By Dr Monday Onyekachi Ubani
For me two issues stood out this (yesterday) evening in the National News and I found them very discomforting and alarming. The two of them are (1) the threat of the Attorney General, Mr Abubakar Malami SAN to impose state of emergency on Anambra State due to the deteriorating state of insecurity in that state and (2) the promise of the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed to borrow more money to finance 2022 budget.
The first news is not only funny but shocking to any discernible fellow. The Section that provides for state of emergency in 1999 constitution is Section 305. The Section empowers the President to issue the declaration by way of official gazette. However two-thirds majority of the National Assembly members must ratify the executive proclamation within two days if the legislators are in session, or ten days if they are not.
Questions upon questions are popping up in my mind and they are as follows:
- Does the AG of the Federation know that state of emergency declaration and implementation is not executive act alone?
- Why is it that the state of emergency is not being contemplated for States like Kaduna, Borno, Zamfara, and even Imo State where we have had more precarious state of insecurity all this while? In Kaduna State, people are being killed like chicken on daily basis. Why this selective threat if I may ask.
- Has the State of insecurity in Anambra deteriorated to the level contemplated by the constitution to warrant the application of state of emergency? Assuming but not conceding that it does, what preemptive action has the government taken to prevent total breakdown of law and order in that State before contemplating the state of emergency?
I certainly smell a rat. The forthcoming election in Anambra State is at the root of the contrived insecurity and the expected effect is this subtle but easily discernible threat to impose a state of emergency on the State. Patriots should speak up and tell Mr Malami that Nigerians are too intelligent for this move that smells politics.
Electoral victory is secured through the mandate of the people freely given not through manipulation and intimidation. It will not work! We affirm “no” to selective state of emergency!
Another sad news is the promise of the Minister of Finance to borrow further to finance the deficit of 2022 budget that is yet to be passed.
Presently Nigeria’s debt stood at $45billion and if we add the $4billion request recently approved by the Senate, we are talking of over $50billion debt liability.
Presently several billions are used to service our debt in Nigeria. The illogical argument by the Minister that Nigeria’s borrowing status is healthy is nonsensical and unacceptable because the sufferings of Nigeria presently stems from the weak position of our currency due to consumption without production and the economic consequences of so much borrowings without corresponding creation of wealth.
Nigeria’s future is doomed by this crop of leadership that cannot create any wealth whatsoever but engage in senseless borrowings with no corresponding evidence of progress or development of our basic infrastructures.
Men and women of goodwill should speak up urgently. We are in peril and endangered if this state of affairs persist this way without being halted.
It is our future and prospect that is in discussion here, I AM ALARMED!
Dr Ubani, a lawyer, writes from Lagos
