Homeless In Abuja - Nigerian Village Square

Jun

2007

	By *Reuben Abati* 17 June 2007

Homeless In Abuja
By Reuben Abati

THE Federal Government in Abuja is confronted with a special problem: the majority of newly elected legislators in the National Assembly can be best classified as currently homeless in the Federal Capital. New political appointees by the Yar'Adua administration are also literally speaking, homeless. President Yar'Adua has to run a semblance of a government while still taking a close look at recommendations for the over 4, 000 government positions that he has to fill. But he is having to make do with a skeletal team of staff who come to work from hotels and guest houses, and whose immediate families are many miles away.

It is easy to imagine the quality of attention that these dislocated and disorganised officials will pay to their work. One of the reasons the National Assembly gave for going on recess immediately after its inauguration was that its members had no accommodation in Abuja and had to go and look for houses. Accommodation is not only scarce in Abuja; it is very expensive. This is the excuse for the crazy housing allowance that has now been given to the lawmakers, and which has been roundly condemned as a drain on the national purse.

{mosgoogle}Lawmakers are said to be busy hunting for houses in Abuja. Some of them are planning to squat with relations. Others are reportedly pulling resources together to rent a flat and share out the rooms like students in a dormitory. Over 400 lawmakers descending on the Federal Capital Territory, many of them coming to the city for the first time, and a larger number of political appointees also migrating to the territory would stretch available bedroom spaces in the city to the limits. Abuja is a small region. It is still developing.

Governments in the past had foreseen the housing crisis that may emerge in the territory and hence, as part of preparations for the relocation of the Federal Government to Abuja and the transition to democratic rule, the Federal Government had built houses to accommodate its officials. This did not solve the housing crisis in Abuja, many civil servants resisted transfer to the new Federal Capital. Marriages were affected; relationships were impaired as couples soon found out that their partners had to hole up sometimes on the same bed, with male or female colleagues in order to find a bed space in Abuja. In the more celebrated cases, this led to truly unhappy outcomes. Due to this demand for housing, Abuja is perhaps one of the leading building construction sites in the country. Still demand outstrips supply by a wide margin.

When the Obasanjo government came to power in 1999, it was naturally interested in government's assets in terms of the property in its possession. It then set up the General Oluwole Rotimi panel to take stock and to make appropriate recommendations to government. There was a link between this assignment and the government's anti-corruption campaign. For, it was alleged that the military governments had given out government houses to its officers. In some cases, soldiers simply took over their official residences or they seized government lands and converted them to personal use.

The public was interested in the Rotimi panel and its investigations. And as expected, that panel came up with startling revelations about how government property had been stolen or misappropriated. Many of those houses were retrieved from those who had made away with them. The public cheered. It was the right thing to do at the time. Nigeria's military rulers had a reputation for corruption and impunity.

But the position of the Obasanjo administration on public property soon turned out to be contradictory. On the question of the anti-corruption campaign, it reflected its duplicitous character. Mid-life, the government came up with what it called a monetisation policy. The objective of the policy was to help government save costs and to reduce areas of waste. Governments it was said was going to wash its hands off the provision and maintenance of official cars for its officers as well as provision of houses and the maintenance of same. Over the years, access to government facilities and privileges had become a gravy train. There were public officials who used up to ten cars at a time, all maintained at public expense. A typical chief executive or Minister or Director-General in a Federal Government position would have Guest Houses in every state capital, all maintained at by the public.

Thus, maintenance of government property took a large chunk of public revenue: directors changed leaking roofs at huge cost (the roof never leaked in the first place); official cars had short life spans because those using them removed the parts or deliberately abused them; government picked up the bills for domestic servants who also collected their own allowances; whenever a senior official was leaving a government residence, he removed all the furniture, including plates, cutlery, pots and frying pans belonging to the Federal Government; others never returned the official cars in their custody; they stole them.

And new ones had to be bought for the new man who also would naturally steal government property. Most of the Guest Houses in the care of senior men in government were occupied by their mistresses and relatives who ate free government food! It was that bad. In retrospect, what needed to be done was to introduce better controls to check the abuse. The theft of government property could also have been investigated and the culprits sent to jail. But the Obasanjo government opted for the radical option of "monetisation".

This created serious problems. One, the government promised that money realised from the sale of government houses across the nation will be used to develop the social sector. At a time, it was announced that government had realised about N25 billion from the sales. But no transformation was seen in the social sector. You could say the money disappeared into thin air. Two, government promised that the sale of the houuses would be fair and transparent. There was much talk about "right to match" and "right of refusal" for occupiers of the buildings. Even this was mismanaged as evidenced by the messy handling of the sale of Eric Moore Towers, Bar Beach Towers, Ikoyi Towers, and 1,004 buildings in Lagos. There was no human face to the sale: in the case of the 1,0004 flats, the residents were forcefully evicted; they were woken up at 2 am by 300 gun-totting riot police men who threw out their things into the rains. One man was so dejected that he could be so treated, after serving the Federal Government for so many years; he committed suicide. Families were displaced and nobody cared. Court injunctions and orders, procured by aggrieved civil servants living in official quarters were ignored. It was also this sale of government houses that led to the ignominious sack of former Housing Minister, Mrs Mobolaji Osomo. She protested that she was innocent but nobody listened to her. She had to keep her peace, Hopefully, she will find the courage to tell her story in full, some other day. Was she carrying out somebody's orders and had to be sacrificed when certain things went awry?

The most galling aspect of it all, was the manner in which the sale and purchase of the houses exposed the greedy nature of the Obasanjo team. In the end, the houses were given out to political appointees and "big men" and "big women" as political patronage. By the time the Obasanjo government left on May 29, 2007, virtually any rat who held an important title and stayed in an official residence had bought the same house for keeps. The lawmakers also bought their own official residence; Apo Village Quarters, the official residence of lawmakers is now effectively in private hands. All the houses around the Presidential Villa are in the hands of ex-this, ex-that, class of 1999- 2007. These are mostly women and women who served the country for no more than four years, six at most, and in the context of Nigerian history, these are mere birds of passage.

This came from a government that purportedly waged war against corruption. What was this if not corruption? Under Obasanjo, the family heirloom was shared under the guise of monetisation and privatisation. The beneficiaries were mainly cronies and friends of the government. One explanation that was given, let us stay with the sale of houses, is that in developed countries, governments do not provide houses for their officials. But the objective conditions are different. The Obasanjo government had a copy-cat approach to governance which flew in the face of Nigerian reality. The lesson of it: policy must be informed by local realities.

By selling government houses to its own officials, the Obasanjo government raised an integrity question. Should public officials buy government property? Should they use their positions to appropriate public property? How come there were so many multi-millionaires in the Obasanjo government who could buy choice properties? And many of these were persons who travelled to Abuja by night bus when they were initially elected or offered appointment!

The homelessness of public officials that we now have in Abuja is the result of all these. Newly elected and appointed officials have no homes but persons whose tenure has ended are ensconsed in government houses as new owners. Is government going to build new houses so that the new class can also have something to go away with at the end of the day? Why should a set of public officials buy all the houses when so many would be appointed after them? Why did President Obasanjo cancel the theft of government houses by the military? In retrospect, did he do so in order to sell the same houses to members of his own government? That is what it all looks like? Does one act of corruption cancel out the other?

For the records, the state governments refused to follow the Federal Government's example in the so-called sale of houses. They kept the state houses that they inherited and some of the states, Lagos and Ogun for example, took the Federal Government to court to resist the sale of Government Houses under their jurisdiction. Also for the records, Alhaji Mahmu Yayale Ahmed, Head of Service of the Federation refused to buy his own official residence. He was asked to pay N360 million, which he said he could not afford. He was a rare exception. Given the crisis that the Yar'Adua government now faces, it should revisit the sale of the people's houses by the Obasanjo government.

First, the sale should be reversed on the grounds of public policy. Two, further sale of houses should be stopped forthwith. Three, a thorough audit of the sale should be carried: who bought what, at what price, how transparent was the bidding process? Who were the consultants? How much were they paid? Then, the information on all of this should be placed in the public domain. Nigerians would like to know who bought their houses and at what price and what those persons have done to deserve such unmerited favour. Then, of course there should a full-scale probe of the source(s) of the money that was used to buy those houses!

This is an issue on which the Yar'Adua can take a prompt and clear decision. It is a pity that this government is already the victim of a self-made blackmail. In order not to be seen as antagonising former President Obasanjo, or accused of seeking popularity, the new government is treading too carefully on issues that require decisive action; fuel price increase, VAT, sale of government assets etc. If this becomes an official policy, then the Yar'Adua government will never be able to do anything. President Yar'Adua has every reason to remain grateful to former President Obasanjo who anointed him as his successor and delivered on his promise, but Yar'Adua must also realise that he has a country to govern. How former President Obasanjo feels about anything cannot and should not be an issue at all...

Your Comments

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Robot

# 1 | 17.06.2007 06:46

	var sbtitle2217=encodeURIComponent(Homeless In...Read the full article.

nigeria we hail thee! nigeria we hail thee! is offline

# 2 | 17.06.2007 08:27

	Yar Adua should move fast and revoke the sale of those houses and other unprecedented and indiscriminate sale of government properties. If the ex-legislators bought the houses they all lived in, this presupposes that new houses will be built for for legislators in 2007 2011, 2015, 2019 and on and on and on. What a country! Imagine what it will be like if American senators or British members of parliament all buy the accomodation they lived in during their term. I have not seen this happen in any place in the world. This is just crazy!

roy

# 3 | 17.06.2007 09:46

	Hi brilliant again. i think reuben is the best columnist in nigeria !! another brilliant article obasanjos shadow hangs over this government but remember a shadow of a dog never bit anybody!

easekieled easekieled is offline

# 4 | 17.06.2007 10:13

	Please I am not too conversant with how democracy works...Is Legislation a full time job that comes with accomodation, cars and drivers and cooks and ...blah..blah blah? Is that what is being practiced in the so call developed democracies?..so that means there is an Apo quarters here in the UK and in Washington?...and that these legislators are full time legislators... Abeg who get answer..furthermore do they give each legislator 3.5million for furniture allowances?

pappilo pappilo is offline

# 5 | 17.06.2007 12:08

	@ easekieled Being a legislator is a full time job. In the UK the MPs have to sort out their own accomodation but they do get allowances if they maintain a second home in London. They also get travel, stationery and other allowances for the upkeep of their office They definitely do not get furniture allowance and cannot buy their office buildings or official homes e.g No 10 and No 11 downing street, when they leave office.

nigeria we hail thee! nigeria we hail thee! is offline

# 6 | 17.06.2007 12:29

	I won't be surprised if i wake up one morning and hear that the last occupant of Aso Rock sold the place to himself. Imagine El Rufai et al scrambling for federal government properties in the name of monetisation. That's Nigeria for you, a country of anything goes!!! :mad::mad::mad:

katampe katampe is offline

# 7 | 17.06.2007 13:21

	This came from a government that purportedly waged war against corruption. What was this if not corruption? Under Obasanjo, the family heirloom was shared under the guise of monetisation and privatisation. The beneficiaries were mainly cronies and friends of the government. One explanation that was given, let us stay with the sale of houses, is that in developed countries, governments do not provide houses for their officials. But the objective conditions are different. The Obasanjo government had a copy-cat approach to governance which flew in the face of Nigerian reality. The lesson of it: policy must be informed by local realities. Who are the folks responsible for this mess? Is this part of madam due process's work? Is this part of El-Rufai's work? Is this part of Ngozi Iweala's work? The government has to hold someone accountable on the policy that has backfired and almost certain to delay legislative activities. It is the problem that I have cried so much about on celebrating folks that have no original idea, but running copy and paste policies. But, I would give them an advise, if I was a consultant I would have charged them millions for this advice. They ought to have anticipated this though. Now what the government should do is negotiate with the current occupants of the APO legislative quarters for a term lease not shorter than 10 years with an option to review the terms of the agreement in thenext four /five years. And have the current owners/occupants vacate ,instead of revoking their ownership.During the term of the lease they pay the market rental rate on the properties. This approach shouldn't affect the monetization policy in any way. The next thing is use market instruments to generate housing supply within the next couple of years that reflects the duration of the lease. This is the only way to stop any panic measure that might result in wastage of public funds. It is so sad that with well though out policies these issues are avoidable.

gwobezentashi gwobezentashi is offline

# 8 | 17.06.2007 17:51

	Aso Guesthouses Sale: How Obasanjo’s aides bought choice houses By Ahmed I. Shekarau & Ben Atonko Only 19 days after General Olusegun Obasanjo left office as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, facts have emerged that several of the former president’s aides acquired choice presidential guesthouses, in what was christened sale of “government-owned non-essential houses” under the monetisation policy. Although the monetisation policy has been hailed in several quarters for reducing waste of public resources, the sale of the presidential guesthouses mostly to Obasanjo’s aides at the twilight of his administration has been dogged by series of controversies. Among those who purchased the guesthouses are: Malam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, former Minister in the Presidency and Chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA); Dr. Andy Uba(Him Again!!!!), , former Special Assistant to the President on Domestic Matters who was dethroned as governor of Anambra state only last Thursday by a Supreme Court judgment which reinstated Peter Obi; and Mrs. Remi Oyo, Senior Special Assistant to the former President on Media. Also among the beneficiaries of the guesthouses sale are Dr. Mohammed Hassan Lawal, former Minister of Labour and Productivity, and Mr. Akin Osuntokun, former Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and, later Honourary Political Adviser to the former president. Sunday Trust learnt that other aides of the former president emerged highest bidders and acquired other presidential guesthouses. While there is currently a dispute on the revocation of the sale of those guesthouses located within the security zone of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, the sale of one of the three guesthouses of the vice president to el-Rufai generated much more controversy of recent, with the immediate past VP’s campaign group alleging that the FCTA refused to sell the property to their boss, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and later turned to sell to the former minister. This led to altercations between the FCT authorities and the Atiku group, which is being supported by the former VP’s party, the Action Congress (AC). Much more than the altercations, however, questions are being raised over the propriety of the sale of No.12, Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja, to el-Rufai, as who supervisor of the FCTA was also the chief auctioneer in the sale of federal government houses in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). Some have likened this particular deal to selling shares in the ongoing federal government privatisation programme to Mrs. Irene Chigbue, the chief promoter of the exercise. But the committee in charge of the sale was quick to defend its action. In a statement published on Monday last week, the committee said: “On the 30th of April, 2007 His Excellency, former President Olusegun Obasanjo approved the immediate recovery of the existing presidential guesthouses utilised by the office of the vice president and disposal of them under the sale programme as they were no longer essential and in any case posed a security problem as they were located in the midst of civilian residential quarters. “Following these developments, the former Honourable Minister of FCT, who was previously not able to participate in the sale exercise as his official residence is exempt (from sale), was given the opportunity to express an interest to purchase one of the now available FGN houses, and former President Olusegun Obasanjo approved the sale of No. 16 (now No.12), Mambilla Street, Off Aso Drive, Maitama, Abuja to him on the 16th May, 2007,” the statement stated. Aside the controversies and altercations, however, one unanswered question is that of the rate at which all the presidential guesthouses were sold. Both the sellers and the buyers are mute over that. An official of the FCTA contacted on Friday said: “I’m not competent to speak over that.” Meanwhile, Dr. Abdu Muktar, Special Assistant to the FCT minister who doubled as chairman of the ad hoc committee on the sale of federal government houses was not on seat to respond to our inquiries on Friday when our reporter went to his office. Earlier on, Dr. Muktar did not answer or return all calls by our reporters to his cell phone. Similarly, he did not reply a text message sent to the same line seeking clarifications on the sale of the guesthouses. This has ultimately opened room for wide speculations and more questions on the pricing of all the presidential guesthouses sold. Akin Osuntokun bought the presidential guesthouse on No. 2 Mousa Traore Crescent, Abuja. Sunday Trust learnt that Osuntokun who inspected the property on 22nd of last month after the acquisition, moved into the property within the Asokoro District of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). When contacted on phone on Friday evening for comment, Osuntokun replied, “I don’t know whose house it is that I bought. How do I know if it’s one of the guesthouses of the vice president?” Asked if he bought it from government officials, he said, “Of course, yes, but how do I know who was occupying it? You should tell me!” On claim that the house was sold to him at a give-away price, the former political adviser said: “Why don’t you go to the FCTA and ask them the price?” The man who was removed as governor by the Supreme Court on Thursday was clearly spotted in his Villa abode that evening. Andy Uba who was in charge of Obasanjo’s domestic affairs acquired property No. 19 Ibrahim Taiwo Street, Aso Rock, Abuja. When contacted last Wednesday, his Chief Press Secretary, Chuks Akunna, promised to speak with his boss before getting back to us. He did not up till Thursday morning. A text message was sent to him but he did not reply until news broke that the Supreme Court had reinstated Peter Obi as governor of Anambra state. Sources said Uba spent Thursday night in the Aso Rock residence. Remi Oyo’s is located on Yakubu Gowon Crescent, inside the Presidential Villa. Sunday Trust’s efforts to hear how much she bought the house were fruitless. The following dialogue ensued: Sunday Trust: We want to talk to you on the controversy surrounding the sale of presidential guesthouses. Remi Oyo: I’m not commenting on anything. I’m on vacation. When told that she was only contacted because this issue concerns her personally, the former presidential spokesperson insisted that she was not making any comments, and said: “I won’t comment on any issue, please!” The third guesthouse used by the office of the vice president is located on Suleiman Barau Street, Asokoro, Abuja. Sunday Trust learnt that it was acquired by Dr. Mohammed Hassan Lawal, the immediate past minister of Labour and Productivity. The former minister could not be reached for comments. An associate of the ex-minister who was contacted on Friday promised to reach out to Dr. Lawal and get back to us. He never did up to press time yesterday. Meanwhile, controversy still trails the cancellation of the sale of the guesthouses, particularly those within the security zone of the Aso Rock Villa. Sunday Trust learnt form some reliable sources that following objections, President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua had ordered revocation of the house sale especially for houses within the security zone. However, authorities continue to deny that there is anything like that. Dupe Ajayi-Gbadebo is the new spokesperson of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF). Asked to officially confirm if the sale of the presidential guesthouses has been revoked as reported in some media and widely speculated, she said, “I’m not aware of that cancellation. But if there’s anything like that, I’ll inform you.” She never called back to say anything. But contrary to this, Sunday Trust gathered that a circular had been issued to the effect that the sale of all guesthouses within the Villa had been cancelled, and that any beneficiaries with original receipts of their property should tender such for refund of their money. Similarly, a Deputy Director (Administration) in the Presidency who is also a beneficiary of this presidential largesse, confirmed to our sources that the sale of the presidential guesthouses inside the security zone (Aso Rock) had been nullified, and that he and others had been directed to leave. Further attempts to speak with the ad-hoc committee on the sale of federal government houses in Abuja to clarify certain gray areas in the committee’s statement and get the full list of those who bought the houses and at what costs was fruitless. But the senior official of the FCTA who would not want his name in print claimed that no such directive had been handed to the committee. He also said the houses were sold not for security concerns, but for the fact that the guesthouses were too many. This clearly runs contrary to earlier published statement by the ad-hoc committee on 11th June, 2007 entitled: “Re: Sale of Former Presidential Guest Houses Assign-ed to the Office of the Vice Presid-ent of the Federal Republic of Nig-eria.” The official maintained that the question of el-Rufai buying the No.12 Mambilla Street property has been over-flogged. “Isn’t el-Rufai a Nigerian? Is he a Cameroonian?” Was his response insisting the former minister got presidential waivers to buy the house in question not explanatory?” What is yet to be made clear to Nigerians is whether the president was morally right to have granted the waivers. Another area of concern is the Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja. It was reported that new lawmakers became stranded in Abuja over dearth of befitting accommodation for them because the housing units originally built for the MPs had been sold to former legislators. It was said that 1,944 certificates had already been issued to those who completed pay-ments. But the accommodation crisis rocking the new lawmakers might have led to the bid for cancellation of the sales. Yet, the coordinator of the house sale committee, Mr. Omar Abbas penultimate week denied that a reversal order had been issued by the new government, claiming that such would be ill timed. He claimed that N25.5billion had already been remitted to government coffers from the proceeds of the sale of the legislators’ quarters. Mr. Abbas view was also echoed by the new Speaker of the House of Representatives who said at her maiden news briefing that, while accommodation of the new lawmakers was becoming a source of concern, the sale of the Apo Quarters was not revoked. Sunday Trust learnt that, shortly before his trip to Germany where he attended G8 Summit, the new president was approached with a huge bill for the settlement of the housing allowances of the new lawmakers, but he declined to endorse it demanding explanation on how that money amounting to about N3billion would be sourced. Also in contention is the purported sale of the official residence of the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to Mr. Sunday Ehindero, the immediate past IGP. This is in addition to the official residence of a deputy inspector general of Police, said to have been sold to one of the ‘blue eyed boys’ of the former president who is currently serving in the police force and heading a strategic government establishment. The house is located on Mambilla Street, Aso Drive, Abuja. The transaction could not be officially confirmed by the acting IGP, who however promised to take ‘necessary action’ if the transaction is confirmed. http://www.dailytrust.com/cover1.htm Something is fishy when usually loquacious government spokespersons and fake anti-corruption crusaders suddenly find themselves tongue tied and twisted with their snouts in the cookie jar. Remi Oyo finds herself on holiday suddenly or should that not be jobless? Which is it? How did she pay for the house? Is she such a multi-millionairess and that Osuntokun cretin, did he use Mofas account to pay for it? These transfers are symptomatic of Obasanjo's privatisation of state assets. They were simply handed over to himself and his cronies for peppercorn consideration and they are hoping to get away with it. They must be dreaming. Andy Uba features every time money is being shared or unlawful benefits obtained. Wetin concern boy boy inside egunje? This one na special area boy boy o... Apparently Camerounians are not allowed to buy houses in Nigeria. Maybe that is why they refused to sell the house to Atiku. Aluta! Gwobezentashi

ezyvic ezyvic is offline

# 9 | 17.06.2007 19:30

	The cost to be incurred accommodating the honourable members and members of Yar'dua's allies is quite a whooping sum, considering the acid-rain ridden thatched roofed and uninhabitable houses where the indigenes of Nigeria's economic base resides. The comparison is necessary because the Niger Delta story has not been told to the world, maybe, just maybe we are all waiting for the ever ticking time bomb to explode. The court has granted Asari Dokubo bail, we now await what the new administration under Yar'dua will do to engage the people. I have watched the famous fun-filled Warri turn into a sectarian war zone between the ethnic groups that lived in harmony for decades. The seed of discord was planted by government machineries, who probably under estimated the level of havoc that would follow. I have a little sentimental attachment to Warri, and by extension, the Niger Delta region, which is now crisis ridden. The "curse of the black gold" as documented by the National Geographic magazine here : http://www7.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0702/sights_n_sounds/index2.html It is obvious, the crude oil in the Niger Delta is now a resource curse, so it seems. Those who live in glass houses do not throw stones, in other words, the leadership has failed over the years, as recorded in the 'furniture allowance' which heralded the last dispensation and now ......., same story I guess.

truthsayer33 truthsayer33 is offline

# 10 | 17.06.2007 20:48

	I hope OBJ handed back the planes and helicopters he acquired during his presidency.And I hope the Govt of Ghana have returned the millions OBJ gave them when they were experiencing cash flow problems.....

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