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Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and His Tri-sector Leadership Effects

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Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and His Tri-sector Leadership Effects

By Ahmed Musa Baba

It has been seven months since the inauguration of the 10th House of Representatives with Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, as the Speaker, and Members of the House, as well as Nigerians whom they represent can see the shifting paradigm of a progressive and people-centred representation in the way and manner the House has handled its affairs so far.

Not only have members striven to sustain the tempo established by the 9th House under former speaker and now Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Ghajabiamila, in terms of sponsorship of bills, an area which the current Speaker stands tall as a pace-setter with a total of 74, out of which 21 were signed into law; they have done so with zeal as a total of 962 bills have so far been introduced with 120 of them passing the second reading stage.

The period also saw the passage of 500 motions and resolutions with a total of 153 petitions received and referred for legislative actions, just as they have also spared no time in ensuring that all important processes of helping the government of the day achieve its dreams of renewing the people’s hope are dealt with expeditiously.

The House, despite the delay in the presentation of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Papers (FSP), which usually precedes the appropriation bill from the Executive arm, ensured efforts were expended at meeting all necessary legal deadlines in their passage, including the 2024 Appropriation Act. This meant that the House had to reconvene on Saturday, 30th December 2023 to consider the budget report and pass same for presidential assent, all in the spirit of sustaining the national budget cycle of January to December, which was painstakingly entrenched by the 9th Assembly.

Efforts by the House under Speaker Abbas Tajudeen can best be described as the literal definition of hitting the ground running from day one. The Speaker, having emerged through popular demand with massive support across party lines, came prepared for leadership, applying what in the words of the Chairman House Committee on Defence, Hon. Jimi Benson, is known as ‘tri-sector approach.’

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According to a New Impact thread on perplexity, an AI search engine application, “tri-sector leaders are individuals who can navigate across sectors and enable everyone to rise above real differences, find common purpose, and get big things done.”

It posited further that “tri-sector leadership is essential for addressing large-scale problems that require collaboration between the business, government, and nonprofit sectors.”

Key aspects of tri-sector leadership according to the thread include, First, adopting a mindset that understands the interconnectedness of the public, private, and social sectors, and recognizes opportunities to innovate and solve pressing problems. These, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, has demonstrated cultivating a rich network of resources through collaboration with international development partners, civil society groups and the public.

Second, involving community stakeholders from nonprofits, governments, and the community at large to identify needs and promote an understanding of tri-sector strategies was brought to bare when the Speaker prevailed on his colleagues to subject the 2024 Appropriation Bill to public deliberation and analysis for necessary inputs at a town hall on December 4th, 2023.

Several civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, professional bodies, chief executives in the public and private sectors, as well as student unions, who were represented at the event, expressed their views.

Speaker Abbas, at the event, said: “Your participation in this town hall meeting underscores the essence of democracy – the power of the people to engage actively in governance and decision-making processes.

“You are invited to closely examine the 2024 budget proposal as presented to the National Assembly by Mr. President. As representatives of the people, it is our duty to ensure that the annual appropriation reflects the needs and aspirations of every Nigerian citizen.

“I wish to reassure all Nigerians that the President, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and the National Assembly are committed to addressing these hardships,” he said.

Third, education and training: Training the next generation of leaders to see opportunities beyond their immediate surroundings and begin asking key questions about emerging governance models and the rationale for their development. Speaker Abbas has, despite his busy legislative schedule, continued to create time to deliver lectures at different fora, including to young aspiring leaders in training with the Legislative Mentorship Initiative (LMI), founded by his predecessor, Gbajabiamila.

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Speaker Abbas at the Meet and Greet session with the second cohorts of the initiative on December 14, 2023 said: “My deepest gratitude goes to my predecessor, who initiated this mentorship programme as a way of exposing younger ones into the legislative tradition of our nation.

“I pledge the resolve of the 10th House to sustain this laudable initiative and strengthen it even further. We will continue to identify with the initiative, expand it and provide all necessary support to institutionalise it even beyond the 10th House. As I look forward to witnessing your growth and contributions to our nation’s governance, I urge you to make the most use of this rare opportunity.”

While taking his time to answer pressing questions from the young minds, the Speaker also insisted on having one-on-one photo sessions with each member of the cohorts and their operations team during which he interacted with each of them with the pledge to facilitate meetings with their representatives in the House.

Fourth, a listening and accessible leader:
The accessibility rate of the Speaker can be said to be second to none, both to his colleagues in the Legislature, the bureaucratic and his personal staff, as well as external guests. The speaker rises early and retires late due to the multitude of engagements, attending to individuals and groups on official or personal matters. The official guest house, which should ordinarily be his safe haven away from stress, is more of an annex of the National Assembly where those who can’t catch him in the office troop to for his attention.

Fifth, Principled, Compassionate and generous: For those who have come in close contact with the Iyan Zazzau, they can attest to the fact that he embodies the above attributes and even more. The Speaker represents the old chip of the block who demands that things are done right in accordance with the rules governing them, and that cutting corners through dishonest means are totally abhored. He minced no word telling his staff to always do their best to imbibe the culture of honesty and forthrightness at all times.

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On his part, the Speaker has demonstrated immense credibility by keeping his promise to prioritize the welfare needs of his staff beyond expectations. Not only that, despite limited available resources, official needs of various units are supported to enable them achieve set goals.

The Speaker’s work ethics and selfless act of attending to all and sundry were aptly captured by Hon. Benson during a podcast session with the Speaker’s Media team in December 2023:

“I think we’ve been very blessed with great speakers, Dogara was a great Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila took it a notch higher, our present Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas came in with a toga; they call him Billiaminu, because he did something unprecedented here by sponsoring the passage of 74 bills. So he comes with a bag of experience.

“I call him a trisector athlete. He’s got traditional experience from being part of the Zazzau Emirate council as the Iyan Zazzau. There’s a form of wisdom that comes with that. He’s been a teacher all his life; there’s a form of wisdom that comes with that, he’s also a Ph.D holder, and that also comes with intellectual wisdom. So, when you combine the three, you have what is called an Emerap (a battle or armored personnel carrier that can do a whole lot of things on the battle field).

“With that, he’s added so much value to the legislative process; he’s commanded the troops well; he’s very witty, assertive, very knowledgeable and a man of wisdom; an academic who has a broad knowledge of the economy and where Nigeria ought to be. He’s thoroughly keyed into the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President, and he’s also loved by Mr. president.”

Ahmed Musa Baba is the Special Assistant on Print Media to Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D and writes from Abuja.

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Mambilla & Manifestations of Malfeasance

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***The Agunloye trial is based on criminalisation conspiracy to avoid liabilities. 

About three months ago, precisely on the 16th of July 2024, the Truth and Justice Group based in London, UK, observed in its article titled “Contracts, Crimes and Criminalisation of Mambilla” that the Agunloye trial was based on criminalisation conspiracy. We observed then the National Assembly of Nigeria was seeking to find the way out of the Mambilla stalemate and may inadvertently open the lid on the multiple contracts and crimes surrounding Mambilla, laying bare the criminalisation tool, initiated by the administration of former President Buhari, which tool is being employed by the Federal Government of Nigeria with a view to evade liabilities at the International Arbitration Panel in France. We are still waiting to hear what the Senate of the 10th National Assembly of a country with estimated 200 million population beleaguered with multiple national grid collapses has set out to do. 

It is noteworthy that we have received several reactions from Nigeria attesting to the innocence of the former Minister, Dr. Olu Agunloye and noticed that most of the commentators resorted to the efficacy of prayers to extricate their man. However, it would be better if family members and friends of the embattled former Minister overlay the much-needed prayers with data and details of the processes and procedures of the trials in Nigeria and the arbitration in France. We all need to get better understanding of the Mambilla Malfeasance in its totality and only associates and family members of Dr Agunloye and justice minded individuals that can be trusted to take this task. This is why we are making a quick recap of current position of the Mambilla Malfeasance and Nigeria’s struggle to avoid liabilities for its impurities and impunities. It is to remind the public of the need to understand the details and to urge them to stand firmly for justice and truth.

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For most part of this week starting from 21 October 2024, the FCT court under Mr. Jude Onwuegbuzie will allow the Defence to the cross-examine the former GTBank official, who is now a staff member of Jaiz Bank. After this, EFCC will continue its prosecution with “evidence” and more witnesses and when it closes its case, Agunloye will start his own defence, and thereafter, the judge will rule. 

In the meantime, in Nigeria, the Agunloye’s defence team quickly spotted, from the onset, that the case was of a political nature not based on legalistic foundations and that this needed to be tackled urgently. It, therefore, has striven very hard to steer the court away from handing out its planned kangaroo judgement programmed to be delivered in February or March 2024 as an adjunct to the Statement of Defence of the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) at the International Arbitration in France.

So far, EFCC is still battling with its first Prosecution Witness out of the seven listed, and the judge is being constrained to show less brazen bias. The defence is also awaiting the Appeal Court judgement on the case filed in respect of significant bias exhibited by the court and the challenge of EFCC on its competence to prosecute not in accordance with its Enabling Act and in non-compliance with a Supreme Court ruling. If the Appeal Court rules in Agunloye’s favour, the case under Mr. Jude Onwuegbuzie in FCT Court, Apo will be quashed and reassigned to another court to start from scratch. 

In the meantime, in France, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) is cruising at full steam on the criminalisation strategy and making the former minister, Dr. Agunloye the central figure and the core of the statement of defence of the FGN at the Arbitration. The former President Obasanjo personally sent a signed testimony dated 17 July 2024 which said, “even though the contract limit was N25 million, the former minister awarded a N780 billion contract without permission” and that he (Obasanjo) “did not find out until twenty years after”. The former president Muhammadu Buhari also personally testified in a document dated 21 September 2024 about his own role in re-awarding the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project to another contractor. And recently, in October 2024, Nigeria’s sitting President Bola Tinubu, acting through his lawyers, sent in a rejoinder to the Arbitration Panel which claimed that Dr. Agunloye “awarded a contract of $6 billion or N780 billion in 2003 illegally.” Strangely the Mambilla contract awarded by Agunloye was no longer being treated as a Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) which carries no cost to the FGN, but as a procurement contract at a whopping sum of N780 billion. This is not true. Agunloye awarded a BOT contract. The President Tinubu’s embarrassing claims also included: “the findings of EFCC’s investigations have shed a new light on Dr. Agunloye’s behaviour making it now clear that the 2003 $6 billion award was prompted by corruption.” This is false, but it exposes the President of the Federal Government Nigeria and his lawyers as pre-empting Justice Jude Onwuegbuzie and announcing his expected judgement in the trial of Dr. Agunloye before his Court in Abuja. This portends grave dangers as the President has already quoted the yet to be delivered judgement in a trial that has not commenced beyond presenting the first Prosecution Witness; and has proceeded to present such in a formally signed official document at the International Arbitration Pannel in France to evade liabilities for impunities. 

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The Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu, through its lawyers, is also claiming that although it could “establish only three payments to Agunloye in 2019, totalling N5m for the 2003 contract of N780 billion, there must be other payments that have not been uncovered and insinuated that his children have bought expensive houses in the US”, citing the house of Mr. Jide Agunloye (Agunloye’s son) in Monroe, Connecticut, USA and alluding to it as a “proceeds of corruption”.  The lawyers in France are advising Mr Jide Agunloye to sue the Nigerian prosecutors at the Arbitration Panel since his house in Monroe was acquired through a 30-year mortgage in 2007 and he still has 18 (eighteen) more years to pay on the mortgage while the Nigerian prosecutors called it “proceeds of corruption” in October 2024.

The Lawyers and Arbitration Panellists in France are wondering why the former minister Agunloye is being kept out of the Arbitration if he is indeed so central and critical to the case being made by the Federal Government of Nigeria. It is, however, evident that Agunloye is being deliberately kept away from the Arbitration even though his name and activities are all over in the Statements of Defence and Counter Claims of Nigeria. He is being held in Nigeria, where his passport has been seized by the government, and awaiting pre-determined kangaroo judgement as blurted out by the sitting Judge in one of his rulings on petty motions, and now being bandied around by the President’s lawyers at the International Arbitration in France. 

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We are in full agreement with a prominent statesman and senior advocate of law who concluded that all these melodrama and manoeuvres through criminalisation and the associated “scapegoat-isation” are no more than the antics of corrupt leaders to avoid liabilities at the Arbitration for fraudulent activities in the power sector over the last twenty-five years and for unethical actions by the government under their watch.

Dr. Anthony Ibrahim,

Truth and Justice Group

Camberwell Green, London. UK

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Empowering Girls Affected by Conflict on International Day of the Girl Child

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In a significant event marking the International Day of the Girl Child, Tonye Marclint launched a project dedicated to empowering and mentoring young girls impacted by armed conflict.
This initiative, funded by the Building Blocks for Peace foundation as part of the Young Peacebuilder Fellowship, took place at the Durunmi IDP camp and brought together 50 girls for a day filled with mentorship and skills-building activities.
The project aimed to foster self-awareness among participants and educate them on essential hygiene practices. Volunteers from the Rachel Mujong Project Braid Me provided practical workshops on creating homemade shampoo and bathing soaps, playing a crucial role in enhancing the program.

Tonye Marclint emphasized the importance of empowering girls in conflict-affected areas, stating, “As much as these young girls are victims of armed conflict, they also represent the hope and vision for a better future. This year’s theme, ‘Girls’ Vision for the Future,’ highlights the urgent need to empower them with the skills and confidence to shape that future.”
He underscored that equipping them with essential life skills supports their immediate needs and helps them envision a brighter tomorrow.

The project received funding from the Building Blocks for Peace foundation, which enabled the successful execution of the initiative. Through this effort, Marclint aims to draw attention to the unique challenges faced by young girls displaced by conflict and provide them with the necessary tools to thrive despite these adversities.

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Tonye Marclint, a 2024 Young Peacebuilder Fellow, is also a researcher at the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution in Abuja and a member of the Conflict Research Network (CORN) West Africa. His passion for addressing the impact of conflict on youth drives his commitment to creating impactful programs and policies in this area.

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Olu Agunloye Mother, Chief (Mrs) Adesola dies at 97

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Adesola Agunloye

The Matriarch of the Agunloye Family of Erusu Akoko, Ondo State, Chief (Mrs) Adesola Agunloye is dead

Aged 97 years, she died peacefully in her Ibadan, Oyo State home on Saturday, July 13, 2024.
Mama Agunloye who is a community leader and philantrophist, held the chieftaincy titles of Yeyelua Erusu Akoko and the Akowajo of Anglican Church.
She is survived by five children, many grandchildren and  many great grandchildren.

One of her children who is also the Olori Ebi Agunloye, Dr Olu Agunloye, a former Minister of Power and Steel, pioneer Corps Marshall of the Federal Road Safety Corps and current National Secretary of thr Social Democratic Party (SDP) confirmed the death of his mother in a statement obtained by Vital News on Monday.
According to him, Mama did not give any hint that she was leaving.

“She left peacefully without any stress. She was 97 years old. She lived a good life, she did not stress us. She was not in pain.
“You can see people who are sick and in pain. Houses are sold and the person will still die. So we are thanking God, the woman has done very well. Her husband Joseph Olawale Agunloye died in 1963, 61 years ago.
“The family members are in high spirits and are grateful to God for the life of the matriarch and for His mercies and His grace,” Dr Agunloye said.

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Full text of the statement from Dr Olu Agunloye on the death of Chief (Mrs) Adesola Agunloye reads : “Our mother and mentor, Chief Mrs. Adesola Agunloye, omo Olowo elewu-okun of Owo, omo Ojomu Uro Oloyemekun, aya Akoko, iya Akoko, the _Yeyelua Erusu_ and the _Akowajo_ of Anglican Church bowed out quietly in Ibadan on Saturday, 13 July 2024.

“She did not give any hint that she was leaving. She left peacefully without any stress. She was 97 years old.
“Details of the burial ceremonies will be announced later by the family.

“In the meantime, senior orphans will be admiting me officially to the orphanage as a COJ *_(Certified Orphan Junior) any moment from now.”

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