Chief Nnamdi Chinedu Iheoma is the MD/CEO of Sales People Nigeria Limited, the esteemed owners of the Ivory Crown brand of estates in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

A stalwart of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a candidate in the just concluded Local Government election in Imo State. He speaks on how the third tier of government has become dysfunctional and how the Presidency and National Assembly can remedy the situation. Acting Editor Ezeocha Nze was there for New National Star.

Recently, the Federal Government came up with the idea of the Local Government Autonomy. What are your thoughts?

The idea of local government autonomy, to me, is what I call societal excitement, because it did not come with anything different from what it was before now. When the federal government made a move to change that narrative, we all felt that they were beginning to find direction to solving our problems. I think honestly that local government autonomy is the lowest hanging fruit in solving Nigerians immediate problems.

When this autonomy was passed, most of us thought it is time to put ourselves at the front to see how we can change the narrative by bringing our little experiences, time, energy into governance at the local level, but what I came to see here is that, that local government financial autonomy as driven by the federal government is all about societal excitement, there is no change.

Why do you say so?

I give you this narrative, go and check the comparison of all the states that have conducted Local government elections, what you will see is that one party in power in that state takes all the seats, how do they do it? Now the worst is that they are beginning to bring our political and electoral process into disrepute. Because the idea of local government autonomy is to let the people at the local level feel the pulse of the federal government, the pulse of president Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who is driving this process.

If you have not conducted local government elections, you’re not going to get any allocation based on the Supreme Court judgment. But what do you get? What you get in most states is an extension of some administrators by the governors of the state.

In some cases, they create a problem that they can’t even solve by disrespecting their own rules and laws as regards electoral processes. So it is not peculiar with one party, so nobody will say its about APC, PDP or any of that.

Nothing has changed, and nothing will change. So the essence of all that narrative is going to be a nullity, in its entirety because the people who are given the right to conduct elections in this local government area are still an appendage of the government. For me, it’s a charade and a destruction of our democratic process, if at the grassroot we cannot get it right.

Does this not justify the call by many Nigerians who want a change to allow INEC to also be saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government Elections?

Of course, that will be a way forward. But I think going by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, you discovered in that schedule where it says that that right falls on the governors of a state. But I think that the federal government can do something better by putting a monitoring unit, either by presidential order or something, to monitor local government elections.

A monitoring unit should be saddled with that responsibility of doing that, except they want to change the constitution or by presidential order.

But something has already started at the National Assembly, we are hearing of a special commission to conduct Local government election without INEC

There is nobody in Nigeria that does not come from a local government irrespective of where he/she comes from. You are part of the 776 local government system in Nigeria, whether you are in the FCT, whether you are in Benin City, whether you are in Owerri, in Imo state, whether, no matter where, you are part of the local government system. If the local government system is made functional and robust to operate, and the finance meant for the local government system gets to them, what it means is that whoever that is that local government chairman will be able to administer that money for the good of the people. The President will be weighed off a whole lot of this pressure and push that comes to him as a leader of the country, if what I am thinking is what the President had in mind when he tried to work on LG autonomy. But it has not worked well, because the process still hasn’t been completed.

What can we do to curb the excessive power of the governors, being that they also have immunity?

The problem we are having is that so many people want to serve by carrying bag or serving somebody being loyal to a person, not to a system or a process. But when you have young people with ideology who have managed themselves in their own business space, proved themselves beyond what you can imagine, it is difficult for you to deny them those spaces, especially when you come through a process that entrench democracy into the selection system.

I give you an example, in my party, the People’s Democratic Party in my State; they did a total and transparent primary. They said everyone that is interested in running the election, go and tell the people what you want to do for them. And we all came out, those of us who are interested, because it’s an opposition party, many did not come but I threw myself to the ring.

Do you think Nigerians are ready to vote for a leader who will not share money, who will not buy votes, vote for a clean candidate with only ideas and big dreams

I’m already developing something I call the gullibility of the electorate. It is a document I want to work on and build around it. I just realized that sometimes you don’t even have to blame the politicians for too long, because the electorate is very gullible and my experience is something that I want to talk about.

I said that the man who put you in chains cannot unchain you, but at what point have you realized that you are in chains. The electorate is still in chains, and he’s dancing with his chains, and he’s celebrating the one that puts him in chains. That is the way to answer that, because the electorate is still thinking that the gift of N5,000, N15,000, N20,000 which is a momentary relief of the things that he’s going through, is enough to sell the fundamental right that he owns to decide his future by way of the power of his vote.

the electorate has not really come to this clear understanding of the power of his votes. And this is a game the politician understands 100%. The politician understands this gullibility of the electorate 100% and the politician uses it as a tool in the electoral process. No politician will do anything to the electorate until it is one month, one year to the election period, they will start launching programs, empowerment, giving out fertilizers and bags of rice. So the Gullibility of the electorate, I will say, is the fundamentals that give the politician the right.

The politician keeps his money in dollars, locks it and waits. On election day, he opens the vault and brings out $10,000, spreads it in naira and begins to give you N10,000, N5000 and the electorate collects it. He’s collecting your right to vote, your future life, your right to clean water, your right to a good environment, your life. That is what he is taking from you. So the electorate must understand that at an election period, my right is stolen, by way of my consent with N2000 naira.

Since you understand the power of financial inducement by politicians, which areas will you suggest to be amended in the constitution to change this tide.

The first right we should protect is the right to choose our leaders. If that right is protected, whoever we choose, we will know that he derived that power from the people and that he will protect the people. So the electoral system must be changed to ensure that the people choose their leaders by way of appointing who becomes the INEC Chairman, by way of deciding how the state’s electoral commission should run the elections, by way of ensuring punishment for electoral offenders because if you take away our right to determine who leads us, you have actually imposed on us the man who will destroy us.

I want to take you back to the elections you ran, did the state give you any votes to say, this is the number of votes you had?

The answer is no. As the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party and the frontline candidate in the local government election, I will say that my pain is not the fact that they said they had election, my pain is the destruction of our democratic process, because you cannot say I lost in an election but telling me I didn’t even vote for myself.

How do you think we can get a good, sane democracy process that will make this local government autonomy work?

I ran elections in Imo State, I presented my manifesto, which is transparent and clear. You can see the end from the beginning. Every project that I integrated in my manifesto was drawn from our sustainable development growth agenda. We had a clear vision of what we wanted to do for our people. They were not dependent mostly on even revenue, because most of them can drive revenue by themselves. So for the first time, people began to get the idea.

But during a radio interview, what they were asking me is that we will come out and vote for you but can you protect the vote? And we assured them that they should come, that if we gather, they will not kill all of us.

People came out in mass for the first time. Two blind men came to vote because they listened to me on the radio. They heard what I said. They heard what I said concerning the disabled, and what I told them, because they were asking me what about them and I said to them that I’m not going to dash them money, but I’m going to work for them on a competitive advantage. What is your strength? We’re going to strengthen it. And so people came out to vote, but unfortunately, there was no election. People were selected, and that is the height of disparity in our political system, because no matter what the governor has done, he used human beings, they violated everything, starting from display of notice register, ad hoc staff, every procedure they put on the ISEC guideline, they violated those procedures.

At a point we went to court to say, you have not followed your guidelines, and the courts couldn’t call the case before the election came up.

On election day at one o’clock the ISEC office and local government, I had to drive from my house to the local government and came back home waiting for election materials. Materials got to my local government at about 4pm but result sheets were not there and because the people wanted to vote, they came there to say, Give us materials to go and vote and it was becoming rowdy, and the police in the area as a way of protecting the woman who were the electoral officer in that area took her away. While we were still waiting for them to come and bring the results, they announced the results without figures.

So for me, it is something that we should examine all over Nigeria. Not just APC, or PDP, What I’m saying is that the presidency, if they really meant this autonomy as a way of driving development to the people, there is need to interrogate the process for which we select the local government chairman and counselors for our local government.

One of the problems we also have here is our belief that APC will save Nigeria, our belief that PDP will save Nigeria, our belief that the Labour Party will save Nigeria.

None of these parties can save Nigeria. Only Nigerians can save Nigeria. So it’s very important for the presidency to look for those Nigerians, irrespective of their party affiliation, their religious background, their tribal definition and make sure they bring them on board to save this country.

Let us begin to see how we contribute to sharpen the narrative. Local government development is very key in my mind, something I really want to work on, something I want to see how the government can put energy to ensure, because I believe if local government is working, if you go to the local government, bring your trade there and the governor will be happy that these things are working and it will be less burden for him. I believe the presidency really wants to start quickly to start solving these problems.

They should make by sure that the local government system is not an extension of sole administrators from governors.

Jennifer Hembafan Alih is the founder of Julebrama Women and Children Initiative
(JUWACI). The organisation was established to tackle the pressing and very numerous
needs of vulnerable members of the society, particularly women, youths and children,
especially those with disabilities in Nigeria. In this interview with Iji Veronica, she said
JUWACI has been able to train over 100 students, dug several boreholes and carried out
many more intervention programmes in communities.

Excerpts:

What motivated you to establish Julebrama Women and Children Initiative (JUWACI)?
Thank you and please permit me to give detailed responses. My motivations were:
1. Passion for helping others: I have always been driven by a strong desire to make a positive impact in the lives of those that come in contact with me and the community where I find myself.

2. My Personal experiences: All my life, I have witnessed, firsthand, the challenges faced by women and children in Nigeria, including poverty, lack of access to good and quality education, healthcare and livelihood, and social injustice. I am also very concerned about the drastic climate changes and I take deliberate actions and efforts to reduce the negative impact of these changes.

3. Empowerment: I wanted to create an organisation that would empower women and children to break the cycle of poverty and reach their full potential.

4. Community development: My aim is to contribute to the development of my community by addressing the social, economic, and environmental challenges faced by its members. By establishing JUWACI, I had the intention of creating a supportive ecosystem that fosters education, healthcare, economic empowerment, and social justice for women and children, ultimately leading to a more equitable and prosperous society.

Which areas of focus is JUWACI in terms of the UN Sustainable Development Goals?
Our thematic focus areas which aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) Framework are:  Education (SDG 4: Quality Education) JUWACI is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty and empowering future generations by enhancing educational opportunities for children and youth in underserved communities. Our initiative is aimed at ensuring inclusive and equitable education and fostering lifelong learning opportunities for all. We have trained over a hundred students free of tuition fees.

Our programs include:

•Establishing and supporting schools in underserved communities.
•Providing scholarships and educational resources to marginalized students and children with disabilities.
•Promoting gender equality in education through targeted programs for girls (SDG 5).
•Enhancing digital literacy and skills development to prepare youth for the modern workforce.
Health (SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing)
We are committed to promoting good health and well-being by improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations through health sensitization outreach, disease prevention, and access to essential healthcare services.

Our health initiatives include:

•Implementing maternal and child health programs to reduce mortality rates.
•Strengthening healthcare systems through capacity building and training for healthcare workers.
•Conducting health education campaigns to raise awareness aboutpreventive care and healthy lifestyles.
•Providing support for mental health and psychosocial services in underserved areas and for Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and Gender Based Violence (GBV) survivors.
Livelihood and Empowerment (SDG 1: No Poverty & SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth) JUWACI’s livelihood programmes are designed to reduce poverty and promote sustainable economic growth by designing initiatives that aim to enhance economic opportunities and equip individuals with the tools and resources they need to thrive. These programmes include:

•Providing vocational training and skill acquisition programs to empower youth and women.

•Supporting small-scale farmers with modern agricultural techniques and access to markets.
•Establishing village savings and loans associations and entrepreneurship programs to foster economic independence.
•Promoting gender equality in economic opportunities by supporting women-led enterprises. Climate Action (SDG 13: Climate Action) In response to the growing threat of climate change, JUWACI is committed to building climate resilience and promoting environmental sustainability within vulnerable communities. We integrate climate resilience into our development projects.

Our climate change initiatives include:
•Promoting sustainable agricultural practices and reforestation projects to combat land degradation (SDG 15).
•Educating communities on climate adaptation strategies and disaster risk reduction (SDG 11).
•Supporting the development of renewable energy solutions to reduce carbon emissions (SDG 7).
•Advocating for climate justice and supporting vulnerable populations disproportionately affected by climate change. Humanitarian Response (SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions) In times of crisis, JUWACI is committed to delivering timely and effective humanitarian aid to marginalized and vulnerable populations.

Our humanitarian response efforts include:
•Providing emergency relief supplies, including food, water, and shelter, to disaster-affected communities. Providing several boreholes for the communities.
•Supporting internally displacedpersons (IDPs) and refugees with essential services and protection.
•Coordinating with local and international partners to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable
response.
•Facilitating community resilience programs to enhance preparedness and reduce vulnerability to future crises.

How do you source funds for your programmes?
Our funding has come from donations from personal business, other organisations and individuals who give free will donations to support our programmes.

What are your major challenges if any?
As an organisation, the following have been our major challenges:
1. Funding constraints: Limited access to resources and funding to support our projects and programs.
2. Infrastructure and logistics: Inadequate infrastructure, transportation, and communication
networks, especially in rural areas.
3. Security concerns: Safety risks for staff and beneficiaries, particularly in conflict-affected areas.
4. Policy and regulatory hurdles: Navigating complex government policies, regulations, and bureaucratic processes.
5. Cultural and social barriers: Addressing deep-rooted cultural and social norms that may hinder
program effectiveness.
6. Limited access to data and research: Scarce reliable data and research to inform programme design and implementation.
7. Capacity building: Developing the skills and capacity of staff and partners to effectively implement programs.
8. The task of Community engagement and participation, by ensuring active participation
and ownership from beneficiary communities.
9. The challenge of Collaboration and coordination: Fostering effective partnerships with government, private sector, and other NGOs has been a huge challenge.
10. Climate and environmental factors: Mitigating the impacts of climate change, natural disasters, and environmental degradation.
11. Health system challenges: The huge task of strengthening the healthcare system, addressing
shortages of medical supplies and personnel.
12. Educational system limitations: Overcoming inadequacies in the education system, including the high number of out of school children, infrastructure and qualified teachers.

Are you in collaboration with any foreign organization?

We are in collaboration with the Mindshift Empowerment and Employment Initiative Turkey and The 1808 Foundation, United Kingdom and others.

Where do you see JUWACI in the next ten years?

At JUWACI, here is our vision for the next ten years:
1. Established leader: JUWACI becomes a renowned and respected leader in Nigeria’s NGO sector, recognised for its impactful programs and commitment to sustainable development.
2. Expanded reach: JUWACI’s programmes and services extend to more states in Nigeria, with a strong presence in both urban and rural areas.
3. Diversified funding: JUWACI secures funding from a range of sources, including international
donors, corporate partners, and individual supporters, ensuring financial sustainability.
4. Strong partnerships: JUWACI fosters robust partnerships with government agencies, private sector organizations, and other NGOs, amplifying its impact and influence.
5. Innovative programs: JUWACI develops and implements innovative, technology-driven solutions to address pressing social and environmental challenges.
6. Empowered communities: JUWACI’s work empowers marginalized communities, promoting self-sufficiency, resilience, and improved livelihoods.
7. Capacity building: JUWACI invests in staff development, ensuring a skilled and dedicated team capable of driving the organisation’s mission forward.
8. Advocacy and policy influence: JUWACI becomes a vocal advocate for policy changes and social justice, influencing decision-makers to prioritize the needs of vulnerable populations.
9. Scalable impact: JUWACI’s programs and initiatives achieve scalable impact, with measurable outcomes and a clear return on investment.
10. Sustainable future: JUWACI ensures its own sustainability, with a strong focus on environmental stewardship, social responsibility, and economic viability.

Are you satisfied with the level of government regulation of NGOs in Nigeria?
The level of government regulation of NGOs in Nigeria is a topic of ongoing debate. In my opinion, the government can streamline regulations, simplify and clarify regulations, reducing
unnecessary bureaucratic burdens. Also, it can encourage transparencyby fostering a culture of transparency and accountability within NGOs, rather than relying solely on government
oversight. Government can also protect NGO autonomy by making sure regulations respect the autonomy and independence of NGOs, allowing them to operate freely and effectively

Retired Director, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Universal Basic Education Board (UBEB), who is currently the proprietor, Yagongwo College of Nursing Sciences (YCNS), Kuje, the FCT, Dr Adamu Jatau Noma is a teacher to the core, having got Teachers Grade 2, National Certificate of Education (NCE), Bachelor’s Degree in Education, Master’s Degree in Education and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D), also in Education.

In this interview with Ekuson Nw’Ogbunka in his office, he urges National Assembly (N/Ass), to make a legislation for the government to either establish Education and Health Bank, or similar financial institution, where proprietors will be assessing loans, at little or no interest, toward education and health sectors’ development. Although he said the government is trying in the education sector, but was quick to add that their best isn’t enough to meet the requirements of the sectors.
Excerpts.

Qtn: Being the proprietor here shows you are retired and not tired, what is life like, after retirement?
Ans: As a teacher and a civil servant, for me, life after retirement isn’t easy in Nigeria, because after retirement as a director, it took me about two years to assess my pension. It is quite unfortunate that when I started to receive the pension, it couldn’t buy a basket of tomatoes.

Qtn: Were you not paid gratuities, before the pensions?
Ans: No! The two came together, after two years. Within that period, I suffered, because in the first month, I wasn’t paid and I looked at the sky, and had to adjust to two trianglular meals in a day, instead of three. So a typical Nigerian should learn to eat two trianglular meals a day, instead of three; just a good breakfast and good lunch/supper, that is enough. It is a matter of doing it for about two weeks, then it will master you. Due to the way things are now, a typical Nigerian should learn how to adjust, because it isn’t affordable.

Qtn: After retirement, you were able to establish a school of this size, with staff and students, which few retirees hardly do, what is the magic?
Ans: Well, you can see that this isn’t a conventional school, where I should preside over. When I retired, I had the knowledge of what to do, but the problem was how to get the funds. So we had to mobilize the community leaders here and they gave me all the supports; we sat down and came up with this idea. For the funds, the community leaders mobilized the people who raised the funds. We got money from individuals and banks, that is how we came up with this project.

Qtn: In Nigeria, private schools’ fees, among others are beyond the poor’s reach, and people like you can make the fees affordable, what efforts are making for the poor’s children to benefit herefrom and grow like you?
Ans: Well, I thank God that we have about 80 monthly paid employees here. Establishing this school and creating employments, I think that it is an assistance to the: government, society, Nigerians and Nigeria, by ensuring that people are not only gainfully employed here, but also that our children are receiving quality education here. That is our own contribution to the society, and of course you know we are training basic nurses and midwifery here and by the time they finish, you will see our contributions to the medical manpower in Nigeria.

Qtn: As a teacher to the core, you are in a position to assess Nigeria government’s performance in the sector?
Ans: To me, the government may be trying, but the effort of the government isn’t enough, because there are so many lapses. I think that in most cases, we give lip services to education and that isn’t good. We should spend enough money in education, to make things work.

The government should improve in the services in education. The funding for education isn’t enough; the government should increase it. To fund education isn’t easy, but at the same time, it is, if funds are properly managed, utilized and targeted to the specific process (?). If the government can do that, it will go a long way. It is just like introducing feeding and taking healthcare of the children in the school, which can only be done, if it is localized. If you want the school children to be feeding in the school, you should contract it out locally. You know that people are very selfish. If you contract it out to someone in Sokoto, Lagos or even in Akwa Ibom for a school in Abuja, it won’t work.

Qtn: Senators were elected for good legislations, in which area would you want them to come up in the education sector?
Ans: Let the National Assembly come up with a law that will assist those who want to establish hospitals and schools. Let them make a legislation which will ensure establishment of either financial institutions or any means of easy assessment of funds for the establishment of hospitals or schools at nothing or little interest. For instance, when we were building this place, for the fact that it was an ongoing project, the banks we approached, among them was one of the recognized and first generation banks, refused us loan, just N10 millon. We were helped by a microfinance bank, and of course, you know what a loan from microfinance bank is. When the banks that refused us loan came here, the questions were, will you start to pay? How do we recover our money? They dribbled us and they are our bankers.

Qtn: Do you have enough students, for this gigantic building to be seen as a school?
Ans: Having started last year, we are growing and you have seen our students. We have hostels for male and also for female students and we have those who live outside the schools; those who come from near and far. So the students are increasing regularly.

Qtn: Education should be everybody’s business, in which area would you want the parent to come in?
Ans: The parents have already come in. It is the government that isn’t doing enough, because, take the primary school for instance, it is the parent that wakes up in the morning, feeds the child, gives the child a bathe, dresses the child and sends the child to the school. I don’t think that the parents are not trying.

It is the government that should take up from there, by providing the children with conducive environment, such as class rooms, desks, teachers, instructional materials, among others. So the parents are effectively playing their roles very well.

Qtn: What is your view on the impasse between the organized labour and the government?
Ans: We are strongly behind what the organized labour is doing, because any young man who is yet to marry, that is earning less than N150 thousand now, per month, won’t survive. You have to pay for house rent, buy food, clothe yourself, transport yourself to your working place, take care of your siblings, among others. It isn’t easy.

Qtn: Does that mean that you are willing to pay whatever they agree as the new wage?
Ans: No! This one is a private institution and we are willing to pay people a reasonable amount they can be comfortable with and we are already doing that. We pay people a reasonable amount of money here, that will make them happy, so as for them to put in their bests. As our sources of income increases, so shall shall increase their emoluments too. We shan’t continue where we started. We shall continue to increase their salaries, as the school progresses.