By Odimegwu Onwumere
Governor
Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers
State is revealing
something new to us. His clamour for more funds for the states (as the chairman
of the Nigeria
Governors Forum NGF) in the name of reviewing the Revenue Sharing Formula is
like a cry of a family man raising his family without any budget.
Amaechi
said that the states are working too much, but he perhaps did not take to
cognizance that the sharing of the revenue had been there for decades before
coming to the gallery to draw our sympathy. How come the ‘modern’ governors are
working so much? If they are working more than they are given it means that
they are working without any budget or they are not thinking outside the box.
One
wonders why the states are indirectly calling for the giving-up of the wealth
control of Nigeria
to them, whereas the ‘little’ the past governors were given, yet the
anti-financial crime agents could trace billions of our collective naira to
their bank accounts. Some were said to have owned up to seventeen bank accounts
in different countries abroad. Some have had the best of weddings, burial
celebrations etcetera while in office. Just name them. Was it not in this
country that somebody used millions of our naira to celebrate a birthday? And
here is somebody talking about ‘poverty’ of the states.
The
states asking for review of the allocation-money is unbecoming. Come to think
of it, the governors weld a lot of power, walking in front of the Federal
Government, which is coming behind them. And one comes to think what could
happen if they are given monetary power on top of the political power they
have, but misuse.
They
based their income on oil leaving other sources they could generate fund from,
like tourism, which has been the only source of income of many nations. Yet,
those nations have gone far in human and environmental developments leaving Nigeria some
millions of kilometers behind. The governors, without doubt, might be working,
but how hardworking are they with devotion and willpower?
The
Federal Government that has been left to control the central coffer is not even
safe. The people in Aso Rock that are handling this fund are not saints. Was it
not in this country that a president held a ministerial position for eight good
years? This shows that there are also rots that the central government shares. Nigeria talks
much about federalism she has refused to share and practice. But it is not good
how those at the federal level dictate how the states must use their money.
Hardly
is any governor drastically head-bent on tackling crime rate in this country
which is skyrocketing by the day with the dexterity they are using on the issue
of reviewing the revenue formula. They are not telling and worrying the Federal
Government that crime is slowing the quick business growth in their states
because the states are subject to the Centre.
It
is annoying rather, that the governors relied on the monthly allocations coming
from the FG each month. To many of us, the governors have no place being
leaders of their different villages, let alone, governing their different
states. The governors have not really proved that they are different from us
they are leading because they have not come up with ways of improving on
existing situation. Assuming we do not have oil, does it mean that the states
cannot operate?
Amaechi
once told Nigerians in an interview in July this year that big money is paid
annually in the name of petroleum products subsidy. He said: “...the issue of
subsidy is such that it only enriches a few individuals because when you look
at it critically, how many Nigerians are enjoying this so-called subsidy that
is being talked about? What is the correlation between the subsidy that is
being paid and the lives of Nigerians?
How has it affected the lives of Nigerians positively? Do you know that
last year alone, over N1 trillion was expended on subsidy?”
Come
to think of that what has the governors done in seeing that the lives of the
common persons in their states are touched positively? Are the states resources
saved wisely? And if the answer is yes, how come the governors are crying woes
of lack of money to touch the lives of their constituents?
Though,
the governors did not say that they should be given money from the subsidy, but
have argued that if the funds are freed, Nigerians will see the wand they have
in their governors. Anyway, asking for the removal of the subsidy is like
asking for the removal of the poor masses lives in this country.
The
governors have ‘big eye’ because they want the subsidy money that goes into the
pockets of the said few to be diverted into their own ‘pockets’ in the name of
deregulation where people now have to pay through their noses in making sure
that they are alive or live in a blessed Nigeria that is cursed by man.
Why
the governors are much bent on hammering on the subsidy is direful. But it is
annoying that a state like Rivers State has two licenses to set up refineries,
but it cannot set the refineries up due to the Federal Government is not
helping matter.
However,
the governors are yet to believe that the removal of the oil subsidy will
impoverish the already impoverished Nigerians. If a few people are pocketing
the subsidy and the governors want it removed for them to control the prices of
petroleum, it would be another poverty hemlock given to the ordinary Nigerians
because things will really be bad. Subsidy does not make any nonsense of the
matter to any seriously minded governor to deliver on his duty whether it is
removed or not.
The
governors should help Nigerians and avoid exhuming excuses for their
ineptitude. Nigerians are already facing untold discomforts and the time for
result is still farfetched. The governors should stop feeding us with such
statements on the removal of the oil subsidy that once the deregulation is
complete, Nigerians would have the choice to make and if the price is not right
in one place, they can simply move to the next station and buy, just as it is
happening with all the GSM service providers now. But even in the GSM, the poor
Nigerians are paying enough money out of their nose; excluding those who live
with our oil money that now want us to go to hell and burn to ashes.
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