16—Vanguard, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2013
Tanko Yakassi laments formation of PDP’s splinter governors’ forum SONI DANIEL, Regional Editor, North
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S the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, basks in the euphoria of setting up its own Governors’ Forum with the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, as the chairman, elder statesman and politician, Alhaji Tanko Yakassi, has condemned the move, saying it is capable of weakening the party ’s unity and cohesion. Speaking exclusively to Vanguard in response to Monday’s emergence of the party ’s governors’ forum after a nocturnal meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan, Yakassi noted that it was wrong for the PDP to create factions after remaining under one umbrella for over 14 years. According to the Second Republic National Assembly Adviser to President Shagari, the emergence of the PDP Governors’ Forum in addition to the existing Nigerian Governors’ Forum and the Northern Governors’ Forum is deliberately aimed at subjugating both Governors Rotimi Amaechi and Babangida Aliyu to the whims and caprices of Akpabio.
Silverbird boss advocates N300bn transport subsidy ...seeks setting up of transport intervention fund BY MICHAEL EBOH
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BUJA—BEN MurrayBruce, Chairman of the Silverbird Group, yesterday, called on the Federal Government to set up an urban mass transit system policy that will see it investing N300 billion annually, in subsidising transportation and upgrading of key transport infrastructure. Speaking during a courtesy visit to Vanguard Newspaper, in Lagos, Murray-Bruce also advocated the spending of N900 billion by the government on strategic national projects across the length and breadth of the country. The funds, according to him, would be sourced from money saved from the partial and total
withdrawal of subsidy. According to him, the government said last year that removal of the fuel subsidy would allow the N1 trillion spent on fuel subsidy in 2011 to be used for improving electricity supply, health and education; instead, it should spend N200 billion on transport subsidy annually. Also, N100 billion, he said, should be spent on annual investments in buses and taxis, infrastructure — bus shelters, bus terminals, bus depots, roads; and institutional, regulatory and legal strengthening, among others. He maintained that other sectors, such as agriculture, aviation, textile, among others,
have intervention funds, but wondered why same cannot be extended to the transport sector. He said: “After the fuel subsidy protests, the government backed down and reduced the subsidy, raising fuel prices to N97 per litre. "As a result, last year, we spent an estimated N1.2 trillion on fuel subsidy. We believe the fuel subsidy is basically a transportation issue, and the solution therefore has to be transport driven. “After worldwide consultation with public sector and urban transport experts, the identified solution is an efficient and subsidised public transport system implemented
From left: Dr. Olusegun Aganga, Minister of Trade and Investment; Chief Kola Jamodu, former Minister of Industry; Mr. Oscar Onyema, Director General, Nigerian Stock Exchange and Engr. Florence Seriki, MD/CEO, Omatek Computers, during the visit of the Minister, Dr. Aganga, to Omatek Computers' new factory, in Lagos. Photo: Lamidi Bamidele
By Bartholomew Madukwe
PEOPLE SPEAK
08102479985
as social policy, much like health and education. “In other nations worldwide, oil price increases do not translate to an increase in transport fares because subsidised and efficient public transport systems exist.” He noted that no individual, irrespective of the social status, should spend more than 25 per cent or 35 per cent of their take-home pay on public transportation. He added: “We do not have a transport policy, that is fundamental. Historically, every time there is a price increase in transportation, the government will rush and provide buses for Labour and transporters. Providing buses in a crisis, does not solve anything. “Half of those buses are put to personal use, most of them end up only in Lagos, because the economy makes Lagos the most viable place to run transport. The buses will not be in Sokoto where people are poorer and cannot afford the cost of transportation, market value cost as in Lagos. "So the policy of providing buses when there is a crisis is fundamentally wrong. “Transportation is subsidised all over the world. In Ethiopia, when there is a crisis, you do not see people going over the street rioting because transport is subsidised. "When anybody in Nigeria gets on a plane and goes to London, he catches a bus, but how many people in the bus know the price of a litre in England? No body cares! It is like that also in New York, South Africa, among others, why do people care in Nigeria?"
(nwamad@yahoo.com)
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY: WHAT IS YOUR TAKE?
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UTONOMY will bring government nearer to the people. There may be one or two lapses, but it will bring about development in the local government areas in the country. This is why I simply believe that we should give it a chance. - Mr. Moses Adeyemi, Writer
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O C A L governments get more financially handicapped since they do not have autonomy. So many abandoned projects in local government areas would have been completed, if they had autonomy. Miss Olaiya Oluwaseyi, Student
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ITH autonomy there would be better achievements in providing roads and other basic amenities for the communities. The local government does not really need the state’s consent,when both are not from the same party. -Mr. Wale Oshikoya,, Student
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WON’T agree to local government autonomy because of the rate of illiteracy in our local government areas. Majority of the local government chairmen are O’ Level WASC holders, so how would they manage the autonomy? Miss Anisere Ifeoluwa, Student
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HERE is really no qualm for the autonomy, but my only fear is that it will be abused by the local government bosses. Maybe what should be done is to strengthen the local government rather than allowing it have self-government. -Miss Chinonye Chinny, Communicator
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OCAL government autonomy may be good but I do not think our local governments are ripe for it. Even with the way the staff of the local governments operate, one can easily imagine what will happen if they are given autonomy. -Mr. Tomiwa Shodiya, Musician