The long-drawn disagreement between the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party over the fight against Boko Haram took another dimension last week.
The gladiators representing the parties are the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, AbdulAzeez Yari, and Governor Ayodele Fayose.
Is this withdrawal of $1billion not an attempt to use such money for the 2019 elections? This is very clear, coming at a time like this when Nigerians are hungry and angry
Their rift changed from whether the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration had won the war against the terrorists, to the amount the government intended to spend to tackle the menace.
To bolster its fight against Boko Haram insurgency, the Federal Government requested permission to spend $1 billion from the nation’s $2.31 billion Excess Crude Account on December 12, 2017.
Though the government has not made it clear whether the war against insurgency was being hampered by paucity of funds, recently, there had been a surge in security challenges, especially in the North East.
The deterioration of security in the North East had necessitated a change of strategy by the military hierarchy on several occasions.
The National Economic Council resolved, through the Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, to support the effort of the Federal Government in the area of security.
the statement was an unfair cut against the Forum. When a decision is taken by the Forum in one’s absence, once there was a quorum at the meeting where the decision was taken, (it) becomes binding on all
Yari said, “Pleased with the achievement that have been made till date in the fight against insurgency, particularly in the North East, the governors of Nigeria, through their chairman, announced at the NEC meeting that the governors had given permission to the Federal Government to spend the sum of $1 billion on the fight against insurgency.
“This money is supposed to be taken from the Excess Crude Account. The money will cover the whole array of needs, which include purchase of equipment, training for military personnel and logistics.”
The excess crude account, which stood at $2.3billion as at December 13, 2017, is the money above the benchmark price of oil in the international market saved for future expenses.
Barely 24 hours after NEC permitted the government to go ahead with its plans to tame insurgency, Fayose flared up, saying, “enough is enough of this looting” at a press conference he organised in his office at Ado-Ekiti, after which his state sued the Federal Government.
He said, “I stand for the people of Nigeria, I stand for the truth; enough of these scandals, enough of this looting. I was never in support of the permission to withdraw such huge amount of money, as it is not in the interest of the Nigerian people.
“I want to dissociate myself from such decision because it does not represent the state of the Nigerian nation and the mood of the nation. These are scandals, these are issues and Nigerians must ask questions.
“I’m, therefore, asking the question; is this withdrawal of $1billion (from the excess crude account) not an attempt to use such money for the 2019 elections? This is very clear, coming at a time like this when Nigerians are hungry and angry.”
Governor Fayose stressed further that the fund, if withdrawn, must be shared among the three tiers of government; federal, state and local governments.
He also said that states that did not key into such decision to fund anti-terrorism war should be given their share of the fund, and asked the Federal Government to account for the money spent, so far, on fighting the insurgents.
“Rather than allow my people to suffer, and this money is going to end in the pocket of a few people who claim to be fighting in the Northeast, we are demanding that they should equally give account of the ones they have spent in time past because our commonwealth is under threat,” he said.
As expected, Yari reacted to Fayose’s declaration that $1 billion withdrawn from the Excess Crude Account, for use in the fight against Boko Haram, is a ruse.
Contrary to the allegation that the withdrawal, approved by the Governor’s Forum, was meant to finance President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019, the Zamfara State governor explained that the decision to allow the Federal Government access the money was a collective one by the forum.
He said being absent from the meeting where the decision was taken did not clear anyone of responsibility for the forum’s resolutions.
“I am saying that the statement was an unfair cut against the Forum. When a decision is taken by the Forum in one’s absence, once there was a quorum at the meeting where the decision was taken, (it) becomes binding on all. I am sure Fayose was not making the statement to undermine the Forum. He was just doing his thing,” he argued.
Yari added that the decision was a “conscious sign by the two parties to show the synergy between the NGF and the Presidency, “which ought not to be politicised.”
“This same lack of unity between governors and the presidency had brought about poor governance in the past, throughout the country and now that we are working together, no one should constitute a wedge in the process,” he said.
“You can never spend too much on security because the safety of lives and property are the most cardinal, among all the principles of governance, in any democracy,” he added.
Governor Yari insisted that the issue of drawing from the ECA was broadly deliberated at the forum’s meeting on the eve of the National Economic Council meeting where the decision was taken.
In all, the verbal war between the gladiators may take another turn in a few weeks depending on the outcome of the legal battle journey Fayose is set to embark upon. Nigerians should be interested in the
outcome.
