09042018 - AS APC'S NEC MEETS TODAY: Oyegun, Tinubu's ‘soldiers’ head for showdown

34—Vanguard, MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018
THE Nigerian Governors’ Forum, NGF,
under the chairmanship of Governor
Abdulaziz Yari of Zamfara State is in the
pocket of President Muhammadu Buhari. To
be fair to the President, he never made any
effort to pocket it. Buhari has been very
avuncular to the governors irrespective of their
political parties, offering the states financial
bailouts and refunding them their Paris Club
debt overpayments. He has done well on that
count.
Apart from Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti
State who has chosen to be outspoken as an
opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP,
governor, most of the others were very
sympathetic towards the President in the
darkest hour of his illness some months ago.
Even opposition governors volunteered to go
and see how he was recuperating in London.
The governors feel so cosy with the President
(except on the issue of herdsmen’s attacks) that
hardly does a day pass without one or two of
them tramping the Aso Villa corridors.
Governor Yari, for one, virtually lives in Abuja,
perhaps to be closer to the President. Senator
Kabiru Marafa has accused him of preferring
his post as the Chairman of the NGF to his
elected mandate as Governor of Zamfara
State. So, if Yari and the NGF are in Buhari’s
pocket, it is because they crawled in there
by themselves not because of presidential
manipulation.
This is different from what happened
under President Goodluck Jonathan when
Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers was
the NGF Chairman. It was total war because
Amaechi was leading a tranche of governors
majority of who were determined to bring
down Jonathan. The Forum had to split into
two with Amaechi leading the majority
group while Governor Jonah Jang of
Plateau State was leading the minority
faction. That was the beginning of the end
of the Jonathan era. The Amaechi-led
opposition made the Jonathan regime to fail
in its bid to save more money in the Excess
Crude Account, ECA, during the height of
the last oil boom. The governors insisted on
getting their share of the ECA as they had
more pressing needs back home.
Being the democrat that he was, Jonathan
allowed them to have their way. By the time
the regime ended and the recession hit, there
was just a little over one billion dollars in the
ECA. Conveniently forgetting that while in the
opposition they were the ones that forced
Jonathan to virtually empty the ECA, the same
All Progressives Congress, APC, Federal
Government has been drumming it on the
rooftops that the “immediate past regime”
By Chukwudi Enekwechi
NEVER in the history of world civilisation have we
witnessed such a holistic socio-economic
transformation in so short a time like in China. With a
population of about one billion, six hundred million people, it
is amazing that China is able, not only to cater for the domestic
needs of its citizens through the provision of welfare
programmes, but is today making inroad into many developing
countries.
In Africa, China is leading other world economic powers in
facilitating various aids and long-term development loans
without stringent coalitions. Perhaps, their magnanimity to
African countries can be traced to the unwavering support they
received from Africa at the United Nations in the early seventies.
This policy is also in line with the international policy of
reciprocity among nations.
Incidentally, the western countries are challenged by this
sudden 'Father Christmas' posture of China to Africa and other
developing countries, yet, China has demonstrated good faith
and remained committed to their international obligations.
At the home front, the Chinese Government under the able
leadership of the Communist Party of China has lifted about
60 million people out of excruciating poverty while the poverty
headcount ratio has dropped from 10.2 per cent to less than 4
per cent.
In the area of employment, China has also recorded a
significant mileage with an average of 13 million urban jobs
being created each year. Additionally, there has been a growth
of urban and rural personal incomes, and which according to
available records, have outpaced the country’s economic
growth, while the middle-income class continues to rise.
In a deliberate effort to raise the quality of life of the Chinese
people, the government has put in place a social security system
which covers both urban and rural residents. Such social
security safety nets find expression in the delivery of public
Excess Crude Account is not
president’s ATM
failed to save during the time of plenty. Lai
Mohammed calls it “looting the treasury dry”.
But now that all the governors (except
Fayose) through the Yari-led NGF voluntarily
put themselves in President Buhari’s pocket,
they met in December last year and blindly,
How can a government that
claimed to have defeated
Boko Haram “completely”
ask for $1billion to fight
insecurity of which the
insurgency is still a major
part? The FG must first
confess lying to Nigerians.
It must also publicly admit
its failure to secure the
nation, which is one of its
cardinal policies
without minding the constitutional
implications, approved a request by the
Presidency for the release of one billion dollars
from the ECA to “fight insecurity”. The
National Assembly, which is empowered by
the Constitution to control the national purse,
has insisted that such money cannot be released
without following due process as clearly spelt
out in Sections 80 and 81 of the constitution.
The ECA was established by the regime of
President Olusegun Obasanjo as a means of
protecting the economy from the shock of
fluctuations in crude oil prices. It helped
Nigeria to withstand the worldwide “economic
OPINION
meltdown” of 2007/2009 because we were able
to drawdown over $16 billion out of our $20
billion savings lodged in the Account during
the Obasanjo regime. If Jonathan had been
allowed to save similarly by Amaechi’s NGF,
there would have been enough money in the
ECA to save the nation from the recent
economic recession.
The governors’ current collusion with the
Presidency to release $1 billion to fight
insecurity is questioned by several
constitutional and moral constraints. In the
first place, the ECA is not the President’s ATM.
The ECA does not belong to the Federal
Government alone. Even if it did, Buhari would
still need to submit a supplementary budget to
the National Assembly, NASS, and obtain its
approval before spending the money.
But in this case, sensing that the National
Assembly might not be inclined to approve
such a proposal due mainly to the ongoing
feud of the Executive and the Legislature as
well as other political considerations, Buhari
decided to sidetrack the NASS. This is impunity
and an impeachable offence. The NASS will
not take it lying down and there will be a series
of lawsuits from concerned citizens and
opposition politicians who legitimately
entertain the fear that the money could be
diverted by the ruling party for its campaigns.
Secondly, the ECA fund also belongs to the
states and local governments. The governors
have no right to unilaterally give approval for
their states’ shares of the fund to be spent
without the authorisation of the Houses of
Assembly acting in the interests of the states
and local governments. There will be more
lawsuits on this ground.
Thirdly, apart from these constitutional
grounds, there are also the moral and political
aspects. Questions will arise as to why the APC
As Yi Jinping drives China's phenomenal growth
health and medical services which have improved significantly.
The Chinese government is also paying attention to the housing
needs of its people through the provision of subsidised housing
projects across the country.From the foregoing, it is evident
that China has not only emerged from a reclusive economy,
but is poised to replicate its home grown successes in the
developing countries. Presently, there is an aggressive reform
of government business while opening up has become a
deliberate agenda of the government.This philosophy is
enhanced with the ideology of the Chinese Government Party
which focuses on providing good life
to all men and women irrespective
of nationality or belief system. Of
course, this is a departure from the
ruthless exploitation of the western
countries which over the centuries,
pillaged and exploited the resources
of developing economies without
ploughing back.
Over the past 40 years, but
particularly in the last five years of
President Yi Jinping’s leadership,
China has undergone a tremendous
The Western
countries are
challenged by
this sudden
'Father
Christmas'
posture of China
to Africa and
other developing
countries
transformation and this has resulted in the rapid
modernisation of the country.
Through the inspirational leadership of President Yi Jinping,
China is today standing shoulder to shoulder with the United
States on global issues and the opening-up policy of the
administration has made the country the world’s preferred
destination for business.
China is making a steady progress in all areas of national
development, especially the economy. The verdict across the
Federal Government has become so eager to
pull out this fund just when its primaries are
around the corner (June 2018). A government
that, in its three-year rule, has established an
unsavoury track record of reckless lies,
propaganda and corruption (as evident in the
North-East humanitarian projects, Social
Investment Fund which has been bedevilled
by looting as admitted by its helmsperson, Mrs.
Maryam Uwais, among others) cannot be
trusted to spend N360 billion without much of
it going into the pockets of Buhari’s rapacious
cabal.
How can a government that claimed to have
defeated Boko Haram “completely” ask for
$1billion to fight insecurity of which the
insurgency is still a major part? The Federal
Government, FG, must first confess lying to
Nigerians. It must also publicly admit its
failure to secure the nation, which is one of its
cardinal policies. Otherwise, there is no basis
for granting the request.
Now they are saying that the insurgency is
not the only insecurity we are facing. They are
suddenly bringing in the herdsmen’s attacks
which they had actually been playing down as
“farmers/herders’ clashes”. Because they want
this money, the herdsmen’s attacks have
suddenly become part of our security
challenge! Before now, the President did not
show concern when governors rushed to him
to cry about the slaughtering of their people
and invasions of communities by the armed
Fulani militias ravaging the whole country,
especially the Middle Belt and South.
The herdsmen’s menace has grown to such
a gargantuan level that a former Army Chief,
retired General TY Danjuma, accused the
military of siding with the killer bandits to steal
peoples’ lands. He asked Nigerians to defend
themselves. What difference will it make if we
dump this staggering amount into containing
insecurity which seems to be growing rather
than shrinking? Is it a matter of money or
competence and commitment to get the job
done?
Perhaps, the ECA has outlived its usefulness.
Perhaps, it’s time that the FG, each state and
local government are automatically given
their respective shares of excess crude accruals
as well as shortfalls. If the Presidency will no
longer obey the law; if it is bent on converting
the fund to its Automatic Teller Machine, ATM,
then the ECA should be closed.
We are operating a democracy. Sidetracking
the constitution and the Legislature to spend
money from the Federation Account is an
unacceptable act of impunity. It should no
longer be allowed.
global community is that China is presently the world’s largest
developing country with wondrous improvements in all sectors.
China’s phenomenal development strides are aptly
encapsulated in what they refer to as “four cardinal principles”.
“Continue to reform and open up, be self-reliant,
hardworking and enterprising, and strive to build China into a
great modern socialist country that is prosperous, strong,
democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful”.
Interestingly, the Chinese leadership under President Yi
Jinping has held these noble principles aloft, thereby showing
example to the citizens that altruism as a philosophy is key to
the realisation of the ideal society they all crave for. His focussed
leadership and determination to position China as the world’s
most prosperous, caring and developing society has equally
elicited commensurate cooperation from the Chinese people.
One noticeable characteristic of the people is the unity of
purpose and patriotism which propel them to rely on their
government and also contribute their quota towards the growth
and development of their country.
This is evident in their work ethics and relationship with
foreigners. Simply put, the Chinese people and their leaders
usually put the country first and the result is the accelerated
development being witnessed across the country.
President Yi Jinping’s administration has an unwavering
commitment to the welfare of the Chinese people as his
administration ensures access to childcare, education, gainful
employment, medicare, elderly care, housing and social
assistance. This altruistic approach to governance has in turn
guaranteed a harmonious relationship between the government
and the people as they repose faith in the ability of the
Communist Party of China and the President Jinping’s
administration to cater for their needs and steer the ship of
state securely.
•Mr. Enekwechi , a journalist, wrote from Abuja.
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