PDP Governors’ Solution to Nigeria’s Problems

Tunde Opalana, Abuja

For the first time in about six years of the President Muhammadu Buhari – led All Progressives Congress (APC) administration, response by the Presidency to public outcry and criticism of government’s programmes, policies, actions and inactions took a different dimension with reactions by the Presidency to a 12 point demands made by the 17 governors in the southern part of the country at the end of a crucial meeting in Asaba, Delta State.

The governors of different political platforms met on Tuesday May 17 this year to discuss nagging issues threatening the unity of the country and tried to proffer solutions to teething problems, particularly, the nagging insecurity issue.

The state executives collapsed the different platforms on which they stand such as members of Progressives Governors Forum, PDP Governors Forum, South East Governor’s Forum, South West Governors Forum and South South Governors Forum under a unified umbrella of the Southern Governors Forum to issue statements that not only took the Presidency by surprise but elicited a swift response from government which later open a new chapter of national discourse among Nigerians of ethnic, political, professional and personal shades.

They unequivocally told the Federal Government that the unity and continued existence of Nigeria as a united body can only be guaranteed by fairness, justice and equity. And they confronted the central government headlong on the much touted grazing issue by declaring ban on open grazing in all southern states.

They called for convocation of a national dialogue which should focus on their demands for restructuring, establishment of state police, review of revenue allocation formula in favour of the sub-national units, and practice of true federalism and application of the principle of Federal Character in appointments of people into Federal Government agencies.

Aside government officials such as Presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu and ministers of Justice, Abubakar Malami and his Information counterpart, Lai Mohammed who questioned the audacity of the governors in making such pronouncements, public political figures obviously playing ethnic cards condemned the Asaba declaration.

Though, the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been quipping President Buhari, the Presidency and the ruling APC with a few other smaller parties, governors elected on the platform of PDP seems to have taken over as leading opposition voice in the country.

Under the umbrella of the PDP Governors Forum, the governors who have been holding rotational meetings starting from Makurdi in April to Ibadan in May and lately, Uyo just last week are not only critical of policies and pronouncements of the ruling party but suggesting solutions to take the country out of political and socio- economic woods.

Both the Benue and Oyo states meeting harped more on the devastating security issues across the nation and the governors as well proffered solution while insisting ban on open grazing in their states.

But in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State on Monday, 14th June, the 13 governors and one deputy governor in attendance, more volatile issues that borders largely on the nation’s economy and alleged impunity by some Federal Government agencies were brought to the fore, and strong warning sent to those agencies while the Federal Government was urged to take advise and probably seek help where needed to Dave the country from imminent collapse.

In the communique issued at the end of the meeting, most of the Government Owned Enterprises such as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) were accused of not remitting funds optimally into the Federation Account, thereby denying government several billions of naira in acruable revenue while other were accused of not submitting their audited account records to regulatory bodies such as the office of the Auditor General of the Federation.

The PDP governors also knocked President Muhammadu Buhari of flexing personal ego in the suspension of operations of micrologging organisation, Twitter from Nigeria.

Unsatisfied with the opaque manner with which the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), carries out its operations. the Forum decried “the recent NNPCs decision not to make its statutory contributions to the Federation Account, thereby starving the States and Local Governments and indeed Nigerians of funds needed for employment, development and general wellbeing.

“The meeting emphasized that under the Constitution, the NNPC is duty bound to make proceeds of sale or business of Petroleum available to the Federation Account which belongs to the three tiers of government, excluding reasonable and verified and verifiable cost of operations.

“The Federal government through NNPC is a manager of our oil wealth merely as a trustee for all Nigerians. The meeting frowned at a situation where the NNPC decides in a totally discretionary and often whimsical manner, how much to spend, how to spend it and how much to remit to the Federation Account, contrary to the letters and even the spirit of the 1999 Constitution”.

The PDP governors also expressed deep concerns on the operational system and methods of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It viewed with regrets that the CBN is operating as an independent government within a government, which is a pervasion of the autonomy of the bank.

The meeting called on other agencies of government such as Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC), Federal Inland Revenue Services, Customs and Excise and similar organisations that are statutorily required to make contributions into the Federation Account, to do more.

“The federating states should, going forward now have a say in the determination of operating costs to ensure transparency and accountability”, demanded the PDP governors..

The Forum reiterated its call, which it said seem to have fallen on deaf ears, for the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to urgently send the revised Revenue Allocation Formular to Mr President for onward transmission to the National Assembly for enactment, such that more resources are made available to States and Local Governments where ordinary Nigerians reside.

On the suspension of Twitter, the governors said “the mere ego of Mr President is not enough for such a drastic action that deprives millions of Nigerians from such an affordable means of expression and communication. We hope that this is not a harbinger or early warning signs of descent into dictatorship”.

The meeting noted that social media regulation can only be done within the existing laws on the subject and should not be used as an attempt to punish or gag Nigerians from enjoying constitutionally guaranteed rights. Nigerian youths do not have adequate access to employment and a lot of Nigerians rely on Twitter for their livelihood, businesses and self-employment.

“This will further worsen Nigeria’s 33% unemployment rate which is the highest in the world, improve Nigeria’s ranking as the country with second highest poverty rate in the entire world, all of which happened under APC’s unfortunate stewardship.

“The meeting consequently requested Mr President to review the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria in the national interest”, the communique read.

On the recurring question of insecurity of lives and property in Nigeria, the PDP Governors reiterated the need to decentralize the operations of the security apparatus of state even within the existing legal framework, to ensure the input of local operators in State and Local Governments in policing and security.

In attendance at the Uyo meeting were;
Rt. Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, – Sokoto State , Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu, Abia State, Gov. Udom Emmanuel, Akwa Ibom State, Gov. Sen. Douye Diri, Bayelsa State, Gov. Samuel Ortom, Benue State, Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa, Delta State, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Enugu State and Gov. Nyesom Wike, Rivers State.

Other were; Gov Oluseyi Makinde, Oyo State, Gov. Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, Adamawa State, Gov. Godwin Obaseki, Edo State, Gov. Bala Mohamme, -Bauchi State, Gov. Arc Darius Ishaku, Taraba State and Deputy Gov. Mahdi Mohd, -Zamfara State.

The Presidency once again was unsettled by the outcome of the Uyo meeting and series of reactions trailed the assertions of the PDP governors .One of such reactions was a statement credited to the Presidency blaming state governors for security lapses in their respective states.

It accused PDP of refusing to support the initiative to end herders crisis in the country.

Reacting to the communique, Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity) in a statement issued last Wednesday said the governor provided no solution to the problems of the country but was more interested in what comes to them.

He said the PDP governors communique “was a spectacular demonstration to the people of Nigeria as to why the party and its representatives should not be entrusted with national leadership of the country any time soon.

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“The PDP governors propose no solutions to any of our nation’s challenges in the face of COVID-19 and global economic downturn, instead, they grasp for more money and mourn their lack of access to social media to spread falsehoods and hate.

“Their statement is evidence, if any were needed, as to why the president and the APC ended the PDP’s one-party rule in 2015, were re-elected by an increased margin in 2019, and why their winning trend is set to continue far into the ffuture”

And the governor of Sokoto State, and chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Aminu Tambuwal, took it up by appealing to President Muhammadu Buhari not to abdicate his constitutional responsibility as the Commader-in-Chief of the Federation in the fight against insecurity in the country.

Tambuwal stressed that the constitution puts the issue of security under the exclusive legislative list of the Federal Government, hence the president should address the prevailing security challenges in the country while governors are to compliment and support whatever effort is being made by the Federal Government.

”All the Governors are working tirelessly towards complimenting him (the President) the service chiefs, and the service personnel that are on ground,” Tambuwal, who also doubles as the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party Governors Forum (PDP GF) noted.