Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala
At the convocation when she was honoured with a doctorate degree along with some other distinguished Nigerians, the minister made bare the amount of revenue collected by states especially, the ten which received the highest revenue from the federally-collected national revenue. According to the minister, Akwa-Ibom State, an oil-producing state tops the list, followed by Rivers, Delta, Bayelsa, Lagos, Kano, Katsina, Oyo and Kaduna. Borno, a North Eastern state is the tenth.
The minister’s exposure was not only timely but revealing. The good thing about the expose is that it helps the citizens to be aware of how much states were getting. It now affords citizens the ability to know how much the states are getting and how efficient the resources are being deployed. Interestingly, most oil-producing states are ruled by the Peoples Democratic Party. Amongst the ten are Lagos and Borno States controlled by the All Progressives Congress (APC). Lagos by every standard is the state where ingenuity is deployed to increase internally-generated revenue (IGR).
The Federal Government that takes more than fifty percent of the revenue should be able to show the citizenry how best it has used revenue collected. The tragedy of the Nigerian federation is the fact that by the misadventure of military interregnum in our politics, our revenue is centrally-collected and distributed unevenly. This unfortunate situation stemmed from the fact that the military strongly operated on the hierarchically structured system, which did not allow the state governors, who were subordinates to the Commander-in-Chief to disobey any order. This was transferred to the civilian dispensation and by extension, the Constitution left behind by the military.
From the reality on ground, it is no longer fashionable or realistic for states to wait till the end of the month to get the paltry sum coming in the form of revenue allocation. Since July 2013, the revenue due to states has reduced by forty percent with no tangible reasons adduced for it. The only reason offered by the federal authority is that oil production has been disturbed through the activities of oil vandals. The security operatives are under the care of the Federal Government coupled with the fact that Nigerians were made to understand that some militant kingpins were recruited by the Federal Government to police the oil installations.
It is my humble opinion that the National Conference going on in Abuja should be able to whittle down the powers of the national government and by extension, reduce the money allocated to the centre. This will undoubtedly, afford the states the opportunity to do well in the generation of revenue locally.
People reside in the states and the local governments, where the needs of the people are located. The current situation gives unpopular politicians at the states to hibernate in Abuja, only to cause problem to the politicians on ground in their respective states. Their sojourn in Abuja also gives them unfettered access to the Presidency, which they leverage on. Democracy is all about the people. The best candidate may not win but the most popular does. Our elected leaders should be those who deserve to be at the top. If they are, then they would be responsive and accountable. Until that is done, we shall as a nation, continue to move in the wrong direction.
The Boko Haram insurgency has really exposed a lot of things. The military to whom much budgetary allocation is given yearly really gave themselves out with the terror of Shekau and his band of blood-thirsty Boko Haram.
If the military were adequately and appropriately equipped and motivated as we were made to believe, the Boko Haram insurgency would not have taken them by surprise. Granted the fact that terrorism is an unconventional war and different and obnoxious tactics may be deployed, the military, with all its arsenal, should not have become a major casualty.
When the Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, alluded to the fact that the insurgents were more armed and motivated than the military, everybody condemned him.
To the oil-producing states that earn more by way of derivation, some people are asking questions on how the revenue is being put to judicious use. In the past, the erstwhile governor of Bayelsa State, Mr Dipreye Solomon Alamiesiegha, was prosecuted for helping himself with state resources. He plea-bargained and forfeited some assets to the state government. The immediate-past governor, Mr James Onanefe Ibori is currently in gaol in a foreign land for public theft. If the managers of the resources belonging to the states are being misused then, it behoves on other states to share it equally, so that every Nigerian becomes a beneficiary of it. However, if that is done, where do we place the ordinary folks in the oil-producing areas whose land and water have been devasted and polluted respectively? It is in view of this that we urge that whatever formula that is churned out from the national conference should be the one acceptable to all parts of the country. If the issue is not properly handled, it could turn out to be an explosive that may scatter the country.
If the Minister of Finance expects the states to be accountable for all revenue accruable to them, it then behoves on the Federal Government to lead the way. Our fifteen years of uninterrupted democracy should be jealously guided, so that we do not give room to the military to stage a comeback.
I personally think some of our governors are taking things too far. They act as if they are not part of our society. Or, how else does one explain the new or (reformed) pension bill of Governor Goodwill Akpabio for former governors of the oil-rich Akwa-Ibom State?
The contentious clause that has sparked public outrage is the N100 million and N50 million medical expenses for former governors and deputy governors and their spouses. The consent of Akpabio on the new pension bill at a time like this smacks of callousness and insensitivity, realizing that some states cannot afford the minimum wage of N18,000 monthly. Nigerians would also recall that most pensioners are not able to get their pensions as and when due. Some old people die on the queue waiting to collect their pittance called pension. Democracy is a power with responsibility.
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