Daily Archives: May 28, 2020

AGAIN, the Senior Staff Employees of Electricity and Allied Companies (SSAEAC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN) Branch, has disagreed with the Engr. Christopher Okonkwo-led SSAEAC National body, over the sack of Dr. Usman Gur Mohammed as the Managing Director/CEO of TCN.

The National body of SSAEAC had called for his removal over what it referred to as anti-labour practices at the TCN.

But in a statement obtained by Vanguard, TCN Branch President of SSAEAC, Engr. Dairo Abidemi, stated: SSAEAC TCN Branch wishes to applaud the excellent performance of Dr Usman G Mohammed. His sudden removal from TCN puts the entire workforce in shock. Dr U G Mohammeds works speak volumes of his capacity. He came to TCN at the time the company was referred to as the weakest link. TCN is now the strongest link in the electricity power chain.

Local Content

According to him; he has promoted the local content in-house engineers to a level of envy by the hawks of contractors that had always rip the TCN dry at the expense of the hard-working TCN staff. The in-house engineers are now the ones installing and repairing TCN transformers nationwide as against the practice in the past where millions were spent to install or repair transformers.

Industrial Relations

Abidemi stated: He was able to promote industrial relations between the two in-house unions (SSAEAC/NUEE) to enhance industrial harmony and improve productivity. Staff welfare has improved, as workers are happy doing their jobs. Training of staff has increased and impacted positively on the staff and the union are in a sober mood, even though the MD has a 4-year tenure in TCN we are still in shock, especially as we see him, as a messiah sent to save the power sector.

Containers

He stated: Dr. Mohammed cleared about 800 stranded containers of power equipment from various Nigerian ports and deployed for completion of several transmission projects across the country. Some of these containers were stranded for over 15 years; some were even auctioned and TCN had to buy them back.

Frequency Control, Stability

He maintained: Dr. Mohammed carried out enforcement of Frequency Control and achieved Frequency stability of 49.75Hz 50.25Hz as defined in the Grid Code for 85% of the time and achieved WAPP standard of 49.8Hz 50.2Hz for about 66% of the time in 2019. This earned TCN a commendation letter from West African Power Pool. For the first time, TCN Management focused on quality of power supply in addition to the quantity.

Rehabilitation, Expansion

He stated: Dr. Mohammed completed the Least Cost Transmission Expansion Master Plan study with support of World Bank, which sets out the transmission expansion plan for attainment of 20,000MW transmission wheeling capacity. This was presented to the Minister of Power in January 2019.

Dr. Mohammed initiated the Transmission Rehabilitation and Expansion Programme (TREP), with development objectives to rehabilitate; stabilise; provide necessary flexibility and redundancies and as well as expand the Wheeling Capacity of TCN to 20,000MW by 2022. This is to be achieved through four key strategies, viz: (i) enforcement of System Frequency Control; (ii) procurement of adequate Spinning Reserve; (iii) provision of functional Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) and (iv) Critical Investment in Lines and Substations. The programme has attracted concessionary finances to the tune of $1,661bn from multi-lateral donors including World Bank (WB), African Development Bank (AFDB), Agency for French Development (AFD) and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA). All these four strategies are currently on course.

He restructured the projects management functions of the company for effective delivery of projects. This results in taking over and completion of several transmission projects that have lingered for many years (most of them more than 10 years) as well as supporting weak contractors to complete several other projects that have similarly lingered for years.

Empowerment

Similarly, he stated: Dr. Mohammed initiated TCN Engineers Empowerment scheme through which TCN engineers installed several power transformers across the country. Most of these projects were completed at about 10% of the time and 10% of the cost of delivering such kind of projects through contracts.

Contracting, Grant

According to him: He reinvigorated qualification criteria for selection of contractors in order to attract competent and experienced contractors to handle complex project. This is with a view to avoiding failure of projects that characterised the implementation of the past project and achieve cost savings. These objectives are being achieved.

Dr. Mohammed attracted the largest grant in the history of TCN to the tune of $59m from JICA and European Union in two years for specific projects in the system.

Right of Way, SCADA

Furthermore, he stated: He eases the process of acquisition of transmission Right of Way (RoW) through the initiative of collaboration with state governments who are statutory owners of land. Securing RoW is gradually being resolved for the old projects while all new projects are approached through the collaboration from beginning.

Since handover of the privatised companies on the 31st of October 2013, the Market has been characterised by low compliance with various provisions of Industry Ruling Documents leading to unsatisfactory Market performance. Given that the Market Operations sector of TCN is empowered by the Market Rules to enforce compliance with the rules by all market participants, the current management took the decision to strongly support and encourage the MO to enforce relevant provisions of the market rules with a view to instilling discipline in the market. Interestingly, the enforcement, since its commencement in May 2019, has resulted in 100% remittance of the MO invoice by the distribution companies as against the usual poor performance of less than 45% monthly.

He initiated processes for deployment of SCADA and Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) to increase System Operations and Market Operations efficiency and visibility.

Welfare, Training

He maintained that, TCN under the U. G. Mohammed leadership has made the welfare of staff topmost priority. Many of the staff allowances that were stagnant since the time of privatisation were at various times increased. Staff salary was also increased by 60%.

Under the U. G. Mohammed leadership, TCN re-introduced the pupillage training program under which young engineers work under the tutelage of senior engineers for a period of one year before they can start work on their own. The pupillage programme existed in PHCN where young engineers were trained for a period of two years. He also structured collaboration with other agencies such as AGIP/NNPC JV, GIZ-NESP, Power Africa/USAID, EU, DFID/NiAF, JICA, Association of Power Utilities in Africa (APUA), etc.

Wheeling Capacity

He added: TCN wheeling capacity has increased to over 8,000MW. WAPP also witnessed tremendous improvement in its activities. TCN led the strategy that resulted in successful commencement of the implementation of the North Core Project. The second Coastal backbone (new 330kV DC from Nigeria to Benin Republic) studies has also been intensified and about to be concluded. WAPP, in collaboration with ERERA, was able to launch the commencement of the 1st phase of the West African Power Market in June 2018.

The Minister of Power, Mr. Mamman Sale, had sacked Mohammed, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communications, Mr. Aaron Atimas, while Mr. Sule Abdulaziz was announced as his successor.

Chief of Staff to the President, Professor Ibrahim Gambari, in a letter, titled: Re: Aligning the Transmission Company of Nigeria with the Presidential Power Initiative addressed to the Minister of Power, had granted approval for the sack.

However, in a circular, the Secretary to Federal Government, Boss Gidahyelda Mustapha, disagreed with the sack of Mohammed, arguing that no minister had the powers to unilaterally remove CEOs of agencies without going through the disciplinary procedure approved by the President for erring heads of agencies.

Vanguard News Nigeria

Related

The rest is here:

Again, SSAEAC, TCN branch disagrees with national body over allegations against Mohammed - Vanguard

COVID-19 has upended the presidential campaign. The latest chapter: On Monday, President Donald Trump threatened to pull the Republican convention and the jobs and economic development that come with it from Charlotte unless North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper guarantees immediately that Republicans can fully occupy the arena.

The Republican National Committee has continually vowed to have its planned in-person national convention in August, despite public health warnings against large gatherings, and Trumps threat is just the latest sign of Republicans determination to do so. Democrats, in contrast, have delayed their convention from July to the week before the Republican convention and are considering the prospect of remote voting and a more virtual event that would limit in-person interactions. But they, too, seem intent on having some sort of convention.

Realistically, even if health officials give the parties the green light to have their traditional in-person conventions, they will probably insist on unprecedented measures to try to ensure some form of social distancing.

The parties determination is a reminder that even though some have questioned their purpose in the modern era, the nominating conventions remain a key part of our cultural and political fabric. While their impact has been undoubtedly diminished from the days when the parties arrived in the convention city unsure who their nominee would be, these raucous gatherings are still iconic political moments that propel a campaign forward and have long helped to democratize American politics.

The roots of the nominating conventions lie with an increase in political activism spurred by the actions of the controversial Andrew Jackson.

Future president Martin Van Buren had considered the concept of national party conventions in 1828. He envisioned that such an event would help unify the Democrats, quashing sectional divisions and organizing the fledgling group into a coherent party full of experienced politicians. But when Van Burens Democrats failed to act on the idea, it was left to a third party to make it a reality.

In an attempt to challenge the two-party system by employing better grass-roots organization, the Anti-Masonic Party had the first national nominating convention in September 1831. The concept was in keeping with the Anti-Masonic mantra of increasing democratization and grassroots political participation. A convention also promised the added benefit of raising the profile of the party and branding it as far more transparent than its opponents.

This strategy worked. The convention both established the Anti-Masons as an independent party in the 1832 election and led to the widespread acceptance of nominating conventions in both the short and long term.

In the aftermath, grassroots supporters of the National Republican Party (completely unrelated to todays Republicans), encouraged their leaders to have their own national convention in December 1831, at which they nominated Henry Clay to oppose Jackson.

In contrast, despite its name and President Jacksons reputation as a man of the people, the Democratic Party argued there was no need for a convention to nominate Jackson as he was already president. Nonetheless, wanting to preserve the image of the Jacksonian Democrats as being at the vanguard of the movement for increasing democratization, party leaders insisted on holding a national convention for a new vice presidential nominee, a necessity because of the rupture between Jackson and Vice President John C. Calhoun that had come to a head over the brewing Nullification Crisis in Calhouns home state of South Carolina.

The Democratic convention was widely mocked by political opponents, especially when Jacksons confidante Van Buren became the Democrats vice presidential nominee in the face of vast opposition within the party. Van Burens nomination also lent credence to claims that the convention was a farce that promoted neither participation nor transparency.

The mere presence of a convention signaled a significant shift in American politics. Previously, parties had chosen their presidential nominees through the long-discredited caucus system, in which party leaders had picked the candidate behind closed doors.

Increasing angst over a lack of transparency had doomed these party caucuses, whereas conventions allowed for more public discussions of party politics. This brought an air of openness and the potential for greater political participation by voters. Conventions therefore became the lasting replacement for the party caucus, and an ideal way to encourage party unity and activism on behalf of the presidential ticket.

With the addition of the Democrats party platform after their 1840 convention, platforms also became an intrinsic component of unifying a party behind stated values and policies the fervency of sectionalism in the period before and after the Civil War put special emphasis on platforms, making them of equal importance to the choice of a candidate.

Beginning with the Anti-Masons in 1832 and lasting until 1968, the outcome of the party conventions was far from certain. Delegates gathered to select a nominee, often producing great drama and sometimes surprise nominees. Nominees owed their candidacies to wheeling and dealing and active campaigning for delegates on the convention floor. This practice continued long after Florida initiated the presidential primary election in 1901, and often resulted in a nominee who either skipped the primaries or hadnt won any of them.

But after violence, protests and dissension marred the Democratic Partys 1968 gathering, the parties restructured the nomination process, eroding the drama of the conventions. After the Republicans 1976 gathering, filled with suspense as to whether President Gerald Ford would be renominated, the conventions became mere coronations for the partys candidate, an opportunity to unify their parties and build energy and momentum heading into the general election. The choice of a running mate used to be the last remaining element of surprise but in the 21st century, presumptive presidential nominees have consistently chosen to announce their running mate before the convention.

From the 1970s to 2016, the purpose of conventions has primarily been to gain the coveted convention bounce in the polls. Even the platforms have seen their importance shift, as candidates use them as more of a mechanism to appease factions within their party than a binding statement of an agenda. Trumps advisers have even explored replacing the 58-page platform from 2016 with something that can fit on a notecard but this risks alienating key constituencies.

The rise of 24-hour cable news has intensified the unparalleled media coverage given to a party during its convention even as broadcast networks have cut back coverage significantly.

A candidates acceptance speech can make or break a campaign often helping to forge voters impressions of the nominee. Modern conventions focus more on image and inspiring voters than any substantive politics.

Considering the potential for limited in-person interactions during the 2020 conventions, the priority of image and providing inspiration will be all the more critical and possibly harder to achieve if there arent thousands of cheering, sign-waving delegates. This energy might be one reason Republicans are so insistent on having a full arena.

Yet, regardless how many people are in attendance, the conventions will still provide insight into how unified and energized each party is, and how well theyre able to craft a message that connects. While this isnt the only purpose theyve had over time, its still important, and will help signal which party is in better shape heading into November.

Link:

Smith: Trump's demand for a full arena reveals that party conventions still matter - Longview News-Journal

By Jessica Giannino

Public Safety has alwaysbeen one of my top priorities. With National Police Week and InternationalFirefighters Day in our rearview and, of course, a pandemic on our hands forthe unforeseeable future, public safety is on the vanguard. In fact, it may bemore necessary than ever before. It is important to keep in mind that publicsafety is multi-faceted. To be a community with well-rounded public safety, itmeans having the best tools and resources for our police and fire departments,having adequate staffing and ensuring the safety of our community.

Although we are amid ahistoric pandemic, we have made time over the last few weeks to recognize thefirefighters and police officers and first responders that serve, have retriedand those weve lost. As the daughter of a police officer, Ive grown up with adeep understanding of the sacrifices that police officers make when they reportto work each day. Every day when my dad put on his uniform and went to work, heset out to protect not only my family, but our community.As thegranddaughter and goddaughter of 2 firemen, I can understand the unsettlingfeeling when they leave the house not knowing what they are walking into,weather it be a home of someone who could potentially be infected with COVID 19or walking into a blaze. When other people run out, or police and fire run in.The truth is, our loved ones made an oath. They put themselves and their safetyat risk each and every day. That selflessness is something I have the utmostrespect for.

As a Chair of Public Safetyon the Revere City Council, I can assure you that especially during these timeswe are relying heavily on police, fire, municipal, and regional emergencyofficials. I am so very proud of the great work our police and firefightershave accomplished under the leadership of Chiefs Guido and Bright. The samegoes for the community partnerships that have been built and strengthened overthe years with public safety in mind. Through my work in city government, Iveseen how important, and sometimes fragile, the relationship between publicsafety officials and the civilians they serve really is. Its so important tome that I will seek to be a member of the Joint Committee on Public Safety andHomeland Security if elected as your next State Representative.

Jessica Giannino is anCity Councilor At-Large for the City of Revere, as well as a candidate forState Representative, 16th Suffolk District.

Follow this link:

Guest Op-ed: Public Safety Is on My Mind - Revere Journal

By Anayo Okoli

ENUGU- ASSOCIATION of South-East town union, ASETU, the umbrella body of all the town unions in the South-East geopolitical zone has petitioned the United Nations over the influx of young men from theNorthern part of the country who are being smuggled to the zone in droves by yet to be identified persons, warning that the action constitutes danger and security risk to the people on the zone.

ASETU lamented that these illegal movements were taking place at very odd period when both the Federal and all the State Governments have taken measures to restrict movements across the country as a way offlattening the spread of the rampaging coronavirus global health crisis.

In a petition jointly signed by the National President of ASETU, Chief Emeka Diwe, the National Secretary, Chief Gideon Adikwuru and the presidents of the five South-East states, the association alleged that the aim of the invasion is for purpose of ethnic cleansing and land grabbing agenda and urged the United Nation to intervene.

Entitled Ethnic cleansing and land grabbing agenda in Eastern Nigeria, the petition said: It has come to our attention that able-bodied young men from Northern Nigeria are being smuggled into the South East and Eastern part of the country in droves.

This is in spite of the nationwide lockdown, the ban on interstate travel and the 1000 kilometers distance between many parts of North and South on roads which are manned by the Nigerian security agencies.

The volume of people arriving, the age of the people arriving and frequency and timing of their arrival in spite of the ban interstate travel due to the COVID-19 situation, indicates that this is a coordinated effort masterminded by an unknown group.

In the last five years, a number of bizarre events have occurred, including the bizarre over the polarization of the countrys security council membership towards people from the North, the numerous reports of helicopters dropping off packages in the middle of forests in Igbo land in the middle of the night and other bizarre occurrences.

Now we have the strange arrival of able-bodied young men in such a coordinated fashion. These bizarre occurrences can only make sense if there is an equally bizarre plan at foot.

This letter id to alert that, should there be any seemingly random attack in the South East and Eastern part of Nigeria, it is not at all random but part of a carefully choreographed attack that appears to have been carefully planned over the years and, in an insidious military fashion, is being executed to take advantage of the confusion and weakness caused by the COVID-19 situation.

It is not clear who the chief proponents of this agenda are but it is clear that these are important people of means in and outside the Government. Building on the menace of herdsmen that have terrorized many in the eastern part of the country, this additional effort joins in furthering the agenda of dispossessing people of their lands and forcing a different religion and lifestyle on them.

We in the South East and Igbo land will not allow this to happen. We urge you to advise the Federal Government of Nigeria not be a supporter of this initiative and not to acquiesce to it by omission or commission. The Government of Nigeria must identify all those that are part of this sinister plot and put an end to it immediately.

If these plans are not evil in nature, why would this secret group of Northerners that are masterminding this be obsessed with land in the South-East; for example out of when out of the 19 states of the north, 13 of them are larger than the combined landmass of the 5 South-East states.

Only an agenda of domination, ethnic cleansing and land grabbing can explain this interest.

We hereby ask the United Nations, the United States of America Government and the International Community to do all in their power to halt this barbaric endeavour which has gone on under the watch of Federal Government of Nigeria for years now.

On behalf of all Igbo people in and outside the South East of Nigeria, we thank you for coming to our assistance, ASETU said.

Vanguard News Nigeria

Related

See the original post:

Alleged ethnic cleansing, influx of Northern youths to South East: ASETU petitions United Nations - Vanguard

By Patrick MoranMay. 27, 2020

As if to underscore the current dystopian moment, this years graduating class will receive their degrees remotely with parting words from a professional assassin, four-star Navy admiral William McRaven. The announcement of McRaven as commencement speaker was praised by university leaders. President Reif, who has worked with McRaven through the Council on Foreign Relations, noted his integrity, intellectual curiosity, decency, humility, and self-discipline, and assured that he will fit right in at MIT. MIT News mentioned his passionate advocacy for freedom of the press and his role in several high-profile special operations missions, which have contributed to McRavens mythic reputation.

An exception to this admiration came from UA President Mahi Elango, who expressed concern over MITs longstanding ties to the military-industrial complex and McRavens prominent role in it. Indeed, McRaven has functioned as a commander and architect of the so-called War on Terror, whose central features include kidnapping, torture, and extrajudicial assassination. McRaven symbolizes this expansive, endless war that blurs distinctions between warzones and sovereign nations, between enemy combatants and civilians, and devastates families and nations. For MIT to give McRaven an honorary speaking opportunity is to whitewash his crimes and the unjust wars he represents.

A Navy SEAL by training, McRavens ascension as part of the U.S. Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), an ultra-elite special operations unit coincided with the neoconservative shift in U.S. foreign policy under the George W. Bush administration. Following the September 11 attacks, capitalizing on national anxiety and pro-war hysteria, administration officials like Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld sought to forcefully reassert U.S. hegemony and increase the presidents ability to wage war with impunity, positioning U.S. special operations forces at the vanguard. Under the new regime, JSOC effectively served as the paramilitary arm of the White House, largely unaccountable to Congress and the traditional Pentagon hierarchy.

Far from being a pawn in Cheney and Rumsfelds game, McRaven helped to construct the military strategy and ideological lens of the War on Terror, a framework that has gained bipartisan acceptance and persists today. (In fact, McRavens masters thesis from the Naval Postgraduate School, The Theory of Special Operations, would later become the standard textbook on the topic.) Key features include the use of special operations forces and drones to capture or kill targets. Further, the Wars expansive definition of the enemy means that individuals are targeted simply for suspicious behavior or beliefs, amounting to the prosecution of thoughtcrime without due process; even U.S. citizens are not immune.

In an attempt to pursue an amorphous and decentralized enemy across the globe, the War on Terror has now expanded far beyond Afghanistan and Iraq to nearly 80 countries, spurred on by figures like McRaven. In the words of Rumsfeld, the entire world is the battlespace. The full extent of civilian casualties is unknown due to a White House policy of classifying drone strike victims as Enemies Killed In Action (EKIA), unless proven otherwise. In fact, an analysis of leaked internal documents found that, in one five-month campaign in 2012, nearly 90% of those killed by drone strikes were not the intended target.

Throughout his career, McRaven has been a vocal and effective advocate for increasing the reach and scope of U.S. special operations. Former Army Ranger, JSOC member, and Middle East analyst Andrew Exum credits McRaven, along with Generals Stanley McChrystal and Michael Flynn, as a key figure who fundamentally shaped the evolution of U.S. special operations since 2001. Under Bush, McRaven served as director of Strategic Planning in the National Security Councils (NSC) Office of Combating Terrorism and was the principal author of the administrations National Strategy for Combating Terrorism, a landmark policy document in the War on Terror. In addition to promoting a propagandistic narrative of Afghan and Iraqi liberation and the spread of democracy by force, the report called for the application of all instruments of national power and influence to kill or capture the terrorist, pointing to recent domestic surveillance successes such as the Patriot Act, and calling for significantly expanding Special Operations Forces and initiating the largest rearrangement of its global force posture since the end of World War II. Additionally, as the principal JSOC member of the NSC, McRaven vetted and assembled the Bush administrations kill lists of so-called High Value Targets. According to investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill, McRaven was one of the key players in militarizing U.S. counterterror policy and building up the infrastructure for the creation of kill lists.

Following his time in the Bush White House, McRaven commanded Task Force 121, the JSOC unit assigned to Iraq and Afghanistan. During this time, Task Force 121 engaged in regular kill/capture operations and torture. For example, torture at Camp NAMA in Baghdad, which included beatings, electric shocks, sleep deprivation, and confinement in dog kennels, was widely accepted practice, as evidenced by the camps motto No Blood, No Foul. According to Air Force interrogator Steven Kleinman, who visited the prison in 2003, the interrogation tactics used there were direct violations of the Geneva Conventions and could constitute a war crime. According to a 2004 Red Cross report detailing the mass detention and abuse of Iraqis at the time, an estimated 7090% of detainees were arrested in error.

Following the celebrated 2009 Maersk Alabama hostage rescue, McRavens star rose, and he eventually became a trusted advisor in the Obama White House. There he reportedly served as a bridge between the battlefield and the halls of power, as the administration codified and streamlined Bushs policy of assassination. McRaven worked closely with General McChrystal, commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, to design the administration's counter-insurgency policy in Afghanistan, and successfully pushed for the expansion of U.S. drone and special force operations into Yemen and Pakistan.

In 2008, McRaven was appointed JSOC commander. Under his leadership, JSOC not only routinely detained and tortured, but also killed innocent civilians. In December 2009, McRaven successfully pushed top national security officials for rapid authorization of a strike on suspected Al Qaeda targets in al-Majalah, Yemen. Missing the intended targets, the cruise missiles hit one of the poorest tribes in southern Yemen, killing 55 people, including 14 women and 21 children. Upon learning the details, Pentagon general counsel Jeh Johnson reportedly remarked, If I were Catholic, Id have to go to confession.

Several months later, JSOC conducted a night raid on a house in Gardez, an Afghan village. The inhabitants, gathered to celebrate the naming of a newborn child, were in fact Taliban opponents and had even collaborated with NATO forces in the past. Nevertheless, claiming they were Taliban forces, JSOC soldiers slaughtered seven, including two pregnant women. Additionally, the survivors were shackled, hooded, and suffered cruel and inhuman treatment in a JSOC prison, according to a UN report. Despite a cover-up attempt, which reportedly included JSOC soldiers using knives to dig bullets from the bodies of the female victims and NATO declaring their deaths the result of an honor killing committed by the family, the truth eventually surfaced and McRaven was forced to visit Gardez and offer a ritually slaughtered goat in reparations.

At a time when MIT is reevaluating problematic engagements, inviting a commencement speaker with a human rights record as deplorable as McRavens may seem inconsistent with recent moralizing about MIT values. However, this would neglect the fact that obeisance to the military is part of the fabric of a university that was largely built and shaped by World War II and Cold War defense contracts, earning it the moniker The Pentagon on the Charles. MIT has not been shy about giving war criminals a warm reception on campus: recent distinguished guests include Mohammad bin Salman and Henry Kissinger. At a university that invites trusted partners such as Lockheed Martin and Raytheon to Career Fair in order to direct students deeper into the U.S. war machine, it is perhaps fitting that MIT graduates will be sent off into the world with warm anecdotes and hardy life lessons from SEAL training. Indeed, Admiral McRaven will fit right in.

Patrick Moran is a graduate student at MIT and a member of MIT Students Against War.

Continue reading here:

War criminals fit right in at MIT - The Tech

Nigerias response to the COVID-19 pandemic both exposes the fault lines of our peculiar federal structure as well as throw light on our present bind and the way to achieving nationhood as a federation of states with disparate needs, goals and concerns.

In the weeks following the announcement of the countrys index case, an unnamed Italian businessman on a visit to Ogun State via Lagos State, there was no response of any significance from the Federal Government. It was all silence from the countrys seat of power as Aso Villa appeared disconnected from happenings in Lagos and across the rest of the world.

It was left for the government of Lagos State, led by Babajide Sanwo-Olu, to take the initiative to act. With a Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, that was more than capable, the State stepped up to fill the vacuum that was created by Abujas no-show. Ogun State that was the actual destination of the Italian traveller also followed the example of Lagos as the governor, Dapo Abiodun, swung into action.

Thus, was the stage set for what has now largely turned out to be a state-led response to a global pandemic. The Muhammadu Buhari administration would not do anything until our entry borders had been left open long enough for Nigerians and foreigners arriving from epicentres of the disease abroad to have free passage into the country, thereby spreading the virus to different parts of the country among people who had no travel history of any kind.

The pattern of transmission of the disease among members of the elite and others just back from abroad showed their complicity in spreading the virus and lent credence to the misleading notion that the pandemic was a disease of the elite.

The average Nigerians, therefore, chose not to take serious precaution under the illusion that they were immune from infection. Most have, to their cost, since learnt that this was not the case. But like an alien being just dropped from outer space, when Abuja decided it was time to act, alas, after a couple of weeks of avoidable infections that would take the life of many in the ensuing months, they acted as if everyone had been as tardy as they.

President Buhari decided to impose a lockdown on Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory. Remember that Lagos and Ogun had taken pre-emptive steps of their own in responding to the announcement of the index case. But Buhari acted as if nothing had happened in these two states even while he praised the government of both states for their early response in the same speech in which he announced the curfew on the states.

The action of the president was a loud, belated and unnecessary assertion of federal might where all he needed to have done was to align his steps with those already taken by the two states. After weeks of inaction, the first steps by Abuja went into overdrive.

The manner the announcement from Abuja was made had subliminal import in the context of the tension between the exercise of state and federal powers in Nigeria. This was legible enough and was not lost on those savvy in the art of reading government action. It formed the context for the criticism that followed the announcement of the lockdown from Abuja which some Nigerians, not those wilfully blind to errors made by President Buhari, misconstrued as unnecessary provocation and posturing by litigious people.

For these supporters of anything Buhari, such erasure of state power was a mere detail that had no place in the face of imminent national deaths. Indeed, Nigerians could do without any delay at that time given the earlier tardiness of Abuja. But it was important to point out the error in the presidents action even when this was not pursued further.

After two extensions of the Abuja-imposed lockdown to which Kano State would be added following the irresponsible negligence of the state government that cued the people of the state into actively courting the pandemic after throwing all preventive measures overboard, leading to the rapid transmission of the virus- after the two weeks curfew was extended twice, it was clear Abuja could no longer pretend to be in charge. It ceded leadership to the states, asking them to take control of the countrys response.

President Buhari, whose government and party by their actions have refused to recognise the federalist intent of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) has, without willing to, accepted that Nigeria is a federation. It is remarkable that the President had to make this acknowledgement willy-nilly in the face of his own inadequate or the uncoordinated response of his government to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Severely sapped of the means, including funds and ideas for responding to and meeting the needs of different states, Abuja in a sense chose to wash its hand off the coronavirus wahala and invited each state to own its problem or do what it thinks right in the circumstances toward containing the pandemic. Its now To thy tent O Israel!

Like a true federation or what constitutes one (which nobody pretends not to understand now we have to respond to COVID-19), each state has been paddling their own canoe. Not even hitherto regional, ethnic, religious or sectarian links have held up.

Thus while a state like Kano, with Abdulahi Ganduje in charge, chose to throw its doors open to the pandemic, offering it board like a prostitute offers her client, neighbouring Kaduna State with Nasir El Rufai overseeing things has in place, arguably, the severest lockdown regime in the country and has been firm in turning back trailer loads of Kanos unattended youth population nicknamed almajarai to Kano, one of the worst-hit epicentres of the pandemic.

While Kaduna has chosen to keep religious centres under lock and key, Kano has resolutely committed to opening up such centres. The likes of Yahaya Bello of Kogi State and Ben Ayade of Cross River State downright denied the presence of the pandemic in their states while actively suppressing any report of it. From Sokoto to Oyo, Abia to Borno, its been to each its problem and there hasnt been many complaints.

At any other time before now, Abuja and our ever-ready, detribalised Nigerians would have insisted on a national or federal response; they would have impressed it on all who care to listen that no state can choose their own direction as the unity of Nigeria is not negotiable.

That has been the standard response to Nigerians agitating for state police, fiscal federalism and control of resources accruing to each state.

What Lord Lugard has joined together and mischievous regionalists masquerading as federalists have misread as federalism for their selfish reasons, coronavirus is putting asunder.

Vanguard

Related

More here:

COVID-19 and the practice of federalism - Vanguard

By Ibrahim Babatunde Sesay, Freetown, Sierra Leone

In the last two years since His Excellency President Julius Maada Bio envisioned that the countrys tourism sector should become a pillar of the countrys socioeconomic development, a lot of work has been done by the current Minister of Tourism and Cultural Affairs in partnership with its tourist promotion agency, the National Tourist Board.

The result showed quickly in the countrys tourist arrivals which were not more than 10, 000 in 2018 moving quickly up to over 100, 000 visitors by early 2020, with the sector contributing tens of millions of dollars to the national coffer.

In consolidating the gains made, the Ministry of Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Statistics Sierra Leone launched the National Tourism Census on Monday January 13, 2020 with the primary aim of placing the countrys tourism marketing in a very good position.

Funded by the Government of Sierra Leone, the report would contribute to the advancement of tourism in the nation by providing real-time information on touristic resources around the country.

After years in the doldrums, tourism in Sierra Leone has become the most dynamic and fastest growing industry. It is an aggregate of many different industries and services, and is influenced by almost every facet of society.Sierra Leone expects economic and social benefits from tourism development such as: Foreign exchange earningsThe development of areas with no other immediate possibilities of expanding economic activityCreation of employment opportunitiesA boost for the local production of the goods and services consumed by the touristsMore tax revenue for the stateThe integration of national cultures and societies and safeguarding of the national cultural identity from foreign culture influencesReasonable returns on investment in the sectorThe promotion of the true image of the country to attract holidaymakers and foreign entrepreneurs as part of the drive to step up international political and economic cooperation.Encouraging fair distribution of national income and creating new markets for consumer goodsProviding additional infrastructure and amenities that will encourage and support the tourist industry as well as benefit local and national interestsIt is in pursuit of these benefits that the government of Sierra Leone identified tourism as a priority sector for development thus tourism has now become the largest contributor to the economy of Sierra Leone after mining and agriculture.

Here is the original post:

How Minisry of Tourism and National Tourist Board rebranded Sierra Leone - The Patriotic Vanguard

Stocks are struggling on Wednesday after a strong start to the short holiday week, as tech companies are dragging down markets overcoming financial sector gains.

Overnight the S&P 500 continued its rally to break to new local highs but gave back all of those gains and more in the regular trading session before bouncing some into the lunch hour.

Earlier in the day, the benchmark index exceeded its 200-day moving average, a positive indicator for technical analysts and a key level watched by traders, as the index traded over 3,000, a level not closed above 3,000 since March.

While the Dow Jones Industrial Average has been trending up on Wednesday, adding just over 1% as of noon EST, theNasdaq Composite has been stifling gains, with the indexdropping 1.3% as tech giants Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google-parent Alphabet all relinquished roughly 1% or more. TheDow Jones Industrial Averagehas struggled to remain positive but is well off its session high.

As investor optimism over reopening the economy broadens, stocks that Zoom Video and Netflix, which have been a source of entertainment and need for people sheltering-in-place lost ground on Wednesday as investors rotated out of those names. Zoom and Netflix sunk 8.1% and 3.3%, respectively, and e-commerce names Shopify, Amazon dropped 9.6%, 3.2%, and 8.9%, respectively as well.

Meanwhile, financial stocks continued their uptrend from Tuesday, as investors anticipated prospects of the economy gaining traction.

On Tuesday, the Financial Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLF) rocketed 5.79% amid moves in the financials, as theVanguard Financials ETF (VFH) rallied 5.75%, and theFidelity MSCI Financials Index ETF (FNCL) climbed a similar 5.8%, driven by bank and credit stocks.

JPMorgan Chase was up another 3.6% Wednesday while Citigroup advanced 4.9%.The SPDR S&P Bank ETF (KBE) gained 3% along with the SPDR S&P Regional Banking ETF (KRE). Both ETFs were headed for their best weekly performances since April.

This is a rotation that we should get used to, said Art Hogan, chief market strategist at National Securities. He noted the broader indexes could be under pressure at the start of it since some of the stay-at-home names make up a big chunk of the S&P 500s market cap.

Its not necessarily index positive when that mean reversion happens, but its certainly much better to have this rally broaden out, Hogan said.

For more market trends, visitETF Trends.

See more here:

Stocks And ETFs Are Mixed As Financials Continue To Rally While Tech Struggles - ETF Trends

As the first wave of COVID-19 hits communities during primary season, states are still resolving how to hold elections in the middle of a pandemic. Voter advocates and organizers see the primaries as a test run, with many assuming that the November general election will also need to adapt to COVID-19. Since April, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield, a virologist, and epidemiologistshave predicted that another, potentially worse, wave of the virus will hit communities this fall and winter.

Universal vote-by-mail is being promoted bysecretaries of State and voter advocatesalike as a clear solution to balancing voter access and public health concerns. In this area, the West leads the way. The crux of it is: Lets make it as simple as possible for people to get a ballot, said Heather Smith, executive director for ACLU of Wyoming, South Dakota and North Dakota. Now is the time to be thinking about November and making sure that processes are in place for the least amount of disruption possible to the voting system.

When it comes to Election Day, Western states might be more prepared to face pandemic-related election challenges than the rest of the U.S. Most of the nation uses traditional in-person voting in a poll booth. But in 2018, 69% of votes in the West were cast by mail, according to theVote at Home Institute, a nonpartisan, vote-by-mail advocacy nonprofit. That compares to just 27% in the rest of the nation. Of the five states that vote entirely by mail pre-COVID-19, four are in the West: Oregon has done so since 2000, Washington, Colorado and Utah joining in the last decade. And Western states that dont have statewide vote-by-mail still have high numbers of residents who use absentee ballots. The majority of voters in Arizona, Montana and California participate in their states elections from afar (thoughCalifornia Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declaredNovembers election will be entirely vote-by-mail). Nevada and New Mexico also depart from tradition, with the majority casting their votes early, before Election Day.

Why is the region so different from the rest of the U.S.? In short, its geography and a history of electoral reform. Western states are much larger and, generally, their populations are more dispersed than the rest of the country. Vote-by-mail has historically been decided on a county-by-county basis, making it a local government decision. Phil Keisling, the former Oregon secretary of State who helped usher vote-by-mail in Oregon in the 1990s, says that its popular not only among voters, but also among local election officials a sign of its grassroots success. This has been one of the keys of its evolution in the West: Locally elected county clerks, some elected on a partisan basis, others on a nonpartisan basis, have been at the vanguard of this approach to elections.

Thehistory of vote-by-mailhas had its heated partisan moments,just as it does today, selectively championed by both Democrats and Republicans. In 1981 in Oregon,Linn County Clerk Del Rileywondered if he could improve the countys election process by moving entirely to vote-by-mail, since the county already mailed sample and absentee ballots. Working withSecretary of State Norma Paulus, a Republican and the first woman elected to statewide office, they got the Republican-controlled Oregon state Legislature to agree to a test of vote-by-mail after observing a mailed election in San Diego in 1981. From there, it expanded; by 1987, all counties could conduct local elections by mail. Less than a decade later, Republican proponents decided to take vote-by-mail to back to the Legislature, this time to expand it to statewide elections. In 1995, legislation to apply it to primary and general elections statewide passed the Republican House and Senate, but Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, listening to state and national Democrats, vetoed it.

Theres really no evidence that vote-by-mail favors one party over the other.

The partisan views flipped, however, when Oregon held a special election for a U.S. Senate seat using vote-by-mail in 1996. A Democrat, Ron Wyden, won the race, and the next time vote-by-mail legislation came up, the roles had reversed; now Democrats were the champions, and Republicans the detractors. Republican House Majority Rep. Lynn Snodgrass wrote in a 1997 op-ed that voting by mail would destroy the integrity of the principal of why we vote in the first place, arguing that coercion and fraud would take place. An aide to Republican House Speaker Bev Clarno (who is currently secretary of State andsupports vote-by-mail) said it would help Democrats because there are more of them. Politics stymied the effort in the Legislature that year, but a volunteer-backed ballot initiative brought the question to voters in 1998. By then, some Oregon residents had been voting in local elections by mail for 17 years already, and the majority of voters supported it statewide. It passed. The parties in Oregon argued back and forth about which party would get an edge from it, said Priscilla Southwell, professor of political science at University of Oregon. Theres really no evidence that vote-by-mail favors one party over the other.

Today, there is bipartisan support in states that use vote-by-mail, andrecent polls show the majority of Americanswould support vote-by-mail elections. Because of the last two decades of successful elections in Oregon wherevoter turnout is among the nations highest vote-at-home advocates point to a ready-made model that other states can adapt. Still, advocates say transitioning states will need to work with tribal governments, Latino communities, rural areas and other historically disenfranchised voters to make sure theres awareness of the changes, and that early voting and vote centers remain an option for those unable to vote-by-mail, with social distancing measures in place.

The key difference among the Western states lies in their use of either vote-by-mail or absentee voting. And the approaches vary widely:

Primary date:Aug. 4Before COVID-19:Roughly 75% of Arizona voters were already absentee voters.The plan:Instead of vote-by-mail, Arizona election officials will send out forms to registered voters to apply for an absentee ballot.Will polls be open?Yes, though it will vary county to county.

Primary date:May 19Before COVID-19:Voters used absentee, early voting and Election Day voting. Idahoans must show their ID when voting at the polls.The plan:Idaho will have its first statewide absentee voting election, and voters had to request an absentee ballot by May 8. As of May 1,more than 185,000 Idahoanshad requested their ballots.Will polls be open?No. According to the office of Idahos secretary of State, fewer than 2% of the normal number of poll workers in one of the states largest counties were willing to facilitate the primaries during the pandemic.

Primary date:June 9Before COVID-19:In the 2018 primary election, less than 10% of voters signed up for absentee ballots, because most either voted early or used day-of polling sites.The plan:This spring, in response to COVID-19, the state Legislature passed a new law for universal vote-by-mail,which will send ballots to all active registeredvoters.Will polls be open?Not traditional polling sites, but every county will have at least one vote center.

Primary date:June 30Before COVID-19:90% of voters in Utah already use vote-by-mail.Will polls be open?No in-person voting will be available, but some counties are opting for a drive-up voting option. According to Utahs secretary of State office, with the removal of in-person voting, voters will not be able to register at the polls on Election Day, though that has been allowed in the past.

Voting-access proponents say a universal vote-by-mail system is necessary, but note that accommodations such as increased educational campaigns are critical to make sure voters are not disenfranchised by the changes. This is particularly true for ethnic minority groups, said Sonja Diaz, founding director ofUCLAs Latino Policy & Politics Initiative. Young Latinos and Asian Americans in this country are the two fastest-growing demographic groups. And they are very young in age, especially in comparison to older white voters, and that means that youre seeing a lot of first-time voters because theyre aging into the electorate.

Vote-by-mail has the potential to devastate the Native vote.

Most secretary of State offices are still closed because of COVID-19, meaning that voter registration has moved online. Thats a problem for many rural areas without access to broadband, including over90% of Indigenous communities on reservations. Other barriers to Indigenous voters involve inadequate mailing services and lack of language assistance. According to Jacqueline De Len (Isleta Pueblo), an attorney for theNative American Rights Fund, its critical that state and county election officers work with tribal governments to identify and address those obstacles ahead of the primaries and the November election. Vote-by-mail has the potential to devastate the Native vote, De Len said, because if you dont have residential mail delivery, youre not getting the ballot at your house.

This week, U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Democrats unveiled theHealth and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act, the latest coronavirus relief package. The HEROES Act would provide $3.6 billion to assist states in election changes like vote-by-mail, expanded early in-person voting and same-day or online voter registration. Pelosi has cited the importance of not forcing voters to choose between exercising their right to vote and contracting COVID-19. What country do we want to live in? said Keisling, Oregons former secretary of State. Id rather live in a country where a lot more people are voting even when my candidates lose, than winning because weve lowered the turnout.

Anna V. Smith is an assistant editor forHigh Country News.Email her atannasmith@hcn.orgor submit aletter to the editor.

This article originally appeared on High Country News and is republished with permission.

Read the original:

Western states lead the way in vote-by-mail elections - New Mexico In Depth