How Bilbis Outfoxed Akunyili

With the sooth yet to settle following months of tussle between Prof Dora Akunyili, the Minister of Information and Communication, and Ikra Bilbis, her Minister of State, it appears she is coming off less influential than she was before seeking presidential intervention. Joseph Ekeng here, pieces together how Bilbis seems to have prevailed against his more illustrious Minister.

After months of in-fighting, press war and power struggle the tussle between Prof Dora Akunyili, Minister of Information and Communication and Ikra Bilbis her Minister of State was laid to rest in a September 16, 2009 memo, ref no. 59311/T/151 from the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The bone of contention between both ministers, was who controls the Nigeria Communication Commission, the most lucrative and relevant parastatal under the ministry. Akunyili was enraged on discovering that Ernest Ndukwe, the Executive Vice Chairman of the NCC, a fellow Anambrarian was running the Commission without reference to her. And when she dared issues instructions, they were flouted at will.

Most notable was her order to reverse the sale of the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum to some firms by the NCC because the Commission made no recourse to the Minister. As a matter of fact, Ndukwe only recognised Bilbis, Akunyili’s minister of state, perceived to be a junior minister, as his boss. Her attempts to get Bilbis to give her update on goings-on in the Commission were ignored. Most decisions about the NCC, M2 learnt only got to the Minister on ‘for your information basis only’.

So, while the Ministry also had control over other government arms like the Nigeria Television Authority, (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, (FRCN), the Nigerian Postal Services, (NIPOST) and the Universal Service Provision Fund for Telecoms, NCC remains the biggest pie. The Minister, we gathered wanted the NCC under her supervision because, in her words to the President weeks ago “the telecom industry is one area where the administration can leverage on and make impacts.” Besides, upon her appointment, she promised some radical reforms in the telecoms sector, with a view to bringing down the tariff which she considered too high.

But the September 16 memo put paid to that aspiration and clearly placed the NCC under the Minister of State’s supervision. The new schedule of responsibilities indicates that Bilbis has full powers and responsibilities over telecoms spectrum licensing and other matters relating to telecoms, while Akunyili will provide overall leadership and guidance for the attainment of the goals and objectives of the Ministry. She will also provide oversight in the formulation and implementation of policies necessary for the realisation of the mandate of the Ministry.

However, Bilbis will also lead the country’s delegation to international conferences on postal and telecoms services and carry out any duties that may be assigned by the Minister. And in what looks like a spite in the face, even the Universal Service Provision Fund for Telecoms which Akunyili claimed to be the statutory board chairman was bundled over to the Bilbis.

So what is the former NAFDAC boss left with? Apart from NTA and FRCN, she also oversees Voice of Nigeria (VON), Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Nigerian Press Council (NPC); News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB), Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC), and the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR).

She is also to ratify decisions of the Ministerial Tenders Board to ensure full compliance with the statutory procurement laws and regulations. She is to initiate and present the Ministry’s memoranda at the Federal Executive Council. To avoid further doubts, the SSG also broke down Bilbis functions in the telecoms to include the regulation of the postal and telecommunications industries in the country, including licensing frequencies for telecommunications. The development of rural telecommunications, reform of the telecoms and postal sectors, bilateral and multilateral relations on postal and telecoms matters.

While it was important that the President intervened to save his administration further humiliation caused by the discord, the memo was only a reminder of what has always been, but was disregarded by Akunyili, who either wanted more than the law allows her or simply allowed herself to be carried away by her passion to serve, some stakeholders in the telecoms industry said.

“The NCC and other related agencies are statutory responsibilities of the Minister of State,” Shina Baderu, Publisher of Telecom Times told M2. Close associates admit that Akunyili has a power problem, and that dates back to her days as NAFDAC Director General. While the press, the rest of Nigeria and the world knew her as a superwoman that will spare no effort to discharge her job even at the risk of her life, her close associates regard her as overbearing and sometimes bossy; someone who likes everyone to know she is in charge. Howbeit, even her harshest critics agree that she is a performer and for that reason she is being hailed as an African icon.

That was the reputation she carried over to the Radio House in Abuja as the Minister. But unknown to her, the new turf has proven to be a lot more intricate, because on this side of the divide, her iconic status and cabinet load of awards and plaques weigh little. Her legendary battles against fake and adulterated drugs is all but history, the only thing that matters here is how much of the power game any one can play. Besides, as DG of NAFDAC she was the all-in-all, one of the brightest stars in the Olusegun Obasanjo administration and had the former President’s attention whenever and wherever. But in this new dispensation the power equation is more complex and it doesn’t seem like she knows the right combinations as much as Bilbis. So while she was busy fuming and directing memos to the President, Bilbis had a direct access to the SGF Yayali Ahmed who is regarded as the Minister of Ministers.

Sources close to both parties told M2 that Bilbis’ intimacy with the SGF gave him the impetus to disregard Akunyili’s instructions at will, especially as regards the NCC and other telecom related matters.

Bilbis also refused to relocate to the same building as the Minister against her directives and he declined attending meetings and other functions called by Akunyili. The Minister of States was also said to even give parallel directives to that of the Minister. And when the Minister insists on having her way on certain issues, he storms away, threatening to take the matter to the SGF, informed sources disclosed.

He also encouraged Ndukwe to ignore Akunyili’s directives regarding the sale of the 2.3GHz frequency spectrum. The matter got so bad that Ndukwe was said to have shouted down the Minister, to the embarrassment of his Chairman, Ahmed Joda, at a meeting between the information ministry and the NCC, held on May 22, 2009. This happened amidst a media war between the Minister and Ndukwe.

Sources hinted that in a memo to the President, Akunyili accused the NCC boss of resorting to propaganda by sponsoring media articles directed at her. Ndukwe “sponsored news publications and made press releases targeted at my person and aimed at rubbishing the office of the Minister for Information and Communication. There are many other internet publications targeted at my person and office,” Akunyili said, in the letter.

She told the President that the management of the Sun newspaper, on May 28, 2009, rejected one of such paid advertorial and requested to be furnished with evidence on the allegations contained in the advertorial before they could publish it. “I can’t tolerate this uncooperative attitude anymore, because everyday, I find out it is becoming more difficult,” the Minister formally the President.

From all indications the battle for supremacy is not limited to the ministry for information and communication. As a matter of fact, it has become the norm in this administration as Ministers of States don’t want to be regarded or treated as less equals to the Ministers. The Ministers of State insist that their office commands as much constitutional recognition as that of the Minister.

On the basis of this constitutional provision, these Ministers of State demand equal portfolios; equal status on issues and policies emanating from their ministries; and they want to be part of every decision too. They also want to be a part of the contracts award process. “Every Minister wants to be at advantage to influence one or two things. Each Minister also will like to be rated as performing well by the President,” a source close to the presidency said.

Some of the ministries that are plagued with this crisis are Foreign Affairs, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Health, Petroleum Resources, Agriculture and Water Resources, Commerce, and Education. However, the scuffle is more pronounced at the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, FCT, Information and Communications, Agriculture, and Petroleum Resources.

Sources hinted that the power tussle at the Foreign Affairs is so serious that anytime Ojo Maduekwe is out of the country, every activity is grounded, because the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Bagudu Hirse cannot take a decision in his absence. Yobe ex-governor Adamu Aliero who is now minister of FCT has similar problem on his hands. The rivalry between him and Minister of State, Chuka Odom is said to be such that the Minister of State declines to represent Aliero at any event.

Odom’s grievance is that the Minister keeps him in the dark on major events. At a point Odom was said to have requested for a new set of correspondents after he perceived that the ones earlier posted by NTA and NAN to cover the ministry preferred to cover Aliero. Recently he went as far as boycotting a ministerial briefing by Aliero because he felt his role was not properly defined.

That is not likely to occur anymore at the information ministry, the dispute has been settled but not the way Akunyili wanted. Now, she is obviously learning another lesson that you don’t win a power game in Nigeria with a cabinet loaded with awards.