Blame the governors too
Rightly or wrongly, the average Nigerian believes that removal of subsidy would translate to increase in the pump price per litre of petrol. This means an increase in the prices of goods and services, and a higher cost of living, as well as an increased hardship on them. However, the President thinks the country’s future of a growing economy with jobs and prosperity for youths depends on difficult decisions made today. To the man on the street, subsidy is the result of the failure of the government to keep the nation’s four refineries running.
As a concerned Nigerian following the trend of things surrounding removal of subsidy in the country, I am surprised that everyone puts the blame for the removal on President Jonathan alone. The 36 state governors and others that constitute the National Economic Council should also be held responsible for this. Remember that a leader is good when he/she is surrounded with reasonable and functional advisers.
All the governors should also be held responsible for the unfortunate situation. They should all stand up to explain what happened to the Excess crude account. What was it used for?
When they were sharing the funds they refer to as excess, no one among them remembered and thought rightly that our refineries are not in fine shape and those on ground are not effectively working; our roads are bad and that the country is faced with numerous development challenges. They collected the fund to satisfy their selfish interest without considering the suffering masses who find it hard to make both ends meet.
Recently, it was reported that N500bn was shared among the states; let the governors tell Nigerians what they have used the money for in their various domains. State governors are known to have regularly mounted pressure on President Goodluck Jonathan to release money so they could tackle the huge infrastructure deficit in their states, which was not done.
A breakdown of the last disbursement showed that the Federal Government received $458.3m; states $232m; and LGAs $179m.
The oil producing states shared $130m with Bayelsa State receiving the highest of $47.1m. It was followed by Akwa Ibom, $43.6m; Rivers, $40.6m; and Delta, $33.0m.
Kano, Lagos and Kaduna states were the highest recipients from non-oil producing states, with $20m, $15m and $15m, respectively.
How can President Jonathan account for the hurried sharing of $1bn to the three tiers of government? Of what urgent purpose was the $1bn meant for? Is it for politicking? Is it New Year bonus? Why was this meeting convened secretly as an emergency meeting?
It should be noted that “Excess” refers to the resources left behind after all necessary costs have been incurred, but in this case, our excess is taken for deficit. We share excess in the midst of deficit and now, the burden is placed on the masses to replicate and suffer for the excess.
I am not surprised when the former President of the Nigeria Labour Congress, now the Governor of Edo State, said during the subsidy debate that he supported the removal; the reason is not far-fetched given that he is now in power and has to flock in the same feather with others.
Little wonder therefore that no governor has negated the removal on a substantial ground, they cannot afford to lose their take home DEFICIT CRUDE FUND.
It is so regretful that our governors collect the un-budgetable funds in dollar, which apart from the constitutional implication of promoting a foreign currency against local legal tenders, triggers inflation and turns naira notes to worthless tissues.
As someone rightly observed, a time will come when the poor will have no food to eat other than the rich.
•Oyeleke Sodiq, is a student of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, and Nigerian Institute of Public Relations
Written by NEWSTRAWL ONLINE UPDATE
Sodiq Oyeleke is a Media, Human Resources, Project Management and Public Relations Practitioner
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