Category Archives: Socio-economic Collapse

The key issues of political change, socio economics and preservation of the environment will return to Saint Lucias House of Assembly on Tuesday, June 20, as debate resumes on the appropriation bill 2017/18.

However, far from Machiavellian schemes, hopefully, policymakers and the legislature would have perhaps gained more positivity on the key metrics that measure the outlook for future growth and development, as opposed to corporate welfare the transfer of business, economic opportunity and money from one subsector to another at the expense of anti-poverty measures.

Also, observers, professionals and intellectuals with a view to policy and unfettered opinions, myself included, are anticipating that the unintended six weeks suspension of parliament would repurposed with renewed hope on the part of policymakers and the legislature to lay out a vision for the country: a national initiative, whereby citizens could lay down their arms and support.And asnoted previously, we all know what the major issues are, including the IMPACS report, citizen security, the need for sustainable and appropriate foreign direct investment, preservation of the environment and addressing the dysfunctional administration of justice.

This we can accomplish, but let us all consider the specifics of what must be done to achieve prosperity, beginning with a reset agenda on socio-economic, security, governance, trade and international relations, on a bilateral and multilateral level.

Times have changed, but more entrenched is the need for immediate and long term strengthening of economic growth and sustainability. And so, one way or another, government debt at roughly EC$3.1billion and electoral promises that give rise to trickle-down economics by cutting taxes and eliminating government services in a trend that still has the economy in shambles, and showing increased volatility.On the other hand, a change of trend to allocate 72 percent of capital expenditure to economic services seems purely transactional and dangerous.The pivot to citizenship by investment (CIP) offers both threats and opportunities, albeit recent strengthening of capital outflow restrictions and corresponding banking make it more difficult for small developing countries to process financial transactions. This is in addition to the balancing act not to embrace nefarious characters and strongmen.The compound effect in such an environment seems unlikely to achieve an economic growth rate of at least four percent per year. Which means the savings gap will shrink and institutions will collapse, in a buildup of political and economic chaos, crisis and decline.

The peculiar environment that engulfs Saint Lucia today is not far removed from the global economic downturn of 2007-2008, or the current Qatar crisis, in terms of isolation as an island where approximately 90 percent of its overall trade is made by sea and imports around 80 percent of its oil through sea routes.

Political and economic stability is critical to successful investing, but more importantly, history has shown that, in the midst of crisis, opportunity abounds for renewed hope that allows for actual money to be invested: the monetization of the engine of growth and the ability to leverage Saint Lucias global economic identity as a destination for investment.

Whats more relevant is Saint Lucias geography. It is important to understand the blue economy the exploration of both the Caribbean and Atlantic ocean resources, in a sustainable manner supported by the green economy renewable energy, arable land use and environment preservation.In this context, the development of human resources, re-education and training in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) are central. These are tools of the modern economy that go a long way in handling new jobs of the future. In fact, robust innovation and the economics of climate change adaptation would provide a renewable future for investment in Saint Lucia.Flexibility is sensible to investments and likewise the country. Financing, from the St Lucia Development Bank, for agriculture, agribusiness and fisheries sector should be accorded a high priority with the goal of doubling output, decreasing the food import bill, and the need for substantial import licences and concessions.This would eventually improve farmers and fishers income, help stabilize food and nutrition security to improve health care, restore rural economic development via infrastructure and housing, and provide an integrated development and management of the Saint Lucia Fish Marketing Corporation and Saint Lucia Marketing Board and the Government Supply Warehouse.There is, likewise, the opportunity to integrate the digital wave to agriculture, agribusiness and fisheries sector. Develop farmers seed systems to strengthen biodiversity, patent seeds, strains, breeds, concept and the protection of intellectual property rights.Digital penetration in rural communities would also strengthen research and development, the maintenance of wetlands and mangroves, and data collection in real time for analysis.

This is one avenue, not forgetting the cooperative model if decisiveness is required in the blue and green economic integration, with a sense of honesty, accountability and transparency for the uplifting of people and country facing 21.6 percent unemployment, youth unemployment rate of 43.1percent and poverty rate at 28 percent.

A recent article in the Nation by Dennis Kucinich evoked the possibility faced in Saint Lucia.Growing poverty and inequality in America and other countries can be tied to a dismantling of the public sphere through the privatization of public services, which imposes the rentiers premium on parking meters, toll booths, waste and sanitation services, water and sewer fees, and health care, to name a few.In urban areas privatization looms as a major economic issue. People, through taxes, fees and utility rates, pay once for public services to be created. Once services are privatized, the public is forced to pay again and again, at higher rates, for less service.The public is told that money is saved. Whose? Wages are cut, services are reduced, increased rates and fees follow. The loss of public accountability and political control shifts onto the public as increased economic burdens and the social and economic costs borne by displaced public workers.In such a climate, unions are under attack, since they exist to promote economic justice. The right to organize, the right to collective bargaining, the right to strike, the right to decent wages and benefits, the right to a secure retirement, the right to sue an employer for maintaining an unsafe work place, all these rights and more are at risk. Labor unions helped to build economic equality. Their demise means less bargaining power for all American workers.

This brings me to the importance of a vision for the country: a national initiative and infrastructure scope on a scaled-up level, higher minimum wage and job quality output.Russia is doing as it pleases in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, and to some extent Latin America and the Caribbean.China is a major player in the Pacific and the Caribbean, pursuing an economic corridor, as part of its String of Pearls strategy, building up on a dominant maritime strategy worldwide.Saint Lucia is in the crosshairs via Desert Star Holdings, the Pearl of the Caribbean.And so, what is Saint Lucia to gain for its national interest and economic diplomacy? Whats the maritime strategy, in consequence to the blue and green economy? The development of our air and sea ports, maritime cooperation and information vis-a-vis national interest and strategic partners global aspirations?Saint Lucia should not have to choose a position of shortcoming; still, this requires collective action for a reassertion of sovereignty, economic edge and good governance that focuses on the general good, not the demands of sectoral groups.This is urgent and important. However, this of course calls for values-based policy both domestic and foreign, which rests on democratic rights and freedom, equality, equity, peace and human rights.Foreign policy is also trade policy. And according to then Senator John Kerry, Foreign policy is economic policy It is urgent that we show people in the rest of the world that we can get our business done in an effective and timely way.In the midst of current socio-economic volatility, the writing is on the wall. A key yardstick is the lack of focus; misplace priorities and the greatest fault, credibility.These are obvious liabilities to very difficult decisions that need to be made to determine the future of Saint Lucia. Much depends on whether socio-economic, security and governance issues can change course in time.But meanwhile, everyone waits in a sober and distorted mood; there is the battle for political survival the theatrics of the mind.

NOTE: Melanius Alphonse is a management and development consultant, a long-standing senior correspondent and a contributing columnist to Caribbean News Now. His areas of focus include political, economic and global security developments, and on the latest news and opinion. His philanthropic interests include advocating for community development, social justice, economic freedom and equality.He contributes to special programming on Radio Free Iyanola, RFI 102.1FM and NewsNow Global analysis. He can be reached at[emailprotected]

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National priorities defy convention in St Lucia - St. Lucia Times News - St. Lucia Times Online News (press release)

Book: The 1935 Riots in St Vincent: From Riots to Adult Suffrage

Author: Adrian Fraser

Critic: Dr Glenville Ashby

Societies, like every organism, go through periods of transition, for better or worse. It's the law and an inevitable dynamic. In his revelatory work, The 1935 Riots in St Vincent: From Riots to Adult Suffrage, Adrian Fraser presents a vivid historical account of a colony beset with social and political disputes.

It is the early 20th century and St Vincent is in the throes of an existential meltdown, not unlike its regional neighbours. Adrian Fraser's scholarly undertaking examines an island teetering on collapse. Inadequate housing, land shortage, a substandard archaic education, and an underutilised human resource bedevilled a society strafed by neglect.

A self-serving political elite only added to an untenable situation. By1935, we learn that "[a] small social and economic clique controlled what level of internal power existed, [and that] the government [was] still being irresponsible by nature for the colonial political dynamics that advanced the interests of the colonial power rather than the people of the colonies."

The economic paralysis we learn, "was blamed on the administration by persons who made submissions to the commission, [and that] it was, for some time, a commonly held belief that if the people had a greater say in their affairs, the economic situation would not have been as desperate as it was".

By the early 1930s, substantive parcels of available lands remained uncultivated as land owners resisted land-settlement programmes. And sugar, no longer a readily sought produce, disrupted the work culture. Sugar was replaced with arrowroot and cotton, and the export of tomatoes, peas, and mangoes gained ground as labourers refocused their attention on utilising small parcels of land.

Against the backdrop of a withering class struggle, the masses remained politically and socially engaged. Avid readers they were as the media flourished. It was a paradox that arguably threatened the status quo. The media, Fraser notes, served as a catalyst for change and was the only viable means to a meaningful education. Meanwhile, harsh social conditions and the restriction of voting rights led to calls for a progressive political union.

In a 1932 conference in Dominica, delegates argued that "the Crown colony government ... neglected the poorer sections of the community and was responsible for the colonies' economic failure." More important, they demanded that all taxpayers should be granted voting rights, "and that the franchise, with regard to property and income qualifications, should be lowered." Adding fuel to simmering discontent was Italy's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia. The resistance was galvanised.

A growing chorus against the legislative council in 1935 saw some marginal gains by the people, but the legislature remained an exclusive body comprising wealthy land owners.

With socio-economic conditions approaching critical mass, an uprising was imminent.

Of interest are the unique circumstances surrounding the riots that began on October 21, 1935.

Fraser states that while unrest in neighbouring colonies exploded on plantations, St Vincent's revolt erupted in the capital at a meeting of the legislative council convened to discuss the colony's financial. An exigent need for revenue to fund multiple projects was needed. The governors sought to increase taxes on imports and raise licensing fees for vehicles as viable solutions.

A price increase on commodities agitated the working class, which immediately demanded clarification of the council's intent. They also sought an audience to discuss the Workingmen's Compensation Law and the Minimum Wage Bill.

As the day progressed, the clamour of the crowd intensified. Fraser captures that pivotal moment. He writes that as the governor stood on the stairs leading from the legislative council, the noise escalated [with] shouts of "We can't stand any more duties on our food and clothes!", "We want work," "We are hungry!" "Something will happen in this town today if we are not satisfied!"

One news paper reported that "sticks and other weapons were brandished over the heads of the Governor and Administrator as they, with diplomatic tact, tried to mitigate the high feelings of the mob".

Law enforcement was mobilised as chaos raged. Stores were looted, the jail was emptied, and the courthouse and cable office were attacked. There were casualties on both sides.

The suburbs were not spared. Ignoring the Riot Act, violence flared in Cane Garden, Georgetown, and Byrea. Armed with sticks and cutlasses, mobs besieged the homes of the wealthy.

When the days of anger quieted, an investigation was launched regarding the subversive role played by the media. The masterminds behind the uprising were also identified. George McIntosh was singled out, put on trial, closely monitored, and persecuted. There were allegations of media censorship, followed by the enactment of the Seditious Publication Ordinance and a state of emergency.

The 1935 riots must be viewed through a multiplex prism. There was an anaemic economy on one hand and racial indicators on the other. Indeed, race and economics were inseparable. Italy's aggression against a sovereign black nation and the philosophy of the Garvey movement stirred racial pride among blacks and added to social anxiety and fear.

The growing activism of blacks in the labour movement and the prodigious insight of McIntosh in forming the Workingmen's Association opened a new chapter in the history of St Vincent. Long-standing grievances such as land distribution, wages, workers' compensation, and the poor state of education were addressed. The urgent need for constitutional reform and autonomy based on adult suffrage and single-chamber legislatures were strongly advocated. A more binding union between the colonies of the Windward and Leeward Islands was also advanced.

By 1949, small town boards and village councils accommodated elected and nominated members, ushering a new political reality that predicated adult suffrage and the establishment of a federation.

That literacy should determine voting rights was challenged by McIntosh, who argued that "the man who can't read or write has greater need to have manhood suffrage ... I want to see the widest scope of democracy ... Give them every opportunity to rise."

Fraser details the atmosphere and excitement of the 1951 elections that fielded the United Workers, Peasants and Rate Payers Union. He argues that "[t]he working people who participated in the riots made the connection between what went on in the courtyard on October 21 and the governor's response in recognising the validity of some of their demands and purporting to accede."

The 1935 Riots in St Vincent is a living, breathing testament to the socio-political dynamics that spur disenfranchised peoples to confront oppression. Fraser's work attests to the significance of grassroots mobilisation.

For sure, free will and ingenuity will never be vanquished by oligarchic rule. History has shown that much.

The 1935 Riots in St Vincent: From Riots to Adult Suffrage by Adrian Fraser 2016

The University of the West Indies Press, Mona, Jamaica

ISBN: 978-976-640-597-7

Available: http://www.uwipress.com

Rating: Highly recommended

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The lingering ghost of yesteryear - Jamaica Gleaner

While the topic of a was the final straw for GroenLinks, it was not the only reason behind the party's decision to from the with VVD, D66 and CDA, GroenLinks leader Jesse Klaver said in an interview with the Volkskrant. The party also saw no room for negotiations on climate and social inequality.

After the decision to withdraw, Klaver was flooded with reactions from his followers. According to him, they split into two rough groups. "One: great that you stick to your principles and stand straight. Two: why did it break on immigration, while you could maybe win a lot on other files?" Klaver said to the Volkskrant.

"Then my question is: what files? When it comes to climate: we did not reach the final stage of negotiations, but I did not feel at any moment that we would reach the goals of the Paris Agreement. Not by a long shot." Klaver said. "I also did not see a compromise in the socio-economic field."

According to Klaver, they negotiations focused a lot on dropping the bonus limit on bans so that post-Brexit banks would like to move from London to the Netherlands. "That's the exact opposite of what we want. So we said, we won't do that. The others found that strange." They felt it logical that the Netherlands wants to attract the business of the banks. "But that's not logical! You want to deal with the discontent in the country and the first thing you do is give bankers more rewarding bonuses. We don't want this kind of bank boys and girls."

"Ultimately the formation revolved around the question: are you making the policy a bid less bad or a bit better? It threatened to be the first."

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Climate, social equality also behind collapse of govt formation talks: Green leader - NL Times

We write to express our opposition to the USDA Fiscal Year 2018 budget for Rural Development. This budget, if enacted, along with the ill-advised recommendation to eliminate the position of Under Secretary for Rural Development, will substantially diminish resources dedicated to improving rural communities and the lives of rural people.

We believe a better choice for rural America is to continue USDA Rural Development programs at no less than the FY 2017 levels included in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (115-31). This will allow USDA Rural Development to continue its important mission of providing technical and financial assistance aimed at improving the living and economic conditions in rural America.

For more than 50 years, USDA rural development programs have improved housing, utilities and community facilities, and economic opportunity for rural America.

In FY 2016 alone USDA made available over $29 billion in loans, guarantees, grants, and related assistance to over 157,000 individuals, businesses, non-profit corporations, cooperatives and governments. USDAs total loan portfolio includes over 1.3 million loans that amount to over $215 billion.

Yet, there is still more to be done: According to an analysis of socio-economic well-being prepared by the Wall Street Journal, rural counties in America are in worse condition than big cities, suburbs and small or medium metro areas. Rural communities, and the people who live in them, have higher poverty and unemployment rates as well as a higher incidence of substandard housing and rent overburden when compared to metropolitan areas.

Virtually every community in the country with inadequate drinking water has a population of 3,300 or less. Although much of the country has seen recovery from the financial crisis, rural America still lags behind.

The decades long trend of community bank closure and consolidation has hit rural areas particularly hard. The number of community banks in the United States has declined by an average of 300 per year over the past 30 years, according to data from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and a collapse in the price of agricultural commodities has added stress on many small towns and farming communities.

The administrations response to the problems facing rural America can only be described as a wholesale retreat. The FY 2018 budget eliminates funding for two dozen housing and rural development programs. The rescissions proposed for FY 17 and eliminations and reductions proposed for FY 18 total over $1 billion and well over $3 billion in program financing.

If approved, USDA will no longer provide direct rural housing loans, grants for mutual and self-help housing, financing for water and waste disposal systems, or loans and grants to small rural businesses, cooperatives and value added producers. Many other programs are reduced well below the current rate. What will be left is a hollowed-out Rural Development function, degraded within the department with far fewer resources to help rural America.

We urge the committee to reject the administrations FY 18 budget and reorganization proposals for Rural Development and instead provide appropriations at no less than the current rate and maintain the Rural Development mission area and position of Under Secretary for Rural Development.

The National Rural Housing Coalition campaigns to improve housing and community facilities for low-income rural families. These comments are from a sign-on letter to the House and Senate appropriations committees; full text is at http://bit.ly/2qJALEc.

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Country needs USDA Rural Development - Iowa Farmer Today

99% of people want to improve their lives. And the UBI wont prevent them from wanting it. So if such projects prevent them from having to do terrible jobs, this is positive, Guy Standing told EURACTIV Poland.

Professor Guy Standing is a professorial research associate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and co-president at the Basic Income Earth Network (BIEN).

Standing spoke to EURACTIV.pl Editor-in-Chief Karolina Zbytniewska.

Universal basic income (UBI) means money received unconditionally by everyone in a community. How do we afford such a universal social benefit?

UBI can be justified morally and philosophically, which outweighs any arguments from the field of economic efficiency. It is a matter of eradicating poverty, and more generally of ensuring social justice.

Many liberal economists would argue that at least in Western democracies we live in open, classless and casteless societies, where everyone can rise from rags to riches, as the American dreams slogan goes. It is social justice, theoretically.

However, the truth is that our wealth and income are much more influenced by our parents and older generations than by our own actions. Since so much depends on private inheritance there is a need for a social dividend.

We are not born equal, both in terms of talents and socio-economic background, which determines our situation. But also setting where we develop is determined externally.

And so we move to another fundamental argument for UBI ecological justice. Rich people make money by polluting and depleting natural resources, while poor people and more generally the precariat are the ones who experience this pollution. Taking this into account, UBI would constitute compensation for suffering from profit-making side effects.

Social justice is not the end of positives, however. UBI enhances freedom, which is lacking especially today in the times of ubiquitous control. And the essence of republican freedom is the right to say NO. NO to a humiliating job I dont want. NO to a nasty boss or inhuman conditions. NO to controlling bureaucracy at a social security office.

This is the emancipatory effect of UBI. Not having to humiliate oneself every month to receive unemployment benefit or other social support in situation of poverty.

Theres also the third fundamental advantage of implementing UBI it simply increases human capacity and social capital. The feeling of insecurity diminishes intelligence and its impossible to make rational decisions if you feel insecure. And reversely, the feeling of security increases our mental competence, our general understanding, our tolerance and altruism.

UBI has been now implemented as a pilot project in Finland 2,000 randomly chosen unemployed Finns are receiving 560 euros a month for a 2-year-period since 1 January.

The Finnish experiment does not test UBI.

Because it is not universal but, designed only for the unemployed.

Indeed. And I can already tell the results will be positive it will confirm that it is not necessary to press people to take a job. However, there were and are going on other pilots around the world, much closer to being pure UBI experiments, including three in India. Those programs were so successful that the Indian government is considering UBI implementation on a regular basis. According to the governmental study India can afford it, reverting present subsidies that dont reach the poor today.

Another experiment held in Ontario is also closer to the original idea of UBI, as the sampling method gathers the whole community and measures collective effects. It is very important, as if you give special treatment just to some in a given community, the others brother, uncle, neighbor will come to you for share.

They feel treated unjustly. And its not UBI then, just BI basic income.

This is the case in Finland. But if everyone receives UBI in the community, this imposes a moral pressure on people to act responsibly also on the children. So in my opinion it is important to design pilots as close to the real UBI as possible.

Still the experiment in Finland is a step in the right direction, as it removes the poverty trap, increases security, as well as provides incentive to take low-paid or part-time jobs without any bureaucratic pressure or reducing the benefit. Because under the present-day social security structure the unemployed, the poor are under pressure to do what bureaucrats want.

Is it not so that UBI is not a solution for every culture? In Poland we have one of the lowest levels of social capital in Europe, with minimal public and private trust, which often translates into low social responsibility. Decades of Communism are to blame. So when we see men drinking cheap wine outside a shop theres a tendency to think that alcohol is paid by benefits.

Basic income experiments around the world, whether in South or North America, or in Africa, or in India, or in Japan demonstrate that when people have basic security when they know they will be able to pay their rent and get food they become more responsible, and actually spend less on alcohol, drugs and tobacco.

Such a kind of drunkard lumpenisation you mention has many reasons. It is a symptom of a social illness, of having dealt with failures throughout ones life arriving at the dead-end with no sense of belonging.

They dont drink BECAUSE of benefits. And also giving them benefits without providing help to recover is completely irresponsible, as then those people will collapse indeed. This shop-drinking picture shows that your system is bad that it rejects its own people.

And blames them for effects of this rejection.

Still of course, its impossible to cure everyone with the same medicine. But if it doesnt work on scarce individuals, you dont resign from this medicine penalizing the majority.

In Poland, the present government introduced a Family 500+ program, under which every family receives 500 PLN (120) a month for a child. The condition is that its a family not a single parent. According to market research, it has reduced employment among less educated people, as well as among women aged 35-44. Theres also a rise in passive people who neither work nor look for employment.

Indeed its a controversial program paternalistically imposing conservative Catholic customs. Still, if giving poor people income support leads them to stop doing a job of cleaning public lavatories or doing dangerous works without proper safety measures it is just great. In the long run it may lead to the improvement of employment conditions rising wages, improving job setting, providing training.

You know, 99% of people want to improve their lives. And UBI wont prevent them from wanting it. So if such projects stop them doing terrible jobs, then this is actually a positive outcome. And everyone should ask himself or herself if they would like to do those jobs before criticizing those people or given projects results.

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Prof. Guy Standing: Every country can afford Universal Basic Income ... - EURACTIV

Former Transkei homeland leader and Western Thembu king Kaizer Daliwonga Matanzima was praised by senior government leaders and his own children for having left an indelible mark in education, business and agriculture.

Matanzimas life was remembered through song and dance during a colourful commemoration event held at the Qamata Great Place near Cofimvaba yesterday.

The event was organised by the AmaDlomo royal family.

Among those who came to celebrate his life were Eastern Cape premier Phumulo Masualle, AmaXhosa King Mpendulo Sigcawu, representatives of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, UDM leader Bantu Holomisa and ANC provincial secretary Oscar Mabuyane.

Matanzima died on June 15 2003, at the age of 88.

Chris Hani district mayor Kholiswa Vimbayo referred to a contemporary buzzphrase when he told the hundreds of people who attended the event that Matanzima had in fact practised radical socio-economic transformation during his tenure as a bantustan leader.

But it was Matanzimas daughter Xoliswa Jozana who took a subtle dig at the current generation of government leaders for failing to build on some of the infrastructure put in place by her father. She said her father was passionate about education and development.

He initiated several agricultural projects as well as construction of the University of Transkei, which later merged with other tertiary institutions to form Walter Sisulu University.

Some of his agricultural projects could have been inherited by the current government, said Jozana.

Regrettably, all those projects were left to collapse.

In hindsight, we should have built on that.

We are now paying the price. Now we are paying millions and millions to revive irrigation schemes.

She said her father had paved the way for black people to own factories and businesses and manage large hotels.

Matanzima believed in having highly skilled people in government positions.

Leaders with that drive tend to be disciplinarian to an extent that they are viewed as authoritarian, added Jozana.

Masualle, on the other hand, boasted that Matanzima had been the first traditional leader to earn a university degree.

He said there was a need to strengthen working relations between traditional leaders and government as both played a pivotal role in the development of communities.

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Late Matanzima celebrated as a visionary- Education, development described as his legacy - Daily dispatch

GUEST COLUMNIST BY FEMI FALANA

The demand for fiscal federalism is to enable the federating units control their resources with a view to funding social services and infrastructural development. In making a strong case for federalism, Chief Obafemi Awolowo insisted on the provision of social services for the people.

Thus, in defending the budget of his government while he was premier of western region, Chief Awolowo stated that as far as possible within the limit of our resources, expenditure on social services which tend to be the welfare, the health and the education of the people should be increased at the expense of any expenditure that does not answer to the same tests. It is on record that the administration voted more than 50% of the annual budget to social services. Ironically, Governor Fayose who has joined the campaign for true federalism has introduced the payment of school fees in all primary schools in Ekiti State!

There is a lot of controversy on fiscal federalism. In accordance with the tenets of federalism the exclusive legislative list should be limited to the countrys external trade, customs duties, export duties, tax on incomes, profits and capital gains, interstate commerce, external borrowing, mining rents and royalties from mineral resources etc. The distorted revenue allocation formula favours the Federal Government as it has been allocated 52% of the revenue accruing to the federation account. The remaining 48% is shared among the 36 states and the 774 local governments and the 6 area councils in the Federal Capital Territory. At the 2014 national conference many delegates proposed 18% derivation for the oil producing communities.

But as the conference delegates could not reach a consensus on the matter the proposal was shelved. It is submitted that since the payment of 13% of the revenue in the Federation Account to the oil producing states has not improved the quality of the lives of the people in the Niger Delta region any increase in revenue allocation ought to be tied to the development of the area where natural resources are produced.

Apart from the rents from crude oil, the beneficiaries of the monthly allocations are not interested in other sources of revenue. Hence, the current revenue allocation formula is based on the crumbs from the masters table. As the country does not know the quantity of crude oil produced by the oil companies the ruling class fights over what is paid into the Federation Account by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC). For instance, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) has reported that the NNPC and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) have failed to remit the sums of $21.7 billion and N316 billion to the Federation Account. No state government has shown any interest in the recovery of the huge sums of money. The Governors Forum is too busy feasting on the Paris/London club loan refund that it has no time to react to the NEITI report.

From 1999 the nation has lost trillions of Naira due to indiscriminate duty waivers illegally granted by the Federal Government. In 2011, the sum of N2.3 trillion was lost to fake importers of fuel. From 2011-2014, the oil shipped from Nigeria and discharged in Philadelphia port in the United States but not recorded in Nigeria was 60 million barrels valued at $12.7 billion. Even though the federal government has filed suits against the indicted companies no state government has shown any interest in the cases.

It has been confirmed that the privatization carried out by the Ibrahim Babangida and Obasanjo regimes led to asset stripping and hence the vanishing of the nations public enterprises. Without questioning why the Nigerian Airways collapsed the Federal Government has decided to establish another national carrier. At the time of the illegal liquidation of the Nigeria Airways it had 32 aircraft in its fleet. Its landed assets in several parts of the country, United Kingdom and the United States were equally sold at give away prices.

As there is no solution to the economic crisis plaguing the country the members of the ruling class have created confusion and disunity among the people. A few years ago, a senator who wanted to incite the Niger Delta against the north claimed that 80% of the nations oil blocks were in the hands of northerners. I countered the irresponsible statement by stating that more than 80% of our oil resources are in the hands of foreign oil companies. Mr. Segun Adeniyi, the chair of the editorial board of THISDAY, intervened and listed those who own which oil blocks in the country. From the detailed information supplied by him it was crystal clear Nigerians are not serious players in the oil industry as majority of local oil block owners have sold them to foreign oil companies.

While the allocation of 52% of the revenue of the federation to the federal government cannot be justified the demand for an equitable revenue allocation formula should be tied to the commitment of state and local governments to provide education, health, housing and other basic amenities for the people and investment in infrastructural development, job creation and industrialization.

All the arguments and debates on resource control, restructuring and federalism are meaningless to the majority of the people who are groaning in poverty in all parts of the country. The demand for devolution of powers from the federal government to the state and local governments should be accompanied by a demand for the overall development of the society. The ruling class should therefore be prepared to make Chapter II of the Constitution justiciable, as there must be a relationship between demand for increase in revenue and social needs.

According to Kayode Komolafe, the neo-liberal ideologues in the federal government have further restructured the socioeconomic structure in what amounts to a policy coup. They have devalued the currency, raised the cost of energy and retrenchment of workers has become a policy virtue in both the public and private sectors. At least, President Muhammadu Buhari is on record to have said that he was more or less presented with a fait accompli by our free market fundamentalists in power acting under the instruction of the policemen of global capitalism. The enormous existential risks to which the poor people are ultimately exposed to by this reckless experiment in the name of economic management is never the business of champions of geo-political restructuring.

It is high time the champions of political restructuring were made to realize that the masses of our people are demanding socio-economic restructuring which will replace the peripheral capitalist system, which has consigned them to poverty and misery. [1] It is a national scandal that cholera, meningitis, Lassa fever and other preventable diseases are still ravaging millions of our people in the 21st Century. Based on the collapse of public medical centres in the country, top public officers and rich individuals are being flown abroad for medical attention.

Before his death in December last year, President Fidel Castro who was sick for about 10 years was never flown out of Cuba for medical attention. Even though Nigeria is more endowed than the Island our leaders are always taken abroad for medical attention. Instead of challenging the federal government to take advantage of President Buharis ill health to demand for the refurbishment of our hospitals we are debating the contents of the letter transmitted by him to the National Assembly.

I have referred to Cuba because we share similar history and geography. But that poor country has abolished malaria fever, typhoid fever, cholera, meningitis and other tropical diseases. Whereas every citizen of Cuba is entitled to free medical care the Democrats and Republicans in the United States Congress, the richest country on earth, are fighting over the rationale in extending medical insurance to the poor. As Nigerians are praying fervently for the speedy recovery of President Buhari we must end the shame of rushing privileged citizens to the United Kingdom, India, United Arab Emirates for medical attention. A substantial part of the loot being recovered by the federal government should be earmarked to fix the health sector.

In his capacity as the nations Vice President and chairman of the National Council on Privatisation, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar presided over the restructuring of the nations economy through the liquidation of public assets and the privatization of the commanding height of the economy. The policy led to the official looting of the commonwealth by imperialism and its local lackeys. All public enterprises and major assets including oil blocks were sold to the so called core investors. It is my submission that the nation cannot be seriously restructured without equitable redistribution of wealth horizontally among classes. This goes beyond the vertical restructuring of federating units.

Therefore, those who have cornered our commonwealth should not be allowed to talk of restructuring in a vacuum. In other words, the campaign for restructuring should encompass the decentralization and democratization of political and economic powers, which have been privatised by all factions of the ruling class. In particular, the struggle for federalism has to confront the control of the national economy by imperialism and the comprador bourgeoisie.

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For Economic Restructuring - THISDAY Newspapers

DUSHANBE (TCA) Pamir Energy has won the 2017 International Ashden Award for Increasing Energy Access for its work bringing hydro power to 220,000 people in East Tajikistan and 35,000 people in North Afghanistan, as well as to many businesses, schools, and health centres, the Aga Khan Development Network said.

The Ashden Awards is a globally recognised measure of excellence in the field of sustainable energy. International winners receive 20,000 in prize money as well as a tailored package of business support to scale up their work.

The area of Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshan (VMKB), where Pamir Energy operates, is not connected to the main Tajik national grid and lost most of its electricity infrastructure as a result of the collapse of the Soviet Union. Fifteen years ago only 13% of households in the region had reliable energy.

To address these crippling energy issues, in 2002, the Government of Tajikistan, the International Finance Corporation and the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) established Pamir Energy, Tajikistans first public private partnership. Pamir Energy (an AKDN project company) has an agreement with the Government of Tajikistan to supply power to the whole of VMKB until 2027.

Since 2002, Pamir Energy has restored 11 micro hydro power plants and upgraded 4,300km of transmission lines, as well as distribution facilities. During critical phases of the project, the Swiss government, through the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), provided vital support through an innovative customer support scheme and the provision of technology that ensured affordable access for the poorest households in VMKB.

Today, 96% of households in VMKB, some 220,000 people, have access to clean, reliable and affordable energy. In 2008, the company began exporting energy across the Panj River to communities in northern Afghanistan some receiving electricity for the first time in their history. Currently, 35,000 Afghans are connected. The company plans to reach thousands more customers in Afghanistan in the coming years and to expand its operations to Northern Pakistan by 2025.

The advent of hydro power has been life-changing for many in the VMKB region. Domestic life is less of a struggle: cooking and washing and ironing clothes is easier, water can be boiled quickly and showers are hot. People are healthier now that the risk of respiratory disorders - due previously to burning wood for heating and cooking - has been reduced and the average household energy cost has been cut from around $98 to $15 per calendar month.

The reduction in deforestation for fuel is helping to cut the risk of landslides and avalanches and reliable power has brought opportunities to the area. Schools have internet access and commercial enterprises like cafes and bakeries are flourishing. Medical facilities are more effective now that medication can be safely chilled and surgeons are able to use safer and more modern equipment.

According to the Ashden judges: Pamir Energys approach to providing hydro power to a whole population in a remote mountainous area is highly replicable and could apply to other hard to reach mountainous parts of the world. By tackling the full range of energy needs and effective distribution the company is bringing about a massive step change in the lives of local residents.

Usmonali Usmonzoda, Minister for Energy and Water Resources of Tajikistan, said: The Government of Tajikistan is proud to receive this prestigious award which recognises the efforts that have been made to provide a clean, reliable and affordable energy service to mountainous communities in VMKB. Partnering with the Aga Khan Development Network, the International Finance Corporation and with other development partners such as SECO, KfW, the Patrip Foundation, the Norwegian Government and USAID has allowed us to leverage a variety of different skills and strengths to help make this utility a successful one that is supporting the socio-economic development of the VMKB, Tajikistan as well as helping strengthen ties with our neighbours in Afghanistan.

Daler Jumaev, Pamir Energys General Director, said: Pamir Energy is honoured to be partnering with the Government of Tajikistan and to be recognised by the Ashden International Awards committee as a model of sustainable energy development. This award is a testament to the power of public private partnerships and development partners to provide sustainable energy in Central Asia and to promote regional socio-economic development.

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Tajikistan's first public private partnership awarded for bringing clean energy to East Tajikistan, North Afghanistan - Times of Central Asia...

A public affairs analyst, Mahmood Ahmed Kankiahas advised the federal government to investigate claims by Femi Fani-Kayode on the Synagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN) building collapse which occurred on Friday, September 12, 2014.

In a piece entitled; TB Joshua's building, Fani Kayode's allegation and need for thorough investigation, Kankia noted that SCOAN Lagos has boosted Nigerias foreign exchange earnings.

He noted that Joshua has also contributed to the socio-economic development and growth of Nigeria.

He writes:

Recently the founder of theSynagogue Church of All Nations (SCOAN), the revered man of God, Prophet TB Joshua, a citizen of this country known worldwide and someone who has contributed immensely to the social economic development and growth of Nigeria, threatened to relocate his ministry from Nigeria.

The internationally acclaimed preacher and philanthropist who is followed by millions worldwide from within and outside Nigeria, stated that, his country has become hostile and difficult for him to reside and operate in.

According to him, "This is the most persecuted ministry in the world. Who are the people persecuting the ministry? My people, Africa. That is why I choose to live a lonely life. If you want to see me, come to this church. I dont go out. It has not been easy because I dont know who is a friend or who is an enemy.

"If you learn TB Joshua is not around, I am in a revival. I live in the church here. I dont have a house outside. What happened to me from the beginning of my ministry is enough to chase me out of this country. But I am still in your midst. Upon the persecution and hatred, I decided to follow the path of love. You show hatred; I show love."

Many Nigerians are aware that, if Prophet TB Joshua relocates from Nigeria, the aftermath will be disastrous and further compound the economic woes of the already tethering social economic well-being of Nigerians.

For those conversant with the activities of the prophet, millions of foreigners troop into the country on daily basis, all year round to see the manifestation of what God is using him to do, but like the biblical saying, a prophet and rightly so is not always recognized in his own home.

It is because of this that Prophet TB Joshua has continued to be prosecuted, attacked, insulted without the government and its agencies raising any eyebrows.

Days ago, a former Minister of Aviation of the Federal Republic, Femi Fani-Kayode, raised some salient issues and accusations against the security apparatus of the federal government.

ALSO READ: What Prophet TB Joshua's departure means for his Nigerian church members

For clarity of purpose, this is what Fani Kayode has to say:"One of the single greatest atrocities perpetuated by rogue elements in our intelligence agencies in modern history was the blowing up of a guest house in Prophet TB Joshuas church which resulted in the death of approximately 116 people, most of whom were foreigners. This took place on September 12th 2014.

The perpetrators of this utterly barbaric act were the same people that covertly and cleverly spun the tale that the building collapsed as a result of a weak foundation and fed that pernicious lie to a gullible and easily manipulated Nigerian media.

Femi Fani-Kayode

"They argued that the building was built without the relevant permits and conveniently overlooked the fact that, according to my sources at Alausa, Lagos state, between 60 and 70 percent of buildings in the environs and suburbs of Lagos state, either never had a building permit in the first place, procured one only after the relevant building was constructed, or have fake ones which were procured through bribes.

"The motive for the attack was to silence and discredit Joshua, who, by that time, had become a thorn in the flesh of many within the corridors of power, simply because he was exposing the deepest secrets about what was going on in the country and those who were covertly working against former President Goodluck Jonathan.

"He went as far as to prophesy and predict everything that would happen in the 2015 election which was scheduled to holdtwo years later, with great accuracy, if President Goodluck Jonathan did not remove certain people (whose names were mentioned) within his government and inner circle.

"The attack involved the use of certain members of our intelligence agencies who used a large remote-controlled drone to fly over the building and who then activated an explosive device which had been planted in the building days earlier with the drone.

"The whole thing appears to have been covered up and those in high places in the intelligence agencies at the time, having discovered that this was yet another rogue operation by a group of fifth columnists within the security apparatus who were keen on silencing the Presidents friends and who wanted to use the operation to embarrass and terrify their perceived enemies and adversaries, decided to brush the whole thing under the carpet and keep it quiet.

"And this is where things went badly wrong. In a typical Nigerian manner, instead of digging deep and patiently trying to establish the relevant facts and setting in motion a forensic-based and professional investigation, the security agencies looked for a scapegoat, turned on the man of God, made him the subject of a criminal investigation and claimed that the building collapsed because it had weak foundations and because it had not been properly built."

However, as it is typical in the Nigerian context, the government has kept mute, carrying on as if nothing is amiss and the citizens too, weird down by the the current situation in the country, are busy looking for what to eat and drink and not worried that someone like the Prophet is being set up.

A country is not built like this and there is no way we are going to make progress as a people with this lackadaisical altitude to issues of such monumental propotion and expect us to compete with other serious minded countries in the comity of nations.

Even the Federal Government that should know better and try to get to the root of the matter because it appreciates the contributions of TB Joshua is not saying anything tangible on the development.

The federal government should know better because when the Man of God threatened to relocate his ministry to Israel the federal government through the Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, advised him to sheath the idea, knowing the consequences.

Minister of information, Lai Mohammed

Speaking with newsmen during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Nigerian Association of Tour Operators (NATOP) in Lagos, Mohammed called for dialogue between the Pastor and the authorities over whatever challenges he was facing as jumping ship is not an idea to be considered.

Mohammed said; "That will be very unfortunate (TB Joshua leaving Nigeria) in the sense that if he does move out, it will affect our tourism in Nigeria.

"Pastor Joshua is an important person; he must bear with us. This is his country; if he moves out and go to South Africa, for example, the revenue will go to South Africa.

"It is better that Pastor Joshua sits down with the relevant authority and resolve whatever problem he has. If I have access to him, this is exactly what I am going to tell him. the government spokesman said.

"But the question begging for answers, however, is why government is foot dragging on launching a comprehensive and independent investigation into what actually transpired that led to the building collapse?"

Fani Kayode might be an ardent critic of this administration, but a serious allegation and issue that border on National Security and National development has been raised as the Minister of information himself has testified to.

Or is it because, it is coming from an opposition figure? This government should employ all avenue necessaryto bring this matter to an open and transparent conclusion, that is the only way it can engender patriotism and give those contributing their quota to the development of the country a sense of belonging.

In my humble opinion, government needs to revisit this issue and get to the root of the matter. Those allegedly involved and covering up the situation should be brought to book as a way to showing the man of God that his country values him, loves him and appreciate his contributions to the country.

Many Nigerians and expatriates alike, who have benefited from the philanthropic gesture of Prophet T.B Joshua, spanning gifts and cash to the less privileged in the society and foreigners who troop here on a daily basis to boost our foreign exchange, as testified to by Lai Muhammed, will believe more in Nigeria as a country and this administration as one that is capable of bringing about the change, on which platform it rode to power.

See the article here:

TB Joshua : 'Investigate Fani-Kayode's claims on Synagogue building collapse' - Analyst - Pulse Nigeria

We believe in the power of information. We also believe in markets and capitalism as a force for good. The two are inexorably linked, because markets dont work well without open access to reliable data and information, and the insights and perspectives they drive. Within the impact investing world, this is doubly so because of the desirethe needto generate both financial and social returns.

As long-time practitioners in the space, we know that the soft underbelly of the impact investing movementwhich for the purposes of this article also includes mission-related, sustainable, socially responsible, and environmental social and governance (ESG) investingis the measurement, modeling, and demonstration of actual social impact. The world of philanthropy has suffered from a similar shortcoming. Hundreds of billions of dollars flow every day into companies, projects, products, and investment vehicles dedicated to making the world a better place; yet it is still highly challenging to measure many of the social, environmental, and economic benefits these investments produce.

How should we optimize for both impact and financial return? Where can capital generate the greatest beneficial outcome? What actions can companies and investors take today to maximize the odds of successful impact outcomes tomorrow? The lack of reliable, meaningful, data-driven insights relating to performance is materially hampering progress, and making it difficult to build the models we need to refine cost-benefit analyses and inform decision-making about capital allocation. And by making it harder to account for impact success, it is also constraining the flow of additional resources into the sector.

Lest we get too despondent, we should remember that traditional financial accounting has had more than 500 years to evolve since Franciscan friar Luca Pacioli first invented double entry bookkeeping back in 15th-century Venice. And even now, financial performance measurement can still be as much art as it is science. Nonetheless, there is little doubt that measuring and recording impact and philanthropic outcomes with the same discipline we use to assess financial performance is a prerequisite to driving a more just form of capitalism at scale.

One of the most widely held views in the impact sector is that there is actually a surfeit of data relating to impact performancethat the real problem is too much data, and what the field really needs is universal standards and metrics to drive data convergence and enhance the value of available data. There is some truth to this, and organizations such as the Sustainable Accounting Standards Board (SASB) are leading the charge of standards for disclosure on material sustainable issues across industries. But in our experience, there are still two more fundamental challenges facing the impact (and philanthropic) space: actual access to data and knowledge of how to process it to produce the desired outcome.

The Challenge of Data

Currently, impact data ranges from anecdotal, unrepresentative stories from idiosyncratic experiences and situations, to mega-scale government databases focused on highly specific themes and impenetrable to most human beings. But even in areas where data is readily available and accessible, there are challenges.

Take environmental issues. Government agencies, corporations, ESG data vendors, nonprofits such as the Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP), and rating companies have amassed vast quantities of comparable, specific performance data on all sorts of issues ranging from greenhouse gas emissions to water consumption. Yet impact investors still find it difficult to pinpoint how to most efficiently allocate capital to produce both a cleaner, healthier environment and the desired financial outcome. Its a similar situation in the realm of corporate governance, leadership, and ethics. Thanks to the US Securities and Exchange Commission disclosure requirements, and the work of organizations such as Institutional Shareholder Services, BoardEx, and others, we are replete with excellent data and analysis on a wide range of traditional corporate governance metrics, such as board share of ownership, percentage of independent directors, and board diversity. Even so, defining how these things combine to ensure that a company is well run, maintains a high standard of leadership integrity, and produces outstanding long-term results is not obvious.

When it comes to tracking social issues, the picture is less encouraging. Here, standards and metrics abound, yet reliable, consistent, meaningful performance data is scarce. And when it does exist, it is either incomplete, inconsistent, or difficult to access. How do you know, for example, whether a company really pays a fair wage? Or treats its employees and customers with respect? Or helps the communities where it operates become stronger so that working families can build a better future? The answer is, you dont. Typically, whatever information is available relates either to company policies (such as promoting gender pay equity or supporting the health of workers), or specific and overt actions by individual (usually highly proactive) companies. Actual system-wide performance data is rare, and analysis and insights on outcomes is even rarer.

Technology and the demand for greater transparency are helping. The pool of customer sentiment and product quality data from social media, for example, is vast and growing in utility. Employee pay and opinion data provided by crowdsourced websites such as GlassDoor (a JUST Capital partner) is also increasing rapidly. Information on community health, county-level economic and income conditions, local environmental conditions and pollution vectors, job quality and labor conditions, and myriad other aspects of socio-economic conditions around the country is becoming more widely available. Many companies are taking the lead on making data available. All this is raw material for impact-oriented data science exploration.

Enter Data Science

Notwithstanding the difficulties of collecting relevant performance data, the real problem becomes taking existing raw data and converting it into interpretable and actionable informationthat is, doing the hard work of data science, and extracting real meaning from the data.

This is no cookie-cutter task. Take the problem of low wages, for example. How can we most effectively raise pay above living wage levels to produce the greatest beneficial impact for those at the bottom of the wage pyramid? Data science for impact cant simply collapse performance into a single reductive metric (such as the number of workers not paid a single universal wage threshold in relation to profitability), as this could miss important contributing factors (like geographic location or workers family situations) and lead to impractical and potentially ineffective solutions (such as raising pay of all workers by a fixed dollar amount). In truth, living wage levels are calculated at local levels, and have to take into account all sorts of things particular to the specific circumstances of individual workers if they are to carry real meaning. What data science can do is enhance predictive power by injecting the much-needed human dimension; for example, beyond simply raising wages, what specific combinations of actions can a company take, and in which communities, to generate the most enduring positive impact on the lives of their employees and their families. Now thats a real data challenge!

In our work in this area, we seek to use data and data science to shine a light on how companies can best address the real priorities of the American people, including: investing in building healthier communities, optimizing both social outcomes and financial performance, alleviating the pressures on the working poor, addressing environmental stresses while generating jobs, and isolating which social impact metrics are most powerful in predicting future business performance. But this is just the beginning. The sector desperately needs both data and data science to make impact investing more outcome driven. By collecting and making disparate performance data more readily accessible, the industry can help provide the necessary raw ingredients. And by crowdsourcing the best data science talent, we can turn those raw ingredients into truly valuable analyses that hopefully bend the curve of capitalism in the right direction.

Read more here:

Creating a Better Economy with Data Science - Stanford Social Innovation Review (subscription)