income of an average Nigerian; making sure that salaries are regularly paid and also making sure that some basic amenities of life are provided before we can say we are going into full blown privatisation.
If NAFCON is privatised, for example, and in this House we are debating the issue and passing a resolution asking the government to subsidise agriculture, how can we then be giving with the
right hand only to be taking away with the left? By the time you privatise, the prices will definitely go up and then we ask the government to bring money to subsidise it. Are we really making progress in the area of improving the economy?
Another issue I want to talk about is the anticorruption bill. Well, the President mentioned the Anti-corruption Bill that was coming and is already on the Floor of the House, with a lot of appendices to the bill. In this country, and I am sure this is the only developing country where there is no price index, the government should be able to provide a price index and by that I mean a price range for goods and services that are obtainable in this country. This will be a guide to whatever you call it, whether Federal Tenders Board or Ministerial Tenders Board or whatever, in awarding contracts because whatever we try to put on paper and send out, the most important thing is the implementation. If at the end of the day, those in the government decide to ask their brothers or relations or the people who front for them to bring five quotations with different names and then the contracts are awarded, there is no guide and no price index, how then do we monitor them? How is it done? But if there is price index, we will be able to monitor the contracts they give out and know when actually they are over-inflated or over-invoiced.
We equally know, too, that most of the government officials send their children to private schools. Some send theirs abroad. How much tax are they paying for this exercise? That is the only way we can improve the standard of education in the public schools. We should tax them. If I have my child in London schooling, I should be able to pay government a particular amount of money as tax, call it education tax if you like. Now, it is only the companies that pay education tax. Individuals do not pay, but if you can afford to pay N100,000 per term for a child in a private school, then you should be able to pay a particular percentage of that amount to the Ministry of Education as Education tax so that we can improve the quality of education in the public schools.
We are talking of Bribery and Anti-corruption Bill; what efforts have we made to improve the salary of workers? We know what an average Policeman earns and this man goes to keep a road,
block or stay in your house as a security man, all the food and everything pass through his front, he did not complain and at the end of the day, you say he should not collect N20 from the bus driver, is ridiculous. We have to improve all these facilities and like I said, all these are appendices before we can say, we are passing out this Bill. As the other contributors have said, If we send out the National Orientation Agency, the anti this and that and the War Against Indiscipline, it cannot work because we have not properly prepared the bedrock where these policies can easily take off.
Thank you.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
The Deputy Speaker: I will make some announcements and then the House will adjourn because we have some important delegations who are here to visit us. Please, bear with us.
Meeting of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Warri Crisis
Members of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Warri Crisis will please meet in the Committee Room at 1.00 o' clock today.
Nomination of APP Deputy Leader and Deputy Whip
All Peoples Party (APP) has recently elected leaders to represent them and they are as follows:
1. Hon (Dr) E. Asuquo - Deputy Leader, and
2. Hon Dandi Sule Yari - Deputy Whip
Signed: Hon (Chief) Fidel Anyaogu, APP Chief Whip for APP Leader.
Meeting of all the women Members with American Embassy
There will be a meeting of all the women Members with the American Embassy Officials on Tuesday,
5th July, 1999 at 2 p.m. in the APP Senate Conference Room. Kindly pass same to others not around today.
Signed: Hon. Binta.
Submission of Passport Forms
An official passport forms should be submitted today unfailingly, by all Members.
Meeting of the Selection Committee
There will be a meeting of the Selection Committee at 1.00 O' clock today in the Committee room to continue the review of petition so far received. Please Members should be prompt.
Thank you very much. May I now call on the Leader of the House to move the Motion for adjournment.
ADJOURNMENT
Hon (Barr.) Mohammed Wakil (Damboa/ Gwoza/ Chibok): Mr. Speaker, Sir, Distinguished hon. Members, I wish to move that because of two very important engagements involving the Speaker, We have to adjourn sitting today. I therefore, Wish to move that the House do now adjourn until Tuesday, the 6th of July, 1999 at 10.00 a.m.
Hon. Gabriel M. Dumi (Okpe/Uvwie/Sapele): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I hereby second the Motion.
The Deputy Speaker: The house adjourns till 6th July, 1999
Hon. Nduka Irabor (Ika North/South): Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to challenge this adjournment.
The Deputy Speaker: No, the House has adjourned.
The House adjourned accordingly at 12.35 p.m.