By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to reverse his ban on Twitter to provide jobs, saying he took the decision to grease his ego at the expense of national interest.
A sweeping assessment of the federal government by the governors in the opposition party also criticises the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
The CBN is going rouge, breaking the law, and acting as government within a government, they said, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is acting unilaterally by refusing to make remittances to the Federation Account.
The PDP governors held a meeting in Uyo on Monday where they deliberated on the economy, insecurity, as well as on social and political tensions, after which they issued a communique touching on the following 14 points:
1. NNPC
The Forum examined the operations of the NNPC and expressed alarm at the muddy manner it carries out its operations.
It decried the recent decision of the NNPC “not to make its statutory contributions to the Federation Account,” thereby starving states and council and indeed Nigerians of funds needed for employment, development and general wellbeing.
The meeting emphasised that under the Constitution, the NNPC is 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 merely a manager of Nigeria’s oil wealth merely as a trustee for all citizens.
The meeting frowned at a situation where the NNPC decides in a “discretionary” and “whimsical” manner, how much to spend, how to spend it and how much to remit to the Federation Account, contrary to the Constitution.
2. Other government agencies
PDP governors urged other government agencies such as the 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.
Federating states should, going forward, have a say in the determination of operating costs to ensure transparency and accountability.
The meeting called for urgent steps to reverse these ugly trends in Nigeria’s practice of democracy, constitutionalism and federalism.
3. CBN
The meeting expressed “deep concern” about the operational system and methods of the CBN. It viewed with regret that the CBN operates as “an independent government within a government, which is a pervasion of the autonomy of the bank.”
A situation where CBN “creates money, decides how much of it to spend and on what to spend it on without any form of control or supervision patently subverts constitutional order.”
The CBN has become just “a leviathan and a father Christmas of sorts, dabbling into every sphere and scope of governmental activity, not just as a lender of last resort, but as a full executing agency of government.”
The CBN has become such “an octopus that it threatens state governments publicly, without decorum, about sanctions on any attempt to question its modus operandi. The CBN should take immediate steps to halt the depreciation of the naira.”
4. National debt
The PDP governors frowned at the rising and seemingly uncontrollable debt profile of Nigeria with over 80 per cent of normal Appropriation spent on debt servicing.
All the gains of the PDP government under Olusegun Obasanjo, “where Nigeria exited its foreign debt obligations has been destroyed. Borrowing for frivolous items such as funding the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) is scandalous.”
Money should only be borrowed for productive purposes as Nigeria’s current debt of over N36 trillion is becoming clearly unsustainable relative to earnings and GDP.
“We should not saddle incoming generations with undue debt burden. The borrowing spree of the APC administration, if unchecked, will certainly lead Nigeria into avoidable bankruptcy.”
5. RMAFC
The Forum reiterated its call, “which seems to have fallen on deaf ears,” for the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to urgently send the revised Revenue Allocation Formular to Buhari for onward transmission to the National Assembly (NASS) for enactment into law, such that more resources are made available to states and councils where ordinary Nigerians reside.
It called on the chairman and members of the RMAFC to resign or be sacked, if they cannot discharge this sacred constitutional duty entrusted it by Nigerians. “The present Constitution amendment process should make the RMAFC more independent and accountable to all stakeholders.”
6. Judicial and legislative autonomy
The meeting expressed support for the implementation of judicial and legislative autonomy in the federation and states, in conformity with the Constitution.
7. Mining activities
It called for more involvement of states in mining and geophysical activities within their states, to help curtail harm to the environment and diversify the economy and complement oil as a foreign exchange earner for Nigeria.
8. Threats to democracy
The PDP governors reviewed the threats to democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law and cautioned the federal government to exercise power with restraint.
The need for law and order is paramount to secure the nation but mindless killings of innocent civilians should be avoided and is hereby condemned.
The meeting reiterated its earlier revulsion at any attack on security personnel and their property anywhere in the country as a criminal and egregious act for which perpetrators should be prosecuted in the court of law.
9. Buhari’s Twitter ban
The meeting examined the suspension of Twitter from operating in Nigeria, and condemned the personalised reasons given for the action.
“The mere ego” of Buhari is “not enough for such a drastic action that deprives millions of Nigerians of such an affordable means of expression and communication. We hope that this is not a harbinger or early warning signs of descent into dictatorship.”
10. Buhari to reverse Twitter ban
Social media regulation can only be done within existing laws and should not be used 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 livelihoods, businesses and self-employment.”
This will further worsen Nigeria’s 33 per cent unemployment rate, the highest in the world, improve Nigeria’s ranking with the second highest poverty rate in the world, “all of which happened under APC’s unfortunate stewardship.”
The meeting requested Buhari “to review the suspension of Twitter operations in Nigeria in the national interest.”
11. Power supply
It called on the federal government led by the APC to think outside the box and find solutions to unstable electricity supply as the current system is certainly not delivering power needed for rapid industrialisation.
12. Decentralisation of security apparatus
The PDP governors reiterated the need to decentralise the operations of the security apparatus of state within the existing legal framework, to ensure the input of local operators in states and councils in policing and security.
13. Cooperation between Abuja and states
It lamented the fact that Buhari seems not to be aware that the coercive instruments of state security is firmly in his hands and not in governors’, considering his recent media interview on the subject.
The meeting reminded him that he has ultimate authority under the Constitution over security organisations, even though the states have a role to play. Cooperation and synergy between states and the federal government in security operations is critical in securing Nigeria.
In any case, even though, the police are on the Exclusive List, states, as a practical matter spend huge sums of money to support the security agencies to carry out their duties. The need for an appropriate legal framework to involve states in policing has become even more urgent by the day.
“We reiterate our call for the National Assembly to expedite action in passing the Electoral Act and Constitution amendments to ensure restructuring and decentralisation of governmental powers and functions.”
14. Emmanuel, a good host
The meeting extolled the virtues and achievements of Udom Emmanuel, Governor of Akwa Ibom State, the chief host. They noted that he has brought prudence, innovation and competence in the management of state resources, with major landmark projects and interventions, and thanked him for being a wonderful host.
Meeting attendees
PDP governors who attended the meeting were
1. Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) – PDP Governors’ Forum Chairman
2. Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) – Vice Chairman
3. Udom Emmanuel (Akwa Ibom)
4. Douye Diri (Bayelsa)
5. Samuel Ortom (Benue)
6. Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta)
7. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu)
8. Nyesom Wike (Rivers)
9. Oluseyi Makinde (Oyo)
10. Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa)
11. Godwin Obaseki (Edo)
12. Bala Mohammed (Bauchi)
13. Darius Ishaku (Taraba)
14. Mahdi Mohd (Zamfara) – Deputy Governor
